Ashwin stood at the edge of the field, watching the mist roll off the distant trees as the first rays of sunlight lit the farm in golden hues. A few sick Pokémon had already been led into the outer treatment sheds, with the healthier ones helping guide them under Vespiquen's careful direction. The rhythm of his life was no longer just about survival or exploration—it was a balance of care, science, and a growing responsibility that few could understand.
As he walked past the new section of the farm—one freshly expanded through the system's recent quest rewards—he paused. The wind shifted, carrying with it the faintest trace of smoke.
Not the crisp warmth of a Fire-type training session, nor the scent of burnt herbs from the Grotto.
No… this was different.
"Flareon," he called softly. The fox-like Pokémon, resting under the shade of a berry tree, rose immediately and padded over. Her nose twitched. Her ears perked. Without hesitation, she took off toward the western ridge, her trainer following closely behind.
The path wound through tall grass and low, rocky outcrops, until it opened to a clearing blackened by charred earth. There, curled up within a ring of scorched stone, was a Pokémon Ashwin had never seen before.
A Larvesta.
Its body glowed faintly with internal embers, six small legs twitching weakly as it tried to rise. Its white, woolly fuzz was matted with soot and ash, and its flame horns flickered irregularly—sputtering like a candle near death.
Ashwin approached slowly, kneeling a safe distance away. Larvesta hissed weakly, the heat intensifying for a moment before dying down.
"I'm not here to hurt you," Ashwin whispered, placing a small dish of Pecha water at the edge of the circle. "You're hurt… probably from the same spores. But you've fought it longer than most, haven't you?"
Larvesta looked up, its many eyes dull but curious.
Behind him, the system activated with a gentle chime.
[A Rare Ember Awakens: Special Event Triggered][Larvesta, the Flame Guardian Hatchling, has been discovered. It bears resistance to the adaptive spores.][Optional Quest: Nurture the Scorched Flame]
Objective: Treat Larvesta's injuries and gain its trust
Reward: Unknown
Bonus: Possible evolutionary revelation
Ashwin reached into his satchel and carefully removed a small glass vial—one containing the latest version of the Burn Heal mist. As he sprayed it near Larvesta's horns, the Pokémon flinched—but did not attack. Instead, its eyes focused on Ashwin… and remained there.
Flareon padded closer and gently touched Larvesta's side with her snout. A moment passed. Then two.
Larvesta chirped weakly… and relaxed.
Ashwin smiled. "You're a tough one. Must've survived out here alone for weeks, maybe months."
He glanced at Flareon, then back at the small flame cocoon.
"Let's get you home."
—
Back at the farm, the team quickly sprang into action. The Grotto's sub-chamber for Fire-types was prepared in minutes—filled with low-burning stones and humid vents. As Larvesta was placed on a resting slab, the other Fire-types peered in curiously. Tepig snorted. Torchic tilted her head. Even the usually aloof Fennekin lay nearby, offering quiet warmth.
Ashwin monitored Larvesta's vitals through the internal scanner system.
[Heat Signature Normalizing… 63%][Spore Contamination… 12% → 6%]
That resistance wasn't just natural—it was structural. Larvesta's very biology rejected the spores' attempt to adapt. A living key, perhaps, to reversing the long-term effects.
While Elgyem floated in to begin scans, the Grotto system issued another notification:
[Sub-Objective Unlocked: Spore Resistance Research]
Study the innate resistance of Larvesta
Attempt replication across Fire-type clusters
Begin early-stage vaccine development
Later that evening, as Ashwin sat under the stars, the small Larvesta crawled up beside him. Its embers glowed softly, no longer volatile. With a soft hiss, it nuzzled against his arm, emitting a low, rhythmic chirp.
"You're staying," he whispered with a grin.
Larvesta didn't answer, but it didn't need to.
Its presence was the answer.
The air in the Fire-type sub-chamber crackled—not with flames, but with focus.
Ashwin crouched beside the incubation trench carved from volcanic stone. Inside, Larvesta glowed faintly, radiating not just heat but something far deeper—a primal connection to fire that surpassed any Pokémon Ashwin had worked with before.
Around them, his Fire-types trained relentlessly. Litleo pounced between targets set on fire-proof logs. Cyndaquil worked on controlled bursts of flame to sear a thin line across a stone slab. Fennekin, more precise, focused its flame into a narrow beam to sterilize fungus samples on command. The whole chamber resembled a forge, both literal and metaphorical.
But this was more than just training.
They were testing flame as medicine.
Ashwin adjusted his goggles, watching Elgyem project psychic scans over infected fungal samples. The Spore Contagion had spread more quickly in surrounding wild Pokémon—especially among Bug-types. That information had only added urgency to the resistance research.
"[Quest Objective Progress: Spore Resistance Research – 36% Complete]"
Larvesta twitched, sensing the contaminated petri dish near its nesting area. Elgyem levitated the dish just within range.
At first, nothing.
Then, a pulse.
A wave of internal combustion rippled through Larvesta's tiny body. A spark shot out—not harmful, but surgical. The dish's surface blackened, and when the psychic scan resumed, the fungal spore was inert.
Ashwin's eyes widened. "Targeted combustion?"
Elgyem bobbed, communicating rapidly via psychic pulses. The inference was clear: Larvesta's ancient flame could differentiate between organic materials at a near-microscopic level. It wasn't just fire—it was purification.
"[Research Discovery: Larvesta's Ember Purge - Spore-resistant treatment method unlocked.]"
With the breakthrough came validation. The system immediately logged it:
[System Notification]
Sub-Quest Update: "Burn the Blight" - Status: Phase 2 Initiated.
Develop Treatment Application Protocol using Larvesta's flame.
Train compatible Fire-types in Ember Purge.
Conduct controlled exposure trials on minor infected Pokémon.
Ashwin exhaled sharply. The pressure was immense, but his team had pushed past another barrier.
Outside the chamber, Gogoat nudged a large box filled with fresh herbs toward the entrance. The plant Pokémon were helping moderate the humidity and provide natural cures that soothed post-treatment discomfort.
"Smart thinking, buddy," Ashwin muttered, scratching Gogoat's head before returning to his work.
Hours passed. By late evening, under the lava-warmed chamber glow, the Fire-types huddled around Larvesta as it rested. Ashwin logged all the data, taking special note of how each Pokémon had fared under training. Embers now flickered with precision rather than wild intensity. Even the usually energetic Torchic had learned to focus its breath with surgical accuracy.
But the biggest surprise came just as Ashwin began cleaning the workbench.
A low, curious hum vibrated through the floor.
Larvesta raised its head, antennae twitching.
Then—out from one of the deeper tunnels connecting to the far parts of the Grotto—a silhouette appeared, gliding silently forward. Not a Fire-type. Not even something Ashwin immediately recognized.
It floated, semi-transparent, humming as if in harmony with the chamber.
"A new arrival?" Ashwin murmured, stepping forward cautiously.
The figure became clearer—delicate wings, a flickering core of light in its chest, crystalline eyes that studied everything.
It was a Pokémon born from flame and mind alike—a fusion of old fire and psychic memory.
Elgyem's eyes blinked wide.
Ashwin whispered, "Volbeat? No… something else…"
The Pokémon tilted its head. It carried spores—non-infected—and hovered over Larvesta, as if seeking something.
The system chimed once again:
[New Encounter: ??? - Unknown Type – Initial scan unsuccessful.]
[Sub-Event Triggered: "The Flame in the Memory Dust"]
Ashwin's heart pounded. This Pokémon might be a bridge—not just to resistance, but to the origin of the contamination.
And perhaps even a warning.