An Absol walked on, keeping an open eye to his surroundings. Monotonous corridors, but no signs of life. His partners were luckier. The Luxray could see through walls and the Mienshao could detect auras to pinpoint the location of other pokémon in the maze, but he lacked those kinds of heightened senses to help him solve the maze. The Zoroark, who knew the labyrinth's layout by heart, had shared some tips and paths with him before they entered, so his memory was all he could count on.

Eventually, a conspicuous wide passage came into sight, and Gevaudan recalled the Zoroark mentioning that the throne chamber would be at the other end of such a passage. Eager to leave the maze behind, he walked onwards into the spacious room at the other side of the short corridor.

He jolted to the side with an impulsive leap to avoid the incoming wall of fire. Behind it he found a beaming Ninetales, the offender no doubt. This being the Haecceity's audience chamber, Gevaudan was quite surprised not to find the Lucario around, although he did see a familiar Flareon covering behind the Ninetales.

The Ninetales flashed him a warm smile, although perhaps not as warm as the flare burst she had launched moments before. "What can I say, I like my welcomes fiery."

"The hospitality is much appreciated." Next to the Ninetales, lying on the floor next to the Flareon, Gevaudan noticed a small blue slab of stone. "The Lucario isn't present. Did he leave without the shard? I expected him to be more sensible."

"You're more interested in a lifeless rock than in me? What a boring life you must lead." Opal threw a quick glance at the shard to verify it was safe. She didn't need to look at Agni, since she could hear him breathing behind her. "But I'm glad fate decided to bring us together once again. This time there are no civilians or easily-breakable machines for you to barter with, so I won't let you off so easily. If I can't catch the Zoroark, I'll at least catch you."

"What about the Flareon?" Gevaudan asked.

Opal fought an urge to look back at Agni, since it would mean turning her back to Gevaudan and leaving her open to attack. Her smile became sour, but not any smaller. "He's not a fighter, but you are a gentleman so I'm certain you won't be targeting him. Why, I would be very disappointed in you if you did. Taking advantage of a pokémon that can't fight back to lure me would be pathetic."

Her words were loaded with metaphoric acid, her defying glare increasing in intensity with every word. Truth be told, if Gevaudan decided to target Agni it would all be over. Opal would have a hard time defending her brother, the shard and her own life all at once. She could only hope Gevaudan would give in to her taunting and fought fair.

"That won't be an issue," Gevaudan said. Reassuring as it was, they weren't so naïve as to immediately believe every word that left his lips, never lowering their guard. "I can tell he lacks experience in the battlefield. He can't cause me any trouble, so I have no need to cause him any either."

This is the development Agni wished for, but it didn't feel right deep inside. He didn't want to face the Absol under any circumstances, and he would give everything he had to return home without a second thought. But then, why had he come with Opal at all? Had he tagged along only to now become a nuisance? That didn't sit right with him. "I-I can help if –"

"Don't even think about it," Opal said in a deep cold voice, enough to make Agni wince. He needed no further persuasion. He didn't want to enrage his sister and he didn't want to face the Absol. What was he thinking trying to play the hero, trying to confront a wanted criminal? Those were big things out of his reach. He better let his sister take care of the situation.

"Good, now that all that's settled up…" Opal raised her head high, her stance proud. A fine white semitransparent layer gleamed over the fur on her chest, and rapidly extended to the rest of her body. Once she was fully covered in this shiny coat, the glimmering faded out. This was, there was little doubt, a protective Safeguard barrier to ward off status ailments. "A little protection before the fight. I'm a responsible girl."

Once the Absol's horn started to gleam blue, Opal realized she had made the right choice. Moments later, Gevaudan fired a wave-like pattern of increased humidity at the Ninetales, Water Pulse, a move he also used during their last encounter. While Opal had more than enough time to jump over it or dash to the side, that would mean leaving the shard unguarded and giving the Absol the perfect chance to snatch it and run away with it, which was probably his plan. Instead, she pressed onwards through the wave attack, recalling the damage potential of the attack was minor. Water Pulse was only a threat because it had a chance to dizzy the target, but Safeguard should keep Opal safe from this undesirable side-effect.

Bearing through the insignificant pain, at the other side of the water wave she found the Absol, open to attack. Now what? What kind of attack would be effective against him? She knew he was at least part dark since psychic attacks had no effect on him, but they still didn't know his exact typing. Meh, whatever. Let's just roast him, that always works. She opened her maw wide to let out a mighty Flamethrower burst, favorite move of many a fire-type, including her. She expected him to try to dodge it, and he didn't betray her expectations. Gevaudan started to run around her in an arc, but all she had to do was turn her head so that the flame stream would follow after the elusive Absol.

Realizing his evasive maneuver wouldn't keep him away from the fire for long, Gevaudan opted for a counteroffensive of his own. He charged ahead, disregarding his own safety, his horn gleaming black this time. From the tip of his horn, he released barely visible waves that darkened the air on their wake. That was, Opal surmised, Dark Pulse, a dark-type move that turned ill thoughts and hostile feelings into a wave-based attack. She knew better than to sit still and take the hit, cancelling her own attack to dash away in a hurry. Dodging wave-pattern attacks was always an ordeal, but her nimble body worked on her favor.

Soon after, she retaliated with a Dark Pulse of her own, followed by an Energy Ball in a quick succession. Gevaudan trusted his strength and endurance over his speed so he was unable to avoid either attack, but while he endured the onslaught his horn gleamed bright-yellow, letting out an unavoidable Shock Wave. It happened all too fast for Agni to follow. What was going on? How could they move and act so fast? It was quite a sight.

"Dark Pulse…?" Gevaudan stopped for a moment, staring at the Ninetales with an incredulous, inquisitive gaze. "What are you scheming?"

With two of her nine tails, Opal covered her mouth "Loosen up. It's just the sincerest form of flattery. Can't take a compliment?"

"Don't play the fool. Why use an ineffective move?" While Gevaudan took advantage of the fact they still didn't know his exact typing, they should at least be aware one of his possible types had to be dark, since psychic moves had no effect on him. "I doubt an experienced fighter like you would commit such a rookie mistake."

"I appreciate it, but let's save the flirting for later." Opal glared at the Absol and her irises turned a purplish hue. Was this a psychic attack? No, she should know better than that. Mauve flames were summoned at the Absol's feet and closed in on him, dealing minor damage. That was a ghost-type move.

The attack was weak and predictable, and that's why Gevaudan chose to take it even though dodging it would have been trivial. He scowled at the Ninetales, pointing his horn at her. "Now you're just messing with me. Hex? That move becomes stronger when your opponent is afflicted by a negative condition, and you will have noticed that I'm not. Care to explain why your actions are so… irrational?"

She shook her head, looking away bashfully at nothing in particular. "Honest mistake. Your dazzling beauty and enigmatic allure must be impairing my senses."

Gevaudan looked aside with a frown, not buying it. There had to be some method to her apparent madness, some strategy he was overlooking. For the time being, his first priority was doing something about her extraordinary speed. He needed to slow her down if he wanted to fight on equal terms. His horn shone once more, this time in a very pale shade of blue, and released a small localized snowstorm over the Ninetales. She looked around herself with brusque head movements, trying to pinpoint a safe spot, but the closest such spot was too far away to reach it before the snowstorm fell on her. Holding back a sigh of resignation, she accepted the unavoidable.

Opal found herself encumbered by many snow-like crystals scattered all around her fur, slowing her movements down. "Dude, you got it all over my fur and now it's all sticky. I hope you're happy." Icy Wind, she guessed. A weak ice-type move, but it brought along a much detested speed reduction. This could mean trouble. "You lowered my speed. Too much for you to handle, honey?"

"Yes, sweetheart," he replied in the most deadpan tone he could muster. Opal chuckled. He didn't. "I'm not taking any chances. The pokémon of the Heptagonal Ring have proven to be extraordinarily adept in the ways of battle, and their expertise would put many a wild pokémon outside to shame. This sheltered, civilized society provides a safe framework for fighters to freely test their skills against others without significant risk. It's not like this in the wild."

"That so?" All of her nine tails swayed in different directions. Hearing talk about the outside world was always interesting, but this wasn't the time for that. "Let me say, you could give many veteran fighters here a run for their money. Boy, am I tired of males that don't last me even seven minutes. At least you've got stamina. I'm sure we could go at it for hours."

"Sorry, I don't like extended battles."

Gevaudan's horn gleamed yet again, this time in a dark purple tone that filled the heart with dread, and conjured up a Shadow Ball, a ghastly sphere of focused spiritual energy that he then fired at the Ninetales. Opal tried to move away, but managing to coordinate her movements had become quite the trial now that her legs delayed in obeying her brain's most basic commands. She turned around successfully, but when she tried to jump she tripped instead. With an annoyed grimace, she observed the ghost sphere approaching her faster and faster, unable to do anything to repel it. When the Shadow Ball struck her, it released a strong current of gathered energy that pushed her back, close to Agni and the shard.

The Flareon came running to her side. "Opal! Are you fine?"

"I'm damn fine, yeah." She stood up without much trouble, not missing sight of the Absol. He was walking towards them without showing any haste, but Agni didn't move. "Agni, stay back. I'm trying to give our guest here a lesson in humility."

"Not really a topic you're well versed in." But Agni had to concede that facing the Absol would end badly for him, so he stepped back. "And, uh… you're enjoying this a little too much, don't you think?"

"I think so too," she said, beaming as she sauntered onwards to the Absol. "It's been a while since I last had this much fun in a battle. I see you too like using a wide variety of elemental moves and skills. Always nice to find a kindred soul. Very nice."

Gevaudan stopped a short distance before her. He remained cautious. "Your point being…?"

"You're strong, and you're quite the handsome one, too. Plus, you belong to a long-lived species like me, don't you?" She sashayed towards him with a showy yet classy strut, with pronounced steps, all her efforts directed at showing off her body. "Tell me, do you have a mate?"

"U-Uh?" The Absol fought to keep his eyes from drifting towards the alluring swaying of her tails, keeping his focus on her eyes. "Who do you take me for? Did you really expect me to fall for such a base trick?"

"For a moment there you stuttered." Opal giggled in a girlish manner, but all it did was make Gevaudan's scowl grow stronger. "Also, this is no trick. Who's to say I cannot fall in love with the enemy? You speak as if I had control over who I fall for."

"Opal…?" Agni called her name, but his eyes were set on the Absol. She was just tricking him, right? She didn't actually… Although coming from her, it wasn't out of the question. "Can you, maybe, not flirt with a delinquent?"

"Shush, Agni. We're negotiating." After throwing a quick glance back to Agni, she turned back to Gevaudan. "So what do you say, handsome? You know what they say about not making war."

Gevaudan seemed as emotionless as moments before, except he was only able to keep his gaze on the Ninetales for a few seconds at a time before having to subtly glance aside. While he kept a perfect poker face, there was a certain level of unsteadiness perceptible in his breathing. After a few moments he turned to the Ninetales with wide eyes, as if he had realized something. "Now I understand. Frankly, I didn't expect you to recur to such a stratagem. I won't say I'm disappointed, but I certainly didn't see it coming."

Opal's grin grew weaker, but didn't disappear. "For the record, I don't usually have to retort to this, so be proud. I'm amazed you noticed at all, most guys don't. Special attacks require mental concentration and focus, so by bombarding the opponent's mind with… distractions, you can break their concentration and weaken their special attacks."

Agni leered at her, not an ounce of approbation in his gaze. "Basically, you were seducing him."

"Oh, no. This is an advanced combat move by the name of Captivate, which consists in – yeah, seducing him, pretty much. If all went well – I think it did – his special attacks should be weaker, which might give him a reason to take a more physical approach. Tell me, did it work?"

Gevaudan fought the urge to avert his eyes. "Let's say that, for the time being, I'll be using physical moves."

"Good," she said, grinning wide.

"No, not for you. I favor physical moves over special ones. I refrained from using them to avoid having to get close to you, keeping a safe distance."

"That so? Too bad I'm not giving you a choice. You'll have to get near the fox's fangs. Rawr."

Gevaudan ran to the Ninetales, neither too fast nor too slow, studying her movements to anticipate her actions as he approached her. She raised her tails behind her and let them lean over to one side, which Gevaudan interpreted as a preparation for a tail-based attack. This left her unguarded against a frontal attack, but that would allow her to easily retaliate. Even then, Gevaudan thought it was worth the risk, so he leapt at her and with his claws carved a wide scar on one of her legs.

The cut was mildly deep and the pain severe but Opal refused to flinch, striking back instead, slapping the Absol with many of her tails in succession. They felt harder and tougher than they should have been, and Gevaudan doubted not for a second that this was the Iron Tail move in action. The question was why. It was an odd choice of a move, just like the ones that came before. Gevaudan was no less befuddled than before. Why was the Ninetales using all those seemingly random moves? What was her reason?

Gevaudan's Night Slash had been much more hurtful than Opal's Iron Tail, both knew that, and yet it was the Ninetales that had a grin from ear to ear while the Absol grunted with a scowl. Opal, disregarding any notions of personal safety, turned her back to Gevaudan to face Agni. "Agni, I've got his typing down. He's a pure dark-type, no secondary typing."

Agni didn't understand. Yes, they knew Absol were at the very least dark-types, since psychic moves had no effect on them, but that's all they knew about them. "We don't know that."

"We do now! I discarded every other possibility by testing how different moves affect him."

In theory, if you knew a pokémon's first type, you could discover the second type – or the absence of a second type – by trying different moves against the target until exhausting all possible options. Gevaudan thought back on the types of the moves Opal had used against him, recalling that they knew he was a dark-type at least. That meant, from Opal's perspective, that he had seventeen possible second-types, as well as the eighteenth possibility that he was a pure dark-type.

First she tried the fire-type Flamethrower, and noticing it was neither too effective nor ineffective, she could freely discard the possibility that Gevaudan had a second type that reacted either positively or negatively to fire moves. That let her know he wasn't a fire, water, grass, ice, bug, rock, dragon or steel-type, since all those types would either resist or be weak to a Flamethrower. That was eight types discarded right off the bat.

She followed with a Dark Pulse, and the ineffective move was proof he wasn't fighting, psychic, ghost or fairy, then a grass-type Energy Ball to check he wasn't poison, ground or flying, a ghost-type Hex to discard the possibility he was a normal-type, and lastly an Iron Tail to confirm he wasn't an electric-type either, since the attack would've been ineffective had he been one.

She had exhausted every single possibility until there was only one standing: that Gevaudan had no secondary typing at all, and was pure dark. The conclusion was perhaps even a little disappointing, but well. It explained her odd choice of moves, at least.

Gevaudan gaped at her with raised eyebrows, showing clear emotion for once. "How could you determine whether any attack you threw at me was effective or not? Some points would require you to differentiate between a double and a quadruple resistance."

"Years and years of experience fighting. If I told you I've sparred against more than three hundred different species of pokémon, I wouldn't know whether it was a lie or not because I lost count long ago." Opal fired a quick glance back to the shard. It was still on the same spot on the floor where it was when the battle started. "Anyway, now that I know your type… damn, that's not much of an advantage. I have nothing effective against dark-types in my arsenal. I was hoping you had a second type that added some other weaknesses, but it doesn't matter. I'll just do fire. Fire always works."

Opal didn't need to get close to Gevaudan to lash at him with fire, but even a short distance could offer him the chance to safely nab the shard and make a run for it, and that was something Opal would rather avoid. Minding her step she approached him from a diagonal, fiery sparks forming inside her opened maw, ready to unleash a mighty flare when the situation called for it – and the situation called for it right away, when Gevaudan charged at her ducking his head so that his sharp horn would be pointing at her.

The barrage of flames failed to slow the Absol down. The sensation of fire grazing against your skin is usually an unendurable one, but Gevaudan didn't divert his course, gritting his teeth to the point where it hurt as he dashed like a madman through the path of fire burning before him, every second cutting the distance with the Ninetales. While Opal's first reflex was to intensify the fire burst, she changed her mind once she realized he wouldn't change his. The Absol would push forward no matter what she threw at him.

Her tactic of choice was simple: go all out. She enveloped herself in flames and charged at him with a risky but potent Flare Blitz, one of the most powerful moves a fire-type could execute. The uncontrollable rampage of fire left nothing but destruction on its wake, the unrestrained frenzy of flares hurting Opal too, just not as much as Gevaudan. Now this was the kind of pain Gevaudan found himself unable to endure. He had to make it stop at any cost, or he ran a very real chance of falling defeated.

His survival instinct kicked in, and Gevaudan was presented with two choices: fight or flight? While the second option was tempting and was the one he favored, he knew it would lead to defeat if the Ninetales chased after him, and he had no reason to believe she would do otherwise. There were never two choices. Only one.

To Opal's honest surprise Gevaudan stood firm and carried on, stepping up his pace as he drew closer to her and unleashing a swift barrage of well-aimed slashes once he got close enough. Escape was impossible, for either of them. Unable to turn back, they would be forced to keep attacking each other until one of them could fight no more. Both knew this, both knew they couldn't give up, and they never desisted until the last second.

The mutual onslaught lasted no more than seven seconds, even if it felt much longer for the observing Agni. His worst fears were confirmed the moment he saw the unmoving body of his half-sister touch the floor. Her eyes and mouth were closed, and she had hard to miss scars all around her neck and face. Gevaudan towered above her, still standing but erratically panting. Ducking slightly, he brought a claw close to her neck, right where the most noticeable scar was.

Agni lost all use of reason for a handful of seconds. When he came to be, he was launching a massive ball of fire at the Absol, much bigger than any he had ever produced before. "Stay away from her!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, whether consciously or not he couldn't tell.

Gevaudan didn't miss his reaction, but he remained unfazed. The fireball collided against part of his face and chest, but he merely closed one eye, not letting out even the weakest of grunts. Agni stepped back, closer to the shard. What was he doing? If Opal couldn't defeat him with her strongest fire moves, what made him think his weak flames would have any effect? If his attack had caused the Absol any pain at all, he was doing a marvelous job hiding it.

Gevaudan removed his claw from Opal's neck, much to Agni's relief, but the moment the Absol's eyes set on him he felt paralyzed. "She's breathing. One of my cuts came dangerously close to her trachea, but she will be fine. Her throat might feel sore whenever she drinks liquid for the next few days, but she will recover with time and rest. Her life is not in danger."

While Agni breathed relieved, Gevaudan walked past Opal towards Agni – no, towards the shard beside him. Agni didn't move. He actually had to make a conscious effort to stand still, because every instinct in his body was begging him to bolt away.

His display of courage did nothing to dissuade the Absol. "Could you kindly step aside? I take it you're a sensible one. You know better than to try to fight me on your own."

Agni had just seen moments ago that his fire attacks had little effect on the Absol. Opal had weakened him significantly, most of the fur on his chest and around his face looked lightly charred, but that wasn't enough of an advantage to cancel out the difference in their skill levels. Agni stepped aside, as ordered. His reason wasn't fear, but common sense. He was in no position to antagonize the Absol, especially with Opal lying unconscious on the floor. He had no reason to fear the Absol either. His first priority would be leaving with the shard, he had no reason to attack a Flareon he deemed a non-threat.

"Thank you." Gevaudan picked up the shard and held it in his mouth, only directing a last glance at the Ninetales before turning around to leave.

He acted as if the Flareon wasn't present at all, and Agni would lie if he said he didn't find that comforting. Gevaudan turned his back to him without a care, and even though Agni could very well take advantage of that and get a free hit in, that would only make matters worse. He wasn't fast enough to give him pursue nor strong enough to take him down. All he could do was watch with defeatist eyes as the Absol walked away, powerless to stop him or even slow him down.

But before the Absol left the room, Agni found himself speaking. His voice made him halt. "Last time we talked you said you don't support the Beacon's cause, you just joined forces with them in order to find a way to stop the disaster you're detecting. It's never too late to change sides. We might be of more help to you than them."

Gevaudan dropped the shard on the floor and looked away. Not at Opal, not at Agni, not even at the shard, away from any of them. This left him open to attack, but he didn't seem to mind. "I can concede that my actions have been impulsive, and maybe even reckless, but when I arrived to the Heptagonal Ring I was presented with few satisfactory options."

"I don't know. Is this really the best path you can take?"

"You could ask yourselves the same thing. I'm not questioning anyone's goodwill, but it is disingenuous to assume anyone holds the absolute moral right, be it you or us. There is never a single golden path devoid of any hardship. There are many parallel paths leading to the same destination, differing only in the kind of sacrifice they require. Quite often, warring sides differ only in the flavor of poison they're picking."

Agni's retort came with a little delay. "I'm not saying we're perfect, but –"

"Pardon my curt manners, but I shall take my leave now. Now that I've secured the shard I should abandon this building in the shortest time possible, so I can't sit around and talk. Besides, I'm afraid it's far too late for any of us to dissuade the other side." Before taking the shard once more and finally leaving, Gevaudan fired one last glance at the still unmoving Ninetales. "You should stay with her. She will be fine, but she will want to wake up next to a familiar face. Colbur ointment should lessen the pain and help her heal faster."

Opal's wounds might not be lethal, but that didn't make it any easier to look at them. Agni sat beside Opal, not quite daring to look at her neck. He was in no position to stop the Absol, so the best thing he could do was care for Opal. Maybe the warmth of a fellow fire-type would help her recover faster. As for the Absol, he was convinced someone else would stop him. Zephyr and Skoll were somewhere in the labyrinth, maybe Gevaudan would chance upon them. There was also Garm, he could intervene if things turned ugly.

Gevaudan left without sharing a last word. There was nothing left to say, after all.

Ivy shifted her head from side to side a few times, in case the Luxray tried to approach her for a surprise attack. This was no minor issue. How was she supposed to fight an enemy she couldn't see? "Show your face, coward! Fight with some dignity!" Ivy put some distance between herself and the other two females, always keeping an alert eye on her surroundings. Where could he be?

"Ivy, to your right!" Scylla shouted as soon as she took notice of a blurry blue shadow on a corner, the Luxray's leg.

The Luxray would bolt away any moment, so Ivy had no time to approach him for a close attack. Her best choice at that distance was a ranged attack, and Razor Leaf was a favorite of hers. However, the bluish-yellow sparks dancing around the Luxray's legs and frontal body meant he was about to unleash yet another attack of his type. Ivy had to choose between attacking him and receiving the brunt of his attack, or dodging and missing the opportunity.

It was an obvious choice for her. She fired a whirlwind of pointed leaves – perhaps better described as leaf-like knives – at the Luxray, who started to run away as soon as he was done launching his attack. Oh, another choice. The electric move would hit Ivy no matter what she did, but she could either move to the sides or back to minimize the damage, or rush forward to follow the Luxray, at the cost of having to withstand the core of the attack.

Many words could be used to describe Ivy, but unpredictable wasn't among them. Against the cautionary yells of her friends she charged forward, gritting her teeth to assuage the growing pain. With the beginnings of tears forming in her eyes, she eventually reached yet another intersection. Stupid labyrinth. Once again she had lost track of the Luxray, and by the looks of the leaves lying on the floor, her previous attack hadn't hit him at all.

Just like she expected, Kizuna and Scylla appeared running behind her moments later. "Don't do that!" Kizuna shouted.

"Don't worry. I'm a grass-type and he has that Rivalry thing. That barely hurt at all." It was true, the pain was tolerable, but there were certain patches of blackened fur around her front legs and chest.

"Even then, don't do that. Don't put yourself in harm's way." Kizuna walked to Ivy's side, leaving Scylla behind. "Let me lend you a hand. I can't know where he is, but I know the mapping of the whole labyrinth by heart. That could help us."

"Kizzie, wait!" Scylla said, getting their attention. She looked at Kizuna with heavy lids, tilting her head down but keeping her gaze on the Sylveon. "You can't fight! What if you end up hurt?"

Ivy frowned at Kizuna, not looking quite as anxious as the Vaporeon. "She's right. You barely have any experience fighting. I was supposed to protect you."

Oh, how nice to have friends worry about you to such an extent. But, as much as Kizuna appreciated it, unable to keep a weak smile from curving her lips, this wasn't really the time for sentimentalisms. "I'll be fine, I promise. He's got the upper hand in this battleground, so let me help you out to even our chances."

Scylla was clearly against it, and Ivy wasn't sure what to think. If the Sylveon got as much as a scratch, she knew Zephyr would never forgive himself for leaving her alone. But given the current circumstances, it was either this or letting the Luxray run free. With her mouth closed and a subtle frown, not looking at the Sylveon, Ivy spoke. "Fine, but let me echo your words back at you. Don't put yourself in harm's way."

That was all Kizuna needed to hear. She jumped straight to her plan. "Not counting the path behind us, there are three possible paths to choose from in this crossroads." She pointed to two of the paths with two of her feelers. "See those two passageways? They loop into each other. If we're lucky and Minos walked down any of those two paths, we can surround him for a pincer attack! I'll get the left path while you enter the right one!"

"Wait a moment." Ivy needed a moment to think. She didn't like the plan. First, they had to assume Minos didn't take the third path, but chance was on their side. There was a bigger issue. "Once we surround him… then what? He might decide to attack one of us."

"If he does, the other will be free to attack him!"

Nope, Ivy liked the plan even less now. "Even if he targets me and you get a chance to hit him, your attacks aren't… too strong. No offense. And what happens if he targets you instead?"

The plan sounded like a horrible idea to Scylla too. "Don't do it, Kizzie! It's too risky!"

"C'mon!" the Sylveon cried, before racing to one of the passageways.

Too late to stop her. Her plan wasn't to Ivy's liking, but she couldn't leave her hanging. Kizuna had taken the left entrance, so Ivy would have to take care of the right one. Whether because of good or bad luck, Minos was indeed in the looping corridor that joined both entrances. Before he could tell what was happening, he found a Sylveon in front of him and a Leafeon at his back, cutting his escape. Neither would let him pass without a fight, so he would have to attack one if he wanted to get out of there. He started to charge up electricity in his lustrous mane.

Luck decided that Minos would be facing the Sylveon, much to Ivy's disquiet. If only she had taken the Sylveon's route instead! But it stood to reason that Minos would make Kizuna his target. After all, Ivy resisted his electric attacks. She berated herself for not thinking about it before, although it wasn't like Kizuna had given her a chance.

Minos turned around. Why? This made no sense but he was now facing Ivy, still charging up electricity. Perhaps he anticipated that Ivy would attack him if he went after Kizuna. At any rate, this development was the one Ivy preferred. She could bear the pain, and Kizuna would get a chance to do some damage. It would not be enough to defeat him, but every bit counted.

And finally, the moment arrived. Every muscle in the Luxray's body tensed as a voltaic surge traveled from the surface of his coat towards Ivy. She'd have to bear it. She could withstand a few volts, she had done it before. Ivy closed her eyes, the reality of it all scaring her for a second, and when she opened them back she found the Luxray facing away from her.

Her eyes, now blank, widened. What was this? What was happening? Did he turn around at some point? Right at the spot where she stood seconds ago, Kizuna had now taken her place, becoming the new target for Minos' electric ray. This wasn't a new experience. She had already gone through something similar in the past, when she was battling alongside Skoll. Minos hadn't turned around; it was Kizuna herself who had swapped their locations with Baton Pass. And much like the Umbreon before her, Kizuna did this to receive the attack in Ivy's place.

Kizuna stood still – tried to, but her legs wouldn't stop shivering. She knew that it was too late to try to dodge the incoming electric attack, it was too close now. She'd have to bear and take it. It was her decision to do this, and she would see it through to the end. This would mark the first time in her life she received a genuine attack from an opponent. Sure, she traded blows with Zephyr, Ivy or the others in many occasions, but those were friendly matches, they were holding back to avoid hurting her. This time it was the real deal. It couldn't be that bad, now could it?

Electricity started to flow through her body – only through the left half of her body, since the electric ray seemed to divert its course in the last second. The muscles in her body contracted, her left eye closed against her will, and she felt like her chest and legs were in fire. Two seconds. The extreme pain lasted only two seconds, and then it disappeared just like it came. For a moment she stood still, not because she couldn't move, but because she wasn't sure whether she should. Was every muscle in her body all right? She slowly raised a leg to test if it worked like she remembered. It did, thank goodness. Then she moved the other leg, and her head, and her feelers.

Okay, her body was alright. Probably. But why were her cheeks wet all of a sudden? Oh, of course, that was because of the tears falling from her eyes. Well, that was quite the experience. Ivy had received a few of these shocks in succession and she didn't look that affected, so Kizuna didn't expect it to hurt this bad. The difference in their stamina and training was bigger than she thought.

Ivy didn't move. She wanted nothing more than to run to the Sylveon to check if she was fine, but what if she wasn't? No, she didn't want to find out. Not yet, she wasn't ready yet, so she kept mutely staring at the Sylveon. On his part, Minos acted in a manner similar to Ivy, eyeing the Sylveon without moving a muscle. Only after a while did he dare pronounce a single word. "Sorry," was all he said before running away past the Sylveon.

With the Luxray out of the picture, Ivy seemed to regain her senses. "Kizzie!" Overwhelmed by anxiety and guilt unlike any she had ever felt before, Ivy hasted to the Sylveon at a speed that made her legs hurt. Even once she got close, she didn't touch the Sylveon. "Are you alright?"

"Why d-didn't you attack him? You had a p-perfect chance," Kizuna said with a slight stutter caused by the aftermath of the shock. With luck, it would disappear in a matter of seconds.

Good question. After Minos attacked Kizuna, he stood completely still for a good few seconds. It was more than enough time to launch any attack of her choice at him, even those that required her to get up close first. "I didn't expect you to do that!" The position swapping caught Ivy by surprise, and when Kizuna received the attack all Ivy could do was stare in awe, as if frozen. "Why didn't you tell me you planned to do that?"

"Because y-you would have refused."

"Of course I would have! Weren't you the one telling me not to put myself in harm's way? What were you thinking?"

Ivy's chastising only made Kizuna feel worse. Maybe she shouldn't have done that? It seemed like such a good trick on paper. Minos would always attack Ivy if given the choice between the two of them, because she was stronger and was of a resisting type. By swapping their positions with Baton Pass, something the Luxray would never expect, she granted Ivy the perfect chance to deliver a free attack against Minos. Minos even tried to redirect his electric ray in the last moment when he noticed that his intended target had changed, and it was thanks to that that only Kizuna's left side had been hit. Was the core of the attack supposed to be twice as intense? She shivered just imagining it.

The commotion had drawn Scylla to them. "What happened?" It didn't take her long to notice the slightly charred fur on Kizuna's left front leg. She hid her tail between her hind legs. "Don't tell me…!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kizuna was quick to say, wanting to assuage the squeamish Vaporeon. Luckily, she didn't stutter this time. That would only have alarmed Scylla.

"Did Minos attack you?" Scylla asked, her face white with dread. Those black marks could only be caused by electricity. "W-Why?" Kizuna was very clearly not an experienced fighter, so the thought that Minos would be willing to attack her at all was a terrifying one.

"The attack was meant for me," Ivy said. She didn't look friendly. "She just took it in my place."

Scylla gave the Sylveon an unbelieving stare. "Why would you do that, Kizzie? Don't you see how dangerous that is?"

Kizuna lowered her gaze, her bows reaching the floor. "It would have been a great plan if Ivy had attacked Minos amid the confusion, but she let the chance go to waste."

"Sorry, I was busy gaping horrified at my friend being electrocuted!" Ivy's raised voice made Kizuna face away from her. Goodness, this girl was scary when she got angry.

"Don't worry. I won't do that again." Kizuna still couldn't look them in the eye. "I-I thought my knowledge about this labyrinth would be enough, but I don't have enough data about this situation and I'm not sure what to do, I'm not sure how to help. I just…" She coiled her bows around her own chest as if hugging herself, quivering ever so faintly. "I just don't want to feel that pain again. P-Please, Ivy. It was horrible. How can you withstand it?"

Ivy looked away. No, she couldn't keep looking at her, not when she was in that state. If Zephyr was here he would easily find a way to reassure her, but she wasn't good at that. She was only good at heading headfirst into trouble without thinking and dragging others along. Kizuna acted like that only because Ivy was willing to do anything to stop the Luxray. How many times had the lion zapped Ivy already? She lost count. What kind of leader would she be, putting her people in danger because of her stubbornness?

Scylla hugged the Sylveon, seeing the Leafeon wouldn't do it. That seemed to calm her down just a little. "Let's leave," Scylla said. Her tone was firm, an order. "You can't defeat a Luxray in a labyrinth. Why don't we leave him to the others?"

"We can't give up just yet!" Ivy said, her tone brimming with decision. "We can defeat him if we try!"

"Ivy, can't you see how scared she is?" Scylla kept the still trembling Sylveon close to her. "That was probably the first actual attack she ever received out of stupid training sessions."

Kizuna was quite unlucky that her first experience in a real battle was against an electric-type. Few types felt as painful, especially for a first timer. Still, while Ivy could understand Kizuna's fear, she still chose not to surrender. "I'll keep her safe, trust me!"

"Ivy, you're not a defender. Stop pretending you are."

Ivy's expression didn't change much, but both her ears and tail fell low. Ouch, that one hurt. Yes, yes, she was just a merchant in the end. Fighting was a nice pastime, but she didn't have the experience or knowledge required to make a career out of it. It's something she tended to forget.

Scylla softened her tone next time she spoke. Perhaps she had been too rough on the Leafeon. "Sorry, Ivy. I just don't want to see Kizuna or you hurt."

"Me neither." Ivy also adopted a calmer speaking tone. She couldn't let emotion take control of her. "But it's unavoidable. Getting hurt is a part of battle. Getting hurt is a part of life. If we don't do anything the others will have to suffer in our place, and if the Beacon succeeds the whole region will be affected. We're getting hurt so that other people won't have to."

Kizuna left Scylla's side, feeling better now. "But what can we do?"

"Think," Ivy stated. "I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but Minos is showing more brains than all of us, making use of the surroundings to his advantage. We can't match him with brawn alone, but I'm sure we can come up with a plan, all three of us. I know about fighting, Scylla knows about Minos, and Kizzie knows about the labyrinth. If we put those three together, we're bound to find a successful plan."

While they talked, Minos waited outside. What were they talking about? He could see through solid objects, but this advantage didn't extend to his hearing. Well, no matter. Given their current location, there were only two possible paths they could take. It would be easy to attack Ivy the moment she emerged. She was the true threat here, the only one that could do significant damage. He didn't care about defeating the other two.

He waited and waited, wondering what were they up to, until they finally stepped into the crossroads. They were now open to attack! He just needed to get a little closer and he could launch another attack against Ivy. He walked a few steps, but then stopped.

Ivy and Kizuna had halted right after reaching the crossroads, but Scylla kept walking away from the group. Eventually, she turned her head to them. "I-I really want to leave, though. I'm really scared. I had never seen Minos like that. To think he would hurt you, Kizzie…" She started frantically looking around, her face showing no emotion but fear. Were those… tears forming in the corners of her eyes? "W-Where are you, Minos? I-I'm really scared. It's like you're someone else entirely, I don't recognize you." Scylla closed her eyes and lowered her head to the floor, covering herself with her tail. She was very clearly crying now. "M-Minos, please… I don't want to be here. I want this nightmare to end. I-I want my friend back…"

This was too much to bear. The Luxray felt his heart break into countless pieces, guilt being the axe that tore it apart. How could he do this to her? He felt horrible. He felt as if gravity had increased his grasp on him, every muscle in his body growing heavier. No mission was worth causing Scylla this much suffering. This sensation Minos felt was intolerable. He had to make it stop no matter how. He stepped forward into their sight, caring not for hiding anymore.

Scylla looked up to him and somehow, her crying suddenly stopped. "Now!" In less than a second, any traces of fear or sadness apparent in her face vanished, replaced by a confident smirk.

Minos heard a cutting sound by his side, so he twisted his head in a quick motion. There was a batch of sharp leaves coming his way, presumably commanded by the Leafeon sitting at the other side. Perhaps a little too late, Minos understood the situation. Scylla wasn't really crying. Well, she was, but she had done so in purpose to make him leave his hiding place. Dark-types liked to say that this was a perfectly valid battle move and called it Fake Tears, a tactic that involved manipulating the opponent's sense of guilt and remorse to break their mental concentration, making it harder to anticipate and avoid the so called special moves. And now, Ivy's attack was about to impact against his weakened self, unless he did something about it.

Luckily for him, slow electric-types were far and between. Showing a finesse and nimbleness rarely found in a pokémon of his strong physique, Minos pivoted his whole body around his frontal legs and then leaned all the weight of his body on his hind legs in order to thrust his whole body forward, managing a very decent sprint away from their view and into the labyrinth's many passages. He had fallen for their trick, but that didn't matter when the combination of his speed and the maze's construction allowed him to avoid any and all attacks they threw at him.

Once he got out of the attack's range, he still kept running. There was something off here. Fake Tears only had an effect on the target's mind, not their body. It was only special attacks that received a boost, physical attacks remained unchanged. Razor Leaf, as far as Minos could tell, was a ranged physical move that wouldn't be reinforced by Fake Tears. He turned his head back, to the leaves still following him. No, that wasn't a Razor Leaf in action. Those leaves aren't supposed to gleam in multiple colors like that.

While similar in appearance, this was a radically different move by the name of Magical Leaf. These curious leaves had bizarre shapes resembling crescent moons, and once they found a target they were able to capture the light surrounding them to trace the trajectory of the opponent. This was, barring very particular situations, an unavoidable attack. Running, no matter how fast or far, served no purpose against this move. In that way it was similar to the much famed Aura Sphere, except its damage potential was understandably more limited.

Minos knew trying to escape was futile, but he kept running all the same. The leaves advanced faster and faster each second, and their trajectory seemed to be leading them down closer to the floor every moment. Minos knew better than to assume this was good news. Ivy had targeted not his body, but his legs. Soon enough, the leaves caught up to him and the cutting strike was stinging enough to make him trip and fall on the floor. This wouldn't have happened, he assumed, if it weren't because of his impaired state of mind caused by Fake Tears. He still couldn't shake away the mental image of Scylla crying from his mind.

Seconds later Ivy caught up to him, followed by Scylla and Kizuna. Ivy hopped onto his back and pinned his head down, keeping him immobile. At this close range, he was at the Leafeon's mercy in spite of his superior body mass and strength. Even if he tried to prepare an electric attack, Ivy would quickly notice and could launch a preemptive Leaf Blade of her own. "It's over, Minos. Now don't try anything stupid."

"This was a bad idea from the beginning." Pinned down, incapable of movement, all Minos could do was sigh. "I should've known better. I should stop this."

A hopeful blue gleam appeared in the corner of the Vaporeon's eyes. "Are you going to leave the Beacon?"

Minos looked back to her, but only for a moment. It hurt to turn his neck around so much from his held down position, but it hurt even more to see her shiny hopeful eyes. "No, Scylla. I still think this is a cause worth fighting for. I don't mind carrying the world's hate on my shoulders if it means leaving you and Euria a better future."

"Then what do you…?"

"I was talking about this battle. Fighting three females, given my ability? That was stupid on my part, even if the terrain is to my advantage." He looked back once more, at both Scylla and Kizuna. "But it was especially stupid to fight with Scylla present. What if one of my electric attacks had accidentally hit her? For an untrained water-type like her, the effects could be irreversible, if not lethal. I would never forgive myself, nor would Euria." Now he focused his gaze on Kizuna, letting out a troubled chuckle. "Hell, I'm sorry I hit you at all, fairy girl. I can tell you're not a defender. Will you be well?"

"Yes, I'm fine now," Kizuna said. "I can tell you changed the trajectory of your attack in the last moment, so thanks for that."

"Oh, so you noticed. You've got a good eye." He made a sudden movement that made Ivy tense up, but he was merely repositioning his legs to be more comfortable. False alarm. "But at any rate, fighting you three was stupid, so I'm done here. After all, my purpose was to make whoever followed me waste time, and I would say I've succeeded with flying colors. But now, I should go meet with the others in the audience chamber in case they need a hand."

Ivy pressed one of her paws against the Luxray's back and the other against his head. "That will be quite a feat, given I'm holding you down."

Grinning, he turned his head to her. What was he scheming? He wasn't close enough to bite her, and there was no electricity flowing through his mane. No, it was his eyes. Before Ivy could react, his eyes started to shine in the brightest shade of yellow, the luminous pulse blinding her eyes and her mind at the same time. Minos made use of his brute strength to throw the Leafeon aside, and there wasn't much she could do to fight back in her befuddled state of mind. He run far away from them, and by the time Ivy's eyesight returned, the Luxray was nowhere to be found. They had lost him.

It wasn't like the previous time. He wasn't lying hidden waiting for a chance to attack them, this time he was trying to avoid them on purpose. The Luxray ran faster than any of them, and he could see them while they couldn't, so staying away from them would be easy. If he saw them approaching he could just take another path and they would be none the wiser.

"That was Flash, wasn't it?" Ivy asked, and Scylla nodded. Not the first time they had seen the Luxray use this annoying move. "It was all so sudden and quick that I totally forgot about my Magical Leaf. I'm sure that move would have hit him even if my eyes couldn't locate him." But now it was too late. In spite of its name, Magical Leaf wasn't magical at all. It couldn't hit an opponent that wasn't present, it couldn't do the impossible.

"Now what?" Scylla asked.

Kizuna pondered her options, but what was there to ponder? They had but a single option. "We should go to the audience chamber. I know every nook and cranny in this maze, and I know the shortest path to the throne room." What other choice did they have? They weren't about to leave. No, their best bet was to reach the audience chamber and hope that, if they found anyone there, it was a friend.