Heptagonal Ring

by EntropyWing

In the middle of a faraway desert lies a peculiar metropolis inhabited only by pokémon, an almost utopic paradise with a bit of an unseemly obsession with number seven. If you'd kindly lend an ear, this humble troubadour will tell you a tale from its past, about eight eeveelutions and how their paths would cross when their region faced a crisis unlike any other.

25. Assault

Preternatural seraphs. That's how Scylla had just called the two smirking newcomers standing before them, surrounded by a circle of unconscious pokémon. A rather brutal and indiscriminate onslaught seemed to have taken place moments ago, with both Ivy's assisting defenders and Barghest's men lying unconscious on the floor.

A Gallade and a Gardevoir, twins, allied with the Beacon. They already swiped a shard from their hands once, and Ivy feared they might do it once again. The twins walked side by side in almost perfect synchrony, in close proximity of each other. The Gallade returned their glares wearing a brash smile, although his occasional panting gave away his state of exhaustion. Meanwhile the Gardevoir took a brief look around the room at the many fallen pokémon to make sure they wouldn't get up, ignoring the four standing in front of her.

A sour smile appeared in the Gallade's mouth as he scratched his cheek. "Now, small miscalculations are always inevitable, but I think we might've been way too sloppy this time, Keira. There were twice as many heads as we thought there would be. You guys decided to throw a last minute party? Should've told us. We would've come take that shard some other day."

"How did you know about the shard?" Ivy asked in an inflamed tone. Did Barghest tell them? No, his men were down too, that wouldn't make sense.

"It pays to have ears everywhere." Keira kneeled on the floor and lightly rubbed one of her unusual ears, glancing in their direction for the first time. She kept communicating with them telepathically. "If you have rowdy underlings that decide to openly talk about private matters in public places, we're bound to find out. All credit goes to you flunkies for being so boisterous and careless. I wouldn't tell them any secrets if I were you."

Standing on her hind legs, Ivy tightened the grip on the shard. "So one of Barghest's followers let the cat out of the bag? Damn, they should've been more careful. You shouldn't talk about shards in public, even if you think you're alone."

Barghest slowly shifted towards Ivy, an indignant scowl appeared in his face. "It's impolite to assume, Ivy. We don't know how they've found out."

Ivy raised one of her eyebrows while lowering the other, baffled by the Houndoom's attitude. Was this really the moment for stupid pride? "I'm not badmouthing your men or anything, but that's what the Gardevoir just said, you know." Whatever. They might discuss that later, now they had their hands full with the two psychic intruders.

Ivy scanned the room for any pokémon other than them that could still fight, but they all looked unconscious. They weren't dead, were they? The thought sent a chill down her spine. She couldn't tell. She had known many of those defenders for a long time, she had sparred and trained under many of them, but she couldn't do anything to help them right now. She let her fangs show, more out of impotence than anything. They had to take care of the two twins as quick as possible to tend to the wounded.

Skoll also scoured the room for anyone that might lend them a hand, but it looked like they were out of luck. They'd have to deal with the seraphs on their own. Two thoughts crossed his mind. First, how could a pair of lowly crooks take down a squadron of experimented defenders and Barghest's supporters at the same time? Just how strong were these two? And second…

"Ivy, did you just say you heard the Gardevoir speak? 'Cause I didn't."

"Telepathy can't reach dark-types," Keira said, opening her arms and shrugging. "Of course, this means you aren't hearing this either, so Leaves will have to relay the message. C'mon, girl. Make us proud."

Ivy didn't like her bossy attitude, but Skoll and Barghest needed to know about her telepathy. "She's talking via telepathy. You can't hear what she says."

Still, it was odd. The Gardevoir was projecting her telepathy everywhere, so Ivy and Scylla could hear her loud and clear while the two dark-types couldn't. If she wanted to talk to his brother in secret, why not focus her telepathy on him? And if she wanted everyone to hear her she could just talk, so why use this uncontrolled form of telepathy that reached only half of them?

Skoll stared at the Gardevoir, studying the movements of her arms just in case she decided to attack. "Outlaws rarely have anything interesting to say anyway."

Keira looked aside with her arms folded, not showing much of a reaction. It was her twin brother that stepped forward in her defense. "Rings, I'll have you know we're quite –"

"They're trying to buy time talking." Barghest cut the Gallade off, eliciting a groan from him. "They're tired and need to recover. Don't waste time conversing. We should act now."

"Good point." Skoll walked forward as his rings started to shine, leaving the Leafeon and the Vaporeon behind. "Ivy, Scylla, leave this to us. They're criminals and we don't know what they're willing to do. Be cautious."

Scylla gave him a meek nod and hid behind Ivy with shivering legs. She wanted nothing to do with this. Ivy, on the other hand, let the shard on the floor near Scylla and stepped forward with a determined glare, puffing out her chest with pride. "Don't worry! I can fight too!"

"Don't, Ivy," Skoll said in an authoritative voice, almost a command.

His opposition made Ivy recoil, her tail bumping against the Vaporeon. "Skoll, you know I –"

"Please, Ivy, don't." Skoll lowered his head, his tone coming across as pleading this time. "I want you to stay safe. Those two are criminals. They are not going to play fair. I wouldn't stand it if you ended up hurt because of meaningless bravado."

With reluctance, Ivy picked up the shard between her arms again, hugging it tightly and sighing into it. "But I could help…"

"Not a good idea." Barghest stood beside Skoll, his unfriendly glare focused on the trespassers. "These uninvited guests just defeated all your defenders and my associates at the same time. I have to ask, how? Who in the world are you two?"

After exchanging a quick glance with her sister, Kay took a single step forward and stared at the Houndoom with a cheerful smile. "I'll admit we got lucky. We knew how to deal with your cronies because the fox told us everything about them – their weak points, battle styles, anything we needed to know. We didn't expect all those defenders here, though, so those were more of an issue."

He mentioned a fox – Naamah? So the Zoroark had told them about Barghest's supporters and how to defeat them, that's how they beat them with ease. That made it a premeditated attack; they had learned Barghest had a shard and were well prepared to take it. But they never expected Ivy, Skoll, Scylla, or the entourage of defenders.

Kay kept speaking. "Luckily for us, it's easy to defeat a defender if you know how to. Their battle style is defense-oriented, intended to protect innocents and minimize friendly fire without mortally wounding the foe. It's easy to overwhelm them using a hyper-offensive style. It's the kind of thing you learn when you've been running from defenders all your life."

Although his face didn't show it, Skoll was more than a little impressed, his rings lighting up. They might be foes, but Skoll wondered at the matchless skill required to subdue so many pokémon at once like they just did.

Barghest, on his part, didn't care much for them or their feats, his expression unchanging. "I know not who you are, but you can't expect me to sit idle after you trespass into my home and assault my men."

"Ah, Barghest, we wanted to have a little friendly chat with you." Kay's expression changed, now looking less antagonistic, swapping his smug smirk for a cordial – not quite friendly – smile. "Let's start with the introductions, shall we? I'm Kay, and this here is my twin sister, Keira. She can't tell you hi herself because our telepathy can't reach the sick minds of dark-types like you."

"Do I look like I care? I'm sure I don't."

"Now, now, hear me out. As a businessman this should interest you. We're members of a little group of friends that call themselves Beacon."

"Ah, I've heard of you," Barghest said, his expression darkening. "A group of terrorists bent on eradicating Adamantium, which would harm my commercial transactions significantly. It's because of you that Zvonimir is blocking access to more Adamantium, more resources, and thus more market opportunities. Your actions are costing me quite a little money."

"We're not off to a good start, I see." Kay remained leery of Barghest, aware that he didn't welcome his presence. He stood next to his sister, keeping his distance from the Houndoom. "You see, we heard you had a shard and we're kind of going around collecting them – call it a hobby if you will – so we figured we should have yours too. Now, I'm not some foolhardy bonehead and I know trying to take that shard by force would be suicide, but I'm sure we could come to an arrangement. We have a deal in mind that would be beneficial both for us and for your crew."

"Your group has already made me lose much money," Barghest said, raising his tone without yelling. "Why would I want to collaborate with you?" It was a relief for the eeveelutions to see that Barghest also opposed the Beacon, even if it was for monetary reasons.

Seeing his denial to cooperate made Kay drop his smile. He briefly eyed his sister, who shrugged and looked away. "Look at the big picture! You're only losing money because you refuse to let go of Adamantium. Think about it, isn't Adamantium very strictly regulated by the leaders of the nodes? You would have a lot more freedom to operate if it disappeared."

"That's a somewhat valid point," Barghest said, making Scylla yelp and Skoll and Ivy glare at him. "But you are the one that's not looking at the big picture. I don't need money, what I need is a positive reputation in order to become more trustworthy in the eyes of clients, so that I can perform large scale transactions encompassing the whole Heptagonal Ring. The disappearance of Adamantium might bring me immediate monetary satisfaction, but it wouldn't solve my client's trust problems – if anything, it might aggravate them. Your long term thinking is contemptible."

"Reputation?" Kay stared at her sister for a short moment with bewilderment in his eyes. "Then you'll want to be with us. Once Adamantium is no more, we'll be hailed as heroes! Wouldn't you want to be by our side when that happens?"

Skoll couldn't keep a guttural snicker from escaping his throat. "You're delusional if you think that even for a moment."

Keira giggled in a scoffing manner. She never talked – other than telepathically – but she laughed every now and then, always in a stifled manner. "Don't be stupid, Rings. History is… Well, you can't hear me, now can you? Kay, if you will."

She turned to her Gallade brother and fired him a brief glance, as if requesting him to speak in her place. Talking to dark-types was always so annoying. "As my sister was saying, history decides who will be cheered and who will be spurned. It doesn't matter who's wrong or who's right, the only thing that matters is whether you're on the winning or the losing team. If we lose, we'll be remembered as deplorable hoodlums that tried to break society apart. If we win, we'll be remembered as brave rebels who fought against the world for what's right. Don't you want to be on the winning side, Barghest?"

"It doesn't look to me like you're winning," Barghest said in a derisive tone. "Why should I make such a risky move? You may or not become reputable in the future, so joining you would be a gamble, but Scylla is already loved by the people in the present, so she's a more logical choice for an associate."

"I think we shouldn't bother," Keira said, telepathically. "He doesn't like us, it's obvious."

"Yeah. Kind of a shame." Kay looked to his right to some of the pokémon lying unconscious on the floor, a Palpitoad and a Quagsire among others. "If possible, we would have liked to join with your group. Not because of you, but because you have a few water-types in your gang. We need a water-type." It seemed like the Beacon wanted to recruit a water pokémon for some reason. Scylla remembered Minos straight asking her to join them, even. Why would they need a water-type, anyway? "Well, if you're not gonna collaborate, we're done talking."

That was Skoll's cue to press forward, gritting his teeth aggressively. "We've let you talk for far too long. You must be exhausted from all the fighting, so we should strike before you have time to recover."

After another shared glance between the twins, Kay wagged a finger at the Umbreon. "No, we have no intention to fight. I'm sure you could use many horrible words to describe us, but stupid isn't among them. We're not going to go two against four right after fighting more than twenty guys. We will just take the shard and leave."

Ivy tightened her grip on the shard, still in her hands. "And what makes you think we're going to let you go just like that?"

With her hands on her knees, Keira looked down at Ivy. "Do you like magic tricks, Mossycoat? Everyone likes magic tricks! Here's one, totally free of charge."

The Gardevoir snapped her fingers and Ivy already knew what came next, since she had already seen this happen before. The Leafeon could no longer feel the shard's roughness beneath her paws. Instead, she saw the blue stone clearly floating before her eyes, levitating inches above the Gardevoir's open palm.

Keira curtsied before the Leafeon, the grace and politeness of her actions contrasting with her scoffing grin. "Ta-da~! How'd you like that, Mossycoat? If you enjoyed that little trick, you'll love what comes next!"

It was just like last time, Ivy and Scylla figured. Now that the twins had the shard in their hands, they were going to teleport away. Ivy and Scylla closed their eyes in anticipation for the blinding light that surrounded the angelic psychic-types whenever they recurred to teleportation. Skoll, having no previous experience with them and their glistening way of teleportation, kept staring at the psychic duo intently, his eyes alert.

Barely three seconds had passed when Ivy and Scylla decided to open their eyes again, and much to their surprise, both Kay and Keira were still in the room, the shard floating in front of the Gardevoir. The lateral fins on Scylla's head folded, the Vaporeon feeling disappointed they hadn't left. Their presence deeply unsettled and terrified Scylla, she wouldn't feel safe until they disappeared from her sight, and she didn't care what it took them to leave. Even if it would mean losing another shard to the Beacon, she wanted them to vanish. Ivy, on her part, was a little disconcerted. Why hadn't they left? What were they waiting for?

But they weren't the only ones that were confused. Kay and Keira themselves looked just as nonplussed, if not more, looking at each other with questioning eyes and jittery head movements.

"Kay, I can't…"

"Yeah, I can't teleport either. And I have this slight suspicion he might be responsible," Kay said, pointing a white finger at the Umbreon, who was staring straight at him. "Shining red eyes seldom are good news."

"Zephyr already told me how you act." Skoll tramped forward, closing the distance between the twins and him. His rings gleamed yellow while his ruby eyes emitted a faint black glow. "You go straight to the point. If you have to retrieve an item, you simply teleport away with it and don't waste any time fighting. A very reasonable approach."

Kay gulped, feeling a few drops of sweat on his forehead. For some reason, staring at the Umbreon's eyes was making him extremely nervous. In fact, he found himself unable to keep eye contact with Skoll for long periods. A quick glance at her sister confirmed she was in a similar situation, her eyes drifting around the room and setting anywhere but on the Umbreon.

They weren't frightened, but the Umbreon's presence made them feel uneasy. Teleportation was a notably complex procedure that required their full concentration, and they couldn't possibly carry it out under this pressure.

Their distress brought a smile to Skoll's muzzle. "I know from Lumis that teleportation is one of the most difficult actions a psychic-type can perform, it's very stressing and requires a clear mind and calm focus. If you are even the slightest bit unnerved, teleporting becomes impossible."

Ivy glanced at Skoll with curiosity, but felt a cold shudder as soon as their gazes met, forcing her to shift her eyes away from him. "Skoll, what are you…?"

"Oh, sorry, I should've warned you. You should avoid looking at me while I do this." Skoll took care not to make eye contact with Ivy, or Scylla, or anyone but the seraphic twins. "We call this move Mean Look. It's a penetrating, intruding glare that fills the target with an eerie sensation of dread. It isn't exactly fear, but it's enough to stop foes from turning their backs on you. They won't escape as long as I keep this up."

"That will be useful." Barghest turned his head to Skoll to praise him. He felt no fear, but the ghoulish hue that surrounded the Umbreon's eyes did disturb him, although not enough to make him look away. "Now, let me finish the job. We've wasted too much time already."

Every now and then Kay or Keira let out a pant, a sign of their exhaustion. Barghest didn't want to waste the chance to stop them now that they were still tired, so he launched at them without as much as a word, readying his claws to strike.

This startled the unsuspecting Kay, who was closer and received the full impact of the Houndoom's razor-sharp claws. Psychic-types were normally weak to dark moves, but Kay's part fighting typing granted him neutrality against Barghest's attack.

"Kay, now!" Keira yelled into his mind.

Keira clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, and Kay knew just what to do. A dull glint, almost imperceptible to the eye, enveloped the Gallade. In a split second, Kay raised one of his blade-like arms and then let it fall on the Houndoom's forehead, delivering a blunt blow with the back of his blade. It was just one single hit, but Barghest fell to the floor.

His body lay on the floor, unmoving, with his eyes closed. His irregular breathing showed he was alive, but unconscious.

"Woah, I didn't expect him to go down in one hit." Kay smiled chirpily, staring down at the senseless Houndoom with an air of superiority. He gave his head a weak kick to confirm he was out cold. "Big Bad Wolf, I'm a little disappointed. I expected more from you."

"Good job, Kay!" Keira congratulated her sibling, tapping his shoulder while she smiled at him.

"Haha, you know I couldn't have done this without your help. Without your Helping Hand, my attack wouldn't have been as strong." He stomped the Houndoom's face with one of his feet. Given how light his feet were, he couldn't do any everlasting damage. "And I should also thank Big Bad Wolf here and his lackeys. If you weren't all so damn obsessed with dark moves, I wouldn't be this strong now."

As a dark-type, Barghest was weak to fighting moves, but that didn't explain how he fell in one hit. Shouldn't he be more durable than that? But upon hearing the Gallade's words, Ivy was reminded of something. "After we met them for the first time I checked up some info on Gardevoir and Gallade to be prepared. If I recall correctly, a Gallade could have an ability called, um, Justified, that made them stronger whenever they received dark-type attacks."

Roughly half of Barghest's subordinates were dark-types, and Ivy had brought along a few dark-type defenders too. They might have unknowingly raised Kay's attack with their own attacks, which would explain how he managed to subdue that many pokémon with ease, and how he could defeat Barghest in one blow.

They didn't need a confirmation. It was clear Kay had the Justified ability, there was no other explanation. Skoll took note of it. He would avoid using moves of his own type against the Gallade.

"But that's a good thing," Kay said. "Big Bad Wolf was the most dangerous pokémon here. Now that he's out, the rest should be easy." Skoll emitted a faint groan, a bit offended that they deemed Barghest a bigger threat than him. "We shouldn't waste unnecessary effort, though. Rings is the one that's keeping us from leaving. We just need to take care of him."

While Ivy wasn't especially fond of Barghest, his defeat was a motive for concern. It meant Skoll was the only competent fighter left, along with Ivy herself, maybe. "Skoll, do you think you can take on both of them on your own?"

Skoll glared at Kay and Keira with open hostility, baring his fangs at them with his ears pinned back. What a question. No, of course he couldn't. He wasn't so reckless as to assume victory was ensured just because he was fighting two psychic-types, especially considering both of them had a second typing that held an advantaged against his. Skoll couldn't possibly defeat them while maintaining his Mean Look and protecting Ivy and Scylla. If only Zephyr or Jormund or any other competent fellow defender was here…

Other than him, the only conscious pokémon present that could fight was Ivy – Scylla was too inexperienced and terrified. However, he couldn't ask Ivy to fight! Skoll was just a plain defender, so he didn't particularly care if something were to happen to him – although he'd rather avoid it – but Ivy was the future of the Calandra! He couldn't put her in danger, no matter what. He couldn't let her fight.

But given the circumstances, Skoll expected to lose. And that would mean Ivy would have to fight on her own, without his help, and while protecting Scylla. If his chances of winning were low, Ivy's were nonexistent. This was a scenario he had to avoid. Maybe it would be best to fight with her side to side, so that they might stand a chance. It would be easier to keep an eye on her if she was close, too.

"Ivy, I may need your assistance here."

"You don't have to tell me twice." In spite of the severity of the situation, a feeble smile curved Ivy's lips. Catching outlaws on her own was a recurring fantasy of her, even if it was a little embarrassing. However, she was well aware this was not a game, and reckless behaviors could cost her dearly.

Kay scanned the three pokémon standing before him with his eyes. "Rings seems like the most competent fighter of the bunch, followed by Leaves. I don't think we should bother with the Little Mermaid."

Hearing this was a great relief for Scylla. She didn't care that they considered her a non-threat, if that meant they would leave her alone. She wanted nothing to do with them.

"Are you sure?" Keira asked, rubbing her chin as she observed the Vaporeon.

"Ah? She's the weakest one," Kay said.

"Precisely! What do you think will happen if we attack her?"

Kay stared blankly at her sister for a second, and then turned to Scylla with a sinister smirk. "Good thinking, Keira! You're right. Sorry, Little Mermaid, but I'm attacking you first."

His words, his eerie grin and his threat made Scylla squirm. She never hurt anyone, so why would anyone want to hurt her? What had she done wrong? She just wanted to stay out of trouble.

Kay took a single step forward, enough to make her quiver and wrap herself with her own tail, which she hugged firmly. Just the thought of Kay doing to her what he just did to the Houndoom made her tremble. She didn't have a high tolerance to pain.

"Here I come!" Kay shouted, making his intentions more than clear. He smiled like a maniac, making it obvious he was quite enjoying taunting her.

He decided her torment had lasted long enough, so Kay dashed to her with his right arm raised up in the air. As the Gallade approached her, Scylla closed her eyes and squeezed her tail tightly as she burrowed her head against it, praying to every known water deity to please not make it hurt. And perhaps one heard her, because before Kay could reach the Vaporeon, Skoll jumped in his way. Far from distracting him, Kay simply attacked the Umbreon instead, driving his sword-arm down against him with a rapid motion.

A screeching wail was heard as Kay's blade made contact with Skoll's back, the Umbreon opening his mouth wide and letting out a loud scream in attempts to lessen the pain. He was forced to take a few steps back, tears forming in the corners of his eyes, still standing between the Vaporeon and the grinning Gallade. Skoll had no doubt Kay had just used a fighting-type move, it wouldn't had hurt this much otherwise. He wasn't even sure how he was still standing.

"Aw, isn't that adorable?" Keira said in a scoffing tone, still standing in the middle of the room. "Your prince saved you, Little Mermaid! He's courageous and brave, but not very bright."

"You're too predictable, Rings," Kay said. "Of course you would protect the girl if I tried to get her."

Oh, so it was a trap. Kay expected Skoll to do what he just did. Kay had no intention of harming Scylla. He just wanted to lure Skoll to get a free hit in. It was a trap and Skoll walked right into it, but what else was he supposed to do? Let Scylla get hurt? It's not like he had a choice. Hell, he'd probably defend Scylla again if Kay tried to attack her one more time.

He wasn't even sure how many more hits his body could take. He'd be lucky if he could withstand even one more attack from that Gallade, and there was still the Gardevoir. They had to end this quick.

"You won't last much longer like this, Rings," Keira said, knowing the Umbreon couldn't hear her telepathy. "Mossycoat, be a sweetheart and relay the message, will you?"

Ivy huffed exasperatedly, her eyebrows arching into a frown. Who did this Gardevoir think she was to treat her like her personal interpreter? "If you want to tell Skoll something, just talk like a normal person instead of using your telepathy!"

Her reaction made Keira cutely cover her mouth with a hand and let out a giggle that was anything but cute. "Isn't that adorable. She thinks I do this for fun. She thinks I strain my mind using telepathy because I feel like it, because it's a personal quirk of mine. That way of thinking manages to be cute, innocent and embarrassingly stupid all at the same time."

"What do you…?" She wasn't doing it on purpose? But that couldn't be. The Gardevoir was choosing to use telepathy over talking normally. If she wanted to talk to dark-types she just had to speak with her throat, and not with her mind. "Unless you are… Wait, are you mute?"

"Goodness, took you long enough. I thought grass-types were supposed to be empathic, although I'm not one to talk, uh?" Keira poked the red crystal-like scrap protruding from her chest, casting her gaze down to it. "Why do you never work, you stupid thing? Oh well."

"What's the matter?" Skoll asked. He couldn't hear the Gardevoir, so from his perspective it was as if Ivy was talking alone.

"She's mute," she replied.

"Ah." So it's not that she refused to speak to dark-types like him. She literally couldn't. "Don't expect pity, though."

"Why would anyone pity me, anyway?" Keira said, shrugging with a wry smile. "I'm a psychic-type that can use telepathy. It's as if I weren't mute at all – unless dark-types are involved."

"Anyway, I'm going to attack the Little Mermaid again, okay?" Kay's words made their bodies tense up. "Get ready to block me so I can hit you again, Rings!"

This was quite a predicament. Skoll wasn't sure he could withstand another of Kay's moves, but if he didn't intercept him, the Gallade would likely wound Scylla. But maybe Skoll could turn this situation around. It would be risky, but he didn't have any other ideas.

Kay ran to Scylla at full speed, and Skoll predictably stood in front of her to receive the attack in her place. Kay grinned, seeing this as a good opportunity to get rid of the last dangerous foe present, the Umbreon. Once he was out, the rest should be a cakewalk. However, as he plunged his blade down, his arm met resistance in the form of a cushiony wall, even though Kay couldn't see anything in front of him other than the Umbreon. An invisible midair barrier? The Umbreon was using Protect, he figured.

Now that he had nullified the Gallade's attack, Skoll quickly jumped up to his neck before Kay could react and bit it, making him shriek as he violently shook the Umbreon around to get rid of him. Skoll could only endure a few seconds before he had to let go, hoping it would be enough.

Kay retreated back to Keira's position, who rushed to him and held his arms with worry. "What the hell was that attack?" he said as he scratched his neck around the area Skoll had bitten, looking for a mark. He didn't feel stronger, his Justified ability hadn't activated, so he knew it wasn't a dark-type move. He felt with his fingers the mark Skoll's fangs had left, and other than a little bit of blood, he noticed a strange gooey substance. "Poison? You hit me with a Toxic?"

Skoll nodded. "Weren't expecting that from a defender, uh?"

"Nononono, why? Why did this have to…?" Keira checked her brother's neck, squirming at the sight of the viscous poison Skoll had inoculated him. She looked very agitated, her slender arms trembling. "Wait, we can still save you! If we leave the shard and go find an infirmary–"

"Wait, Keira." Kay pinched the zone where Skoll had bitten him a few times, as if to confirm the depth of the incision. After a while, he laughed, any hints of worry disappearing from his face. "This is pathetic. You call this poison, Rings? This is horribly weak, I cannot die from this! C'mon, is this really the best you can do?"

"Well, of course you can't die from that. Not with that dose." Skoll scowled at the Gallade, failing to see his joy. He was poisoned, he shouldn't look that sprightly. "My fangs can secrete stronger venoms, but I always adjust the doses to the weight and species of my foes."

Keira grinned relieved, back to her usual demeanor. "And I was getting all worried for this?"

Kay emulated her grin. "Wait, wait, let's see if I got the story right. You could have killed me if you wanted just now. You could have given me a mortal dose and kill me off in the spot, but you didn't. Did I get it right?"

Skoll still didn't understand their glee, but every second they spent talking the poison would weaken Kay more and more, so it wasn't an issue. "Yes."

Kay answered after a short pause. He always answered after short pauses. "Good, good, but why? Ha, do you think someone would blame you if you were forced to kill us? Do you really think someone would scold you for killing off the bad guys?"

Skoll didn't answer. In part because he found his question stupid, but mainly because every second that elapsed would make the Gallade weaker.

Kay waited just a few seconds for Skoll to answer, and then resumed speaking. He was well aware of the poison running through his veins, and didn't want to waste more time than necessary. "It works like this: if we die and the Beacon loses, we'll be forgotten. We'll be seen as criminals that got what was coming to them, and nobody will hold you responsible for our deaths. If anything, you'll be considered a hero for putting an end to our lives!"

"Whatever." Skoll shrugged, not feeling like debating over it. "I've never killed before, and I'd rather it stay like that."

Kay kept talking, as if ignoring him. "But if we die and the Beacon wins, we'll be seen as martyrs that died for the greater good. I guess that's when you might find yourself in trouble, mmh. Of course, the same is true for you. If you died, do you think you would be remembered as heroes or as villains?"

Ivy sighed, tired of his monologue. "My word, are you pretentious. All you do is talk and talk, but you're not saying anything at all. Will you get to the point already?"

Kay's words were preceded, once again, by a small delay. "I'm just saying that you had a wonderful opportunity to end this battle, Rings, and you let it pass. So whatever happens now, you will have to live knowing you could have avoided it. You cool with that?" Skoll nodded to him, but more to make him shut up than anything. "If I, say, accidentally killed one of your girl friends, you'd have to live knowing that was preventable. And just for the record, we've killed before. It's not really something you do for fun, yes, there's the blood, and the gore, and the remorse, but if it comes to us or them, let's just say we value our own lives very much."

The message was clear. Don't oppose us. You'll regret it. Instead of threatening Skoll's own wellbeing, they were going after his friends. A clever move, as much as Skoll hated to admit it. But that gave him an idea: they could do the same. "Ivy, let's attack the Gardevoir. Now."

They weren't going to outsmart a pair of psychic-types. Their strategies would always be superior, but maybe they could disconcert them with unpremeditated attacks. Unpredictability could throw even an expert off.

Skoll darted to them and Ivy followed, wondering what Skoll was trying to – oh, of course! They were mimicking their own strategy. The twins seemed very fond of each other, so if they attacked Keira, Kay would likely put himself in harm's way to protect her!

Much to their surprise, Kay did indeed stand between them and Keira when they drew closer to the Gardevoir. He crossed his arms, his blades forming an X-shape.

"Duck low!" Skoll shouted. If Kay were to attack, given his current position, he couldn't attack beneath him without hurting his own legs. It should be a safe spot.

Skoll, running in front of Ivy, slid beneath Kay's legs and got ready to bite one of them. If he managed to inject poison into his legs too, victory would be almost assured. Poisoning two opposite ends in his body, his neck and a leg, would create an inner system of venom-spreading networks that would distribute poison through his body twice as fast.

However, once he got close enough Skoll hit his head on something. He raised his head slightly, but saw nothing except the Gallade's legs. "Protect…?"

"You copy my tactics, I copy yours." Kay trampled on him with the leg he had tried to bit, pinning him down. "That worked with the Little Mermaid because she can't fight for her life, but my sister doesn't need a Prince Charming to defend her."

In an instant, Kay threw himself to the floor, his arms still closed. If he slashed away at Skoll from that close distance he was done for. As soon as Skoll noticed the slightest twitch of Kay's arms, he leapt to the air as high as his hind legs would allow him, barely avoiding the Gallade's attack. In midair, he took notice of the Gardevoir smirking as she pointed a finger at him, and realized his mistake, if a bit too late.

"Target practice time!" Keira happily shouted. As if her fragile fingers were firearms, a motion of her hands sent a large pink orb flying in Skoll's direction, who could do little to avoid it and was sent flying against a close wall. Thank goodness the room wasn't too big.

Moonblast, a powerful fairy-type move used only by skilled experts. While it was quite effective against a dark-type like Skoll, his thick hide filtered special attacks quite well, lessening the pain significantly. Besides, unlike her brother, Keira didn't have an ability that raised her attack. Skoll was confident he could endure three or four more if necessary. It was physical attacks that worried him.

Not missing a beat, Ivy followed Skoll's steps to try what he had failed to do. She slid next to Kay, who was still lying on the floor with his arms spread, wide open to a frontal attack. Ivy knew Protect was a draining move that couldn't be used frequently, so she didn't have to fear any invisible walls. This was a perfect opportunity to hit him with any move of her choice, but what should she choose? Whatever it was, she had to choose quickly, before Kay got up and she lost her chance.

A damaging move? No, that's too simple. Skoll had the right idea: they needed to use skills that impaired the twins' battle capacities, they were too dangerous otherwise. Oh, did she have an idea! It could not work, but if it did she would turn this into a two versus one!

"Grass Whistle!" she yelled. An old habit of hers that just wouldn't die, it was very embarrassing, not to say dangerous. Normally, announcing your intentions to your opponent is a horrible idea, but Kay didn't even react.

Some grass-types could use leaves as improvised flutes, playing relaxing melodies that calmed hearts and attenuated animosity. Most importantly, those who heard the tune from a close enough distance were lulled into a state of somnolence and tended to fall into a deep sleep.

Ivy finished playing her song, a soothing ballad reminiscent of the natural sounds of the forest, but Kay looked as awake as before. Her lullaby had no effect.

Fearing retaliation, Ivy tried to flee from Kay, but he proved to be too fast for the Leafeon. Not even getting up, he struck her with one of his arm-blades once she turned her back to him, his massive strength hurling her a short distance, landing close to Skoll. Luckily for her, Kay had little space to maneuver since he was lying on the floor, so the attack wasn't fatal.

It did still hurt and Ivy did still cry in pain. That was easily the most painful attack she ever remembered receiving – not like she had fought many serious foes. Skoll came to her aid, but there was little he could do to assuage her pain other than hugging and shushing her.

"What did she do?" Kay asked his sister after lazily getting up, not showing any haste.

"Grass Whistle. She tried to put you to sleep with a song."

"Haha, really? You have to be bit of an airhead to even consider using a sound-based move against someone who's deaf."

Deaf? Kay was deaf? That would explain why he was impervious to Ivy's melody.

"Wait a minute." Skoll checked his surroundings, finding Ivy by his side, the seraphs in the center of the room and Scylla on a corner. He liked wasting time, because it meant the poison would make Kay weaker. "So one of you is deaf and the other is mute? The hell?"

Kay and Keira shared a look before the Gallade answered. It dawned on them that the reason Kay always waited a few seconds before responding might be because Keira had to tell him telepathically whatever was said, since he couldn't hear. "Cool, uh? We've been like this since we were born. It would be an issue if it weren't because we psychic-types are quite resourceful. Even though Keira is mute, she can talk telepathically with any non-dark pokémon just fine, and even though I'm deaf, I can still know what other people are saying if Keira mentally relays the message directly to me."

That didn't seem like much of an issue to Skoll. They haven't even noticed it until now. "Oh. You're lucky then."

Skoll's words made Keira turn to him with a scary look on her face, cursing being unable to speak to him directly. She repeated to Kay what Skoll had just said, and the Gallade's reaction mirrored her sister's.

Kay laughed, but the dark expression on his face made it clear he wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Lucky? We're lucky, you say? That's the way an idiot thinks. We would have been lucky if we had been born any other species. We're not lucky, Rings, others are. We are cursed with bad luck, you and us."

Ivy fired a fleeting glance at the Vaporeon sitting on the opposite corner of the room. The twins were closer to Scylla than them, and that disquieted Ivy. "What bad luck?"

Kay kept talking, ignoring her. Not like he could hear her. "I mean, I don't understand why you of all people would oppose the Beacon. Aren't you three in the same situation as us? You'd have more of a reason to join the Beacon than many of our current teammates."

"Why? Because of that ailment thing?" Skoll asked. Kay eventually nodded. "Like, I get it, we are all branched evolutions, you and us, but so what? Do you expect us to become best pals just because of that?"

"Ah, to be young and irresponsible again. You guys seem kinda young, so I guess you don't have to worry about it for a decade or so, but we're running against the clock ourselves. Our dear parents were roughly our age when they left us – both Gardevoir, and both died due to an unknown illness."

Ivy could feel some sympathy for them. Criminals or not, losing a progenitor was always a hard blow, she knew that too well. Maybe she could calm the fire showing a little compassion. Maybe she could even stop the battle. "I can understand your worry. I'm worried too. We all are." Ivy looked over at Scylla, still curled up into a ball on a distant corner of the room. "But what kind of solution is this? What if Adamantium isn't the cause after all?"

"That would mean we can rule out yet another possibility, and would be closer to finding the true cause," Kay said. He paused for a moment, this time not to communicate with Keira, but to think. "So your bodies are… functional? None of you was born deaf or mute or anything? No, uh? I guess we really are unlucky." He fell silent, covering his mouth with his arm-blade.

It was becoming growingly clear to Ivy why they were siding with the Beacon. They were scared of dying. They were desperate and wanted to hastily find a solution before their time run out. Up to that point, Ivy could relate. But the way they were going about it…

"You're not the only ones trying to solve this enigma," Ivy said in a soft soothing toe, trying to convey empathy. Kay couldn't hear her voice, though, so the effect was lost on him. "But your actions are harming the Heptagonal Ring. We can find a way to tackle this problem that hurts no one."

"Our health is more important than the Heptagonal Ring," Keira said, crossing her arms in indignation. "We have no idea what causes this, so we'll try everything we can think of until we find the cure." It's not like they could ask them to renounce to their health, but this…

There was no point. They weren't going to reach an agreement.

"Forget about it and let's get back to the battle," Kay said. He hadn't missed the cowering Scylla in his proximity. "We're still missing a water-type in the Beacon. Wanna join us, Little Mermaid?"

Scylla didn't answer. It was obvious she wouldn't join them, Kay was just taunting her. She turned to Skoll and Ivy with pleading eyes, as if begging them to help her.

"There's no point attacking her now. Not where she is," Keira said. "Rings is too far, he wouldn't get there in time to receive your attack in her place. She's more useful conscious and near them."

Looking at Scylla, Kay extended one arm towards Skoll and started swinging it back and forth. "C'mon, Little Mermaid. Come back to your prince so he can defend you."

Scylla's gaze shifted between Skoll and Kay, mistrustful of the Gallade's intentions. She wanted to run to Skoll and Ivy, the closer she was to them the safer she felt, but she feared it was all a trick on the Gallade's part.

"Come, Scylla," Skoll said, and she didn't think about it twice, darting to him at full speed.

Scylla almost expected Kay to follow after her with a manic laughter, but he stood still, merely watching her. It's as they said, Scylla was more useful to them alive and standing by Skoll's side. They wouldn't hurt her without a good reason, not when they could use her to bait Skoll or Ivy.

Finally reaching them, Scylla buried her face in Ivy's chest, searching for reassurance. Ivy patted her head, shushing her. And to think this was the idol she so admired… But she couldn't blame her for being scared in this situation. Ivy herself was also a little scared, but did her best to try to keep her calm and not let it show.

Skoll was the only one that showed no signs of worry. In fact, he had a rather reassuring grin on his face. "It's too late. The poison should render the Gallade unable to fight soon enough, and the Gardevoir was too tired even before our battle began."

"What do you mean?" Ivy asked, a glint of hope lighting her eyes up.

"The Gardevoir must be exhausted from all the fighting that came before us, because she's barely doing anything at all, she's letting the Gallade do all the fighting. Not that I blame her, a good third of the pokémon serving Barghest are poison-types, a Gardevoir's weakness, so it's no wonder she's tired from fighting them all."

The situation didn't look that bad for them, Skoll thought. Keira could barely fight, and the poison would soon make quick work of Kay. They just had to endure for a little longer.

"Good eye, Rings." Even if Keira's words couldn't reach Skoll, her sad smile told him everything he needed to know. She sat on the floor next to her brother. "Kay, I'm of little use like this, and you won't be standing for much longer if that poison keeps flowing through your veins."

With a concerned grimace, Kay turned to Keira. "You aren't giving up now, are you?"

A jaded smile appeared in her face. "That wouldn't suit us, now would it? But we will lose if we keep going like this. We've made too many oversights in our way here, but I know how to solve most of them at once. I just need to…" With some difficulty, limping, Keira floundered to Kay. "Come a little closer, Kay. Let me see that wound." He showed no resistance, letting her feel the easily visible mark Skoll had left on his neck, her cold touch making him squirm. A smile graced her features. "It should work."

"You have a plan?"

"Yes, but you won't like it. Sorry."

Knowing he would disapprove, Keira wasted not a moment, giving Kay not a second to retort. She threw herself down to the floor, falling to her knees, shutting her eyes and clasping her hands together. It reminded them of when she used Helping Hand before, but something was different this time. An atmosphere of peace and calm surrounded her – a characteristic trait found in most Gardevoir, but atypical in this particular one.

It took Kay a second to realize what she was doing. When the realization hit him he kneeled and started shaking Keira by her shoulders, as if trying to take her out of a trance. "Don't you even consider it! Last time you did you couldn't walk for a week!"

His violent shaking should have disturbed Keira and broken her concentration, but having lived as a criminal most of her life, she was used to focusing under situations of stress. Barely opening one eye, she directed a hearty smile at Kay. "Sorry for putting such a burden on you, but I know you can make it through."

Those were the last words they heard her say in a while – those who could discern her telepathic transmissions, anyway. Her eyelids closed and her numb body plummeted down to the ground, Kay grasping her body between his arms before she hit the floor. He stared at her limp form, a discontent moue contorting his features. "You can be such a capricious bubblehead at times." Kay let her body down on the floor, taking special care not to harm her.

She actually looked elegant and refined lying on the floor, smiling with her eyes closed as if deep in a dream. Kay stood up with hurried haste, showing no languidness or lethargy. His glare didn't waver, staring down at Skoll not with hate or anger, but with unyielding determination.

Skoll's posture stiffened. His angry scowl didn't change, but a twitch of his ears betrayed his alarm. "I have a bad feeling." The Gallade looked reinvigorated, like anew. Most worryingly, the bite imprint on his neck had vanished. "Why did that Gardevoir just do?"

Kay covered each of his ears with his hands. "So sorry, guys, but now that my sister passed out I can't tell what you're saying. Communication between us will be impossible, so don't bother."

"What do you think was that?" Ivy asked Skoll, knowing he had more experience with combat.

"Would've told ya if I knew." It was clearly some kind of support move, but it was nothing like Skoll had seen before. A support skill that made the user lose consciousness? There was no way that wasn't dangerous.

"Healing Wish," Kay said. "You were wondering that, weren't you? That's how people call the tactic she used. She passes all her energy to me, fainting in the process. Very risky, she can very well get herself killed if she's careless. Good thing she's breathing." He passed one hand over his neck, bringing attention to the area where Skoll bit him. "I'm sure you've already noticed, but I'm not poisoned anymore. By the by, I enjoy some variety when it comes to mistakes, so I never commit the same one twice."

His fingers made a sonorous snap and an intense shimmer enveloped his figure for but an instant, quickly fading to a faint, imperceptible but continuous glimmer.

Ivy walked to Skoll's side, eyeing the Gallade down with reticence. "What now?"

The yellow ring-patterned fur on Skoll lit up for a moment, his tail standing on end as he lowered his head. "I wish I didn't, but I recognize this one. My worst nightmare, Safeguard."

Safeguard. A well-known move both Ivy and Scylla had previously heard about. It surrounded the user's body with a fine invisible coat that repelled all extraneous substances, including, much to Skoll's chagrin, poison. There went his best strategy.

Kay was now fully healed, as good as new, and couldn't be poisoned or inflicted any other negative state or ailment. On the other side, Skoll was pretty hurt, Ivy couldn't possibly stand up to Kay on her own, and Scylla was little more than a liability to them in battle. Keira had turned the tide on their favor with just one move.

"What do we do now, Skoll?" Ivy asked, her eagerness having a childlike quality to it. "At least the Gallade can't hear what we say, so we can talk about our plans openly."

But that was about the only positive point Skoll could think of. "He still has sky-high attack due to his Justified ability. He can end any of us in one hit, so we can't risk getting close."

"Then?"

Her gaze was full with expectation and admiration, trusting Skoll to come up with a good plan. This only made it even harder for the Umbreon, who hung his head in shame. "I wish I had an idea, however inadequate, but I'm at a loss." Damn it. The disappointment in her eyes was too much for him to bear.

No, no, this wasn't the time for defeatism. Scylla was terrified and Ivy was slowly starting to succumb to fear. He needed to find a solution. He wanted to protect his friends. He wanted to protect his mate.

"We have no room for error. He can take us down in one hit, so we have to answer in kind. Attacking more than once would give him time to counterattack, so he needs to go down in a single move."

"And how in the world would we achieve that?" Ivy asked. "He has just healed. The only way would be to increase our attack like he did."

"You know Swords Dance," Scylla said. She remembered Ivy using this move against Vetr back during the first rounds of the Warbler tournament. It was a vivid and beautiful dance, hard to forget. "W-Would that work?" Scylla knew little of battle, but wanted to help in any way she could. The Gallade intimidated her, but it was the feeling of helplessness that she dreaded the most.

"To take down that guy? I'd have to dance for hours!" It wasn't really an attack Ivy had much experience with, and the Gallade looked very durable.

"No, I'm not letting you take that risk." Skoll refused vehemently. If Ivy didn't take him out in a single hit with a reinforced Leaf Blade, Kay would likely lash at her in a rage. Even if he didn't kill her, Skoll feared Kay may cause Ivy everlasting injuries. "He's deaf, not blind. The moment he sees you using Swords Dance, he'll make you his next target. He wouldn't take such a risk."

Scylla's fin-like ears fell flat. "You're right. There's no point unless you wanted to bait him…"

Ivy's eyes lit up at the suggestion – not that Scylla intended it as such. "Hey, good one! I can use Swords Dance as a distraction while Skoll attacks him from behind!"

Skoll wasn't so fond of the idea. "I'd rather we do something that doesn't compromise your physical well-being."

"Like what? We don't have that many choices! Ugh, if only he was blind instead of deaf…"

"Blind, you say?" Skoll moved to the front, hiding Ivy behind. "Girls, close your eyes for but a moment."

The many circles spread all over the Umbreon's body started to glow, nothing Ivy or Scylla hadn't seen before, but they gleamed silver instead of the usual gold. Both closed their eyes, Scylla also covering her face with her tail. Normally Skoll's rings would only shine with middle intensity, not more luminous than the light a fire-type attack would cause, but this time the glowing of his rings only became more and more bright.

Kay figured out too late what Skoll was doing. This wasn't the natural light his body emanated whenever he was excited, agitated or angry. He was deliberately regulating the luciferin his body emitted to create a burning white dazzle and blind the Gallade. The intense Flash had caught Kay by surprise, rendering him temporarily incapable of using his sense of sight.

"I've bought us some time."

Both Ivy and Scylla opened their eyes, slowly, making sure there was no danger. The shining on Skoll's rings had faded down, now only gleaming in their usual bright yellow tone.

Kay hysterically rubbed his itching eyes, but that only worsened the irritation. In his current state all he could see was white, with small flashes and patterns of light dancing around. "Relish these seconds, because I'm not falling for that again." He adopted a defensive position, opting not to attack until he recovered his vision.

"We have no more than ten seconds before he recovers," Skoll said, ", but I still have no idea what to do."

He felt Scylla's cold paws clutch at him, which made him wonder what had made the Vaporeon leave Ivy's side. When he turned his sight to the Leafeon, he saw her perform a nimble waltz, whirling around as if she was dancing to imaginary music.

"What will that achieve? Even if you strengthen yourself with a Swords Dance, you're still not going to dispatch him in one hit."

"I know, but every bit counts," she said, not ceasing her dance.

Scylla tightened her grip on Skoll. "But Ivy, if the Gallade sees you dancing when he opens his eyes, he'll go straight for you!"

"Don't worry, I just have to stop before –"

But as she turned her head from Scylla to Kay, she cursed herself for being so careless and taking her eyes away from him even for a second. The Gallade had recovered sooner than expected, his wide-open eyes glaring at her with a bitter smile. "Not a bad plan, but I doubt that's enough to get at my level, Leaves." He had been playful so far because he found no reason to fear for his safety, but this changed things. "I'm all for play as long as you're meek and frail, but if I see even the slightest possibility you might overturn me – well, even a one percent seems like much of a risk to take."

Kay sprinted to Ivy with a raised arm – he was notably more agile than before – and the Leafeon jumped aside just before he smashed the ground. While Ivy avoided the brunt of the attack, the potent crash sent Adamantium tiles flying in all directions, a few of them hitting Ivy like pointy pebbles. They were small, but they were propelled at great speeds, making them rather hurtful.

With a tear escaping her eye, Ivy ran to Skoll. She wasn't wounded, but she felt a stinging pain right under her right eye, where a particularly big chunk had hit her. If she had been just a little smaller, or if the edged slab of Adamantium had flown just a little higher, the impact might have rendered her blind in the right eye. "That stings…" Ivy carefully rubbed the area under her eye to ease the burning pain, watching how Skoll clasped Scylla's paws gently to assuage the jittery Vaporeon. It made Ivy a little envious, she wanted to be pampered too! But she didn't want to look weak in front of them.

Skoll's focused his attention on the ugly-looking bruise that had appeared in the underside of Ivy's eye, wincing as he got closer to examine it. It looked like it had to hurt. "That's enough." The ghostly red flicker around Skoll's eyes faded down. "It's about time we accept we cannot win."

"That damned feeling of dread vanished," Kay said, looking relieved. "You stopped using Mean Look? Oh, are you surrendering?"

Skoll gave him a nod, his eyes glued to the floor. He didn't speak, since he knew Kay couldn't hear him.

"Y-Yes! Let's." Scylla was still frightened, still hiding behind Skoll and Ivy, but she seemed a little more relieved now.

Ivy stared at them with disbelieving shock. She expected this from Scylla, since the poor Vaporeon was a bit of a scaredy-cat, but Skoll too? "You aren't serious, right? You can't give them the shard for free!" She glanced at the shard, lying by the floor next to Keira's resting form.

"I think we've already paid a high enough price," Skoll said, pointing a paw at the many pokémon lying unconscious around them. He gently placed his paw on Ivy's cheek and ran his paw up to the underside of her eye, his cold touch making her wince and close her eye. "I wouldn't want us to pay an even higher one."

Seeing them act in a meek and submissive way made Kay grin. "Don't feel bad about yourselves! When the mountain is too large it's wise to refuse climbing it, lest the eagle on the top attack you and push you to your deaths."

Skoll knew the Gallade wouldn't stay to fight them, not when his sister was in such a condition. Keira needed a place to rest, and Kay's principal worry now was to get her out of there. They should be fine as long as they didn't provoke him.

And yet, Ivy kept dancing wildly, still executing her attack-boosting move. "Do that thing with your eyes again! Don't give up yet!"

"Ivy, this is pointless. You're only going to further enrage him."

"No, hear me out! If I keep using Swords Dance and you lend me a Helping Hand, I might just have a chance!"

Skoll gave the thought just a few seconds of consideration before shaking his head. "Sorry, but I don't know that move, and even if I did I don't think it would suffice."

"I-I do!" Scylla said, not shivering as much as before. "I can use Helping Hand. Does that help?" At least she didn't need to get close to the Gallade to use it.

"Would that be enough, Skoll?" Ivy asked in the middle of her dancing.

"No." He ran some quick mental calculations, but no matter how he looked at it, it wouldn't be enough. "Unless…" His eyes started to shine bright red once again, a sign he was executing Mean Look to block the Gallade from escaping. "It's going to be too damn close. This is a bad idea. So much can go wrong."

"Was that a trick?" Kay glared at them, his deafness allowing him only a limited understanding of what was going on. "So you weren't surrendering. You just wanted to make me think so to make time while she ups her attack, uh?"

Scylla felt her back grow chilly. Ugh, and they were about to stop fighting. Why were they putting themselves in danger again? "S-Skoll? Do you have a plan?"

"Ivy, Scylla, back me up because… I'm not sure I know what I'm doing." Skoll glanced at the Vaporeon by his side and gulped. Why was he doing this? This was too risky. "Girls, if this doesn't work, don't try to fight the Gallade on your own. Worry about your own safety first and foremost."

Only now did Ivy halt her dancing, turning to Skoll with mild worry. "Skoll?"

"Hit him with your strongest attack!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Scylla reached out to Ivy with a paw. "Wait! Let me assist you with Helping Hand first!"

"No! Attack him!" Skoll insisted.

Ivy didn't understand why he opposed Scylla's aid. It seemed like a good idea to her, but Skoll was the defender here, she would have to trust him. She stared at the Gallade, who looked like he might launch himself at her at any moment. She had to act fast. "Skoll, are you sure? What if he doesn't go down? Will he counterattack…?"

"Don't worry! You won't be the one that ends up hurt in any case!" Skoll said, but his odd choice of words didn't exactly assuage her. "Quick! Attack him before he gets the first strike!"

Ivy didn't understand anything. Her Swords Dance had only lasted a few minutes. She was not even remotely close to being able to take down the Gallade in a single hit, even with her strongest move, but she trusted Skoll's judgment. He wouldn't order her to delve headfirst into danger if he didn't have a myriad of contingency plans in mind.

"Leaf Blade!" Ivy howled the name of her strongest attack to rouse herself as she darted to the Gallade. She knew it was a bad tactic against most enemies, but this particular Gallade was deaf, and screaming made her feel mighty.

The small sprout on her forehead grew in size until its length rivaled the Gallade's blades, and after a short jump, she swung it around like a whip to bash Kay with it. The move Leaf Blade hardened her leaves until their texture resembled that of a sharp metal slab, and her previous use of Swords Dance only sharpened them further more.

While Ivy and Kay were focused on each other, Skoll took Scylla's paw and placed it on his shoulder. "Quick, use Helping Hand on me."

"Mmh?" His sudden request made Scylla hum in confusion, but she didn't question him. She pressed both of her paws hard against his fur and closed her eyes, a faint glow leaving her paws to envelop the totality of the Umbreon's body for a second. Unlike Keira, Scylla didn't have enough experience to use Helping Hand at a distance, but the effect was roughly the same. When her paws finally left the Umbreon's side she returned her sight to Ivy and Kay, her pupils dilating in reaction to what she saw.

Ivy's leaf extended forward towards Kay, but bent backwards midway, as if it had bounced on an unseen wall. Ivy fell on her side, the recoil making it impossible for the Leafeon to fall on her feet. She didn't hurt herself much, but she was now open to attack.

"Protect," Kay said, although they had all already guessed. "Can't be used in succession and all that, but enough time has elapsed already. I don't think that attack would have damaged me much anyway, but between being safe or sorry, I choose safe."

"No!" Alarm filled Scylla's every movement, restlessly shifting without moving anywhere. She wished so much she was a powerful defender so she could help Ivy.

Skoll also looked distressed, just not as much. He gritted his teeth as he stared at Ivy squirming in the floor, his rings shining brightly. "Good, the idiot wasted his Protect. Now he won't be using it for a while. Now I just need him to use a strong attack, and if all goes well…"

It eased Scylla somewhat that Skoll apparently had some sort of plan. She could only wish it worked.

"That was too stupid of you, Leaves. You should've seen this coming." Kay placed his foot on Ivy's head, applying pressure near her right cheek, making her cringe as he moved his foot closer to the wound under her eye. She wasn't screaming in pain only because a Gallade's feet were very dainty and light. "I'd like to give you a lesson about what happens when you cross someone superior to you, and they say lessons are best remembered when you actively take part on them so…"

Kay raised his foot up in the air as much as his body allowed, and then let it fall down with force. Skoll seemed to try to react before Kay's feet stomped Ivy, but ultimately did nothing, only baring his fangs at the Gallade. Even if a Gallade's feet were weak and frail, he delivered the stamp with enough fierceness to make the Leafeon open her mouth and scream a wailing cry. "Oh, real sorry, I accidentally stepped on that bruise under your eye. Well, we better flip you over so it doesn't happen again!"

As soon as Skoll detected Kay's intention to kick Ivy his body tensed up, but he didn't move. He watched how Kay kicked the Leafeon and made her flip over her right side, coaxing a lamenting cry out of her. Skoll closed an eye and spin his head to the side, cringing. "What the hell's that dirtbag doing? He's supposed to use a strong attack!"

Scylla turned to Skoll with a white appalled face. It's as if she wanted to scream but couldn't. "You said she wouldn't get hurt!"

"And she wouldn't have gotten hurt if that moron had used a strong attack! I didn't know a psychic-type could be such a sadistic savage!"

What was the Gallade doing, playing around with the Leafeon instead of trying to finish her off? He was just like a Persian playing with its Rattata prey right before killing it, it was unnecessarily cruel. Skoll's plan required Kay to use a powerful move, preferably a fighting-type one. The weak moves he was using rendered Skoll's plan useless.

Ivy now rested with her wounded eye facing the floor, which meant Kay could no longer hit her there, much to her relief. She was still conscious, but given her current situation maybe she would have preferred not to be. Kay tapped her neck lightly with his feet a few times, but she barely felt anything. "Thank goodness I can't hear you scream, uh?"

Skoll's eyes were bloodshot with rage, having to make use of all self-control he had to stop himself from lunging at the Gallade. "Screw strategy! If he so much as grazes Ivy again I swear I'll…"

He mumbled some other incoherent words, but Scylla didn't pay much attention. To be honest, his uncanny Mean Look plus his current demeanor was frightening her a little. It was clear he was fuming.

"This is getting boring. You're not even squirming anymore, it's like I'm the only one who's taking this seriously." Kay removed his feet from the Leafeon, simultaneously raising an arm. "Rings, I'm gonna finish your friend off! Make sure you watch, yes?"

Skoll stood as still as possible, calling his bluff. Kay lowered his blade arm, but at that speed it was clear he had no intention of actually hitting Ivy. Kay's arm stopped midair, inches above the Leafeon's neck. Scylla breathed a sigh of relief, since she had feared the worst.

Skoll's passiveness irked Kay. "What's the matter, Rings? Don't believe me capable of doing this?" He raised his arm once more. "Like, sure, I'm not killing Leaves. Not without a reason. But if I hit her strong enough and you're not here to protect her, she might not leave here with all her bones intact."

Just like he did before with Scylla, he was trying to bait Skoll into shielding Ivy with his body. Kay had identified Skoll as the biggest threat, so it's only natural that he would prioritize defeating him over everything else.

This time, the direction and speed of Kay's blade… Skoll's body stiffened, arching his back. This was no feint. Kay had every intention to hit Ivy this time, and Skoll had to be ready to put his plan in motion. Scylla closed her eyes. This was too much for her.

Merely a second before Kay struck Ivy, too late for Kay to possibly interrupt his attack, Ivy vanished before his very eyes – or rather, her figure distorted and then rearranged into that of an Umbreon, all in a bat of an eye.

Interesting, Kay thought. So instead of just running to block his attack, the Umbreon had used some weird skill to swap his position with the Leafeon's, that way bringing her away from danger. Not bad, but the end result was the same.

Of course, if Kay was able to use Protect moments ago, that meant Skoll would also have recovered and would, in all likelihood, also use Protect. This was only a minor nuisance to the Gallade, who started preparing his other hand to also attack right after. Protect was an issue only when you didn't see it coming, it was otherwise easy to skirt around it. Was this the Umbreon's plan? Kay couldn't help but find it too naïve.

Much to Kay's surprise, no invisible barrier deflected his attack. He successfully bashed Skoll with the edge of his blade. What was this? Enough time had passed for the Umbreon to use Protect again. Maybe he forgot or it didn't occur to him? Whatever the case, a contented grin settled on Kay's mouth. With the Umbreon out of the way, nothing stopped him from picking up her sister and the shard and fleeing away with his telekinesis.

Except the pervasive dread he felt didn't leave him, which meant Mean Look was active and the Umbreon was conscious. But Close Combat was the strongest move Kay knew, Skoll couldn't possibly retain his consciousness after receiving the brunt of it.

Ivy, now sitting beside Scylla, looked at the aquatic eeveelution with a perplexed stare that she reciprocated. "What did just…?"

Scylla had one guess. "Baton Pass?"

A complex support move that shifted one's location with that of an ally. It wasn't merely a teleporting skill, it created a temporal but deep interconnection between both pokémon that let them share feelings and emotions. The functioning behind it is still a mystery to this day, but it's known that it establishes a path for certain hormones to flow from one body to the other. This, among other things, means the two pokémon swap any recent changes to their offensive or defensive capabilities.

Having swapped with Ivy, Skoll immediately received the boosting effect of Ivy's Swords Dance, just as if he had executed the move himself.

"How's he still standing?" Ivy asked.

Even though he hadn't passed out, Skoll was by no means in a good condition. Every animal instinct in his body was begging him to please lie down and rest. Even standing on his four legs and breathing was a chore. He was forced to drop his Mean Look, for the mere act of keeping his eyes open was a trial of its own.

"So you managed to Endure it, Rings. Not bad."

Endure could be considered a variation of Protect, except that instead of creating a wide planar barrier in front of the caster, it conjured it so that it would envelop the user's body. It sheathed the body with a fine coat that was invisible to the naked eye. Normally, it would be too thin to actually offer any kind of protection, but in situations of peril it could redistribute the damage all over the caster's body to that way avoid death or fatal injury. It ensured the user wouldn't faint or die, but left it within an inch of its life.

Now that it was Skoll's turn to counterattack, he wanted to take advantage of Kay's disconcert and assault him by surprise. He knew he had only one chance, the Gallade wouldn't let them fool around anymore.

His body felt weak. Coordinating his movements seemed like an impossible ordeal, Skoll was at the brink of passing out. There was a part of his body that told him to give up, to surrender, to succumb to defeat and not waste any more energy. It was oddly appealing.

But there was also the most basic animal instinct pleading him to fight to see another day, an impulse to advance forward no matter how much his legs hurt, an urge to keep struggling no matter how much he wanted to give up, a voice reminding him of a living being's most basic purpose.

Survival.

Skoll jumped at Kay's chest at a speed that surprised everyone present – Skoll himself included – and launched a string of strikes and blows that looked like aimless wriggling and flailing to an outside observer, but when seen in slow motion, one would appreciate a beautiful sequence of instinctual choreographed moves that maximized his possibilities of survival, hurting the Gallade in the most efficient way possible with all the physical strength his body could muster – boosted by both Ivy's Swords Dance and Scylla's Helping Hand.

It was just one single attack, but not one the Gallade could withstand. Kay fell backwards on the floor, finding his body unresponsive, watching as Skoll tried to land on his feet – unsuccessfully – exhausted from the skirmish. Kay tried to get up to no avail, groaning in a tantrum-like manner. He was at full health seconds ago, but any strength he had seemed to have left him.

Flail, the desperate move Skoll just used, called upon the body's hysterical strength to ensure survival. In situations of safety it was little more than pointless wiggling, but when the user's life was threatened it became a force to be reckoned with. Flail was an odd move that paradoxically became stronger the weaker the user felt, and Skoll was currently at the brink of fainting.

Skoll lay down on the floor, panting hard as he attentively observed the immobile Kay with eyes half-closed, a content but tired smile twisting his lips when he realized the Gallade couldn't move. Skoll didn't try to stand up – not like he could – and instead wriggled around a bit until he found a position that allowed his worn-out body and legs some rest and relax.

"Good job," Kay said in a drained voice. "No clue what you just did, but you got me good. Heh, don't worry, I only have enough energy left to teleport myself, and I can't leave Keira behind. Now, before I pass out, could you be a sport and do me two little favors?" He closed down his eyes. "First, I'm sure you'll go call some medics now. Mind if they give Keira a quick check too?"

Skoll gathered all strength he had left to nod his head. They wouldn't let someone die if they could avoid it, even if it was an outlaw.

"Good. And second… why the long face? Dude, you won. Smile, laugh, cheer up. C'mon, gimme a big wide grin, will ya? I think a clown deserves at least a parting laugh."

Kay remained conscious still, but opted not to speak or move, waiting patiently until sweet sleep caught him. "How much unnecessary drama…" Skoll gave him a tired look, confirming the Gallade was out of commission. Kay wasn't dead, he was still breathing, but he wouldn't be fighting for some time.

"Skoll! Skoll, are you okay?"

Skoll heard the Leafeon's antsy voice in the proximity of his ear, although her fresh scent had already forewarned him of her approach. He also heard some dainty steps on his other side, presumably Scylla's. "I've been better, to be honest. At least I haven't broken any bones. I think."

Ivy passed her paw over his neck softly to check his respiration, but he didn't seem to have much trouble breathing. "You need medical attention right now!"

"So does your eye," Skoll said, looking up to her without moving his head.

"This? No, I'm fine." Ivy scrunched up her right eye every now and then due to a minor ache, something that Skoll didn't miss. She appreciated his care, but this was not the moment to worry about her. "You're much worse. You need help now."

"I'll go look for help," Scylla said. Why did they have to be so stubborn? It was clear both of them needed to see a medic as soon as possible.

"Bring defenders to subdue them, too," Ivy said, closing down her right eye.

They were in the Cerulean Warbler, so finding defenders and battle medics was an easy task. Scylla knew of the location of a defender guild near their current position, it should only take her a few minutes to go and come back.

"Also bring… pokémon that can block them off," Skoll said in a hoarse voice, finding it painful to talk. "Mean Look, Spider Web… you know."

"Please, Skoll, don't talk. Just rest," Ivy said, covering his mouth with her paw. "Scylla, please make haste." It's not like their lives were in danger, but that didn't mean they could just dilly-dally for no good reason.

"I'll be back before you know it!"

Being the only one that hadn't been hurt, Scylla took it upon herself to contact a nearby group of defenders and medics that could assist them, leaving the room at full speed. Thankfully, her pirouette-packed plays had gifted her with quick athletic legs.

---

"They sent them to a nearby clinic along with some strong defenders, and after they're done healing they'll be sent to one of the Oriole's prisons," Ivy said to Barghest, who had regained his consciousness moments ago.

Kay and Keira had been defeated and arrested, and would spend some time in a prison from the Garnet Oriole. They made sure to have defenders accompany them at all times, including those that could keep them from escaping. As far as the Garnet Oriole was concerned, the preternatural seraphs were no longer an issue.

There were some pokémon that were critically injured, both defenders and Barghest's followers, and some had been sent to close hospitals, but no life was at risk. As much as he insisted otherwise, Skoll was also sent to visit a nearby clinic for a quick check-up, principally thanks to Ivy's and Scylla's insistence on the matter, since Skoll vehemently denied he required any aid. That left Ivy and Scylla alone in the room with Barghest and a few other pokémon, most of them defenders from the node that had come to the Houndoom's home to check damages.

"It gladdens me to hear those two were apprehended after all," Barghest said, resentment at the psychic-types obvious in his voice. "It's quite a calamity that what was supposed to be a visit of courtesy ended up twisting into havoc."

"It wasn't within your control. Don't blame yourself," Ivy said, playing it down. Her paw hesitatingly hovered over the shard at her feet. "So, about the shard…"

"It's yours, of course. That was the deal," the Houndoom said. "I only ask in exchange that Scylla considers my words. But please, don't feel forced to stay here out of pity, I'm barely hurt. I wouldn't want to hold you back."

Barghest and his crew had some busy days ahead of them while they repaired the damage his home had sustained. Scylla figured they would want to be left alone, and it's not like she wanted to stay near the Houndoom any longer than necessary, so she politely bowed to him and turned around ready to leave.

She stopped when she noticed Ivy wasn't following her. Instead, the Leafeon was still sitting before the Houndoom, staring at him. "This seems like bad news to you."

Barghest looked around his home, finding small cracks in the floor and walls everywhere he looked. "It's not that bad. It may take us a few days to repair this, but the damage isn't severe."

"Ah, no. I didn't mean your home. I meant, uh, your reputation."

Reputation. A word Barghest seemed to be obsessed about, judging by the curious glance he fired at Ivy when he heard her say that word. "Whatever do you mean?"

"If it was found out your group and you were defeated by two lone outlaws – psychic-types no less – I figure that would be a hard blow to your name."

He stared at the Leafeon in silence, trying to figure out her intentions. "It would, indeed." Another short silence followed. "So I would humbly request you're discreet so that word of this may not reach prying ears. It's not like anyone needs to know, and of course you would get nothing out of it."

"Of course, of course. I'm not telling." Ivy looked at the shard at her feet, then at Scylla, and lastly back at Barghest. "Nobody needs to know Scylla rejected you, either."

"Oh?"

"You said she may accidentally get in trouble with your guys, right? But I'm sure you can twist your words to make sure that doesn't happen." A subtle smirk appeared in Ivy's mouth, but her face looked neutral otherwise. "You could say that Scylla didn't reject you, that you both mutually agreed that becoming mates wasn't a desirable option for either of you. You save face without compromising her."

"What are you trying to say…?"

Ivy moved closer to Barghest, making sure none save Scylla could hear them. "I know that making Scylla your mate would be great for your reputation, but she disagreed and it would make me very sad if that had any ill consequences for her. So as far as we're concerned, she didn't reject you and you weren't defeated by two-psychic types. Does that sound okay?"

Her curious offer coerced a grin out of Barghest. Far from angry, he looked jovial. "Buying her safety with your silence? The Calandra is in good hands, I see."

Having Scylla by his side would benefit Barghest immensely, so he was willing to do anything to convince her to join him. However, if it came to light that two random psychic thugs had managed to defeat him, that would tarnish his name in ways he didn't even want to think about. The Houndoom may be self-seeking and avaricious, but not to the point of letting his hunger for power blind him.

"Ivy, I can assure you no harm or misfortune shall befall Scylla, I hold no ill intent. I never intended to importunate her in any manner, perhaps you misunderstood my words? She'll be safe, so perhaps this little incident with the seraphs should be kept a secret, don't you agree?"

Ivy felt a jolt of pride, but didn't let it show. She peeked at Scylla, who had a gentle smile and not a single wrinkle on her face. So she did it. Ivy had brought Scylla out of Barghest's scope somehow. They shouldn't fear retaliation now, should they? Or perhaps the Houndoom never intended to sabotage Scylla in the first place, and was merely bluffing to push her to his side. Whatever the case was, they could rest easy now.

"Please note that my offer still stands," Barghest said, focusing his piercing gaze on Scylla this time. "I refuse to give up on you so easily. I still want you to give it some thought and one day give me an honest answer – whenever you consider, there's no haste – but you have my word that answering 'no' will have no ill consequences of any kind. I just want you to sincerely give it some consideration." For once, his voice didn't come across as intimidating or uncaring. It wasn't a warm voice, but it lacked the cold indifference that it tended to hold.

"A-Ah. I'll give it some thought," Scylla said. She talked out of politeness, having no interest in the Houndoom.

Nothing held them back anymore, so after saying their goodbyes they left the Houndoom's home along with the few defenders that could still stand on their own. They would first check on Skoll, but he should be fine – Ivy might also get her right eye checked just in case, but there should be no danger.

Scylla was very agitated after her first chat with Barghest, but she left the place untroubled. In a way, it was a shame that it had come to this. Barghest was usually polite and gentle, as well as hard-working and bright. He would make a decent mate if only he acted a little kinder. One of the questions he asked Scylla earlier still resounded within her: If it's not me, who will it be?