Silver Notes: This will be the first chapter to feature a flashback, which I will mark with and at the start and end of it.


Riddles And Red-Less


Home sweet home was a phrase Shadi had never fully understood, not when the world sat out there, unexplored and waiting for her. However, back in Twinleaf after almost half a year, belt heavier with Pokéballs, she couldn't help but breathe in longingly the scent of the cold, clean air of her town.

"This is… beautiful," Ciro said behind her, the shadow of a smile on his lips. She could see the excitement in his eyes behind his thin pair of glasses.

"Cold, too," the blue haired woman at her right added, mist escaping her mouth. "But damn is it pretty."

She turned around to make a snide comment, but a scream broke through the peaceful morning silence.

"Shadi!"

She barely had time to react before something small crashed against her. The young girl put both arms around her torso and almost threw her to the ground with the strength of her hug. Tears were slowly forming on her bright green eyes.

The girl behind her let out a low chuckle. "Jeez, talk about an Ursaring hug."

Shadi sighed as she put a hand over her little sister's head, patting it weakly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming!?" Inyssa protested, unwilling to let go of her. "I could've told Barry to cook something for us!"

Already bossing your friend around? Shadi thought to herself and tried to stifle laughter.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," she said as she returned the hug. "I told you I'd come back on my way to the sixth Gym, didn't I?"

The miniature Dawn finally broke away from the hug and cleaned off the wetness in her eyes with her sleeve. Her expression shifted so fast Shadi couldn't help but be somewhat startled, and she suddenly felt herself at the receiving end of her fiery look.

"Show me all the Pokemon you caught!" she yelled, hands curled into fists and a huge grin on her face. "Do you have a Charizard already? How did you win your badges? Did you catch something for me!?"

Shadi took a step back and laughed nervously at the barrage of questions. Her two friends couldn't help but feel amused at the sight of their stalwart friend so flustered by such a young girl.

"I can see the family resemblance already," Ciro whispered under his breath.

Inyssa looked at him with the same expression.

"Who are you!?" She pointed at both of them. "Are they your rivals!? What Pokemon do they have!?"

"Jeez kid, take it easy!" The blue-haired girl put both hands in front of her. "Name's Siffa, but you can call me Sif. And we're just regular, boring friends with this mess over here." She tilted her head toward Shadi.

"I'm Ciro, it's a pleasure!" The man leaned forward and shook Inyssa's hand gently. "You must be the Inyssa we've heard so much about."

Her mouth formed a perfect O, and her eyes shone brightly.

"You heard about me!?" she gasped, voice almost breaking.

Shadi put a hand behind her messy hair, cheeks flushing. "I told them about you, dummy."

Inyssa's feet bounced slightly, as though she were to start jumping in place.

"Then you already know who to look out for!" She punched the air forward with her tiny fist. "I'm Inyssa and I'm gonna be the best trainer in the world!"

Shadi and Ciro laughed at the young girl's adorable behavior, but Sif simply smiled and kneeled in front of her.

"Being a Pokemon trainer ain't easy you know," she said, one eyebrow raised. "And your sister is one of t he best Sinnoh has to offer; are you sure you wanna mess with her?"

Inyssa put both hands on her hips and puffed her chest up, determination flashing in her eyes.

"I'm gonna kick your butt!" she declared proudly. "So just wait until I'm eighteen cause you're gonna see what a true Champion is like!"

"Niss!" Shadi whispered angrily. "Tact, please!"

Sif swatted the air with one hand. "Don't listen to this stick in the mud, Niss. I believe you."

She seemed surprised by that, as if the blue haired girl had been the first adult to actually take her words seriously.

"R-really?" she asked, her voice becoming thinner.

"Of course!" Sif said. "I could feel you challenging me from the moment our eyes met, and you don't even have a Pokemon! You'll make a fantastic trainer."

Now she did start to jump in place, barely containing a gasp of glee at the woman's words. Ciro stared lovingly at his girlfriend, while Shadi rolled her eyes. Of course she'd be the one to say that.

Without paying any mind to them Sif took a hand to her head and grabbed the white wool hat which covered most of her blue hair. She looked at it for a few seconds before offering it to the young girl.

"Here, you can have this," she whispered, smiling. "You see the pink Pokeball symbol on it? That's the mark of a trainer, and it now belongs to you." She raised a hand and turned it into a fist. "Think you're up for the task?"

Inyssa stared wordlessly at the hat, hands shaking from excitement. She tried to put it on but realized it was just a tad too big for her, and it covered part of her eyes.

"Yeah, I am!" she yelled, still wearing the oversized hat. "Thank you so much, Miss! I promise I'll become the best trainer ever!"

Shadi stared at the exchange between them, and tried her best to smile.

However there was something strange about the atmosphere around her, a peculiar cold that had nothing to do with the town or the wind brushing past her. Something which traveled past clothes and skin and set in the pit of her stomach, turning her throat dry.

She had a bad feeling, and she couldn't quite shake it off.


Inyssa thought she was ready for the kind of training Maylene had prepared. She'd accepted it all high and mighty, sporting a wide grin like someone who knew what she was getting into.

The first three days had been nothing short of hell for her Pokemon. The regime was built specifically so that they would last just long enough to clear their tasks before collapsing from exhaustion. And collapse they did, so violently that she felt her own heart tugging just looking at it.

Still, she couldn't deny it. The brutal training was slowly but surely bearing fruit.

The wind traveling just outside the city hit her in the back, rustling the grass and making her legs tickle. She stood in the middle of a wide, empty circle, forest at her right and rock formations at her left, carefully observing each of her Pokemon as they approached the end of their daily quota, which was less than a few minutes away.

Shadi stood close to the rock formation, body covered in dirt and sweat. Determined little thing, she slashed at a gigantic stone in front of her, scythes covered in a pale green energy. Her task was to charge an attack in less than half a second and still gather enough power to cut one of those stones in half. So far she'd managed to get through half of it.

Looking towards the forest she saw the white and black blur that was Steven dive through the thick branches. He was to fly from one extreme to the other as fast as he could while not letting himself be touched by anything, not even a single leaf.

However Kuro and Bret's training was the most brutal, since they were the two least accustomed to actual combat. First they worked on their endurance by running laps around the city for an hour, then they took turns attacking the other with either razor leaves or electricity, and whoever was on the receiving end had to dodge a hundred of those attacks in a row. Kuro's record was fifty-five, while Bret's was in the low forties.

All of them were making progress, a lot faster than she actually expected. Still, there was a long way to go and they had less than four days to get there. Maylene had put it very clearly; she'd only accept her challenge once her Pokemon cleared their specific trials.

They can do it, she assured herself. They've already proved themselves more than once.

The clock struck four and her Pokétch let out a high pitched beep, startling her out of her thoughts.

The noise was music to the ears of her Pokemon, who fell to their knees as if their souls had left their bodies. Steven appeared from between the threes and flapped weakly towards her, chest rising up and down with his heavy breathing.

"Alright everyone, that was a lot better than yesterday!" She clapped her hands and tried to form the brightest smile she could. "Steven, you're getting so close! I know you'll only need a few more tries to succeed."

The Staravia's cheeks flushed at her words, and he looked down embarrassed.

"Kuro and Bret, you're both getting so fast! And your reflexes are improving wonderfully." She patted both of them in the head. "And you, Shadi…"

Her praise was cut short as she saw her Kricketune laying face down on the grass, snoring loudly. She'd fallen asleep as soon as the clock struck four.

Pride tugged at something behind her chest. Without a word she knelt in front of her and felt Shadi's forehead with her fingers.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered. "I promise all this training will be worth it."

She returned them all to their Pokeballs so they could get some well-deserved rest. She then approached one of the stones Shadi had been carving and sat on it, letting the wind carry her thoughts away.

She leaned back on the flat surface of the rock, eyes fixed on the clear sky above. There were few if any clouds to be seen, and the strong wind ruffled her hair and threatened with toppling her hat off her head. She took a deep, deliberate breath and closed her eyes for a moment.

No time to rest. You still have something else to do.

She nodded weakly and unwittingly got to her feet again. Her hand hovered over one of her Pokeballs, the one occasionally zapping her hip with weak jolts of electricity.

"Here goes nothing…" she whispered, and pressed the button.

Light exploded in front of her, and two electric blue eyes emerged from it.


"Alright, that's enough for now."

Berry fell backwards on his butt and sighed. Mercy, sweet mercy stretched in front of him as he was allowed to take more than two breaths without having to dodge a punch. In front of him Maylene stood proudly, arms crossed and forehead covered in sweat.

"Thank goodness…" He struggled to get to his feet, his entire body aching. "I… I thought we were here to train my Pokemon…"

Maylene raised an eyebrow. "We've been doing that for an hour! Come on Barry, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of sparring here and there." She pulled him up by the hand, smiling. "I did promise I'd be gentle, didn't I?"

Barry muttered something under his breath and rubbed his back with his right hand, a pained expression on his face. Maylene's smile dropped and a sudden flush appeared on her cheeks.

"O-oh… that wasn't like, a euphemism or anything!" She put both palms forward, eyes wide in horror. "I know that it can be confusing when you're into martial arts and sparring but like… nothing wrong with you! I just… I already have a girlfriend and…"

"Yeah, I got it," he grumbled, eyes narrowed. "I just didn't expect to be fighting too."

Maylene lowered her arms and let out a deep sigh. For a moment she looked as grey and gloomy as the rest of the citizens he'd run into.

"There aren't many people my age around." Her shoulders dropped. "And certainly none that are in as good a physical condition as you. Most of my students are adults and they tend to go easy on me just because they think I'm weaker."

"That's… awful." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I'm sure you're strong enough to kick their butts."

She sent a shy smile his way. "Who taught you how to fight anyway? You're kind of sloppy and unrefined as hell but by no means bad. I could turn you into an excellent martial artist if you became a full-time student."

Barry let out a nervous laugh. "My mom taught me self defense when I was younger. And… sorry, but I'm not really into fighting as much as you. I like exercising, but not violence."

"A good mindset to have, even if it's somewhat disheartening. Thanks for indulging me anyway." She gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Now, you and your Pokemon should rest. Take a half an hour break and then come back for the next part of training, alright?"

"I'll see if there are any pancakes left!"

Maylene laughed. "Well, if there's anyone who actually needs all the carbs they consume that would be you, Barry. Head off."

He grabbed his backpack along with his four Pokeballs and headed for the exit. Just before he reached the door however he heard Maylene's voice again, a lot firmer and serious than before.

"Oh, by the way…" She crossed her arms again, eyebrows knitting together. "By contract I need to be honest with you. You'll need to work a lot harder on your Pokemon battling skills."

His hand hovered over the doorknob, fingers twitching. He lowered his head slightly and looked at the floor, shame hiding beneath the shadows covering his eyes.

"I know," he said plainly. "I'm working on it."

"I'm only telling you this so you can get better. You're holding yourself back, Barry, you believe yourself to be a lot weaker than what you are." She walked forward, each step resonating inside his head like a drum. "You're unfocused and you're constantly trying to think your way through situations that you should rely on your instincts for. You should think how to resolve this while on your break."

He nodded slowly, and without saying another word he pushed the door aside.


"Is it okay if we have a chat?"

Inyssa didn't like how her words sounded, how the air left her throat all slowly and full of doubt, disappearing into the loud crackle of electricity that Hao expelled from his body.

His eyes were set on her. Bright and unblinking, to the point where it hurt to stare directly at them. But she had to. She wouldn't be the first to look away.

"I don't know if you've been… paying attention to what's been happening," she continued, swallowing down the gnawing anxiety boiling in her throat. "Why Enma isn't with us anymore. You tend to keep to yourself, after all."

Absolutely no response. Not even a movement or nod or fucking anything to tell her he was listening. She would've almost preferred the jolts of electricity coming her way.

Electrocute me once for yes, and twice for no.

Forcing laughter back into her belly, she kept speaking. "My point is… I wanted to know what your answer was, about what happened in the fight with Fantina. I promised you I'd do anything you asked, even if…" She gulped, choking on the possibility. "Anyway, just wanted to let you know that you can take me up on that."

A slow, frantic buzz came from his tiny mouth, which sent a shiver through Inyssa's spine. After about five counted heartbeats Hao finally moved, floating down slowly and leaving weak blue flashes behind him. She held her breath and did her best not to turn around and run away as he approached.

He stopped in front of her right hand, and his eyes set on the device in her wrist. Another few buzzes and crackles left his mouth.

"My… Pokétch?" She raised the thing in front of her. "What do you…"

Realization came to her. A memory floated up from her mind in front of her eyes, from that day in Eterna. A single image; that of Hao's unblinking eyes behind the monitor of that machine.

A small gasp escaped her mouth. "R-right! You went inside the machine, somehow. Can you…" She looked down at the device. "Do you want to… enter my Pokétch?"

Yet another whirr of incomprehensible sounds, which were starting to make her head hurt.

Really wish I had some frame of reference for this fucking thing.

"Sure, if that's what you w…"

A blink later and Hao had disappeared. She stood frozen for a few seconds, gaze unblinking towards the empty space where her Pokemon was just a moment before.

An electronic beep coming from her Pokétch brought her back to reality. She lowered her sight towards it and saw the screen blinking on and off as apps were opened by someone who wasn't her.

"Hao, I'm doing my best not to freak out here…" she said. "And I'd appreciate it if you could tell me what the hell you're doing."

Two warnings simultaneously popped up in the screen, accompanied by two loud beeps.

Downloading: Knight-Mayres RPG Character Creator.

Downloading: Chatot's Text to Speech App.

"Wh-" She furrowed her brow, deeply confused. "Hao what are you…"

"Ah, this feels so much better!"

If the blasted Pokétch weren't attached to her wrist she would've sent it flying with how strongly she jumped backwards.

A person had just appeared in her screen, blocking most of the apps and the purple wallpaper of her phone. He looked like a tall, handsome anime boy with spiky red hair and electric blue eyes. The outfit he wore was some ungodly combination of a traditional Johtonian kimono and an RPG-like leather jacket with sharp shoulders and a bunch of belts hanging from it.

"What the f…" Inyssa took a step back, not quite realizing that didn't get her far away from what she was seeing. "H-Hao? Is that… you?"

The outlandish boy smiled widely, showing his perfect white teeth. His eyes sent a jolt through her hand towards her entire body.

"The inside of this thing is so much comfier than a Pokéball," he said, his voice just close enough to a human one to be uncanny. "You have no idea."


The grilled cheese sandwich felt bland and sour in Barry's mouth, which was an unforgivable sin as far as he was concerned.

He finished it without much enthusiasm and kept walking west toward the Pokemon Center. On the way he'd decided to take an alternative route by skipping the main street and staying closer to the unending row of identical grey warehouses. He'd gotten his sandwich from one of them, in fact.

The warehouses were owned by the town council, the nurse had told him a couple days before. To promote local business and become somewhat self renewable they rented the space to anyone who had enough money to pay for it for up to an entire week, so people visiting as tourists could buy a bunch of different things depending on the day they passed through.

That was really cool and all, but Barry wasn't feeling like shopping at the moment, especially when Niss wasn't around. He put his hands in his pockets and pouted.

"Holding myself back…" he repeated Maylene's words, tasting them slowly as they exited his lips. "What does that mean?"

If he could only figure out what part of himself he was holding back, he might have a chance to be as good as Niss. But he honestly had no idea where to start on figuring that out, and the Gym Leader wasn't one for detailed explanations.

I swear the next person who gives me advice in riddles-

A sudden, unnatural chill ran down the length of his body. Barry stopped in his tracks, looking around confusedly, feeling a gust of wind on the back of his head that he could've sworn hadn't been there before. He hadn't felt the wind all day for some reason. Why...?

"Hey, young man!"

A deep, low pitched voice yelled from one of the nearby warehouses. He turned toward it and had to blink a couple times before fully processing what he was seeing.

The only thing in the concrete vault was a single, wooden table with a myriad of strange artifacts on top of it, and behind it sat the one who'd just spoken to him. A garish tall woman who looked so out of place in that town he almost considered having hallucinated her.

Everything about her was purple, with the exception of her marble-like pale skin. Her long, silk dress with a spider web pattern on the collar, her unreasonably long and incredibly messy hair and even her eyes, which were a pale but unnerving lavender. The wide smile of white teeth on her face did not extend to them, which also looked out of place. She appeared to be in her mid twenties.

There was something terribly familiar about her face and eyes, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Yes, you!" she yelled, curling her fingers on top of the table. "Young man, what is your name?"

He looked around, somewhat expecting to see someone else the woman could be referring to. Alas he had no such luck.

"Uh… Barry." He did his best to form a courteous smile. "Nice to meet you."

She tilted her head from side to side, eyes narrowed and lips thin. He couldn't shake the feeling she was studying him carefully.

"Tell me, Barry, is there something bothering you?"

He stared at her for a few beats. "W-what?"

"I can see it in your eyes," she nodded slowly. "There is discord within your mind, and it stills your steps as you walk. Am I wrong?"

He took a step back, feeling something cold run down his back. How did she…?

"Who are you?" he spat back, not liking how hostile his tone sounded. She didn't seem offended by it, since she showed him that lopsided smile once again.

"My name is Sanbica, it's a pleasure to meet you." She winked, revealing the massive amount of black mascara she was wearing. "Now, what do you say? Want me to read your fortune?"

The image became clear then, and Barry let out a tiny gasp of realization. All the different tarot decks and dark leather books on the table, her unnerving appearance and her dramatic tone…

"Oh, oh!" He smiled and jumped in place, voice full of excitement. "You're a Hex Maniac! I knew I recognized your weird look from somewhere!"

The way she flinched at his words almost made him laugh, and he only stopped himself due to her shadowed expression. Sanbica's eyes went as wide as they could and her mouth formed a tiny O. She looked extremely offended.

"Hex M…" She shook her head. "You kids and your nerve… listen to me, I'm a medium! A medium, get it!?" She hit the table with her fist, making the precious stones around it shake. "Hex Maniac is a term that originated in Kalos to make fun of us, and I'd appreciate if you didn't use it in front of me!"

"Whoa!" Barry raised both hands, fearing she'd throw her crystal ball at him or something. "I'm sorry, okay!? I didn't know… I didn't mean to offend you."

Sanbica let her cheek fall on top of one of her palms, still fulminating him with her eyes. The fingers of her remaining hand hit the table rhythmically.

"It's fine," she said, her tone suddenly a lot less dramatic. "Though you could make it up to me by using my services."

Barry deliberated for a few beats. He didn't even know this woman, and his mom had warned him in the past about going to people like her, whom she considered shameless phonies. Then again there was a strange air about her, and it had nothing to do with her outlandish appearance. Something about the edges of her eyes, the tone of her voice… he couldn't help but feel curious.

He grabbed the other chair by the side and sat in front of her. "Sure, I have some time to burn and I'm not hungry anymore."

"Perfect!" Sanbica clapped her hands and smiled. "Shall we start with some fortune reading, then?"

After a nod she put both hands on top of the table, around the ornate stand where the crystal ball was located. She raised her shoulders and moved them back and forth slightly, excitement clear in her face.

That's when Barry noticed it. At first he thought the woman had spilled some ink on the back of her hand, but it looked more like... a tattoo? A marking. Small, black dots adorned the center of her palms and the back of her hands, as though someone had nailed a hole through them. It reminded him of something, but before he could remember, Sanbica spoke again.

"Let's see what the stars have to say about your future."

She raised her hands and clasped the ball. Her eyelids fell shut and her breathing became slower and more controlled.

The atmosphere changed immediately. He felt pressure coming out of the woman. as if she were tugging at something inside him with will alone. The air grew colder, and the sounds of people walking and talking around him faded to the back of his mind.

A thin drop of sweat fell down his forehead. "Wh…"

"Six events prelude the storm/that brews behind the iron doors."

Her words sent painful prickles of cold through his skin. Her tone had changed completely, and Barry could sense a presence behind her voice.

"First will come the Shapeless' scorn/who'll seek to bleed the child of thorns. Then the beast, revived, blood-seeking, will fall to silver tight in keeping."

He almost forgot to breathe as he took in the woman's words, which washed over him painfully. His nails unconsciously dug at his palms.

"A sister's rage will bring the light/that scorches through the moonless night, though in the end the sky will shatter/and every life of the night, thus, scatters. A legend's blood then holds the flood until the pale man's plan unfolds; and in the end two souls will perish/to shield from darkness all they cherish."

A few seconds passed, while Barry waited for the rest. However Sanbica opened her eyes, which looked hazy and unfocused, and gave him a weak smile. The cold disappeared, and he could hear the people around him once more.

"So, how was it?" she asked, voice thin. "Did you like my fortune?"

He swallowed hard. "I… didn't understand what you said. What did it mean?"

"No idea."

Barry narrowed his eyes at her, and the woman simply shrugged.

"What. Do you think my fortunes come with an explanation and a diagram?"

"That... would be nice."

"Well tough luck, I don't control what the stars say through me," she explained, resting her cheek on her palm again. "I don't know what it means either, but I can assure you it's... ninety-nine percent accurate, at least."

"But… it's nonsense!" He threw his hands up in the air. "That's not a fortune, that's a riddle!"

Sanbica rolled her eyes. "That's what real fortunes are, dummy. You're supposed to think about it and figure out what it means on your own."

"Well that's dumb," he decided, leaning back on the chair and crossing his arms.

"Let's see if you think that once it becomes true." Sanbica formed a devious smile. "You should take warnings seriously, Barry. The stars never lie, and your fortune seemed to have a lot of tragedy in it."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked down. Great, just what he needed. Another stupid riddle for him to solve if he didn't want things to be awful forever.

"What else can you do?" he asked, trying to change the subject. "Anything that's not that cryptic?"

Her eyes regained some of their brightness at his words, and clapping her hands excitedly she looked down at all her items.

"Would you like me to throw you some tarot cards?" she asked, smiling.

"That looks even more complicated."

"Palm reading?"

"Eh…"

"Crystal purification?"

"That sounds painful."

Sanbica stroked her chin and leaned back into her chair, eyes going through her entire stock.

"Well…" she whispered, looking up at the sky. "I also have the power to see your Guardian Star, but…"

The sheer glee which formed on Barry's face startled the woman.

"Really!?" He leaned forward, almost throwing the woman back. "That, I want that! I've always wanted to know my Guardian Star!"

Sanbica let out a nervous laugh and urged him to lean back, since he could've toppled the table at any moment.

Barry had always found the concept fascinating. The idea that the star of one specific Pokemon watched over you ever since the moment of your birth, that they would mirror your personality and always be at your side… he could not help but swoon at the thought of something so cool.

Which is why his smile crashed and burned as soon as Sanbica spoke.

"As I was saying, I can't see it right now." She bit her lip. "Sorry."

"What!? Why!?"

"How do you want me to see your Guardian Star in the middle of the day?" She poked him on the forehead, forcing him back into his chair. "There are no stars right now!"

"O-oh," he whispered, ashamed that he hadn't thought of that. "Well… are you gonna be here at night?"

"Yep, though only for today," she said. "I came here for... personal reasons, but now that I've identified the source of the disturbance I felt, I'm afraid it's time to head for greener pastures. More specifically, Pastoria." She formed a sly smile and raised her eyebrows at him. "Get it? Greener pastures? Because… the marsh and all that."

She laughed really hard at her own joke, and Barry would've followed if he didn't find the woman so strange. Then again... that laugh. He could've sworn he'd heard it before.

"Then… I'll see if I can come back after dinner, and I'll bring Niss!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I'm sure she'd love to know too."

"Bring as many people as you want, that means more money for me," she said. "However, if the stars don't wish for us to meet again today, know that I'll be setting up shop at the bonfire party that will take place in Pastoria a couple weeks from now. You know how teens love all this medium stuff."

A couple weeks from now? he thought to himself, That'll be right around my birthday…

"You make it sound like you're gonna scam them." He raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I already told you that my abilities are one hundred percent legit." She pointed a finger at him. "But being a Stigma aside, we all gotta eat, and I'm not gonna waste an opportunity to make money if it's right in front of me."

S-Stigma? he thought, frowning.

"I'll try to be here later," he said. "Ah... now I really gotta go though. I have to get back to the Gym."

She nodded solemnly. "Do what you must. And as a freebie and token of my appreciation, know that your unlucky number today is three nine seven, and your unlucky color is red."

He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you… supposed to tell me my lucky number and color instead of unlucky?"

She shrugged. "It's better to know what to look out for. Now go, or you're gonna be late."

He gave her a polite nod and got up, taking the required money from his pocket and paying her for the strange fortune. He assured her he'd be back at night and waved as he walked away.

However he stopped a few feet from the table, brow furrowed, and turned around towards her again.

"By the way…" he asked, grabbing her attention. "Who is your Guardian Star?"

Sanbica seemed to be expecting that question, judging by the mysterious smile she showed him.

"Who else but the great Jirachi itself?" she exclaimed proudly. "Only those born under its bright light can possess these abilities, after all."


Inyssa was, as she so eloquently put it inside her head, freaking the ever-loving fuck out, which didn't help with the ghost Pokemon's wishes of having a conversation with her.

"I thought having a more human appearance would make you more comfortable!" Hao yelled, a cartoonishly large sweat drop appearing at the side of his head.

Inyssa shook her head strongly. "How is that human? You look straight out of a bad RPG from twenty years ago! I…" She drove one hand through her hair, words failing her. "Hao, I appreciate it but like… this is really fucking weird. How are you even…?"

Hao sent a small jolt through Inyssa's wrist, making her squint. A devious smile could be seen on his face.

"You saw what I can do back in Eterna, didn't you?" His avatar shrugged, at about four frames per second. "Controlling a tridimensional model program and a voice modulator at once isn't a big deal."

I beg to differ, she wanted to say. If not for the painful shock he'd sent her way she would've thought she was dreaming.

"I just… this is…" She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "No offense Hao but… this is not how I imagined this would play out at all."

His avatar smiled widely, showing his perfect white teeth. It kinda reminded her of Barry.

"Don't I look cute in this?" he said as he did a small twirl, grabbing onto the folds of his outfit. "Shame about my hair, though. I wanted more of a # f6865d kind of color but I had to settle for a # f84200 due to the app's limitations."

Inyssa had absolutely no idea what any of those garbled letters and numbers meant, and she made it clear by the complete and utter confusion reflected in her face. She felt like the cogs inside her brain had stopped.

"Oh, almost forgot." Hao stopped doing twirls and he set his blue eyes on her. "You said you'd do anything I wanted, right?"

She was caught off guard, but after a few seconds she gave him a slow, careful nod. Something about the way he talked… she knew his voice was completely electronic and didn't belong to him, but she could feel his intonation through it somehow.

"Yeah, I owe you that much."

"Awesome!" he clapped. "I didn't want to rush you, but I've been waiting for this for a while."

"Sorry for making you wait. What do you want?"

The answer made itself wait, and Inyssa had to stop herself from complaining and tell him to just say it already. A knot started to form in her throat.

"What I want..." He looked at her, not smiling anymore. "...is for you to break my Pokeball."

Oh.

Inyssa wanted to take a step back, but feared she'd break into pieces as soon as she did so. A memory surfaced from the icy mist inside her mind.

She was suddenly fifteen again, wearing her old black and pink outfit. An open door stood between her and the look of regret and sadness in Sarah's eyes.

She'd brought with her the news that would change her life, tucked all neat and professionally under her arm. The news that would turn her mother bedridden for almost a year and land Inyssa in a hospital for weeks. Eyes dull and colorless, mind dazed by the myriad of pills given to her as punishment for what she'd tried to do. For trying to make the hurt stop, make the knowledge that she was fated to be abandoned by everyone disappear.

She'd lost more than just a sister that day. And faced with the realization that she might be about to lose Hao as well… even if she didn't know him that well, even if he was the member of her team she struggled to understand the most…

She felt wetness form in her eyes, and quickly covered them with her hands. Sloppy they were, all shaking and about as telltale as an open book.

Get a fucking hold of yourself.

"If that's what you want…" She began to say, desperation clinging to her voice. "I'll do it, I'll break…"

"Jeez, what's gotten into you?" Hao interrupted her with a judging glance. "I'm only asking you to break it because I wanna live here from now on."

In any other situation, perhaps one where she wasn't on the verge of crying, Inyssa would've loved to see her own face as she heard him. She figured it might have been funny enough to make it all worth it.

"Wh-what?" she asked, whisper thin. "But I thought you…"

"What do I get from leaving you?" Hao shook his head slightly, one hand raised. "We're both after the same thing, and I can't survive out there."

She had to open her mouth a couple times before the words came out. "What do you… mean?"

"Stop saying What!" He threw his hands down, eyebrows pinched together. "Seriously, it's like I'm talking to a kid. You're smart, aren't you? Stop bawling your eyes out and get a clue already!"

She threw one last sniff as she wiped her eyelids with her sleeve. "I wasn't bawling, shut up!"

Hao's avatar rolled his eyes and Inyssa had the urge to throw her Pokétch into the ground. What was he talking about anyway? Nothing indicated they had anything in common, much less…

She stopped, and realization came to her.

"Team Galactic." For the first time she uttered the name with more surprise than rage. "Back in Eterna! That old guy seemed to recognize you and…" She put a hand on her head, trying to remember through the haze of that day. "You were the one who made everything explode."

Hao looked at the side, biting his lip. "That wasn't my proudest moment. It wasn't long after you caught me so I was still pretty mad. I just wanted to bring down Charon, even if…" He gulped. "Well, you saw what happened. I do apologize for putting you in such danger."

Charon… she could swear she'd heard the name at some point in her life, but it just wasn't coming to her. Still, considering Hao's attitude towards him and the fact he'd been as heartless as to use a bunch of innocent young Pokemon to extract that energy…

She began to connect the dots inside her head, and really started wishing she was wrong about her assumptions.

"There was no information about you in the Pokédex. And the only one who saw you before me was my sister, so…" She squinted. "Are you… did Charon… create you?"

Silence swallowed the field around them for a few heartbeats, while Hao's eyes were glued to the lower part of the screen.

"That's one way you could put it," he said, all joy gone from his voice. "He's the one who turned me into… this."

"I've heard of artificial Pokemon like Porygon before, but… I never thought I'd see one," she whispered, beside herself. "Ah, sorry if that's insensitive."

"I don't care," he said, just a bit too fast for it to be true. "Not a huge fan of talking about it, and I don't remember many of the details myself. All I know is that I want to find Charon, and kill him."

The word made her recoil, even though she knew it shouldn't have. Of course he wanted the man dead, she chastised herself, so why did the idea turn sour inside her mind? If she were in front of Mars right now, would she…?

"Whenever I go against Team Galactic I'll make sure to find him for you," she said. "I owe you that much."

"And when will that be?"

She stood quiet for a few seconds. I haven't really thought of that.

"I need to train my team first. At the very least get through most of the Gyms before I go looking for them. I'm not gonna endanger any of my friends again."

Hao didn't seem to be paying much attention as he floated on his back through the screen, hands behind his head. "How noble of you. Well, you better catch someone else then, because I'm not really made for fighting."

Inyssa raised an eyebrow. "Really? You seemed plenty strong against Fantina's Mismagius."

"I am strong, and I needed to gain your trust," he said, "but I was specifically not designed for battle. Charon made it so just being in the open makes the electric charge of my body dissipate, and when I actually attack… well, I imagine you don't know what a huge part of your being suddenly disappearing feels like."

Guilt crept up her spine. She'd been the one who asked him for help during the fight with Fantina, and thanks to that…

"Don't feel bad about it." He waved his hand, seemingly reading her thoughts. "It's definitely not as bad as when you found me. Back then I was so weak and desperate I was willing to kill you just to get inside your Pokétch and recharge."

She wasn't sure how comfortable she felt with the casual way he mentioned that, as if trying to bury them under a couple tons of rubble were the equivalent of playing a prank on them.

"Why did you stay in the Old Chateau for so long?" she asked. "If you need to recharge your body after some time…"

A powerful shiver traveled from her wrist to the rest of her body, the pale ghost of the shock she'd suffered earlier. She stopped talking as she saw the daunting expression in Hao's eyes.

"I was trapped there," he growled, eyes narrowed. "By that woman, the one with the faded green eyes."

"Sh-Shadi?" She yelped, eyes going wide. "That can't be, she said in her report that you disappeared from the house and she gave up!"

Hao let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a cough of irritation. "Well, whatever her intention was, she's the reason I was stuck there for two years. She put that… weird stone plate in one of the rooms, and it was like a magnet. I couldn't get out of the house no matter how hard I tried."

The Specter Plate, she thought as her eyes went wide. An image flashed in her mind, that of Barry standing in front of that strange statue in Eterna City while he read the inscriptions in both the plates he'd found. All the while his eyes had turned that warm and powerful gold.

She bit her thumb, her mind going as fast as it was capable of trying to connect the dots. It felt like she was trying to solve a puzzle while blinded and missing half the pieces.

Shadi… she had the missing pieces, that was for sure. Whatever had happened to her it had something to do with all the strange things she'd encountered in her travels. It was possible that she and her friends had gotten into a situation they shouldn't have, and the result…

"I… I'm sure Shadi didn't know how your body worked," she said. "She didn't mean to put you in that situation."

"Don't worry about it," Hao said. "I'd say we're about even considering what happened."

She couldn't help but smile. "Yeah… I guess."

"And it's nice to finally get to talk to you."

"Yeah! I've been meaning to get to know you better, even if I'm still super weirded out by all this."

He dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "You'll get used to it."

Another thing came to mind, and she let her shoulders drop.

"How do I tell Barry about it? He'll freak out even worse than me." She let out an incredulous.

A wicked grin formed on Hao's face. "Another thing you don't know how to get across to Barry? Careful, that pile's already big enough to almost collapse on itself."

Inyssa's frown almost managed to make Hao regret his words.

"You…" She gulped, cheeks turning red. "Don't tell me…you could hear stuff through your Pokeball?"

"Yep, see them too," he added. "Don't worry though, I tried my best to respect your privacy. As best as I could, anyway."

She recoiled, realization hitting her like a punch to the face. That night with Barry, right after she'd woken up from her fever…

"Oh god…" she whispered, eyes unfocused. "Okay, new order. You're not allowed to see or hear anything that's outside whenever it's clear I want some privacy, you freak!"

Hao's high pitched giggle made her want to punch the screen until it turned to shreds.

"Sure, no problem," he said through chuckles. "I can use that time to do other things, like take a look at all these files you have inside this thing, connected to the computer in your house."

"You… wouldn't," she growled, voice full of poison.

He put a hand over his mouth, through which could be seen the corners of his smile. "Oh my, is this a folder full of your fanfiction? How curious…"

"Don't you dare!" She tried to shut off the Pokétch but all the buttons were locked. "Hao, this is not funny!"

"I could feel Vivi's warm breath slip through my fingers as I placed the piece of chocolate in front of her face," he read aloud, making Inyssa flinch at the sound of every word. "She locked eyes with me and gently parted her lips, a deep blush tinting her cheeks red. The book we'd been reading left our minds as we bared the weight of each other's gaze, our hearts pounding longingly..."

"I swear to god I will throw this thing into the fucking lake!" she threatened, pointing towards a small body of water in the horizon.

"Jeez, learn to take a joke!" Hao put both hands in front of him. "I'm not gonna look into these anymore, I just wanted to get a rise out of you! I promise I'll behave…"

Now that's a goddamned lie, she thought to herself as she read through his expression like an open book.

She let out a deep sigh. "Great, now I have another pain in the ass to take care of."

They both shared a short laugh as they contemplated their current situation. Inyssa was pretty sure if someone had told her that her terrifying ghost Pokemon was a merry prankster who'd end up living inside her Pokétch she would've looked at them and silently wonder what kind of drugs they were on.

Still, there was something that weighed on her even though there was a smile on her lips. Something round and metal, hanging from the side of her belt like a cold reminder.

It's just like a band-aid, you gotta do it fast so it doesn't hurt.

Except that had always been a lie because ripping something off fast still fucking hurt.

She grabbed Hao's Pokeball and moved it between her hands, the previous levity turning sour in her mouth as she convinced herself to do what she needed to do. It was only a gesture, after all. It wasn't like Hao would actually leave her.

"You can take your time," he said through the device. There was no sign of sarcasm in his voice.

She nodded slowly and pressed the button on the middle of the Pokéball. It opened and showed her an empty inside, coated in black metal and something that looked like glass.

Just get it over with already.

Her fingers closed around the outer edges so strongly they turned white, and with hands trembling she started to apply force. The hinges keeping both halves together started to bend and budge under her strength, and after only a couple of seconds she felt the snap of thin metal, accompanied by a crack that, to her, sounded like the sound of bones shattering.

The now useless pieces of metal fell to the ground, bouncing slightly against the wet grass. She stared at them for god knows how long, eyes lost someplace else.

Looks like I'm down to four members again, she thought to herself, forming a weak smile.


Barry paid almost no attention to his surroundings as he walked back to the Gym, hands on his pockets and deep in thought.

Both Maylene and Sanbica's words still buzzed around his mind like flies, and he had trouble not getting lost in them too much. He loathed riddles and things whose answer you couldn't just stumble into with goodwill and charm alone. And he'd gotten more than his fair share of them recently.

Holding himself back? A sister's rage? How was he even supposed to begin to understand what that meant?

"Guess I'll have to ask Niss for advice," he whispered to himself.

He was walking past a spacious park filled with a multitude of young people, and a few kids sprinkled here and there, when a voice reached him.

"E-excuse me!"

The voice was breathy and high pitched, and when he turned around he saw a girl about as tall as him, with short orange hair and a bunch of freckles covering her face. He was pretty sure he'd never seen her before.

"I'm sorry, but…" She spoke up, forming a nervous smile. "Are you… Barry? Barry Paladino?"

He narrowed his eyes, still a bit dazed from being brought back to reality so harshly. There was something about her, something about the way her words trailed off and the tone of her voice… he couldn't help but feel a strange shiver as he heard them.

"Uh… yeah." He cleared his throat, trying to smile. "Who are you?"

"I knew it!"

The girl clapped her hands together, and before Barry had time to react she threw herself at him, putting her left arm around his and grabbing him by the side. Barry was too startled to react.

"I saw your fight against Fantina!" she exclaimed, and something about the shine of her dark red eyes felt strange to him. "You were so cool! I never thought I'd meet a rising star like you here!"

Red...

Barry had absolutely no idea what to say or do as she hugged him like they were old friends. He stood frozen for a few seconds, stammering and trying to get the words out.

Why does weird stuff keep happening to me? he lamented.

"I… well… thanks?" He laughed awkwardly. "I just… you know…"

But the girl didn't wait for him to finish, and squeezing him tightly she spoke again.

"And where is your friend Niss?" she asked, a strange glow exuding from her eyes. "I've been looking for you both!

The word fangirl came to mind, and Barry didn't know exactly how to feel about it. On one hand it was flattering to see someone recognize him by his abilities as a Pokemon trainer, but he wasn't sure this was the type of recognition he wanted.

"She's… uh, training. I think." He gulped. "She should be back in the Pokemon Center in an hour or so, if you wanna talk to her too."

The girl pouted. "Can't you tell me where she is now? Pretty please?"

Barry considered it for a moment, and realized that Niss would never forgive him if he sent the strange girl towards her while she had no opportunity to hide from her.

"S-sorry," he said. "Like I said, you can meet us in the Pokemon Center before dinner if you want. Also I kinda need to be in the Gym so if you don't mind…"

He tried to free himself, and that's when it hit him. Cold, painful and enveloping his entire body, coming from the girl holding him. She didn't let go, fingers grabbing him with enough strength to make him hurt.

"That won't do, I'm afraid," she said, her voice suddenly dropping. "I need to know where she is. Now."

He instinctively recoiled, putting a hand on the girl's left arm. That's when he felt something sharp against the lower part of his chest. The back of his neck tingling, he looked down to see her other hand holding a small knife to him.

"Wh-"

"Act natural," she growled, all signs of her previous excitement gone from her voice. "If you try to move or scream, I'll pierce your liver."

Panic filled his mind. The dark red of her eyes were set on his, and he could physically feel the weight of her words hitting him like a blizzard, rendering him unable to move. She was not joking.

"Wh-who are you?" he whispered, voice breaking.

Her lips became thin and formed something akin to a smile, but somewhat off.

"How rude, I haven't introduced myself." She giggled, pressing the knife even harder against him. "Still, it makes me a little sad that you don't recognize me, Barry."

He was about to ask what she meant when it happened. With unbridled horror he saw as the girl's skin and clothes melted into a pink, bubbling mass. The shapeless blob contracted back into her shoulder, revealing her true appearance.

Her hair was now short and red, spiked upwards in a crescent shape. She had olive skin and her face was sharp and angular like a hawk. The only thing that hadn't changed were her piercing, cold eyes, still set on him.

"I have a lot of names," she whispered into his ear. "But you can call me Mars."