But it Refused to Break
My scars came to life. Burning chains of ruby shooting up toward the heavens, piercing even beyond, through a realm long forgotten.
They closed around their targets with ease, and I pulled. The world shook. The sky shattered into a million pieces, glowing slivers falling upon the earth like arrows, like little pieces of the sun. Dialga and Palkia were dragged toward me, their powers being absorbed as though I were a massive black hole.
Time roared. Space rent. The very fabric of reality screamed in agony.
With barely any effort, I became the god of a dying world.
Barry's consciousness came back to the front with a start, eyes shooting wide open, gasping for breath. A dizzying numbness covered him from head to toe.
"Kn-ghr…"
The cold of the ground under his cheek contrasted greatly with the noxious, pulsing heat in the air. He was… was he flat down on the floor? He blinked a few times, and his vision finally focused enough for him to see… well, nothing.
"W-wha…?"
Valor Lakefront –what little he could see of it, at least– was a smoking, ruined hell. The ground was shattered in a hundred different spots. Smoke rose from each of the miniature craters, curling in ribbons and joining together high above to form a thick, black cloud which hid everything around them from view. The air was distorted by a heat haze, waving and shifting as though he were in a bizarre dream.
What… what had happened? The last thing he remembered was… were… those arrows of light falling from the sky. And then…
"Well. That seemed to do the job."
The voice jolted him awake like an electric current. Panic and realization flooding him, Barry pushed himself with one hand and looked up at the sky just as a massive gust of wind fell upon them.
"Grhk!"
A single batting of Midir's wings was enough to dispel the smoke cloud completely. The battlefield became visible once more. And what he saw made his blood run cold.
Everyone was down. Pokemon and people were scattered all over the lakefront, dirt and grime and blood staining their bodies. Even from where he was, not even able to rise to his knees, Barry couldn't help but yelp at the sight of Makura laying face-down on the ground, all strength gone from him. Palmer sat against his Pokemon's arm, holding a hand over his stomach, eyes closed, teeth grit in pain. Reiko knelt not far from there, an ugly gnash on her left bicep, her entire body shaking with the effort not to fall down. And over toward the shore…
A gasp left his lips. Percy seemed the least wounded out of all of them, covered only by dust and dirt, but that wasn't the problem. He knelt in front of a collapsed Argenta, both hands pressing over a dark red stain on the woman's chest. It sounded as though he were screaming something.
A dark puddle was quickly forming under the woman's body.
N-no… No!
The sound of a furious gale resounded in the back of his mind, and his eyes flared a bright gold. His body moved on its own. Pressing a hand against the ground, he pushed himself to his knees with what little strength remained in him, every limb in his body shaking with effort.
"Barry, wait!" Mesprit's voice echoed in his mind. "Stay still, you…"
"SHADI!"
High above, despite being mostly dwarfed by the size of her massive Charizard, Barry saw Shadi smile down at him, a malicious glint in her eyes. Something burned in his stomach. Grunting, he pushed himself up to his feet and opened his mouth to say someth–
"Barry!"
That's when the burning tugged at him. Sharp, painful, yet strangely numbing. All the air in his lungs left in an instant. Unconsciously, he pressed a hand over his stomach.
Shadi shook her head. "I think I am the least of your worries at the moment, Barry."
Slowly, fearfully, Barry looked down at himself, feeling a sudden wetness in his hand.
O-oh…
Blood stuck to his fingers. A dark, red stain formed a circle on his shirt, over his stomach. A sudden, powerful nausea overtook him.
"I'll leave you all to lick your wounds and take care of yourselves," said Shadi from above. "Midir won't hurt you anymore, as long as you don't try to leave. Don't worry though; I'll dismiss her once I'm done over there. And with that said…"
"W-wait!" Barry yelled. "D–!"
But the pain tugged at him again. His legs lost strength and he fell to his knees once again, vision blurring. Blood fell in thick drops under him. Everything was a haze.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to give my dear little sister your regards, Barry. Until next time."
"D-DON'T!"
But there was nothing he could do. Shadi's eyes flashed icy blue and she simply stepped back into the night, darkness swallowing her completely.
"N-no… Nis…"
That was as much as his body could take. Midir's silhouette was the last thing he saw as that scolding, painful haze overtook him, his consciousness drifting away as he fell.
Candice walked up the steps to the tower's top floor, and the Inyssa she found standing in the middle looked nothing like what Cresselia had described to her telepathically.
She still didn't look good, in any case.
"Inyssa?"
Inyssa wiped her eyelids with the sleeve of her coat, then turned to face her with folded arms. Dried tear trails ran down her cheeks. Her face was so unnaturally expressionless that it could have passed off as a mask. When she spoke, her voice sounded strained, yet forcefully calm.
"Hey. Where's Maylene?"
"Huh? Oh… She's outside, talking through the Poketch with a few members of her dojo," she explained. "At first she wanted to head back to Veilstone… because of what just happened. But we don't really have any flying Pokemon that could survive this blizzard." She let out a sigh. "So she'll be staying here, helping us, and leave the evacuation to those she can trust."
Inyssa nodded weakly. It looked like she'd barely heard what she'd said.
"Right."
Candice swallowed. "Inyssa… are you all right?"
"I've recovered my memories," she said. "And I've peered into the book. I think I have a plan to stop Shadi."
Candice frowned. "That's not what I asked."
"I'm fine," Inyssa insisted. "Had a good cry already. Can't hide that. But I reckon now's not the time for that sort of thing."
Part of her wanted to walk up to Inyssa and slap her upside the head, while the rest of her wanted simply to embrace the poor girl in a hug and let her cry as much as she clearly needed. Cresselia had told her part of what she'd seen. Still…
"You don't have to do this," she said. "You still have time to get out of this. Hide. Shadi only wins if she takes Uxie from you, right?"
Inyssa simply laughed.
"And have the town pay for it?" she asked. "I received the notification on my Poketch, you know. Snowpoint's one of the only towns not to be hit by either the lava slide or that rain of light arrows. I'd rather keep it that way. And besides…" She shoved her hands into her pockets unconsciously, a dark shadow forming over her face. "I'm done running from her. I'll stop her. I'm the only one who knows how."
They held gazes for a few long seconds, each one waiting for the other to back down. In the end, Candice did, with a sigh.
Every day that passed, it seemed, these damned kids were less and less intimidated by her.
I guess kids nowadays are made of stronger stuff, huh?
"Cresselia."
She looked past Inyssa, toward the wall her partner was chained to. The legend raised her head ever so slightly, her eyes glowing with a pale light.
"What do you think?" she asked. "Do I put all my chips into this bet?"
A light chuckle escaped from Cresselia.
"I never pegged you as a betting girl."
Candice shone her back a smile of her own. "You'd be surprised what teachers turn to in order to relieve their stress."
"I suppose…"
Slowly, Cresselia raised her head to look at Inyssa, studying her with her eyes. Despite not possessing a human face, Candice could perfectly imagine the expression on her partner's face, and had to suppress a bit of laughter at the mental image.
"She… was unstable before. And she is unstable now, though for different reasons," she finally said. "Can she do this? I have no idea. Is she in the right mental state to confront that heinous woman? No, but then again I doubt she ever will be. Regardless, if what that book said is true…"
She caught a glimpse of Inyssa rolling her eyes.
"Can we stop for lunch on the way for you to get to the fucking point?"
"… Yes. The answer is yes," she finished with a sigh. "It is perilous, somewhat idiotic and more than a little cruel, but I don't believe we have any other option at the moment."
Candice made a face as though she'd swallowed something foul, but found herself nodding in the end.
"The only light capable of burning away a moonless night…" She'd heard the details from Cresselia, and still… "I guess we have no choice."
She approached Inyssa with the delicacy of someone walking up to a frightened Pokemon, and raised her hand to place it on the girl's shoulders.
"I'm so sorry we have to ask this of y–"
Inyssa moved like lightning. She jumped back and yelped at the gesture, raising both hands to her chest. A look of panic and nausea rose up her face.
Both of them froze.
"I-Inyssa?"
"It's… fine. Don't touch me," she growled, and only a second after seemed to collect herself. "S-sorry. Just… Don't worry about it."
Candice exchanged a look with Cresselia, whom, if she had a human body, probably would have shrugged at that moment.
"Is there… I mean, can I do anything to help?" asked Candice. "I know you'll be taking the initiative, but…"
"I…" Inyssa took a deep breath, focusing herself. "Yeah. I'll be waiting for her at the roof of the tower."
"The… Are you sure? The blizzard outside will only get worse by the minute."
The girl flashed her a nervous smile. "That won't be a problem for long."
And what on earth is THAT supposed to mean?
"Have you already used your Audino today?"
Candice shook her head. "She can still fully heal one of your Pokemon, if you'd like."
"Great; I'll use any advantage I can get. Go fetch her," said Inyssa. "Then wait with Maylene at the base of the tower. We don't know how far Shadi would go to get you two out of the way."
She couldn't help but gulp. What had happened to the girl who'd, only an hour before, had adamantly refused the idea that her sister could do any wrong? What kind of memories had she recovered?
"…Right. I'll get going," she said. "Anything else?"
"…Yeah, actually." Inyssa looked away, her face scrunching up slightly. "Do you by any chance have a pair of… leather gloves? Thin ones. The kind that won't limit my finger dexterity."
Candice frowned at the odd request, though she nodded nonetheless.
"What do you want them for?"
Inyssa opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her lips were pursed so tight their color could have passed for marble.
"Ever since… what I just did, I…" She hid her face from view, turning away from Candice. "I can't… It feels like… I'm going to throw up, every time something touches my skin. I'd rather avoid that during the fight."
Candice had no words to that. How could she? Instead, she simply stared at Inyssa with what she hoped was an understanding look and not one of pity. She seemed the type to resent the latter.
"I'll get them right away," she said.
"…Yeah. Thanks."
Candice was halfway down the steps when she heard Cresselia speak in her mind again.
"It is… odd, to find you lacking the right words to say."
She made a face. "Yes, well. Inyssa is a special case, I guess."
"It's okay to feel pity for her, you know. She is an astonishingly unfortunate girl," said Cresselia. "No one's pride should be hurt by admitting the truth."
"And yet…"
"And yet."
Candice felt a pang of guilt tug at her stomach, and her pace became quicker.
"Heroes always rise from turbulent times'," she quoted under her breath, shaking her head. "I never liked that saying. I'm guessing this is why."
"Indeed. Times like these are like a raging thunderstorm, swallowing anyone unfortunate enough to get in its way," she said. "That poor girl didn't rise against the storm. She simply refused to let it break her."
And look at what that got her, Candice thought bitterly.
Palmer fell to his knees beside his son, pressing the piece of fabric on his hands against the bleeding wound on the right side of his stomach. It didn't stay still, however. His fingers were shaking too violently.
"O-oh, god… Please, please…"
Tears fell over his hands, diluting the blood slowly pouring from the boy's wound, forming thin, shiny trails over his dust-covered fingers. Barry's skin felt colder by the second. The boy's chest moved slowly with the rhythm of his breathing; his eyes wide open and glossy like glass beads. He'd entered a state of shock. If he… If someone didn't…
"Not him… P-please, god, not my boy…"
He had to move. Had to do something, but an illogical part of his mind told him that if he took his hands off his son, something would be severed irrecoverably. He knew these types of wounds. He'd seen them numerous times back during the war, and knew that even with immediate medical treatment, chances of survival were…
Were…
His mind couldn't even conjure the thought. The world had dimmed around him. He barely had any semblance of what was happening around him, of Reiko and Percy kneeling over a dying Argenta, of the littered bodies of unconscious Pokemon all around him, of the hellish draconic beast still flying above, ruby eyes set on them.
Had it not been for the voice that spoke to him a moment after, he probably would've knelt there, frozen, unable to do anything as his son died before him.
"Are you… Barry's father?"
Palmer looked up above Barry, and found himself face to face with a golden mirage of Mesprit, youngest of the Lake Guardians.
"Do not let go of him!" the legend's voice boomed in his mind. "I can only communicate with you because you're making contact with him."
At any other moment, Palmer might have reacted with shock or disbelief at the sight before him. But the fear and panic clogging up his chest drove those emotions out of his mind, and served to focus him.
"You've… bonded with my son," he said. It wasn't a question. "Tell me, what is… is he…?"
"One of those arrows of light pierced him. I was unable to warn him in time," said Mesprit, its tone bitter. "The wound is deep. Since he was hit in the stomach he will not die immediately… but that is as good as news get, I'm afraid."
A low, anguished sound left Palmer's throat. He looked down upon his son, noticing the way color was slowly being siphoned from his cheeks. He blinked, and for a moment he could have sworn he saw the flame of Barry's life flash before his eyes, getting smaller and smaller with every second that passed.
"There has to be something… Something I can do," he whispered, his voice an anguished plea. "Anything… Mesprit, please…"
The silence that followed was short, yet to Palmer it felt unbearable. Mesprit seemed to be deliberating.
"If my host dies… My spirit will automatically seek its body," it said, fearful. "I will go back to Team Galactic."
"T-then you have as much incentive to keep him alive as I do."
"…Incentive is not what I need. Energy is." Mesprit's mirage hovered over Barry, looking down at him. There was guilt and panic in its golden eyes. "I am doing everything I can, but it is not enough."
"What do you mean? What are you doing?"
"Using his body's energy to accelerate its healing capabilities. A useless endeavor if said body doesn't have any energy left to spare."
"Use me, then!" Palmer spat out, heat rising to his face. "Come on, we don't have time!"
Mesprit's eyes looked up at him, and Palmer felt a powerful shiver run down his spine.
"… There is only one way for that to happen. I trust you know what I'm talking about."
His eyes went wide.
"You mean…"
"I can't think of a more dangerous action to take at the moment, but I also can't take of an alternative if we want to save him," said Mesprit. "If I jump to your body and we are not compatible… Well, to put it in your human terms, you won't be able to have your cake or eat it. You will be incapacitated, my spirit will be pulled back toward its body and Barry will die regardless."
"It doesn't matter! I have to do something; I'm sure the two of us are… Are…"
Just then, realization dawned on Palmer with the force of a mountain falling upon him.
The anguished voices crying out in his mind… Those sleepless nights in which he could have sworn he felt the wrath and fear and confusion of those who had died because of him... The freedom from said torture that traveling away from Twinleaf had earned him, every single time…
And the fact that it had all disappeared as soon as Barry had started his trainer journey. It all made sense now.
A smile formed on his lips. He met Mesprit's gaze with his own.
"Don't you worry," he said. "I'm sure the two of us are more compatible than you know."
"… If you say so." Mesprit let out a sigh, though he could hear a smile in its voice. "In all honesty… I simply do not want him to die. The boy has grown on me, I must say."
Palmer nodded, looking down at Barry with pride in his eyes. "Aye. That's my son, alright."
"And are you sure you want to do this? Even if we sync, even if you succeed in using your body's energy to heal him… The sheer strain could end up killing you."
Palmer frowned at Mesprit. His reply was quick and to the point.
"No father should ever have bury his own son."
"… I see. Very well, then. Prepare yourself."
Their bodies began to glow. The cold around them felt like it vanished, a warm, gentle gust of wind enveloping both father and son. Palmer closed his eyes and felt something stir in his chest. Something vast and impossible to contain. A storm bigger than the entire world.
"I'm sorry, kiddo…" He opened his golden eyes and smiled down at Barry. "Your old man's gonna have to steal your thunder this time. Hope you won't hold it against me."
Percy couldn't quite believe it, but Argenta was laughing as she slowly bled out.
"Ah… Haha… Now that's what I'm talking about," she spluttered, her voice barely hearable over the blood pouring from her mouth. "Took your sweet time, eh, Chaos? Finally decided you wanted me at your s–?"
She broke down into a coughing fit, limbs spasming, blood spurting from her lips at an alarming quantity. Her face was red with pain and effort, thin veins crawling at the edges of her eyes, their vibrant purple slowly losing their glow with every second that passed. The gauze Percy was pressing against the wound on her chest was quickly being dyed a dark red.
Reiko drove a fist onto the ground, teeth grit in anger. "Dammit! We have to do something! That thing's still up there!"
"It… it won't attack us, th–"
"It won't let us leave either!" Reiko protested. "We have to take her and Barry to the hospital right now!"
"I know, I know! But for that s-she needs to stay still! And stop talking!" Percy bellowed, voice high and shaking. "I… I'll…"
"Ha… Haha…"
With tremendous difficulty, Argenta tilted her head to the side, looking up at Percy with an expression that made his blood run cold. A feral, bloodied smile formed on her lips. Madness and glee formed a horrifying mask over the pale skin of her face.
"And t-tell me, child, why would I ever d-do that?" she asked. "So that I can slowly slip into shock, t-then unconsciousness, then death?"
Neither of them had a reply to that. Argenta seemed to expect that.
"I'm not a blithering idiot," she said. "This… is not… the kind of injury you walk away from. You know that."
"I…" Percy swallowed, fingers curling over the fabric of the gauze. He could feel his arms shaking. "I'm sorry…"
Argenta laughed. A wild, strident laugh full of the kind of strength a dying woman shouldn't have had. It was a harrowing sound. Like a Pokemon's roar as it threw itself against an opponent it couldn't win against. It was pain, glee and defiance all rolled into one single sound.
"I… I was getting so worried!" She screamed out, looking up at the sky. "I'd thought I'd grown so old and frail that no one would even bother trying to kill me anymore, but I was wrong! Oh, thank you, Shadi Dawn, thank you! May Chaos smile down on you, as he will soon smile down on me!"
Percy and Reiko looked at the woman with a mix of shock and apprehension. Had they not thought of her as already somewhat mad, they might have wondered if she'd finally lost her marbles.
"Percy told you to stop talking!" Reiko told her, frowning. "You're delirious–!"
"Delirious!? Oh ho, n-nothing like that!" She turned to look at Reiko, laughter bubbling in her chest. "You should understand better than anyone, Flame of Cinnabar. When your time comes, do you intend to fizzle out and disappear, or to explode in a blaze of glory!?"
Reiko bit her lip, unable to answer. They both knew the answer to that, but admitting it would be accepting the reality before them. It would mean accepting that Argenta…
"You can't fight in your condition," Percy muttered.
"R-right now? No, I can't," she admitted, then glanced toward Reiko. "Not unless she helps me."
"M-me?"
"…You can close the wound, can't you?" There was a silent plea in the woman's eyes. Suddenly, she wasn't smiling anymore. "Cauterize it shut." Reiko opened her mouth to protest, but she stopped her. "Don't take me for an idiot, child. We both know very well what you're capable of."
Wetness began to form on Reiko's eyes. Her lips trembled.
"It won't stop the internal bleeding," she argued.
"No… But it'll allow me to die on my own two feet," said Argenta, her smile dropping. For the first time since the attack, Percy could see fear behind them. "… Reiko. Percy… Please. Do not let me die like this."
Percy closed his eyes tight, tears falling down his cheeks, and as he did so a familiar face flashed before his eyes. A woman not unlike Argenta, in many ways. A woman who, had she been in her shoes, would have probably wanted a similar end. She'd been the one to teach him, after all. Both to play chess, and to keep fighting until all options had been taken from him.
The board never lies.
He opened his eyes and met gazes with Reiko. His fear and uncertainty were reflected on her face. And yet they both nodded in unison. Below them, a smile spread across Argenta's pale face.
"I knew you had it in you, child."
"I… We'll do what we can." He stood up, leaving room for his girlfriend. "Reiko… Get Argenta back in fighting condition!"
"On it!"
Kneeling beside the wounded woman, Reiko placed both hands over the now uncovered wound and took a deep breath. Immediately, the air around her changed. A heat haze distorted the outline of her body. Flames sprouted from her hands, licking at the edges of her fingers, and the shallow gash on her arm was closed instantly, until it looked as though it had never been there to begin with.
"You might wanna bite down on something," she said, her voice echoing. "This is gonna sting a bit."
"Oh, but that's the best part," smiled Argenta.
Her flaming hands came into contact with the woman's skin, and a scream of agony broke through the night.
Inyssa stood in the middle of the tower's roof, a small, almost unidentifiable red spot amidst the vast and raging blizzard.
She could barely see the town below. Trees and houses were severed into unrecognizable flakes of color by the endless flurry of white. Candice and Maylene were somewhere down there. With barely a thought she flared her eyes gold and enhanced her eyesight to its limits. The world became bright and painful. She could see every individual flake of snow, its changing shape, its trajectory as it flew through the air, surrounded by millions just alike. And far below, in the open space surrounding the base of the tower, the two girls stood next to each other.
They held hands. It was as clear as though they were standing next to her. Inyssa felt a pang of… something in the depth of her stomach, but she chose not to give it much thought. Not that she could have, as Uxie spoke in her mind not long after.
"Incredible… I was going to advise against doing that, in fear of the sudden spike of cold, but… You managed to enhance only one of your senses."
Her eyes turned back to normal. The focus disappeared from her sight.
"Oh. Yeah, I didn't even think about it," she muttered. "Lucky break, I guess."
Not that it would have made much of a difference. She was well-dressed for the harsh winter, but standing in the middle of a blizzard wasn't the kind of thing one usually seeked to do.
And yet Inyssa didn't feel the cold. She didn't feel the pain. She didn't feel anything except a vast, crushing weight on every cell of her body. Tired. She was so tired.
"… Enma."
The Infernape looked up at her, still on his knees, his breathing difficult. The crown of flames atop his head burned weakly.
"I'm sorry I didn't have her Audino heal you," she said. "But you won't need more than the energy you have left for what I need you for."
With difficulty, Enma flashed her a smile that seemed to say 'Do you really think that still bothers me?
Inyssa shone back a smile that didn't extend to her eyes. He really had grown so much.
"Thank you. And get ready." She squinted up at the barely visible moon. "It's on her side now."
A second after she said that, every light in the sky was snuffed out.
The clouds above her were parted as a wide, massive mass of black began to descend through the sky, like a shadow made corporeal. But… no, it wasn't a single shape. Hundreds, maybe thousands of thorny tendrils of darkness curled around each other, slowly spreading out from the center, where Shadi was. Even from so far away, she could see her. The tendrils coiled around her arms and torso, slowly lowering her, making it look as though she had wings made of shadowy vines.
Inyssa couldn't help but scoff at the sight. Even in situations like these, she had time to make an impressive entrance.
The flakes of snow that came into contact with the mass of shadows turned a deep black, and very soon the sky above Snowpoint was filled with them. It looked like the night itself were raining down upon them.
Fucking drama queen.
"Enma," she said, raising her hand.
The Infernape stood to his full height, gaze set on Shadi.
"Flamethrower."
Red and yellow burned the black and white night away. Letting out an air-shaking roar, Enma threw his hands to the sky and sent forth every ounce of power he had left into a massive pillar of swirling flames. Every snowflake melted away. A wave of heat cleared the hailstorm away, swallowing the mass of shadows whole.
The attack roared through the night for a couple more seconds, then dissipated. Enma fell, all strength gone from him, but Inyssa returned him to his ball before he could hit the ground, whispering a Thank you into the ball.
High above, wind and snow danced around in a pillar that rose toward the sky, breaking even through the clouds above. The result of Enma's attack. Soon the storm would fill that empty space again, but…
I just hope the heat was enough, she thought, biting her lip.
Neither Shadi nor the mass of shadows were anywhere to be seen, but then again she expected that. Now that her entrance had been ruined, the next spot she'd appear in probably was…
"Well. That was a dud."
Maylene and Candice turned on their spot, heart rising to their throats at the cold, dry sound of Shadi's voice.
An aura of darkness hemmed her body, dark, erratic tendrils of black curling around the edges of her cloak. The falling snow seemed to slide off her, like water on glass. Maylene had heard her girlfriend describe this woman, but no amount of words could capture the sheer panic she felt at the sight of those icy blue eyes of hers.
"Talk about a wasted entrance," she said, lightly extending her hand to the side. "Family, am I righ–?"
Maylene's arm moved on its own. Shadi's eyes went wide as a streak of silver flew through the air, and cussing under her breath she ducked to the side as the knife whistled past her ear.
Candice gasped. "Wait, M–!"
But she wasn't there anymore. Kicking off the snow-covered dirt beneath her, Maylene threw herself forward as fast as she could. Shadi noticed her a moment after and raised her hand. Her shadow began to shift.
"Agh!"
Another knife scratched the side of her face, and the sudden pain was enough to throw her concentration off. Maylene stopped in front of her and curled her fingers into a fist.
"Ghk!"
The punch's impact reverberated through the air. Shadi took a sudden step back, head leaned back, a thin sliver of blood running down the left edge of her lips. Maylene didn't let up. She jumped forward and turned on the ball of her feet, throwing the force of her momentum on a rolling kick, aimed straight at the back of the woman's head.
One strike to the back of the head, that's all I need! If I can knock her out th–
She froze mid-kick. It was as though an invisible force were pressing down on every muscle in her body, paralyzing her completely. Her gaze veered down, and her eyes went wide with horror. Shadi's shadow had stretched to touch hers. Boiling darkness was quickly rising up her right shoe toward her leg.
"L-Lucario!"
A shining blue arc fell between them, the shadow connecting both girls being severed as the aura staff hit the ground. In an instant, Lucario grabbed his trainer by the torso and jumped back to gain some distance, landing next to Candice.
"A-ah… Damn it." Maylene grit her teeth, feeling a cold numbness in her foot. "Should've paid more attention to the ground…"
"You idiot," whispered Candice, letting out a sigh of relief. "Don't rush ahead like that again."
"Got it. Sorry, babe."
A few yards from them, Shadi pressed a hand against the bruise on her cheek and winced.
"You know," she said, "believe it or not, you're not the first buff pink-haired woman who's punched me in the face this year. If this keeps happening, I might just start developing a taste for it."
"Ugh," muttered Maylene, making a face. "As if, creep."
"I believe I made it plenty clear with my previous message," said Candice, "but you are not welcome here, Shadi. So kindly get out of my city before I make you."
"Heh. Pretty rotten hospitality coming from a girl as sweet as you, Gym leader," Shadi replied. "I didn't come here for you, though. I'm here for my sister." As she said that, all semblance of humor left her expression. "Move, and I'll be on my way before you know it. Trust me. Neither of us wants any harm to come to the people of Snowpoint."
Candice's nose flared, lips parting to show grit teeth. "Y-you…"
She threw her hand to the side, seemingly halting the storm around her with that gesture alone. Her eyes flashed a bright pink.
"Cresselia, to me!"
The shifting silhouette of the legendary Pokemon from behind Candice, and next to her both Maylene and her Lucario knelt slightly into identical battle stances, the former holding a long aura staff and the latter a pair of short wooden bokken. Their determination was written all over their faces.
Shadi, however, did not look impressed.
"Well. If that's how you want to do this…" She sighed, the raised her hand in front of her face, thumb pressed against middle finger. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."
She snapped her fingers. At first nothing seemed happen, but as Maylene squinted and looked past the near-blinding flurry of snow falling around them, she noticed something strange. The back of Shadi's shadow was expanding. Tendrils of darkness slithered through the ground until they connected with the shadow of a nearby tree, and it continued to spread from there.
"T-the hell?"
Before they could process what had happened, her shadow had grown immensely, connecting itself with every other shadow leading toward the house district behind her. The Gym leader's eyes went wide. It was an uncanny sight, like a parasite spreading through the veins of Snowpoint's night.
Then came the first scream.
"What's happening!?" Candice blurted out. "Cresselia…!"
"I… I don't know," the Pokemon's voice resounded in their minds. "This doesn't…"
The door to one of the houses flew open. Then another one, then a few more. In the span of a few seconds all the doors from the streets behind Shadi had opened, and from behind them, people emerged. Old, young, children, even a couple Pokemon. They walked toward them with a lazy, slouched posture, arms hanging at their sides, the white of their eyes dyed black.
Every one of their shadows was connected to Shadi's.
"Shadi! What... what do you think you're doing!?" bellowed Candice, her tone more scared than angry.
"Funny thing, really. Mandatory curfews usually result in people going to sleep earlier than usual," the woman replied with a smug smile. "Lucky me."
Neither of them could find their words. They saw with horror as a small army of citizens were pulled toward them like puppets on a string, more and more of them following from the streets behind. And they weren't alone. Normal people, a small few who didn't seem possessed, had followed their family or neighbors outside and were fruitlessly trying to drag them back toward their house in a confused panic.
"Mom! M-mom, please, what are you…!?"
"Dear!? Synn above, what is happening to you?"
"Please, someone! What's… what's happening!?"
Contrary to all that they had learned before, Maylene and Lucario slowly lowered their weapons, similar looks of shock horror pasted onto their faces.
"H-how…?"
"Cresselia, what is this?" whispered Candice in disbelief. "Can Darkrai control those who are asleep?"
"N-no! Of course not!" the legendary Pokemon hurried to answer. "We… He would never… Dear Arceus, how is she doing this!?"
Shadi smiled as her small army manifested behind her, said gesture seemingly making the air around her colder, if that were possible.
"I've instructed them to attack you. Now, I'm sure you can defend yourselves more than well enough but… do try to be gentle, yes? Civilians are known for being rather fragile."
Maylene's eyes flew open, a burning, seething rage exploding from her chest outwards. The skin around her fingers turned marble white as she grabbed her bokken strongly enough for the wood to creak.
"How… How dare you!?" demanded Candice, cold rage coating her voice.
"YOU BITCH!" followed Maylene. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Heh. Sounds fun. Feel free to give it a try once you're done with this," said Shadi. "I, in the meantime, have an appointment to get to. Cheers."
And with that, her distraction deployed, Shadi directed a court bow toward the two Gym leaders and took a step back into her own shadow, darkness swallowing her whole.
Shadi had barely stepped out of the shadows and onto the roof of the ruined tower when she heard her sister's voice.
"Now."
Light blinded her. The air boomed with the sound of several attacks being fired at once. Vines, electricity, wind and boiling water were shot straight at her, and were it not because she was expecting it, they might have connected.
"Tch."
The attacks vanished into the night, and Shadi stepped out of the darkness once more, this time on the opposite side of the circular platform. She raised an eyebrow at her sister. Had she had both arms, she would have folded them in a gesture of 'Really?'.
Inyssa stood in the middle, waiting for her with the entirety of her team sans her starter. Each of them stared at Shadi with a similar fury gleaming in their eyes. And speaking of eyes, she noticed, pursing her lips, her dear sister's were shining an impossibly bright gold. Exactly the thing she didn't want to see.
So… She got rid of the piece of Darkrai, huh? she thought, forming a nervous smile. That could prove problematic.
"Nice to see you're taking this seriously this time. I also noticed that you aimed all of those attacks at the same spot; the hidden pocket inside my cloak," she said. "I assume you've put all the pieces together?"
Inyssa didn't frown or snarl or react with any kind of anger at her comment. Despite the brightness behind her eyes, she herself looked rather glum and dull.
"Yeah. I did," she replied. "It wasn't all that difficult, once I finally stopped looking away from the truth." She raised her hand toward Shadi, her scars crackling with lightning. "Let me show you."
By the time Reiko headed over to where Barry and Palmer were, the latter had risen to his feet, though it didn't look as though he'd be able to stay that way for long.
"W-whoa! Careful…"
She grabbed him as he tumbled to the side. Sweat dotted the man's face and hands, and his breathing was so shallow it was a miracle he could even breathe at all. Even with her help, he struggled to stay on his feet.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Y-yeah… Haha… I did it." He managed to lift his head a little bit, a shaking, relieved smile on his lips. "I was able to… close Barry's wound. Thank goodness…"
Reiko looked down at the boy, still unconscious, face pale as a ghost. However, Palmer was right; the wound on his stomach had stopped bleeding. And more importantly, he seemed to be breathing somewhat evenly now.
She swallowed, and the knot of fear in her stomach got a little less tight.
"Is he gonna be okay?" she asked.
Palmer pursed his lips, eyes narrowing weakly. "H-he'll live… But he's pretty s-short of critical condition. We need to get him to a hospital ASAP."
"Right…" Reiko looked up, the flame of the Charizard's tail trailing in circles through the sky. "I can see a problem or two with that."
"Heh… That's why we gotta fight," smiled Palmer. "How are Percy and Argenta? Are they–?
"Right behind you!"
They jumped at the strength of that voice. Turning around, they were met with the sight of a standing Argenta being helped up by Percy, trails of blood dripping down her lips and a hand pressed over the patch of burnt skin on her chest. Her expression was nothing short of madness. Red veins clawed at the edges of her eyes. Her teeth and every muscle in her body seemed clenched against what must have been an indescribable pain. Reiko couldn't help but cringe at the sight. Palmer let out a gasp.
"A-Argenta…"
"You said it best yourself, Palmer! Now is the time to fight!" The woman looked up at the sky, her lips forming the hook of a crazed smile. "We'll need all the help we can get if we are to take that beast down! Do you think you can handle it, Tower Tyccon!?"
A multitude of emotions crossed Palmer's expression as he noticed the fatal wound on the woman's chest. Shock, fear, realization, and finally… Well, it was hard to tell, at least to Reiko. Whatever that last emotion was, it was probably something only reserved for Argenta. An understanding between old friends. A silent agreement.
Finally, he closed his eyes and gave a small, firm nod, unhooking his arm from around Reiko's shoulder and standing on his own two feet.
"H-hey! Are you sure you can do this?" asked Percy, concerned. "No offense but you don't even look like you can stand up by yourself."
"He's right," nodded Reiko. "We can take care of this ourselves. I don't know what you did to close Barry's wound but it looks like it took a lot out of you."
"Heh… More than you know."
Palmer pressed a shaking hand against his chest and tried to take a deep breath. It really did look like he would collapse on the spot.
"Mesprit… is telling me that this is a terrible idea. That I m-might very well die if I keep using its powers without any e-energy of my own to back them up."
Percy blinked. "M-Mesprit? What are you–?"
The man's eyes shot open, a powerful golden light coming to life behind them. The wind stilled. The same wisps of energy that had a few minutes before covered Barry from head to toe now did the same with him, though the light they emitted was a lot stronger. Reiko's mouth gaped.
Seriously, what the fuck did we miss!?
"B-but… Like hell I'm gonna stand around and do nothing when my son needs me," Palmer spat out, frowning. "I've risked my life plenty of times for his sake during the war… What's one more?"
"Ha! Now that's the spirit!"
A broken, jagged laugh left Argenta's mouth as she dug both hands into the pockets of her jacket and pulled out a pair of thick, heavy-caliber pistols, one a deep blue and the other a bright red. She wielded them with ease, despite her injury.
"W-WH–!?" Percy took a step back, mouth gaping. "Where the hell did you get those from!?"
"What a preposterously idiotic question! I've told you before that I used to hunt miscreants, did I not!?" She flashed the boy a blood-thirsty smile, cutting an X in the air with her pistols. "Any fool that relies only on their Pokemon to fight is but dead meat. Now come! Let's get this started!"
Without prompting, she threw one hand toward the sky and pulled the trigger. The shot boomed through the air like an explosion, making everyone around her wince and getting the attention of the Charizard flying above them.
"Rise, our Pokemon companions! If you are still conscious, if you still have legs to stand on, then what is your excuse!? Stand up and fight to your last breath, lest it is taken from you!"
At first nothing happened. Then, one by one, Reiko saw the barest hints of movement around them. First it was Priscilla; driving her wand into the ground, she pushed herself to her knees with shaking effort, flames licking at the fur in her chest. Then came Pedri and Gamatetsu. As massive as they were, them forcing themselves to stand up was hard to miss. Denki, her Raichu, was next, crackles of electricity dancing around his body as he rose, blood and grime and dirt covering his fur in enormous patches.
And then, Makura began to shake. A laugh of disbelief left Palmer's mouth.
"Ha… Synn above, I really should learn not to underestimate you, Argenta. You really have no equal when it comes to handling Pokemon."
"T-that doesn't even need to be said!" muttered Argenta, lips shaking. "Though I'm afraid I might have attracted some unwanted attention w-with that."
They knew what that meant as soon as the flapping of wings was heard. A powerful gust of wind fell on them, but Palmer acted fast and raised a hand toward the sky, an invisible barrier materializing above them. The sound of wind crashing against it sounded like gunfire. Above them, Shadi's Charizard was slowly descending, gnashing her teeth at them.
The rest of the trainers and the few Pokemon who had managed to stand up got into battle position, but Reiko didn't. She bit her lip, a hint of indecision stopping her in her tracks.
"H-ha…Haha… This is it!" yelled Argenta, brandishing her pistols. " I can almost smell the fire and brimstone! Very well then! If Chaos is waiting for me then he better get those iron gates wide open, because I'm bringing one hell of a beast down with me!"
"Mesprit, Makura, everyone… I'm counting on you!" Palmer bellowed. "Ready!?"
Reiko opened her mouth, but no words came out. Percy noticed first. Brow furrowing, he turned to her and reached for her hand almost by instinct, offering her a reassuring smile.
"Hey, are you…?"
She pursed her lips, and nodded. There really was no other option… Were it only Argenta… Were Barry not in critical condition… Maybe then she could convince herself that using everything wasn't necessary, but now…
She closed her eyes, and concentrated within herself, tugging at the flame within her chest. Immediately, it tugged back. Pain flared all throughout her body, the temperature around her spiking. She grit her teeth. Just like back then, during her fight with Nico. Except this time she was trying to use it deliberately, and the flame was not happy with that.
I don't care what you think! She yelled inside her mind. No, this isn't Charon, it's not even someone from Team Galactic. And no, this isn't getting us any closer to our objective, but…!
She looked down toward Barry. His breathing was getting less and less regular by the minute, and the intense cold of the night certainly wouldn't help his condition. She had to do this. If she didn't…
You… You can burn me alive after this, if it'll make you feel better, she thought. But I am NOT going to stand by and be useless again as a friend slowly dies before me! If I have the power and I don't use it… Then this was all for nothing. The spirit of Cinnabar… It's undying flame… It will all mean nothing! Is that what you want!?
The other side stopped tugging. The pain vanished, and Reiko was again able to draw a breath without it burning her throat.
From within the depths of her chest, she felt a begrudging acceptance.
A smile formed on her lips. Good enough.
The ground shook as Charizard landed at the lake's shore, and the air soon did the same as a powerful roar exploded from her mouth, forcing the rest to take a step back.
Reiko turned around and frowned at the beast. She took a deep breath, and the air around her began to distort by the sudden heat emanating from her body. The ground crystallized under her feet. Fire licked at every inch of her body, the red of her hair flaring up to the point where it looked as though she'd donned a mane of flames.
Her gaze met Percy's, and the sight of her seemed to burn away any hint of fear left in his expression. Lips curling into a smile, he raised a hand toward the beast.
"Special Ops Team!" he yelled out. "Our mission is to defeat that Charizard and then transport all wounded straight to Pastoria's hospital! On your guard!"
"Right!" Palmer and Argenta replied in unison.
Reiko extended her left hand, and Mewtwo's sword materialized upon it. Then she grabbed a Pokeball with the other one. It was a strange ball. The only one she hadn't opened ever since setting foot in Sinnoh. But now...
She raised her hand toward the sky and let out a scream that echoed through the night.
"Heed my call! Moltres; Flame of Cinnabar!"
The ball opened, and a blinding flash of light engulfed Reiko whole.
