The Storm


Shame turned solid inside Metchi's throat as she pointed the barrel of the gun at the Galactic grunt in front of her.

She was young. Too young, almost as young as her when she had first joined. Back when people called her neither Metchi nor Ursa. Back when she hadn't transitioned yet but at least had managed to make it to Sinnoh, a place she, hilariously, thought would be a land of opportunities; her second chance so to speak. Oh how things change, Metchi thought with what felt like a mouthful of poison sliding down her throat.

Curly, frizzy locks covered half of the girl's face, the other half reflecting a cold, deep terror. A bit of defiance and anger too, though not enough to make her move or talk or do anything besides stare at the deadly weapon pointed directly at her forehead.

Smart. At least that was a clear difference between them.

"This is a perfect chance, Metchi."

Azelf's voice boomed in her mind, making her shake her head in frustration as if that'd get rid of it. If only it were that easy.

I just need to take her uniform, she thought back, nothing more.

She heard a sigh.

"You need to practice sooner or later. My power is too useful for you to choose not to use it."

Metchi didn't bother with a response. Couldn't. Azelf was absolutely right and she'd known since the moment it had presented the possibility to her.

That didn't mean she'd be happy about it. Au fucking contraire, it just meant her ego and what remained of her moral compass refused to even acknowledge the legendary Pokemon's words until she had no choice but to listen.

And it seemed like the No Choice moment had come. Knocked at her door all polite-like and punched her in the stomach as soon as she opened it.

Fine, I'll do it. But I still fucking hate you.

"I am aware."

She lowered the gun and tucked it safely inside one of the pockets of her hoodie. It didn't have any bullets, anyway. And even if it had some, firing wouldn't be an option , not in the middle of the streets of Solaceon right after everyone had gone to sleep.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "W-what are you doing? I thought…"

"Quiet."

She summoned that familiar fire behind her eyes and spoke the word with a strength which didn't belong to her. Her and Azelf's voice fell on top of the girl, shaking her to her core and freezing her entire body as a wave of energy passed through her. She tried to open her mouth, tried to say something back but she was not able to.

Metchi dared not to blink, afraid it would break the spell she'd just cast on the poor girl. She was also mindful of the possibility of not being able to summon the power again if she had to try a second time. She felt it not only behind her eyes but cursing through her veins, filling the entirety of her body like weightless clothes made of flames.

So this is…

She curled her fingers into fists and breathed deep, savoring the light brimming inside her. Azelf had been right, as usual; her previous uses of its power were nothing compared to this. Blasts of energy, telekinesis, teleportation… all of that could be accomplished by any regular psychic Pokemon.

But this was different. This was something only a legend could do.

Metchi looked down to the poor girl, and saw it. The embers of her willpower burned weakly inside her chest, as though they were trying to fight back against a hurricane.

Perhaps they were.

She only needed to weaken that fire. Not snuff it out. No, that was something only the real Azelf in possession of its body would be capable of. To completely erase someone's will, forever…

The possibility was terrifying, and yet here she was tampering with it. At least with her it would only be temporary. Or so she'd been told.

Her lips parted as she issued another command. "You will do what I say, and in return I won't kill you. Nod if you understand."

The grunt's will shook and faltered against her words. For a few moments she seemed to resist, and anger flared behind those honey eyes of hers. But such rebellion was short lived as Metchi's newfound power took hold of her, forcing her to drop her shoulders and nod weakly.

Metchi bit her lip strongly enough to draw blood, tears forming on her eyes. She'd never hated herself more.

"You will fall asleep when I flick my fingers," she continued, raising one hand, "and once you wake up you won't tell anyone what happened. If you do I will come for you and everyone you love. Do you understand?"

Another nod, this time as slow and methodical as that of a machine. The girl's eyes were dull and colorless.

Metchi tried to flick her fingers twice, and both times she failed. Her hands were shaking. Something started to beat painfully in her ribcage and turned her insides sour. Third time was the charm though, and when she finally produced the desired sound the Galactic grunt's eyes closed, and she fell unconscious against the cold cement wall behind her.

That feeling of clarity and power evaporated, leaving disgust and shame to fill her instead. She stood still for almost a minute, until Azelf spoke again.

"That was a good attempt. If you continue practicing you'll master that power in no time."

She didn't bother saying anything back. Didn't bother throwing its way the pile of insults and horrible things she wanted to say. She simply shrugged and knelt to grab the girl by her shoulders.

"Let's just get her fucking uniform," she said, voice devoid of strength. "The faster we get this over with the better."


Cold hit them like a train as soon as they reached Route 215. A sharp cold, the kind which easily penetrated cloth and skin, leaving Inyssa a shaking mess with a sore throat and a complete lack of faith in cheap overcoats.

She figured it was partly due to Mt Coronet standing high enough at their left to block the sun, and partly because the universe hated her and couldn't give her two sunny, pleasant days in a row.

That snippety part of her which she hated with a passion suggested she should stay close to Barry as they walked, as to share body warmth. She kindly took the suggestion and saved it in the Go Fuck Yourself folder inside her head.

She took a side glance at the boy through the thin slit between her raised scarf and hat where her eyes were, and considered herself fortunate the white cloth currently covered her cheeks. She couldn't help but notice her friend had taken off his jacket and was using it as a makeshift blanket for the egg he was holding.

"Sure you don't want me to hold it for a bit?" she offered, voice shaking from the cold. "It's clearly sapping all your body warmth."

Barry's teeth chattered as he tried to form a smile with his dry lips. "I-it's fine, I can take care of it! If old timey people could get through the cold without coats and heaters then so can I!"

"Old timey people also had a lower life expectancy. Probably because they all died of hypothermia."

He shook his head disapprovingly. "Always so negative. Where's your sense of adventure, Niss?"

She rolled her eyes and dug her hands deep into her pockets.

Fear crept up on her as she walked, flying around her ears like a bothersome mosquito. She knew very well how sturdy Barry was. Hell, she'd seen him survive more falls than she could count, but that didn't change the fact that he was still human. He could easily catch a bad cold if the route happened to be just a bit too long.

She clenched her teeth and pushed her shyness down, letting it bubble just below surface where it wouldn't bother her.

"Here, catch."

Barry looked surprised as a long, white scarf flew towards him and landed on top of his head.

"Agh! Wh-what…"

Inyssa lowered her head. "Just use it, okay? At least protect your neck from the cold so you don't catch something ugly."

She felt his eyes on her. Staring. Probably judging too.

"Thanks! I promise I'll take care of it," Barry nodded as he tied the thing around him. "Wow, it's so cozy! And soft..."

"Only quality stuff for me," she smiled through the pain of her dry lips. "Made of Mareep's wool. Try not to mess it up."

"Blah blah blah." He formed a mouth with his left hand and mimicked someone talking with it. "Look at me, I'm Niss and I only drink water if it's from a waterfall made of puppies and gold."

She tried to contain a smile. "Wouldn't a waterfall made of gold make the water toxic?"

He let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes. "I wasn't trying to be literal, Niss! Besides…"

Barry flinched and he threw his head back as a drop of water fell on his nose.

Oh no.

They looked up simultaneously to a grey sky, which slowly got darker in the direction they were headed to. Through the thick mist surrounding them they noticed a heavy sheet of rain approaching, the sound of the endless drops dancing at the edge of their hearing.

Both kids stood frozen, panic filling them as the exact same thought appeared in their heads.

"So…" she said after a few seconds. "I'm guessing you didn't put an umbrella in your bag."

A weak shake of his head was answer enough.

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Great. Just what I fucking needed."


They barely managed to find a shelter before the rain caught up to them. A few minutes right from the road stood a wide, abandoned bridge which was built over high terrain, so unless the entire route were to get flooded they would be safe for the time being.

Inyssa let herself fall against one of the concrete pillars, making sure the floor under her was as clean as possible. Next to her Barry leaned into the egg his arms were wrapped around. His mouth and neck were covered by her scarf, having only his sharp nose visible through its folds.

"We can't stay here until the rain stops," she argued, fingers curled into fists. "That could take hours."

"Most sensible trainers have umbrellas for this kinda stuff," Barry replied, shoulders shaking.

"I think by now it's clear that we're anything but that."

He raised his head lightly to protest, but stopped himself. "Y-yeah. Fair enough."

They curled up even more as the sound of rain and thunder roared louder with every minute that went by.

"You could tell Enma to make a fire," he offered. "I have some old marshmallows in my bag. We could pretend we're camping and roast them."

She let out a bitter laugh before shaking her head. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic to help me. Will do a twirl and dance to entertain us, too."

Barry scowled at his friend, barely hiding his irritation below surface. Maybe that had come out a bit more mean spirited than she wanted to.

"You can't both be angry at each other forever. Eventually you'll have to make up."

She saved to herself the What the hell do you know? and the Don't tell me how to train my Pokemon. Threw them in a safe inside her mind and locked them shut because the last thing she needed was to make Barry hate her too.

Instead she buried her face between her knees and let out a deep sigh.

She couldn't bring herself to deny it, she had a problem when it came to Enma. After the trial at the Lost Tower their relationship had gone from one of mutual, reluctant respect to one of pure animosity. The Monferno couldn't even look at her for more than a second before shooting her a sour look.

She'd been looking for a way to fix that for a while now. But between her travels and everything else going on she just had no time.

Her eyes opened wide as a gasp got caught in her throat.

Time. She raised her head and looked around to the torrent of water falling from the sky. If she had anything now it was time, at least while they uselessly waited for the storm to subside. Something which could easily take a couple hours if not more.

"Barry…"

He opened his eyes lazily and looked in the direction Inyssa was pointing.

"Look, there." Her eyes were set on a group of trees that could barely be considered a forest, a couple of minutes from where they were. "Look how thick those leaves are. Do you think they can stop the rain?"

He furrowed his brow before replying. "I mean… yeah, I guess. But we already have this neat bridge, why would we need to go there?"

A wave of excitement washed over her as she got up, strongly holding Enma's Pokeball with one hand.

She had a lot of time to kill. The least she could do was start killing it.

"Hold the fort. I'll be back in less than an hour."


The scent of wet grass and mud was the only thing she could smell by the time she arrived at an acceptable location. She could hear the loud beating of her heart in her ears, and she needed a full minute for her breathing to return to normal.

I really need to get in better shape. Maybe I should join Barry in his morning jogs.

Around her were a thick row of identical trees, probably planted there some time ago as a way to combat the rain from flooding the nearby river. The ground stood a bit more firm than in the outskirts of the route thanks to the blanket of leaves above her, going up toward one of the lower edges of Mt Coronet.

She rolled Enma's Pokeball between her fingers, studying her surroundings carefully. It was a good patch of dry ground, probably the biggest she'd find.

Good enough.

The flash of light pushed against the darkness hidden beneath the trees as Enma appeared from it. He instantly flinched and leaned forward in caution when he heard the sound of rain, though once he realized no water was reaching them his body relaxed. At least until his eyes set on his trainer.

Inyssa had to stop herself from taking a step back against the venom in his glare.

"Hope you had a good nap," she crossed her arms, chin raised high. "We're going to train now."

Enma let out a sound halfway between a snort and a growl and spat on the ground. Pretending not to acknowledge Inyssa, he turned around and started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Enma…" her nails dug deep into the cloth covering her arms. Her Pokemon did not turn around. "Enma! Look at me!"

He did so, not because of obedience but irritation. Dark shadows covered his eyes as he directed a scowl toward her. Once again she had to gather all her courage to stand her ground.

"I need to ask you something. Take this seriously for one second, and you'll be free to do what you want after."

A few seconds of consideration, followed by a reluctant nod.

She braced herself before speaking. "Why are you acting like this? Do you really think you're stronger without me?"

She didn't need to speak Pokemon language to understand his answer. The shifting of his feet, the way he avoided his gaze as he bared his teeth, it all pointed toward what she knew in her heart would be the truth.

"You're not," she spat back, perhaps a bit too much force behind her words. "Last time you disobeyed me and went on your own you ended up unconscious and half buried in the ground."

The fire coating his tail flared up until it was a very pale blue, and the growl that came out of his throat finally managed to make Inyssa take a step back out of fear. She hated herself as soon as she did it.

Still a touchy subject, huh?

"You think that was just a fluke?" she asked again, trying to hide the trembling in her voice. "You think that if I just let you fight as you please you'd do better?"

This time he didn't beat around the bush. He nodded decisively, tiny fingers curled into fists. Inyssa swallowed down the sharp pain in her chest due to his answer and bit her lip.

"In that case…" She took four of her remaining Pokeballs into her hands. "Let's see if you're right."

Four simultaneous lights tore through the darkness, and from them emerged the rest of Inyssa's team. Steven appeared in the air and veered towards her hat, while Shadi, Kuro and Bret simply turned to look at their trainer, a confused look on their face, which Enma shared as well.

She showed them a warm smile as she tried to ease the tension off her shoulders. "Sorry to call you in this storm, but I need your help."

Another deep breath. Another scowl, this time directed at her starter.

"Choose any of them as your opponent," she told him. "This will be a one on one battle. You will fight alone."

She couldn't help but enjoy the shock that ran across Enma's face as her words reached him. He looked at his teammates and then at his trainer, eyes wide like plates.

"You think you're stronger without me?" she challenged him. "Then prove it."

Even her Pokemon turned towards her in a mix of confusion, fear and in Kuro's case excitement. The Monferno's dark eyes studied all of them for what seemed like an entire minute.

A devious smile stretched across his lips. He raised one of his arms and pointed at the small flying Pokemon sitting on her hat.

"Frerr…" he chuckled, eyes full of menace.

The Starly let out a chirp of fear and dug his talons strongly into her hat, making Inyssa squint from the pain.

Yeah, that's kinda what I figured.

Enma might've been a reckless asshole, but he wasn't dumb. Even with a type disadvantage he must have realized Steven wasn't just the weaker member of her team but the one most averse to combat. Even if his fire would be strong against Bret or Shadi they both had infinitely more combat experience and could deal with him accordingly.

Still, she wouldn't have proposed such a fight if she weren't ready for the worst case scenario.

She raised one hand to softly pat Steven's head. "Hey, no need to be afraid. You're with me, remember?"

The Starly jumped from her hat and flew in place in front of her face, eyes still opened wide and full of terror. His tiny beak shook as he tried to chirp in disapproval.

A violent tug at her heart almost managed to break her smile. Doubt formed in her mind and for a second she considered cancelling the fight altogether. If Steven truly was that scared she couldn't force him to fight, could she?

You need to set an example. You can't let Enma destroy your credibility as a trainer.

"Steven, do you trust me?"

The question silenced him for a few seconds, until he showed her a nervous nod. Next to him the rest of her Pokemon stared at the Starly with a mix of doubt and pity.

She formed the brightest smile she could and held him with both arms. "I trust you too, and that's why we're going to win. Why? Because there is not a single Pokemon I can't achieve victory with!"

Steven recognized her words instantly, having been at the other side of them a long time ago. The first battle they ever had, back when things had been different. Back when the idea of a fight excited him instead of filling his gut with a terrible unease.

He nodded strongly and twirled toward Enma, furrowing his brow. His wings shook from the wind and cold, and doubt was still very clear in his expression. But he would not run away. Not when his trainer needed him.

A look of respect flashed across Enma's face as their gaze met.

"That's the spirit!" She raised her arm forward, imitating a referee's flag. "Now, start!"

Enma lowered his body until his knees were almost touching the ground, and as if he had springs instead of feet he shot himself forward with enough force to raise a cloud of dust behind him. Steven's body froze at the sight of his opponent coming straight at him, glowing fist raised and a wicked smile across his face, but Inyssa was ready.

"Double Team!"

Steven chirped loudly as he extended both his wings to their full length. The edges of his body shifted and waved as three identical afterimages appeared around his opponent. The Monferno took a chance at the one on the right and buried his fist in his stomach, which faded into smoke as soon as he came in contact with it.

Inyssa allowed herself a smile. She could do this. She could win.

"Maneuver from the back!" she yelled over the sounds of the battle. "Aerial Ace!"

One of the three remaining Steven swerved right mid-flight and dove towards Enma's back, his wings glowing with energy. His opponent caught a glimpse of this, and with the time he had left before the impact he whipped his tail from side to side, sending a small trail of flames in his direction.

The impact sent the fire Pokemon to the ground where he stopped himself with one knee, letting out a pained cry. His opponent made a similar sound, the improvised fire whip managing to burn the underside of his right wing.

Inyssa bit her lip in frustration. She never thought Enma's tail could be used to defend from attacks he couldn't evade. She'd just seen it as decoration, as another part of her Pokemon's body which showed her how angry he was at any given moment. She swallowed the shame down and tried to focus on the fight. That last exchange had ended in her favor, but Enma could take more damage than Steven. She had to think of a way to attack him from the front without him retaliating.

An idea came to mind. Not a very smart one, but it would have to do. "Steven, fly up to where he can't reach you."

He did as he was told, trying his best to evade the streams of embers being sent his way. She waited until he was at a reasonable height and issued her next command.

"Use Whirlwind on the ground!"

Both Pokemon stared at her for a full second, probably wondering if she'd gone mad. Even Shadi, Kuro and Bret showed looked confused from where they were sitting,f spectating the match.

However Steven did trust his trainer, and as such he did as he was told. He flew even higher, almost reaching the leaves of the trees surrounding them, and started flapping his wings with all the strength he had in him. A gust of wind hit Enma and forced him to dig both hands into the ground so he wouldn't get knocked back. But soon the dirt and dust around them started to rise too, forming a small typhoon which turned the air into a grayish brown and prevented Inyssa from seeing anything but her Pokemon's flaming tail.

Enma let out a frustrated growl as he squinted through the mini sandstorm in search of his opponent, and Inyssa couldn't help but laugh. With such awful visibility it would be impossible to locate Steven, and most importantly it wouldn't allow him to dodge an attack no matter how good his reflexes were.

"Use Quick Attack! Then fly up and keep up the whirlwind!"

Steven retracted his wings and dove into the raging cloud of dust he'd created. He moved fast enough that Enma didn't even have time to raise a fist or attempt to dodge as he was head butted in the stomach with terrifying precision. He was sent backwards and barely managed to stand his ground as he sent another torrent of flame forward.

But the Starly wasn't there anymore. His speed allowed him to get out as soon as his attack connected and was now once again high enough to raise an even bigger whirlwind around them.

Another growl, another sound which very clearly expressed how much Enma was not enjoying the situation. He inhaled deep and shot the biggest flame so far, easily the girth of his own body. However since he had no idea where his opponent was it simply evaporated into thin air as Steven dodged it without much trouble.

Inyssa was suddenly very glad she'd taken some time to study the species of her Pokemon so comprehensively. It had taught her the interesting fact that the Starly evolutionary line possessed an ability called Keen Eye, which allowed them to see with precision through even the thickest of sandstorms. Enma, on the other hand, depended too much on his own sight to get around and was now caught in a situation where he couldn't do anything.

This continued for about a minute. Enma kept trying to escape by jumping out of the way, but just when he was about to free himself Steven fell on him and threw him to the ground again. Not a lot of damage was being made, but Quick Attack was the only move fast enough to pull off such a strategy, so she had no other alternative.

Besides, she had another plan ready on the wings.

"Freeer!"

Enma's cry pierced through the storm and hit Inyssa straight on, the force of it almost knocking her back. His entire body turned ablaze, expelling a wave of heat which scorched the ground beneath his feet and forced Bret and Shadi to take a few steps back.

The piercing gleam of his eyes cut through the clouds of dust to settle on Inyssa and Steven. She could see the outline of his blazing body and the pale blue that was now the flame of his tail. He lowered his body and letting out a mighty roar he jumped, turning himself into a spinning wheel of fire headed directly towards his opponent.

She suppressed a smile, seeing victory in front of her. "Double Team!"

Enma crashed full force against what appeared to be Steven's body, which evaporated into pale smoke as the real one flew to the side, wings extended to the side and eyes set on the Monferno's back.

"He can't dodge while in the air!" she exclaimed, sending her palm forward. "Use Aerial Ace!"

Realization hit Enma as he fell backwards, the flames covering his body extinguished and his limbs out of balance. His eyes opened wide in panic as he saw Steven soaring towards him with terrifying speed, his entire body covered in a white, blinding light. He sent both wings forward in an X and slashed at his stomach.

The impact knocked the air out of his lungs. Vision turned dark and his consciousness wavered, at least until he hit the ground. A painful yank brought him back to reality as he realized he was buried a few inches in the ground.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Inyssa's scream resounded through the forest. "That was amazing, Steven!"

A light blush covered the Starly's cheeks as he flew down to his trainer. His feathers were ruffled and covered in dust, and his chest raised up and down accompanying his heavy breathing. Pride burned somewhere behind his eyes.

She gave him a good few pats and scratches on his head before addressing Enma. "Are you satisfied now?"

The Monferno struggled to get to his feet, one hand firmly grasping the ground. His fur was soaked and covered in mud and the flame on his tail burned with a pale, weak red. He let out a pained growl as he attempted to take a step forward, falling to one knee instead as he was unable to keep his own balance.

Inyssa approached as the rest of her Pokemon stared in anxious anticipation. She knew better than to rub salt on the wound, but this was her only opportunity to get the message through his thick skull.

"It'll be easier if you just accept our help," she whispered, getting on one knee. "I promise you'll be stronger if you just let me…"

Her words got caught in her throat as she noticed a strange glow. The fire on his tail grew bigger as she spoke, turning brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding.

She had no time to react as Enma's body was consumed by a ball of flames. She saw the fire approaching until it was almost on top of her, and froze.

If not by Steven's intervention she would've been severely hurt. The Starly flew like lightning towards her and pushed her back with his own body, taking the brunt of the flames as she fell backwards and barely avoided them. Dry heat washed over her entire body.

"Agh!" she struggled to cover her face with her arms, kicking the ground as she tried to get away from the source of the heat. "W-what the…!?"

Through the folds of her sleeves she saw Steven's body fly backwards, eyes closed and smoke coming out of his wings. Panic rushed through her as she turned around and pushed herself up, running to her Pokemon with a scream caught in her throat.

"Steven!" She kneeled next to him, shaking hands hovering above the burn marks on his wings. She grit her teeth and turned her head to Enma, who was still covered in flames. "Why did you do that!? What the hell is wrong with you!?"

For a single moment she could see regret and panic flash through Enma's expression, the weight of her words making his eyes open wide and his flames wave just a bit.

At least until Shadi threw herself at him with a murderous look on her face.

She slashed at his body, knocking him to the ground as she climbed on top of him. Her scythes pressed against his neck as a piercing cry of anger came out of her mouth.

"Shadi, wait!" Inyssa yelled with a brittle voice, feeling her anxiety form a knot inside her. "You don't have to.."

Another explosion shook the ground and sent mud flying towards her, along with the now unconscious body of her Kricketune. Inyssa let out a yelp of panic as she tried to run towards her, but both Bret and Kuro prevented her, grabbing onto her legs strongly as they urged her to take a step back.

She looked up towards Enma, and the fury bubbling inside her was replaced with fear as soon as their eyes met. All signs of recognition were absent from his expression. He gnarled his teeth at her, taking slow but deliberate steps forward as fire formed around his hands.

Through the sounds of the flames crackling and the pained moans of her Pokemon she heard a beep as her Pokédex came to life and an electronic voice spoke.

Blaze: An ability exclusive to very few fire types. Once enough damage is taken the Pokemon will go into a frenzy and the power of their fire will increase immensely. Be careful, as a poorly trained specimen can show extremely violent tendencies.

Enma raised one of his hands towards Inyssa, and tentative sparks were born from the ball of fire forming on it. Still on the ground she tried desperately to move backwards as her remaining Pokemon stood at her side, growling at her starter.

A low, broken chirp came out of Steven's beak as he tried to free himself from her arms, eyes barely open and fixated on his previous opponent.

"Wh- no!" she held on to him even tighter. "You're not going anywhere! We have to find Barry and…"

Steven started glowing.

She stared in awe as a white light shone between her hands even brighter than Enma's flames, and the body of her Pokemon grew until she wasn't able to sustain his weight. His talons grazed the ground as he extended his new pair of wings, their length about as big as her own body. The automated voice of her Pokédex spoke again.

Staravia: The Fock Pokemon - Flying/Normal Type. A very cooperative and friendly species that work exceptionally well with others. The powerful muscles on its wings allow it to reach Mach 1.

Even with the incessant thunder roaring through the sky, even with the rain starting to filter in from the trees above and her own starter attempting to attack her, Inyssa couldn't help but feel happiness at the sight of Steven finally evolving.

Guess he won't be able to sleep atop my head anymore.

The Staravia took a step forward and extended his left wing to warn his trainer, dark eyes now devoid of all doubt as they set on the frenzied Monferno. At his side Bret and Kuro got in similar battle positions.

Enma stared at them in disbelief, and Inyssa noticed his eyes were somewhat out of focus. Red veins clawed through the edges of them and his body waved from side to side, his legs barely able to support his fatigued body. Yet he still lowered his head and threw both arms to the side, coating them in even stronger flames as he prepared for a fight.

"Wait!"

She fumbled to her feet and through the pain in her legs she tried to stop her own Pokemon from charging forward. With the faintest thread of hope tying her together she opened her mouth and spoke.

"E-Enma, please…" she begged, voice weak and thin. "I know this isn't you doing this."

She felt the weight of her Pokemon's eyes on her back, but she didn't care in the slightest. She would not let her fist Pokemon fall to his own rage. She would not lose another friend.

"If you just calm down for a bit we can resolve this," she continued, showing him her open palms. "I'm not angry, I just want to help you."

For a single, beautiful second she really thought her words would pass through his berserk state and reach the true Enma. His pupils dilated slightly and he lowered his shoulders, lip trembling.

Then the flames took over and a roar clawed its way through his throat, hitting Inyssa head on as he spit a torrent of embers.

Red filled her vision as she unconsciously threw herself backwards, the heat licking her right arm and just barely missing the rest of her body. The entire world went black for a few seconds as the back of her head hit the wet ground beneath her. Growls, screams and the sounds of a few impacts flew above her as she slowly tried to roll to her side.

Her Pokemon formed a small circle around her as they tried to protect her, even Shadi managing to make her way to her side. She forced her sight through their bodies and focused on the place where Enma stood just a few seconds before.

He wasn't there anymore.

"Wh-" She tried to get up but her legs failed her, sending her straight to the ground again. "Agh! E-Enma! Enma!"

She felt the softness of Bret's petals under her left arm and the strength of Steven's wings on her right as they lifted her from the ground. She set one foot strongly and expelled herself forward, barely maintaining her balance.

"Enma!" Her yell tore through her throat. "Enma, come back!"

Panic and desperation alone fueled her as she started running towards the darkness between those trees, stepping into the path of the storm.


Barry really wished he had followed the first explosion.

He was drifting between awake and asleep when it happened, back against the freezing stone wall of the bridge's pillar. He unconsciously felt the vibrations shake the ground weakly before the bang and flash of light yanked him from his stupor. He and his Pokemon looked towards the forest at the other side of the road where Niss had disappeared to.

"That… is that normal?" he asked, not really expecting to get an answer. "It's probably just Niss training, right?"

Paulette and Razen exchanged a confused look, not knowing how to reply. Kitsune, who was peacefully dozing off against the opposite pillar (a habit he hadn't quite gotten ridden of since evolving), ignored it completely. Pedri was the only one to take a step forward, brow furrowed and a strange shadow over his face.

"S-should I…" Barry said tentatively, anxiety prickling at the surface of his skin like needles. "I'm sure she can take care of herself, but…"

He made up his mind when the second explosion came. This one definitely sent a tremor through the earth as a powerful flame escaped from the trees into the skies above.

Barry felt his heart drop. "Crap! I gotta go see if they're okay!"

He left the egg in charge of a very grumpy Kitsune and ordered Razen and Paulette to help him. The Staravia took into the air, slightly bothered by the rain pelting her feathers, and followed the boy as he ran towards the sea of trees.

By the time he stopped being bothered by the branches hitting him in the face he had to admit that he was freaking out. Every tree looked the same and the darkness between them was so thick he wasn't sure he was going the right way anymore. He stopped after a couple minutes when he arrived at a small circle of ground, his heart jumping to his throat. Signs of battle were all over the place; burnt leaves, toppled branches and more than a few scorched holes in the mud the size of a small Pokemon.

And Niss was nowhere to be seen.

"Niss!" he screamed into the night as loudly as he could. "Niss, it's me! Where are you!?"

No voice answered back. Cold washed over his veins as he moved his head from side to side, eyes opened as wide as possible and his entire body shaking. Pedri stared at him in surprise, never having seen his trainer like this.

He had no idea where to go, and the anxiety was eating him from the inside. There were no footprints around either, probably having been washed away by the rain already. He unconsciously started walking in circles, worst case scenarios going through his mind at an alarming rate.

"Niss!" He stomped the ground, a hot feeling growing from his stomach outwards, "Niss where the hell are you!?"

As soon as he said those words the warmth behind his eyes came back, stronger than ever. He didn't have time to be surprised by it as a wave of pain hit him and spread through his limbs, cutting his breath short. His legs lost strength and would've sent him to the ground if Pedri hadn't managed to catch him on time. The Prinplup let out a chirp of worry as he helped his trainer to his feet, whose hair was now covering his eyes.

Barry was more confused about the fact that the pain felt familiar than anything else. Almost like it didn't belong to him. The flash of a distant memory came to his mind: a young, crying Niss with her face buried in her knees.

Realization hit him; this was her pain, somehow. And he could feel exactly where it was coming from.

He took off without an explanation, leaving his Pokemon both confused and concerned as they were forced to follow him. He kept running north for an entire minute before finally exiting the forest and entering the left side of Route 215 once again.

There were four small silhouettes in the distance, surrounding what Barry instantly recognized as his friend.

"Niss!"

Fear crept up on him the more he got closer. First he noticed scorch marks adorning the bodies of her Pokemon. Then he saw the position his friend was in, knees and hands deep in the mud and head lowered. Thick tufts of hair covered her face as her entire body shook.

Shadi walked up to him and growled in desperation as she pointed to her trainer. He walked to her and got on his knees too, putting a hand on her back as he spoke.

"N-Niss?" His voice came out as barely a whisper, "Are you okay!? What happened!?"

She looked up at him, and Barry felt his veins turn to ice. The faint pain he'd been feeling coming from her paralyzed him completely as their eyes met.

"I-I'm sorry..." Her voice was completely broken as she spoke, tears running down her face. "H-he's gone. Enma's gone."