Chapter Twenty-Nine: Power

"So is there any particular reason we haven't met anyone since the security guards at the gate?" Jenna asked as they walked down Bellchime Trail towards the giant tower that loomed ahead of them. "I mean, I'm no expert on Johto tradition or anything, but isn't this place normally packed with tourists and religious fanatics?"

Eve didn't hear the question for a moment; her mind was lost in thought at the prospect of what she and Jenna would probably have to face in just a few minutes. It was only when Basil gave her a little shock from his place on her shoulder that Eve came back to reality and her brain processed the question. "Oh, I've got connections," Eve said. "You know that I've been helping the High Priest of Aurum and the High Priestess of Argentum unite the two religions, right? Well, they both sort of owe me for that. I just asked the High Priest to close down the place for the day – we're the only people that the guards are authorized to let in, even into that sort of entryway temple." She paused as if finished, but then as an afterthought added, "Not to mention, Ho-Oh appearing here would do for him what the news of my meeting with Lugia did for Argentum."

"Speaking of that, I have another question," Jenna said. "Why not go at night, like you did with Lugia?"

"I told you that we're probably in for a battle. If that happens, I want to see what's happening, and I'd rather not be half asleep. Even if that means that the whole world knows immediately what's going on," Eve said.

Jenna fingered one of the pokéballs on her belt thoughtfully. "But you don't really think this battle will stay just in the tower, do you? Sure, judging by how far we've walked down this path, the tower's farther away than it seems. But that gigantic multicolored chicken can fly. How do we keep people away from our battle or, more to the point, how do we keep the battle away from the people?"

"Hmm?" Eve said. "I thought that you could manage it. You said you were the strongest trainer in the world, after all. But if you can't, then maybe-"

"Of course I can!" Jenna said indignantly. "Sheesh. I was just wondering if you were thinking ahead, is all. We're far enough away from the city that the only possible damage that might come about would be to the tower itself or to the temple. Or if someone is an idiot and tries to interfere, then they might get hurt, but any of my pokémon could easily handle someone like that while I keep up the battle with Ho-Oh. Anyway, we're pretty much at the tower now. How do we get those legendary mutts to appear?"

Eve sighed, wondering if continuing with this whole plan was really a good idea. This was the Ho-Oh they were talking about, after all. Could Jenna really handle things if Ho-Oh became enraged? What if her pokémon spent too much energy fighting off Raikou and Entei – how could they possible quell Ho-Oh's anger then?

I wish I'd at least called someone to say bye… Just in case the worst does happen. I mean, Mark and Cynthia don't even know what we're doing. But it had just seemed too sad to do…

~Eve, Jenna's talking to you!~ Basil said, zapping her ever so slightly. ~If you're this concerned, don't you think we should just quit now? Maybe come back another day?~

Eve looked silently at Basil for a few moments, then up at the tower. "No," she said. "Now that I'm here… I don't feel like I could turn around. Anyway, Jenna, what were you saying?"

"I was saying that you need to summon those stupid dogs or gerbils or whatever they are!" Jenna said. "I'm just itchin' for a battle. They ought to be a good warm-up for the battle with Ho-Oh."

"Remember, we won't battle unless we're forced into it," Eve reminded Jenna, who simply rolled her eyes in response. Eve wasn't quite sure what to think of that, but she nonetheless opened her mouth and called out quietly, saying a single word:

"Suicune."

After a few seconds of no change, Jenna looked at Eve with frustration. "That's it? How is it supposed to hear-"

She was interrupted as the pokémon in question suddenly bounded out of the golden-leafed trees that surrounded the tower. Suicune looked at Jenna for but an instant, then turned all her attention to Eve.

~I've sent my brothers word on the wind that you have called me, since they probably already sense that you and I are both here,~ she said, rushing her words; even the wind that blew against her ribbon-like tails seemed to pick up speed in her agitation. ~Raikou and Entei are not as fast as I am, and they did not stay as nearby as I did; nonetheless, they could be here any minute. We must speak quickly. Are we in the same understanding as when we last parted? You still have not changed your mind?~

Eve nodded. "Right. And I've let Jenna in on everything, and I'm confident that we'll have a fighting chance, even against Ho-oh. Jenna is powerful, no doubt about it."

Suicune seemed to relax a little upon hearing this news. ~I am glad to hear it. Now remember, as soon as my brothers have gathered, you can summon Ho-Oh. It is only their presence that is required, no their consent. I'll set up my wall, and hopefully this Jenna can help me keep them occupied while you summon Ho-Oh. Understand?~

"Yeah." Then, turning to Jenna, she said, "Jenna, you'll need to help Suicune keep Entei and Raikou busy while I summon Ho-Oh." As she said this, she pulled her long, slender pokéflute out from where she'd tucked it behind the belt-like part of her hip pouch; it had helped so much during her last summons that she thought it would be best to have it along again.

Jenna smiled, and for the first time, Eve noticed a strange gleam in her eyes that was almost frightening to behold. "Help Suicune? That's rich. Suicune, don't stress yourself about fighting them. If your brothers are as weak as you look, then a single one of my pokémon could probably take both of them at once. Get in my way, then it'll take out all three of you at once. Got it?"

At the exact moment that Jenna finished speaking, Raikou and Entei bounded into the small clearing that surrounded the tower. Excited energy seemed to course through the both of them; Eve didn't like to think how they'd use that energy when the excitement turned to rage.

Entei wasted no time getting to the point. ~So you've changed your mind, then? Have you finally realized the evils that humans create?~

Eve met his eyes, and in a quiet but unapologetic voice replied, "No, my mind hasn't changed. But it is your duty to help me summon Ho-Oh – whether you agree with me or not, you must do it."

The demeanors of Raikou and Entei changed almost instantly; nearly deafening growls rose from their throats as Raikou said, ~We cannot allow you to continue living, if that is the case. You have the potential to make your beliefs reality, and your beliefs are not something that should exist. You are certain that you will not change your mind?~

Eve looked at them both, but did not reply. Instead, she silently brought her pokéflute to her lips and began playing the first summoning song that came to her mind.

As she began, the atmosphere of the area suddenly changed; the wind stopped blowing, the rustling noise of the trees disappeared, and the sounds of the growling and the pokéflute seemed to echo. Eve paid this no mind, but Entei and Raikou promptly turned their attention to Suicune.

~Sister! What is the meaning of this? Why set up your crystal barrier around us?~ Entei said, the fur all over his body bristling in rage.

~For the same reason that Eve is playing a summoning song,~ Suicune responded. ~You must remain here while we call to Ho-Oh. The wall is to make sure you don't leave before the call has been heard.~

~Traitor!~ Raikou roared, the stormcloud on his back sparking violently as his rage surpassed even Entei's. He suddenly turned towards Eve and began to run forward, saying, ~No one shall be summoned if the girl is dead!~

Eve heard this, and closed her eyes and braced herself for the worst; but even in her fear, she continued to play her song. She was trusting her safety to Suicune and Jenna, at least until she could concentrate enough to make the summons a success; there was nothing more that she could do.

Raikou had gone only a few steps when something that appeared to be a brown ball of spikes slammed itself into Raikou's side with such force that he was sent flying some dozens of feet away. The prickly sphere simply bounced down to the ground where Raikou had just been and opened up, revealing a sandslash.

"What'd I say, Suicune?" Jenna said. "Told you I got this covered. This is light exercise for Sandy. Now Sandy, I'm not much liking that flea-infested fire-type over there. How about a slash attack?"

Entei blasted out a flamethrower at Sandy as she approached, yet Sandy kept on coming, her earthy skin practically impervious to the heat. She leapt up as she finally reached Entei and brought one of her claws down the length of one of his front legs, the sharp edge tearing through fur and skin and muscle as if it were made of soft clay.

Raikou had recovered by now; as Entei howled in pain, the electric-type dashed over to the sandslash, opened his mouth, and used a bite attack.

"Defense curl!" Jenna ordered, just in time; the sandslash turned back into a ball of spikes as the saber-toothed pokémon closed his fangs around his target. While Sandy undoubtedly took some damage from being almost completely engulfed by Raikou's jaws, it was Raikou himself who seemed to get the worse end of the attack. The sharp spikes that completely surrounded the softer parts of Sandy's body lodged themselves into the tender surfaces of Raikou's mouth as soon as he applied pressure; he quickly spit Sandy out, but the damage had already been done.

As Sandy uncurled, her spikes were completely drenched with blood; it gave her a rather grim look, though she seemed unconcerned by the thick crimson liquid that clung to her.

~Eve, you can stop playing!~ Suicune said as she let her wall drop; her voice sounded filled with hope. Though she hated seeing her brothers so injured, she was more confident than ever about summoning Ho-Oh now that she had seen Jenna and her sandslash in action. ~I can feel that Ho-Oh is coming!~

Eve sighed with relief, then gasped as she opened her eyes to the bloody scene before her. Entei and Raikou were now standing side by side, tensely waiting for the opportunity to make their next more against the tiny sandslash that stood before them. It truly was a gruesome and pitiful sight: gallons of blood were trickling out of Raikou's mouth ever minute, and Entei had taken all of his weight off of his injured left foreleg. Fur mostly concealed this latter injury, though the fur itself was so soaked with blood that it seemed black compared to the brown of the rest of his body.

"Jenna! We don't want to kill them!" Eve said. "They're terrible, yes, but they don't deserve to die!"

Jenna shook her head. "And this is coming from the girl whose butt I just saved from these pokémon. You really don't know how to be grateful, do you? Anyway, I'm just playing with them a bit. If they want to exterminate humanity, I thought they might as well feel what it's like when it's a human who's ordering the exterminating. Sandy, let's go with a series of dig attacks next."

Sandy obeyed without question, using her claws to dig quickly into the ground. In desperation, Entei leapt towards Jenna as soon as the ground-type was out of sight; but even underground, Sandy sensed the motion and emerged from the ground just beneath him. Covered in dirt, she hit him in the stomach with a powerful tackle-like attack, which knocked him off his feet and to the ground.

The sandslash dove back underground, then popped up again beneath Raikou. Raikou tried to create a shield of sparks around himself, but they had no effect at all against the ground-type.

Both beasts struggled to their feet again, but they already appeared to be at their limit.

~Please, Entei and Raikou! Stop battling! Ho-Oh is already summoned – you can do nothing more!~ Suicune shouted to them; Jenna had halted her commands for the moment, perhaps sensing that something was being said.

Entei turned his head towards Suicune and glared at her with such hatred that she took several steps backward. ~Unlike you, we will not betray the one who gave us back our lives,~ Entei said. ~We will fight for him, even if we must lose that gift. Such is the nature of loyalty.~

"But why be loyal if Ho-Oh is not deserving of your loyalty?" Eve asked. "He killed you in the first place. And do you really think he killed you just so he could reincarnate you? I suppose we could find out for sure in a bit, but it seems to me like you three were just casualties in his war against humans. He only revived you out of guilt, I think."

~Lies!~ Raikou said as he shot a thunderbolt from his back straight towards Eve. No one – not even Jenna – had expected the sudden discharge, and such is the nature of electric attacks that there was no possible way for Eve to avoid it.

She screamed in pain as it hit and collapsed to the ground, in the worst pain that she had ever experienced. She would have died except for Basil's presence on his shoulder – his body had naturally drawn much of the electricity to him, though it was far from enough to keep her from injury.

"You pathetic excuse for an electric pokémon, Raikou! That's underhanded – aiming straight for a human when she's not expecting it," Jenna said, absolutely livid. "Truly powerful ones fight only those who can fight back. Sandy, teach them a lesson, but don't kill them – I want them to be in pain for a long time after this." Then, calming slightly, she walked over to where Eve was lying on the ground and nudged her body with her shoe. "Hey, Eve. You 'n Basil haven't gone and died on me now, have you?" Her voice seemed as casual as her usual self, without even a hint of actual concern.

Somehow hearing the words over the roar of pain in her ears, Eve slowly came to the rest of her senses. She opened her eyes, moved her trembling arms, and tried to push herself off the ground; she'd only progressed a few inches when she collapsed again.

~Eve… Eve, please be okay,~ Basil said. He moved close to her face and looked into her eyes as she collapsed back to the ground. Though damaged by the attack, he was still far from fainting.

"I'll… be fine," Eve replied hoarsely, though she remained lying on the ground.

"Good to hear," Jenna said, still completely unconcerned. "I'd feel like such a failure if you died while I was around. Anyway, you might want to get up. I get the feeling that Ho-Oh will be here any minute."

Eve tried again to push herself back up, but her muscles didn't want to listen; they trembled even more violently before letting her fall back down to the ground again.

Suicune walked over and nudged Eve's body; all of a sudden, a cold sensation ran through Eve's blood, soothing her muscles somewhat. ~I can't do much, but that should help somewhat.~

This time, when Eve pushed herself up, her muscles just barely managed to overcome gravity. She managed to stand, but her whole body still shook, even though she was leaning against Suicune to help keep herself upright. As she looked around, she found it hard to focus her eyes on anything; dimly, she hoped that both the shaking and vision problems were only temporary.

Suicune suddenly tensed beneath Eve's grip, and Eve looked around to see what the problem was. She saw that Raikou and Entei were lying on the ground in a bloody heap, so that wasn't the cause of her anxiety. Her mind slowly struggled to think what else could be wrong, when nothing else threatening seemed to be nearby.

"Looks like the birdbrain is here," Jenna said with a frighteningly eager tone of voice. It took Eve a few moments to think of what Jenna was referring to, and when she finally figured it out, she turned her eyes to the sky.

There, perched at the top of the tower, was a bird that rivaled Lugia in size. Even in the muddled state that Eve's mind was in, she took in every detail of his majestic appearance: the bright orange, green, and yellow feathers that covered his body; the crown of curled plumage that sprouted from the top of his head; the talons, each of which were nearly as long as Eve's forearm; and the sparkling halo of light around him, that made it seem as if his feathers took in the light only to reflect it back a multihued rainbow of brilliance. Even though he was far from the ground, his sheer immensity allowed Eve to see all these aspects with ease.

Ho-Oh quickly seemed to realize that no one was at the top of the tower, so he opened his wings and descended. There wasn't space enough for him in the clearing just around the tower, so he let out of blast of flame that immediately incinerated a large section of the autumn trees. He landed among the ashes, and the cloud of the grey remains that resulted settled on his feathers and dimmed his radiance.

What is going on here? Ho-Oh said, anger apparent in his thoughts as he spoke telepathically. What has happened to Raikou and Entei? Suicune, explain!

Suicune lowered her head submissively. ~They did not wish to summon you, and they attacked the Not-Human. The human who represents power defeated them, though the Not-Human was injured in the process.~

And why did they not wish to summon me? Do they refuse the duty I gave them when I resurrected them?

~Ho-Oh… It is Suicune who is ungrateful!~ Entei suddenly said, struggling to lift his head; he had managed to force himself back to consciousness for a few moments. ~The Not-Human wants humans to continue to oppress pokémon! Raikou and I… We wished to stop her before you could be bothered with it, but we have failed. We are sorry.~

Ho-Oh let out a shrill shriek of rage. Suicune! Is this true? Have you betrayed me? You know that there is no way for pokémon to reach true happiness so long as humans exist! We cannot allow such a Not-Human to attain the power of Arceus! She might too easily be swayed back to favoring those whom she was raised among, and then where would we be!

Suicune only lowered her head further in response, misery emanating from her. ~I disagree. Eve can correct the imbalance. I believe that she will. And I know that killing off humans is not the way to fix the world.~

You dare defy me? Then you will-

"Yo! Ho-Oh! Down here!" Jenna suddenly shouted. Ho-Oh stopped midway through his thought and turned to look down at the bold girl. "Yeah, I'm not exactly used to being ignored, so I'm glad you finally see me. Anyway, here's the deal. I just took out both Entei and Raikou with just one of my pokémon, and she's not even badly damaged. I have five more pokémon of similar strength. Now, the only reason I'm here is because fighting with another pokémon like yourself ended up screwing up my internal organs or something, and I need it to be fixed if I don't want to die in a few years. You heal me with your magic flames or whatever, and I'll leave you to deal with Eve and Suicune as you see fit. If you refuse, then you're going down. So what's your choice?"

Basil sparked with anger. ~She was just using you all along, Eve! We've got to do something, or else we'll be in big trouble!~

Yet Eve was speechless with despair, her brain still struggling to comprehend what Jenna had just said. She had come here, ready to face death, yet she couldn't face the thought of Jenna betraying her. For all Jenna's numerous flaws, Eve had come to think of her as an essentially good person. More importantly, she'd come to see her as a friend. Was this all the friendship had really been? A ploy by Jenna to get to Ho-Oh?

Ho-Oh lowered his head and squinted at Jenna for nearly a minute without blinking; Jenna, likewise, looked back at him, seemingly unperturbed by his proximity. It was a battle of the wills, and it was a battle in which neither opponent would give way.

And during this minute, Eve sank further and further into despair. Despite Basil's urgings, she didn't even have the strength to take Aiden out of his pokéball and attempt an escape. It seemed useless; after watching Ho-Oh decimate an entire grove of trees in seconds, Eve knew that not even the arcanine's speed would be enough to escape Ho-Oh's wrath. Jenna had been her only hope. And that only hope was gone. It still wasn't this fact that scared Eve, though; it was the complete loss of the trust she'd placed in Jenna.

Do you really think I'd fall for that lie, Human? Ho-oh suddenly said, breaking the silence. You do not intend to leave the Not-Human to my mercy, even if I choose to heal you. I assume that you share the Not-Human's sentiments concerning the alleged merits of humanity. Am I correct?

Jenna broke into a smile, rubbed the back of her neck with one hand, and grabbed one of her pokéballs with the other. "Guess you saw right through me. And I thought the lie was pretty good, too. Eve even fell for it, I think. Then again, she's so gullible that she'd fall for any lie. And yeah, I don't exactly want to die out, nor do I want the rest of my species to die out. So…" she paused momentarily and threw the pokéball into the air; an enormous, green, armored creature appeared. The pokémon – a tyranitar – was quiet and seemed uneager to battle, yet he also awaited his trainer's instructions with complete obedience. Jenna continued: "A battle, then? What do you say, you big birdbrain?"

Ho-Oh spread his wings and flapped them powerfully, kicking up dust and ash so that it turned into a veritable cloud of darkness. I accept your challenge, you idiotic human! Both you and the Not-Human will perish!

Eve practically choked as bits of dust and debris entered her weak lungs, yet despite this, she felt content. Not a minute ago, she had been lost to despair; now, her hope had been restored. It had all been a bluff on Jenna's part. Now all she had to do was sit and wait in the dim obscurity of the cloud of ash, and hope that Jenna was called the strongest trainer in the world for a reason. Eve wanted to help somehow, but against a pokémon like Ho-Oh, there was relatively nothing that she or her pokémon could do.

Jenna, for her part, had just called out two more pokémon from their pokéballs, and was busy giving out commands to all four pokémon that she had out.

"Rasu, sandstorm! Use the dust to our advantage!" she said to her tyranitar. "Sandy, you keep an eye on Eve, and be ready if an opportunity arises to attack Ho-Oh. Flame," she said to her charizard, which was one of the pokémon she had just summoned, "you fly above the sandstorm and force Ho-Oh back down here before he can just wipe us all out with some massive fire attack. Don't use any fire-type moves – use shadow claw, wing attack, dragon breath, and stuff like that. And Stella," she said to a nidoqueen she had called out, "I want you to use shock wave as soon as Ho-Oh gets close enough for you to see."

All the pokémon did as they were told without any argument, and even though Jenna was at the very heart of the sandstorm that Rasu created, she acted completely unfazed by the rough winds that blasted against her relatively unprotected skin.

If Eve had been able to see her at this moment, she would have been more scared of her than of Ho-Oh. Ho-Oh was powerful, yes, but at least he was sane. Jenna, on the other hand, seemed to embrace the chaos and uncertainty of a blind battle with complete jubilation. She smiled broadly, and her eyes gleamed with unmistakable and complete insanity. She and her pokémon were fighting for their lives, yet the only emotion she felt was that of the thrill of battle.

"He's on the left! Shock wave and stone edge, Stella and Rasu!" Jenna shouted, her uncanny instincts telling her where Ho-Oh was even before her pokémon could sense him.

Soon they both saw the shadow, and they followed their commands. The nidoqueen, Stella, gathered electricity at the tips of her numerous spines, then sent a shock wave flying in the direction of the shadow; likewise, the tyranitar slapped his tail against the ground, dislodging several large stones and sending them flying towards Ho-Oh. The birdlike shriek that followed told them that their attacks were successful.

"Run! This way!" Jenna said, a maniacally playful tone in her voice. She dashed off in one direction, and her pokémon followed her. But Stella was not quite fast enough; Ho-Oh had managed to evade Flame for just long enough to send a fire blast towards the spot where the shock wave and stone edge had come from. Stella managed to endure the hit, but it was clear that any more damage would knock her out.

"You stay there, then, and keep up the shock waves if you see Ho-Oh," Jenna said. "Rasu, you head off that way and do the same with stone edge." Then she ran off in another direction, and kept on running until she found herself at the edge of the trees, where the storm wasn't quite as strong.

She pulled out another pokéball, and a golduck appeared. "All right, Silver, use psychic to mess with Ho-Oh's flying. I'll be getting Flame to come down here, so use hydro pump if Ho-Oh follows. Anyway… HEY! FLAME! GET YOURSELF DOWN HERE!"

From her place in the sandstorm, Eve heard this sudden shout; other than Ho-Oh's screech, it was her first indication of what was going on. She had heard or seen nothing else so far over the roar of the sand. She had simply curled up on the ground, doing her best to shield herself and Basil from the stinging pain of the wind and dirt.

Suicune had stayed there with her; but now, at this shout, she stirred. ~I don't care what Jenna said before. She's going to need help. I'm going.~

Eve made no protest, and so Suicune headed in the direction of the shout. In fact, Eve was thinking of doing more or less the same thing, even though there was little she could do.

"All right, Basil, that's it," Eve said, her voice still raspy. "We're going to go help." She pulled one of her pokéballs from her pouch, and called out Aiden. "Aiden, we're going to see if we can get a better view of what's going on. But you'll need to stay constantly on the move. Basil, I want you-" she paused, coughed the accumulating debris from her throat and mouth, then continued, "I want you to fire off thunderbolts if you see Ho-Oh."

Basil sparked, upset. ~But Eve, you're not well enough. We'll go, but you stay here. The sandstorm hides you from view.~

Eve shook her head and tugged on Aiden's fur; he knelt down reluctantly, letting Eve climb on. "No, I'm going. I want to see if I can talk some sense into Ho-Oh. Now let's go."

Aiden dashed off until he found one edge of the sandstorm; from there, the trio could look up to see that Flame was in the middle of a dangerous aerial dance with Ho-Oh, doing her best to fight him down to the ground without getting hit herself. As they watched, Flame suddenly made a dive down to the ground while Ho-Oh seemed to stall in midair, struggling frantically as if the air itself was rebelling against him. His contortions soon stopped, but Flame had already made it back into the air, this time with a golduck on her back; Eve seemed to recall that this was Silver, another of Jenna's pokémon.

Using her relatively smaller size and greater speed to her advantage, Flame got above Ho-Oh and began spewing some sort of purple-blue flames from her mouth; it reminded Eve of Pebble's dragon rage attack, at least as far as its color went. At the same time, Silver leaned over Flame's shoulder and spat out a huge blast of water straight at the base of Ho-Oh's neck.

Ho-Oh shrieked, fell closer to the sandstorm, and found himself bombarded with stones and an electric attack. He was close enough that Basil joined in as well, though his thunderbolt was only a fraction of the power of Stella's shock wave. Surprised by this volley, Ho-Oh landed heavily on the ground; Eve could see only his head and the tops of his wings rising over the cloud of swirling sand.

Yet despite all the damage that he had taken and still was taking, he seemed far from submission. Righteous anger burned in his eyes as he spotted where the stones were coming from; he shot a white-hot blast of flame at the source, and immediately the storm began to die down.

As she found herself coming into view, Stella – the nidoqueen – roared with fury, enraged by the very sight of her enemy. As she roared, the ground beneath Ho-Oh heaved up as the dirt seemed to come alive, rupturing beneath Ho-Oh talons and spewing forcefully at the rest of Ho-Oh's body. Eve had never seen anything like it. Dragonbreath and hydro pump attacks continued to rain down on Ho-Oh's head; Suicune launched off her own hydro pump attack from one side; and another pokémon on the opposite side – Jenna's ninetales, Amber – was firing off shock waves that glowed with a strange power similar to that of a psywave attack.

Ho-Oh shrieked again, opened his wings, and tried to take off, but the salvo of attacks was too much for him to bear. If he had taken on Jenna's pokémon one after the other, he easily would have won. But with them all attacking at once, each covering for the others when they took a couple seconds to catch their breath, there was nothing he could do.

"Aiden, get closer, but be ready to run if things get dangerous," Eve said.

~Eve! That's not a good idea!~ Basil said, even as Aiden began to walk towards the monstrous bird. ~If he gets even one moment of freedom from those attacks, then we're done for! He'll eat us alive!~

Eve ignored Basil, and looked around; Jenna was some hundred feet in another direction. Their eyes met, and Jenna gave the thumbs-up to Eve when she saw her approaching Ho-Oh; either she didn't care too much about Eve's safety (which was quite possible, judging by her reaction to Raikou's earlier thunderbolt), or she was confident that Eve would be safe. Either way, Eve urged Aiden onward.

Just as they reached Ho-Oh, the gigantic bird collapsed to the ground. Since landing, he had been unable to launch a single attack against his opponents, and their attacks were powerful enough that so many of them at once were able to take down even a mighty being such as himself.

Eve ordered Aiden to stop barely ten feet in front of the fallen bird, who was still conscious in spite of the damage he had taken. She shouted as loudly as she could with her hoarse voice:

"Ho-Oh! Please, give me the power that I need. I'm not going to make things any worse than they are, I promise. Pokémon and humans can live together in balance. I'm sure of it. That's all that I would attempt to do. I wouldn't do anything to upset either pokémon or humans. And if you would, please heal Jenna. She has saved the entire world from destruction before. I think she at least deserves to live for a long time."

Another shriek came from Ho-Oh's beak, though this one was weak compared to the defiant cries of before. You won't do anything that will hurt either species - that is what worries me. The situation of pokémon cannot be improved unless humans are completely removed from the picture. True, I know that it is possible for humans and pokémon to get along, even in this world. That is the hope that people like you and pokémon like that fool Lugia cling to. But what you don't understand is that this possibility shrinks every day, and even if progress was made on that front, it would all eventually wither away to nothing.

In the beginning of the world, pokémon were truly happy; and in the beginning, humans held little evil in their hearts. Yes, they had to live with caution out of fear of pokémon, yet this brought them closer together. This I witnessed, and this I know to be true.

But as time progressed, pokémon found their lives interfered with by humans. And as humans found their ingenuity more and more equal to the power of pokémon, avarice and wrath and other vices grew among them. Such is the nature of power among humans, that it breeds evil without being evil itself. In the present day, pokémon are killed for sport, their habitats are destroyed at the whims of humans, and they find their numbers beginning to dwindle. Even if you live a hundred years, it would not even equal a day of my life. How can you assume to know the truth of the matter when I have seen all since the beginning of time?

Eve was speechless for a moment, in part because she felt there was no response to this. Here was Ho-Oh, who had lived for thousands of years; who was she to presume herself more knowledgeable than him?

And if what he said was true, then what could she do? Reduce humanity to what it once was: a species at the mercy of even a pack of poochyena? Or would she get the power only to realize that she was unwilling to do anything, for fear of making things worse?

But no; there was still more that Eve had to say. "But how can it be right for you to murder me, or Yellow, or Suicune's trainer? We are trying to do the right thing-"

And in the process, you are doing exactly the opposite. Ho-oh finished. I murdered them and I would murder you, to keep disaster from happening. Even if you collect the powers and then choose to keep the world how it is, it will still come to ruin. In this case, doing nothing is the same as purposefully making things worse. For who is to know if Arceus shall leave another path for us to find him after you have already walked down it? If he doesn't and you leave things as they are or in a similar state, then this world would be left as a world ruled by humans; and a world ruled by humans can only continue farther and farther towards apocalypse. The world is already dying, Not-Human. I can hear its cries. Lugia can hear it, too, though she refuses to see what the true problem is. I used to admire her for her hope for a perfectly equal unity, yet now I curse her for failing to see what has become more and more apparent with time.

The power that I could give to you… I dare to give it only to those who are firmly on the right path. This is because the words of the humans that surround you will be like honey to you as your power grows. Though you may not be human, you are greatly influenced by humans. And they, in turn, are intoxicated by such power as the power you seek. They shall use you; and to your simple pokémon mind, the absurd things they tell you shall seem right. For a pokémon cannot lie, and thus a pokémon finds it hard to sift human lies from truth.

Doubt grew within Eve's heart, but she pushed it away as one memory came to her thoughts with vivid clarity. In her mind's eye, she saw the scorched and broken bodies of humans and pokémon alike at a bleak and desolate shore. That had been the fault of both humans and pokémon; and so long as that sort of thing could exist in the world, Eve knew that there had to be something she could do to fix the problems of both races.

"No matter what you say," Eve rasped out, "I still need that power. I will prove you wrong, and make things better for both humans and pokémon. From what Lugia said, it is your duty to Arceus to give the power to any Not-Human who can summon you. So give me the power of strength, or whatever it is that you represent."

Ah, strength. One of the five fragments of existence. Do you know what it really means to be strong? One who is strong will persevere through any trial, and will never submit to the feelings of helplessness and despair. You are far from it. The girl who subdued me with her pokémon – she is pure strength, filled with almost none of the other five fragments. You do not deserve the essence of strength. And though that girl deserves much, I shall not give her the cure she seeks. Not so long as she aids you in destroying this world's future.

"You stubborn featherhead! You do realize that I can hear your telepathy too, right?" Jenna said, running over. "You are going to heal my body, or I will kill you. I don't care how closely tied you are to the essence of existence or whatever. Do you understand?"

An almost choking chirp sounded from Ho-Oh's throat; it was his form of a laugh. Kill me as many times as you like. I am unique among all pokémon – even among the Great Ones – in the fact that even if I die, I shall be reborn. It is painful, yes, but my strength brings me through all trials.

"Then how about this," Jenna said, pulling an empty pokéball from her belt. "I'll capture you and keep you cooped up in a pokéball until you give Eve her power and me my cure. You're injured enough that you won't be able to escape, no matter how strong you inherently are."

Do with me as you will, Strong One, Ho-Oh said, an almost amused edge to his thoughts. You have won, and to the victor go the spoils. As I said, I am the essence of strength. I shall persevere through any trial, even captivity. Yet never will I submit. You understand this, don't you? Imagine yourself in my position, and ask yourself what you would do, even under the pain of torture and death. Now, my strength is even further refined than yours. How will you ever get me to do anything against my will, or convince me that my will is wrong in the first place?

Eve watched Jenna as she ground her teeth in frustration, then took the pokéball that was in her hands and literally ripped it in half. "That's it. There's nothing more we can do the, Eve. Mr. Rainbow-Butt Feathers-for-Brains over here ain't gonna change his mind no matter what we do. I'm certain of it. And he'd probably be more trouble than he's worth to train, too. Let's go."

"Wait!" Eve said, finally getting down from Aiden. Aiden whined in response; even with all of Jenna's pokémon on high alert, he didn't like the thought of Ho-Oh possibly working up the strength to fire off another attack. "I can't go. I'm this close – it's literally like the power is calling out to me. Even just standing here is driving me nuts. I have to get it. It's instinct. I didn't feel it for Lugia's power, but now that I do have her power, it's… Well, it's unbearable."

"Then figure out a way to force him to give it to you," Jenna said simply. "I'll wait for a few more minutes, then I'm leaving. But I'm telling you, it's a wasted effort. He isn't going to do anything he doesn't want to do."

Eve frowned. "But I'm supposed to have it. I feel it," she muttered to herself. "Maybe… Maybe I can't force him to give it to me, but maybe I can take it by force all the same."

And – as if suddenly driven solely by that instinct that she had spoken of – she stepped confidently right up to Ho-Oh's head and snatched one of the many creamy yellow feathers that curled up from the crest of his head.

NO! He said, shrieking more loudly than ever as he shook his head, too late hitting Eve and sending her flying backwards. Eve dropped the feather as she fell, yet surprisingly, it didn't fall. When she stood back up, she saw it standing on-end in midair, refracting light in such a way that all colors seemed to be visible at once. The colors themselves seemed to coalesce into pure energy, which then snaked its way through the air towards Eve. Eve felt it strike her head near where the silver wing was, and when she tentatively reached up to feel her hair, she felt a new feather woven into the strands.

Ho-Oh's shrieking continued until Basil hit him in the face with a close-range thunderbolt, afraid that his rage might give him enough energy to kill Eve.

"Well, that's that," Jenna said. "Two bloody heaps of pokémon over there – don't worry, their still alive, of course – and the one giant heap of broken feathers over here. So what do we do with them? We can hardly just leave 'em here."

~Once you are gone, I will heal them enough to let them leave,~ Suicune said.

"But Suicune… They'll kill you if you're alone when you heal them," Eve said.

No… We shall not. She is already dead to me in my eyes, Ho-oh said, though he appeared to be completely knocked out. She is no longer a daughter of mine. I shall allow the traitor to heal us, and then we shall have no more to do with her. I curse her, and I curse you, Not-Human. That will have to be enough for me.

"Well, you heard the featherbrain with the anger-management problems. He'll keep his word," Jenna said as she began withdrawing her pokémon. "The strong have honor enough to recognize when they are defeated. Anyway, let's get going."

Jenna pulled on Eve's arm, and Eve slowly let herself be pulled away, all the while keeping her eyes trained on Suicune. Suicune – this queen of grace, this empress of wind, this regal embodiment of lakes and rivers – had lost all life that had once shimmered in her eyes. At Ho-Oh's statement that she was dead to him, all that she had left in the world was gone. Her first death had deprived her of a trainer, but given her a father in the form of Ho-Oh; but now she had been deprived of her father, and that had lead to her second death. Her body simply didn't realize it yet.

"Suicune…" Eve said as she walked away. "Suicune… Without you, Raikou and Entei would have killed me during our first meeting, more than likely. Please, remember that."

Suicune lifted her head and watched Eve as she walked reluctantly away. Her eyes were still dead as she said, ~I will remember it, Eve. Thank you. And if you ever need me… Speak my name to the winds. Wherever you are, I shall come. That I promise.~

And with that, Eve turned away from that sad sight. It was too much to bear. It was the sight of three pokémon filled with hate, all close to death but able to be revived; and it was the sight of the one pokémon filled with despair, still alive and yet already dead.


I would like to say that two miracles allowed this chapter to happen. The first was a snow day on Tuesday, which meant that my life wasn't hell trying to get FAFSA and my CSS financial profile in on the day it was due. The second was a snow day on Wednesday, which gave me the time to start, finish, and edit this chapter. And let me tell you, that takes FOREVER. I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this, but by my estimates, it takes me roughly one hour for every thousand words, plus another hour during editing. Maybe a little under for both of those, depending on how much I like the chapter. So yeah, I'm guessing it was around seven hours of work total on this. And the first half felt like it went slowly because I was thinking to myself, "I could be playing Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories right now... But I'm not. Why am I writing this fanfic again?"

Then I got to the second half, and I was like, "WOW. Was not expecting half of that to happen, and I liked all of it. That's awesome!"

Anyway, on another note... I just realized that I have not been replying to reviews or even really thanking new reviewers in the chapters, due to my current Kingdom Hearts obsession... So here it is: THANK YOU to Oldenmw, Lala Land Yay, and jkwriting (my new reviewers) and to Yaersulf and RedemptionWarrior (continuing reviewers)! I really appreciate it, even though my brain is so focused on Kingdom Hearts right now that I haven't shown in lately!

As always, thanks for reading! :-)

EDIT: Thanks to Yaersulf for pointing out some name mistakes in here. I hate it when I switch around people's names randomly! I still don't know why I do it! But anyway, I'm really grateful for alerting me to the fact. :-)