After that incident in Mt. Coronet, with Marie almost dying and Princess evolving after saving Marie's life, we didn't have much further to go before we hit Hearthome City, site of our third Gym battle. I had read up on this Gym beforehand, as I'd done with the last two. The Gym Leader, Fantina, specialized in Ghost-types. Not something I was familiar with, but I knew my team could handle it. Marie was a Dark-type, so she'd be the one with the type advantage. Princess had just evolved, so she was probably the strongest member of my team. Blitz… actually, there was something about her that I couldn't quite put my finger on. It was like she had some kind of metaphorical fire burning inside her literally burning body that I could feel when she battled. Something different from what I felt from Marie and Princess. It was weird, but if that alone put her on-par with Princess in terms of raw power, I wasn't gonna complain.

That said, no one had any particular disadvantage in the coming Gym battle, so I was feeling pretty confident.

However, after a day as exciting as that, it was safe to say that we all needed a good night's rest before our next Gym battle. After resting at the Pokemon Center for the night, the four of us were up bright and early the next morning, standing in front of the Gym and mentally preparing ourselves for the coming battle.

"Everyone ready to roll?" I asked as I looked down to my three Pokemon. They all looked up at me and nodded, giving short cries in the affirmative. I could see the passion in each of their eyes. Each one burned in a different way, but they all had two things in common: trust in me, and loyalty towards each other and myself. Not to toot my own horn, that is. I was honestly surprised to see that they trusted me that much at this point. On the other hand, we'd all been through some pretty exciting stuff thus far. If battling two gyms, burning down an underground Pokemon sex slavery ring, and whatever Princess and Marie went through (I never actually asked or found anything out beyond Marie almost dying and Princess evolving) didn't truly make us family by this point, nothing was gonna get us that close anymore.

With a smile, I nodded back, returning their enthusiasm. "Then let's go get that third gym badge. All four of us."

I turned, opened the door to the Gym, and the four of us walked inside. Once we cleared the doorway, we realized that the battlefield was very poorly lit. It was almost pitch-black inside the Gym, and there was no skylight to be spoken of. Dim purple flames burned at the corners of the battlefield, just barely giving me visual of it.

In the next instant, the doors behind us suddenly swung shut, cutting off the daylight from outside and shrouding us in darkness, sans what Blitz was generating with her flames. We all turned around, thinking we'd be able to see the culprit, but to no avail.

"Calm down, girls," I said to my Pokemon with a calming exhale. "We're in a Ghost-type Gym, remember? Little tricks like that are gonna happen."

"Oh boo, you're not gonna be very much fun, are you?" a strange feminine voice called from within the darkness. We all turned around just in time to see two bright purple flames ignite at the far end of the battlefield, revealing the form of who I deduced to be Gym Leader Fantina, in her flashy purple dress that sparkled like the night sky, and hair done up into two gigantic burns. "My philosophy is that for a trainer to truly understand the terrifying nature of Ghost-types, they need to walk in here with a good scare already put into them."

"And your whole plan for doing that is the old, 'door suddenly and inexplicably closing' trick?" I asked while scratching my head.

Fantina chortled. "I had more than that in my repertoire," she replied. "But if you're going to come in here already on the lookout for those kinds of tricks, it kind of ruins the magic, don't you think?"

I smiled and shook my head. "I've never really believed in magic, honestly," I replied. "Fairy-types and their strangeness, I doubt it really counts. Psychic- and Ghost-types with their neat little parlor tricks, I might've only found out about those recently, but that's hardly magic either."

As I talked, I walked forward to take my spot in my square of the arena. As I got closer, I could see Fantina wave off what I was saying. "Silly boy," she said with a shake of her head. "You claim to not believe in magic, and yet you have a Zorua standing right beside you."

"Huh?" I asked as I looked down at Marie. She looked back up at me, her expression making it seem like she was just as confused as I was. I turned back to Fantina. "What are you talking about?"

"Real magic lies in the wild and wonderful," Fantina explained as she pulled out a Pokeball. "In the bizarre and the amazing. What lies beyond the norm, what can shock and awe any who bear witness… that's real magic." She then shot me a devious smirk. "If you don't believe in magic… then you don't believe in the bond between Trainer and Pokemon, and thus you'll never be able to defeat us!" As she said this last word, she threw her hands into the air, and all of a sudden, a multitude of torches alighted all over the gym, casting a bright, albeit eerie, purple glow around the entire place. At least now I could see. It looked somewhat like a ballroom constructed entirely out of marble, evidenced by how some of the flames reflected off the surfaces of the walls, floors, and columns. "Now that you know the definition of magic, perhaps you could show me how much of a magician you actually are! Go, Duskull!" She threw her Pokeball forward, and it exploded in a flash of light that greatly contradicted the purple glow of the flames that lit the room.

"Skull…" the Duskull cried as it emerged, an eerie aura emanating off of it.

I smirked. "You might call it magic," I started, "but I have a different name for it. A good old-fashioned bond between Trainer and Pokemon, tempered by an exciting journey that's far from over." I looked down and nodded at Marie. "She called you magic first, Marie. Why don't you dazzle her a little?"

"Zor!" Marie barked as she leaped forward into the battlefield, ready for action.

All of a sudden, at the side of the arena, a huge spout of purple flame erupted for just a moment before dissipating, revealing the Gym's referee. Alright, I could admit that was a nice trick, but I still wasn't buying that it was magic.

"The battle between the Hearthome City Gym Leader, Fantina, and the challenger, Marcus Lyre of Jubilife City, shall soon commence," he said in a strangely ominous tone. The tone of his words honestly gave me a little chill. "Each trainer will use three Pokemon, and the battle will end when all three of a Trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Additionally, only the challenger may make substitutions mid-battle. Are both Trainers and Pokemon ready?"

"Ready and waiting," Fantina said with a smirk.

"Skull," Duskull growled.

"Zor Zorua?" Marie barked as she turned around towards me.

I adjusted my hat confidently and pointed dramatically. As was going to be my tradition from this point forward, I shouted, with a somewhat unintentional voice crack, "BRING IT ON!"

"Then let the battle… BEGIN!" the referee shouted as all the flames in the room flared, causing a brilliant glow about the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flame erupt and engulf the referee for just a second before it died down, revealing that the ref had vanished.

I shuddered at the sight, but I didn't let that deter me. It was fight time!

I have to level with whoever reads this. The fight was really boring, especially compared to the battle in the Eterna Gym. Marie made short work of the Duskull, only needing two Faint Attacks before her foe went down. I sent Blitz out against a Haunter just so she'd have a chance to fight, and the two were about evenly matched. Blitz came out the winner, still seeming like she could fight if I needed her to. Then, Fantina sent out a Mismagius, against whom I used Princess. True, there were a lot of explosions in that battle, and once again, mine and Fantina's Pokemon were about evenly matched, but Princess took the win.

Hardly exciting, but I honestly took pride in how easy our victory was. It just meant we had grown that much stronger.

Once the battle was over, Fantina and I met in the middle of the battlefield so she could present to us our next Gym Badge. "That was performance was truly magical," she said to us. "I felt the bond you had with your Pokemon. I could tell you've improved greatly from a performance I never bore witness to. Your journey is far from over, but you are making leaps and bounds towards your eventual goal."

I actually couldn't help but smile a little at that. "Hey, that actually touches me a bit," I replied. "Thanks for that."

Fantina was about to give me the badge when, all of a sudden, one of the Pokeballs on her belt exploded, and out of it emerged her Mismagius, who was still very weak from her defeat at Princess' flippers, but seemed dead set on doing something.

She pointed one of her ribbon-esque appendages at me as she panted, staring at me intently. "Mag…" she huffed.

"Mismagius, what are you doing?" Fantina asked. "You should be resting!"

Mismagius turned to Fantina slowly. She stared at her trainer for a second before suddenly rushing forward and flying into Fantina. The Gym Leader recoiled backwards and bent over, a strange purple fog suddenly emitting from her feet.

"Holy crap!" I found myself shouting. "Is this part of the whole, 'scaring your challenger' thing!?"

Fantina remained in her bent over position for a moment before she slowly rose, the purple fog beginning to swirl around her. She turned to look at me, but her eyes had now taken on a red color.

"You…" Fantina said to me, holding her arm out and pointing to me, similar to what Mismagius had just done. "You… Marcus Isaiah Perseus Lyre… I am too weak to claim my trainer as a vessel through which to speak to you for very long… so be silent as you listen to my words…"

She had several pauses in her sentence in which she panted heavily. It was at this point that I realized what had happened. Mismagius had possessed Fantina, and apparently, it was so that she could talk to me. I wanted to tell her that she could have skipped the showboating and let Marie translate for her instead, but she seemed rather serious about what she wanted to say, as well as the fact that she wouldn't have the strength to speak for very long. Instead, I just nodded silently, and motioned for Marie, Princess, and Blitz to do the same.

"I have… seen your future…" Mismagius said to me. "Though your battle… I divined your fate… and you have a dark road ahead of you…" She suddenly had a violent coughing fit, and the purple fog that was surrounding her seemed to fade a little before she finally recovered and continued pointing to me. "Your path is obscured… by a veil of darkness… as well as a purple haze… but I will warn you of what I know now…. In the forest… lies a child… one who must be protected at all costs…lest his potential is never known… and the world crumbles without him to bear the weight…."

"A child…?" I thought out loud. "In the forest…"

"CONSIDER MY WORDS AFTER I HAVE SPOKEN THEM!" Mismagius suddenly shouted, her voice echoing throughout the Gym and all the flames that lit the area flickering as a result. I stepped backwards a bit, but kept my cool for the most part. "If I may continue…. One you love… must confront a deadly truth…. If she refuses to utter her words… your life will end… but if she speaks her truth… though you will live… the lives of you… and those you hold dear… will be put in greater jeopardy… for the remainder of your days…."

Mismagius specified that it was a female who was going to confront this "deadly truth." Instinctively, I looked down at my Pokemon, all of whom were girls. Was it going to be one of them? Or someone I'd encounter later on down the line? Someone one of these three would encounter…?

"Beware the temptations… of the one who commands the world…." Mismagius continued. "She will be the key… to Pandora's Box…. A great evil… will be unleashed by her hand… but if this evil… can be survived… hope will emerge as well…. Hold fast to your friends… but beware the shadows that bind…. Do not speak the name… of the one who walks upon death… or she will shatter your life forever…."

Suddenly, Mismagius screamed, and Fantina bent over backwards, the fog around her swirling violently and glowing brightly. I shielded my eyes and tried to brace myself against the wind that was being generated. From what little I could see, Fantina was rising into the air. I wanted to try to help her, but the wind was too strong. I looked to my Pokemon, and they looked like they were struggling against the wind as well.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the wind, glowing, and screaming stopped, and all the flames in the Gym went out, creating pure pitch-darkness.

Fortunately, I had my own light source.

"Blitz," I whispered to the seemingly-glowing Ponyta, "walk over to Fantina and see if she's okay. But be careful." I paused for a moment and shuddered. "I don't want to freak Mismagius out any more than she seems to be already."

"Pon," Blitz replied quietly with a nod. She cautiously trotted over to where Fantina had apparently fallen, Marie, Princess, and I following close behind. When Fantina was within range of Blitz's light, we saw that she was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, and Mismagius was laying next to her in a similar state.

"Shit…" I muttered as I rubbed the back of my head. "That was pretty wild. We should probably get these two some kind of medical attention or something…?" I looked down and noticed something glowing in the light of Blitz's flames. It was the Relic Badge Fantina was about to give me. I reached down carefully and picked it up, eyeing it for a moment. "Not that I'm scared… but I think we should just take this badge and run. We did kinda earn it, after all…" I looked down towards Fantina, who was still out cold. "I mean… she was about to give it to us, wasn't she?"

Needless to say, we hightailed it out of that Gym soon after that. After taking a moment to shake and catch our breaths collectively, we got to the Pokemon Center, where I explained what had happened as best I could. (However, I left out what all Mismagius had told me. I figured that was our business.) The Nurse Joy I told all this to just looked at me funny for a moment, then started chuckling to herself. She then explained that Fantina and Mismagius did this sort of thing with every trainer who challenged the Gym. I was honestly steamed before I mentioned the prophecy Mismagius had given, and shared a couple broad details. According to Nurse Joy, that wasn't much out of the ordinary either. Now I was just plain embarrassed.

Of course, I wasn't so mad that I forgot to get Marie, Princess, and Blitz rested up.

I really didn't want to stay in town after all that had happened – partially because I was afraid of facing Fantina and seeing her smirk, but also partially because… actually, just the first reason – but it was more than a day's journey before we'd be able to get to the next town, and I didn't feel like spending a night in the woods after what we'd just been through. (It wasn't because I was scared, I swear!) Besides, there was Amity Square to the north of town that the four of us could check out to get our minds off of what went on that morning.

Despite all the pretty flowers, exciting Pokemon, and quality time we all spent together, though, that encounter with Mismagius still had all of us spooked… I mean, had my Pokemon spooked! And I was worried for them! I wasn't spooked…

That night, we had stayed in the Pokemon Center like we usually did. Marie, Princess, and Blitz were all in their Pokeballs, and I was in the bed I had rented, but I couldn't fall asleep. I laid in the bed, staring up at the ceiling, mulling over everything Mismagius had said. It was a lot to process, and a lot of it was way too cryptic for my liking. Granted, I reasonably assumed "veil of darkness" meant that Vale character Nemas had mentioned a couple days ago before he died, though I was a little concerned that he was apparently important enough for Mismagius to include it in her prophecy. "In the forest lies a child…" I found myself saying to myself out loud. "Come to think of it… a forest is made up of trees, and I know that the word 'Ki' is the word for 'tree' in some other language. She did have an egg, so maybe… that poor Leafeon…" I hummed to myself as I continued to think about everything else. Honestly… I couldn't made heads or tails of any of it. I decided it wasn't worth my time to lose sleep over it, so I rolled over and tried to get some shuteye… but for some reason, sleep didn't come. I tossed and turned, imagery from the Gym still vivid in my mind. Er, that is to say, the potential meanings of Mismagius' prophecy vivid in my mind. Again, I wasn't scared of anything that happened!

I had tossed and turned for probably 15 minutes before one of my Pokeballs, the belt for which I had left on the night stand next to my bed, suddenly exploded, and Blitz emerged, rubbing one of her eyes with her hoof. "Hey Blitz…" I said as she trotted over to where I was. I sat up and reached down to stroke the side of her face. "You having trouble sleeping too?"

"Ponyta…" she replied with a nod, followed by a yawn. She then nuzzled herself under my arm, trying to climb into the bed with me.

"What's the matter?" I asked. "Too scared to sleep alone?" Blitz looked me in the eyes and nodded. I chuckled, and scooted over so that she could crawl up next to me. I was very thankful at this moment that her flames still couldn't burn things normally. "Heh… maybe it's a good idea… to not sleep alone after what happened…"

Blitz had just finished snuggling up next to me when my other two Pokeballs exploded, Marie and Princess releasing themselves and looking up at me. "Don't even bother translating, Marie," I said with a chuckle. "Neither of you two wanna sleep alone tonight?"

"Prin-plup," Princess replied while shaking her head. It wasn't like her to fess up to something like that so easily. Either evolving helped her grow up more than we'd realized, or she was really scared that night.

"Zorua…!" Marie cried as she leaped up onto the bed next to me, opposite where Blitz was laying, quickly hiding her face in between my arm and the bed. (I'd find out later that the cry she gave meant, "Brother…!") Princess followed suit, though she climbed in a little more gracefully and settled herself in next to Marie.

I sighed and chuckled. "Everybody comfortable?" I asked. All three of my Pokemon, now snuggled up against me like a litter of Lillipup hatchlings nestled into a mama Stoutland's fur, nodded in agreement. "Alright then… try to get some sleep, everyone." I closed my eyes, and found sleep coming to me a little easier now that everyone was here with me. I think they were all comforted by each others' presences as well.

Once all was said and done, sleep came somewhat easily that night. The next morning, however, we knew. We knew we were going to have to face the reality of what had happened once again. I know I said I don't believe in magic, but divination, especially the kind that Mismagius had given me, was a different story in my book.

I was a firm believer in destiny, after all…