diff --git a/src/world/OverworldController.lua b/src/world/OverworldController.lua
index d6fcdb56..f7a58665 100644
--- a/src/world/OverworldController.lua
+++ b/src/world/OverworldController.lua
@@ -969,8 +969,14 @@ function OverworldState:update(dt)
         -- the bird carries the player in on landing, with its own
         -- SFX_FLY (EnterMapAnim .flyAnimation)
         self.arriveWarp = "fly"
+        -- keep the sprite hidden through the warp fade-out (#916): flyAnim
+        -- just went nil but flyArrive is not armed until startWarpTo's
+        -- midpoint, and the overworld keeps drawing beneath the veil, so
+        -- without this the trainer pops back in at the old cell for 32 frames
+        self.playerHidden = true
         self:startWarpTo(d.map, d.x, d.y, "down", nil, { via = "fly" })
       else
+        self.playerHidden = false
         self.player.inputLocked = false
       end
       return
@@ -1002,6 +1008,10 @@ function OverworldState:update(dt)
       self.player.spinFrames = nil
       self.player.spinRise = nil
       self.player.inputLocked = false
+      -- keep the sprite hidden through the warp fade-out (#916): the spin is
+      -- over but the arrival spin-drop is not armed until startWarpTo's
+      -- midpoint, so without this the standing trainer shows under the veil
+      self.playerHidden = true
       self:warpToHealPoint(onDone, { arrive = "teleport" })
       return
     end
@@ -4136,6 +4146,11 @@ function OverworldState:startWarpTo(mapId, x, y, facing, onDone, opts)
   self.arriveWarp = nil
   Game.stack:push(Transition.new(Game, function()
     self:setMap(mapId, x, y, facing or "down", opts)
+    -- the departure-side hide from flyAnim/teleportOut ends here, on the new
+    -- map; the arrival arms its own cover (flyArrive / spinDrop) a few lines
+    -- down, so the player is never drawable mid-fade nor standing bare on the
+    -- landing frame (#916)
+    self.playerHidden = false
     -- The warp we land ON stays inert for the completed-step check until we
     -- physically step off it, so a warp whose destination cell is itself a
     -- warp cannot bounce us straight back (elevator cars, stacked stair/door
@@ -4860,7 +4875,8 @@ function OverworldState:drawWorld()
       g.npc:draw(cam.x - g.ox, cam.y - g.oy)
     end
     for _, e in ipairs(self.entities) do
-      if not ((self.flyAnim or self.flyArrive) and e == self.player) then
+      if not ((self.flyAnim or self.flyArrive or self.playerHidden)
+              and e == self.player) then
         e:draw(cam.x, cam.y)
         -- tall grass overdraws the sprite's feet (GB sprite priority);
         -- the overdraw is BG tiles, so it rides the shake offset too
@@ -4911,7 +4927,8 @@ function OverworldState:drawWorld()
       items[#items + 1] = { y = g.npc.py + g.oy + 16, kind = "ghost", g = g }
     end
     for _, e in ipairs(self.entities) do
-      if not ((self.flyAnim or self.flyArrive) and e == self.player) then
+      if not ((self.flyAnim or self.flyArrive or self.playerHidden)
+              and e == self.player) then
         items[#items + 1] = { y = e.py + 16, kind = "entity", e = e }
       end
     end
diff --git a/tests/engine/warp_sprite_hidden_bug916.lua b/tests/engine/warp_sprite_hidden_bug916.lua
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5e6cd885
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/engine/warp_sprite_hidden_bug916.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+-- Engine invariant (#916): after the Fly / Dig departure animation ends, the
+-- trainer sprite must stay hidden through the warp fade-out and only become
+-- visible again when the arrival animation (flyArrive / teleport spin-down)
+-- plays on the new map.
+--
+-- Root cause: the player-hide guard only held while a departure animation
+-- was live.  flyAnim was nil'd the instant the bird finished path2, and the
+-- teleportOut countdown cleared the spin fields at 0, but startWarpTo's
+-- 32-frame fade keeps the overworld drawing beneath the veil (the Transition
+-- is not isOpaque), so with the departure guard gone and the arrival not yet
+-- armed, the standing sprite popped back in at the old cell for the whole
+-- fade.
+--
+-- The fix is a playerHidden flag on OverworldState: set when the departure
+-- completes (flyAnim path2 / teleportOut countdown), cleared in startWarpTo's
+-- midpoint the same tick the arrival arms, and folded into both player-draw
+-- guards.  This suite runs the REAL Transition + setMap headlessly and
+-- asserts there is no fade frame where the player would draw bare.
+--
+-- ROM-free (fixture dataset, no ROM boot): lives in tests/engine so the CI
+-- headless tier runs it; also runnable standalone via
+-- `luajit tests/engine/warp_sprite_hidden_bug916.lua`.
+
+package.path = "./?.lua;./?/init.lua;" .. package.path
+if not _G.love then _G.love = require("tests.love_stub") end
+
+local T = require("tests.modkit")
+local check, eq = T.check, T.eq
+
+local Data = T.fixtures.fresh()
+-- fixture patches that let the overworld boot and run headlessly
+Data.tilesets.FIX_OUT.tilesPerRow = 16
+Data.field.flyWarps = Data.field.flyWarps or {}
+Data.field.playerSprites = { walk = "SPRITE_FIX_PLAYER" }
+Data.field.waterTilesets = {}
+Data.field.forcedMovement = { tiles = {} }
+
+local Game       = require("src.core.Game")
+local Input      = require("src.core.Input")
+local StateStack = require("src.core.StateStack")
+local Renderer   = require("src.render.Renderer")
+local SaveData   = require("src.core.SaveData")
+local Pokemon    = require("src.pokemon.Pokemon")
+local OW         = require("src.world.OverworldController")
+
+Game.data = Data
+Game.input = Input; Input:init()
+Game.renderer = Renderer; Renderer:init()
+Game.stack = StateStack; StateStack:init()
+Game.save = SaveData.newGame()
+Game.save.party = { Pokemon.new(Data, "FIXMON_A", 20) }
+local stack = Game.stack
+
+-- The draw guard both entity passes use: the player sprite is skipped while
+-- any of flyAnim / flyArrive / playerHidden is set.
+local function playerHidden(ow)
+  return ow.flyAnim ~= nil or ow.flyArrive ~= nil or ow.playerHidden == true
+end
+
+local function newOW()
+  stack:push(OW, "FIX_TOWN", 5, 6, "down")
+  local ow = stack:top()
+  Game.overworld = ow
+  return ow
+end
+
+-- Drive `ow` until its departure + warp + arrival all complete, tracking the
+-- fade window.  Returns counters: fadeFrames / fadeFramesHidden (frames the
+-- Transition was on top; of those, frames the player was hidden), gapFrames
+-- (fade frames where NO arrival was active AND the player was NOT hidden --
+-- the regression this suite guards), arrivalFrame (first frame an arrival
+-- animation armed), warpFrame (first frame a fade is up).
+--
+-- Breaks once an arrival armed and then fully finished (no stale departure
+-- or arrival animation, OW back on top); `maxFrames` is the safety net.
+local function drive(ow, maxFrames)
+  local st = { fadeFrames = 0, fadeFramesHidden = 0, gapFrames = 0,
+               arrivalFrame = nil, warpFrame = nil }
+  for i = 1, maxFrames or 260 do
+    local fading = stack:top() ~= ow
+    stack:update()
+    if fading then
+      st.fadeFrames = st.fadeFrames + 1
+      if playerHidden(ow) then st.fadeFramesHidden = st.fadeFramesHidden + 1 end
+      local arrivalActive = ow.flyArrive ~= nil or ow.player.spinDrop == true
+      if not arrivalActive and not playerHidden(ow) then
+        st.gapFrames = st.gapFrames + 1
+      end
+      if st.warpFrame == nil then st.warpFrame = i end
+    end
+    if st.arrivalFrame == nil
+        and (ow.flyArrive ~= nil or ow.player.spinDrop == true) then
+      st.arrivalFrame = i
+    end
+    if st.arrivalFrame and stack:top() == ow
+        and ow.flyArrive == nil and ow.player.spinDrop ~= true
+        and not ow.player.inputLocked then
+      break -- departure + fade + arrival all finished
+    end
+  end
+  return st
+end
+
+-- ------------------------------------------------------------------ dig/teleport
+-- Departure spin (48) -> warp fade -> arrival spin-down.  From the moment
+-- the spin ends until the arrival arms, the sprite must never draw bare.
+local ow = newOW()
+local doneFired = false
+ow:beginTeleportOut(function()
+  doneFired = true
+  ow.player.inputLocked = false -- the party-menu caller unlocks after the warp
+end)
+local st = drive(ow, 260)
+check(st.warpFrame ~= nil, "dig departure ends and the warp fade begins")
+check(st.fadeFrames > 0, "dig warp fade ran (" .. st.fadeFrames .. " frames)")
+eq(st.gapFrames, 0,
+   "no dig fade frame leaves the player standing bare (#916)")
+check(st.fadeFramesHidden >= st.fadeFrames - 1,
+       "dig fade hidden on every frame but the arrival-arming midpoint ("
+       .. st.fadeFramesHidden .. "/" .. st.fadeFrames .. ")")
+check(st.arrivalFrame ~= nil, "dig arrival spin-down arms")
+check(ow.playerHidden == false, "dig hide cleared on the new map")
+check(doneFired, "dig onDone fires after the warp")
+check(ow.player.spinDrop ~= true and ow.player.spinning == false,
+      "dig arrival spin-down completes")
+check(not playerHidden(ow), "player drawable again after the dig landing")
+
+-- ------------------------------------------------------------------ fly
+-- flap (24) + path1 (36) + hold (40) + path2 (33) = 133 frames of flyAnim,
+-- then the fade, then the bird swoops in (flyArrive).  Same invariant.
+Data.field.flyWarps.FIX_ROUTE = { x = 4, y = 6 }
+ow = newOW()
+ow:flyTo("FIX_ROUTE")
+st = drive(ow, 260)
+check(st.warpFrame ~= nil, "fly departure ends and the warp fade begins")
+-- flap (8*3) + path1 (12*3) + hold (40) + path2 (11*3) = 133 frames; the
+-- warp fires on frame 133's update, so the fade is on top from loop frame 134
+eq(st.warpFrame, 134, "fly fade begins right after the bird''s exit path")
+check(st.fadeFrames > 0, "fly warp fade ran (" .. st.fadeFrames .. " frames)")
+eq(st.gapFrames, 0,
+   "no fly fade frame leaves the player standing bare (#916)")
+check(st.fadeFramesHidden >= st.fadeFrames - 1,
+       "fly fade hidden on every frame but the arrival-arming midpoint ("
+       .. st.fadeFramesHidden .. "/" .. st.fadeFrames .. ")")
+check(st.arrivalFrame ~= nil, "fly arrival swoop arms")
+check(ow.playerHidden == false, "fly hide cleared on the new map")
+check(ow.flyArrive == nil, "fly arrival swoop completes")
+check(not ow.player.inputLocked, "fly landing releases player input")
+check(not playerHidden(ow), "player drawable again after the fly landing")
+
+T.finish("warp_sprite_hidden_bug916")