A Fiery New Friend


Route 213 - 11PM

Metchi bit down on the cottony bread of her sandwich, and every cell in her body cheered in joy.

Shamefully, she accepted the truth: stolen food tasted just as delicious as regular food, if not more. Part of her expected the shame of her actions to somehow haunt the sandwich like a ghost with a lot of free time. It would've meant she really felt bad about what she'd done, but at the same time she hadn't enjoyed a good lunch in weeks.

Prosciutto and parmesan? Gotta give it to these pompous assholes, they know how please a girl's palate.

So what if her refuge was some run down building, ready to fall on itself? So what if she could hear the cheers and screams of those rich douchebags in the distance, enjoying their stay in Sinnoh's most prestigious hotel? The only thing they had over her was a comfier bed, which she could do without.

Her gaze moved to the frame of the shattered window at her right. Moonlight filtered into the room, along with a hearty gust of wind. The beach sat just under her, nothing but glistening white and gold until it met with the water. The moon cast a pillar of white light which tore the ocean in half.

She allowed herself a smile. So what if she was spending her night there? In the end her view was much better, and she hadn't paid a single penny.

She finished two thirds of the Footlong Deluxe (as the wrapping of the sandwich had called it), and wrapped the rest. For the first time in days the beast in her stomach stopped growling, instead switching to a low, almost imperceptible rumbling.

"You should eat all of it, Metchi."

And there it was, in time just like the fucking trains during the war. The sun rose in the morning, the plants grew and Azelf used every opportunity it got to nag at her.

"I'm already full," she said, her voice echoing in the empty room.

"I can feel everything you feel, and you're lying. Eat the rest."

"Get off my ass."

"You're saving it for him, aren't you?"

She shifted uncomfortably against the concrete wall behind her. How the hell was one supposed to awkwardly ignore the question of someone who lived inside your head? Or… soul, or whatever.

With a turn of her head she looked out the window once more, and her eyes caught the slightest glimpse of something orange scurrying out of view. Still following her. Still pretending he wasn't.

A deep sigh resounded inside her head, coming from Azelf.

"Not only have you uselessly wasted most of my power reserves to save that Monferno, but now you're saving food for him. Even after he's tried stealing from us twice."

Indeed, her brave plan hadn't worked as she expected. As soon as the fire Pokemon had been able to stand he ran away, taking with him a few of the pieces of bread she'd been able to gather.

"It's not stealing if I want him to have it," she argued. "This would be a lot easier if he accepted my help."

"He's too prideful for that. You're wasting your time by offering him help. As opposed to the other myriad of ways in which you're used to wasting time."

She rolled her eyes. "Great. I have an asshole of a roommate and a stalker with anger management issues. Am I back in high school or what?" She laughed at her own joke, since no one else did. "Seriously, though. What crawled up your ass and died?

"I assume your question is meant to ask why I'm acting this way toward you. If so, I think it's clear that I find your actions to be extremely illogical and emotion-driven."

She chortled. "I mean, yes? I am a human, as you so often like to remind me. According to you we're all a bunch of thoughtless idiots who only got this far because we're the exception, not the rule."

"Your kind hasn't given me ample reason to think otherwise."

Metchi rolled her eyes. "Jeez Azelf, way to be the heart of the party," she said, shaking her head. "You know what you need?"

"No, and I'd rather not get that answer from you."

"You need to get laid."

There were a few moments of silence, followed by the most confused she'd ever heard Azelf sound.

"Ex…cuse me?"

"Yeah!" She clapped her hands together. "Trust me, I know your type. You're clearly waiting for another dashing legendary Pokemon to come and sweep you off your feet, teaching you the real meaning of love and how not to be a fucking asshole."

She wasn't sure if the silence that followed was due to Azelf being too surprised by her words or too offended by them.

"Let's see, what would be a good match for you?" Metchi stroked her chin contemplatively. "I think a bright eyed optimist would be best, since your opposite personalities might attract and you could learn from each other! Ah, so romantic…"

"Metchi, this is the most painful conversation I've ever been a part of. Please stop."

"Fine, fine," she sighed, leaning once more against the cold of the wall. "What a wet blanket."

"I don't have time for your foolishness, girl. Furthermore, that was not even close to what we were discussing before."

"Yeah I know, you just can't waste an opportunity to badmouth my species." She stared daggers at the empty room. "Look, my point is, you keep acting surprised every time I do something stupid or illogical. It's like you haven't met a human in… I don't know, hundreds of years."

There was a long silence, followed only by the rustling grass outside.

"That's because I haven't."

It was a good thing she wasn't still eating the sandwich, or she would've choked on it.

"What?" she asked, incredulous. "You can't be serious."

"I always am."

"But..." She furrowed her brow. "That doesn't make sense. There are tons of stories and legends about the Lake Guardians helping people all throughout history, even outside of Sinnoh. Laniel, the Slave Knight, Vera the Thread of Fate…" She listed the names of the heroes off the top of her head, without trouble.

"If you paid more attention to those stories you would realize I'm in none of them. My siblings are the ones who enjoy your kind's company."

She ran the list through her head again, trying to remember the details. There had to be at least one myth about a human bonding with Azelf, right?

"Mesprit is enamored with humans. Addicted to the praise they give it and sees you as entertaining at best, and toys at worst. Uxie thinks it can do well for your species, and constantly tries to influence a worthy champion to change the world for the best. Idealistic idiots, the both of them."

Feeling raw emotion through Azelf's words was almost impossible, since it had no actual voice. But at that moment it hit her entirely. Anger, sorrow and something deeper that she couldn't quite make out.

"So… you haven't bonded with a human ever since Nyss?"

Five heartbeats went by before Azelf spoke again.

"Only twice."

Part of her wanted to ask, but she knew it would've been a bad idea. It was clear Azelf didn't want to talk about it, and pressing the matter would only make things worse.

"Then… why are you still one of the guardians?" she asked. "You're supposed to be the protectors of humanity's spirit, but you seem to hate us."

"How about you? You're trying to save everyone, even though you don't have friends or a home. Do you enjoy this job? Does it bring you pleasure and levity?"

"No, but someone has to do it," she argued. "And besides, I don't hate the people I want to save."

"That's irrelevant. You have a duty to perform, and ambition to carry you forward. Your feelings and your past don't factor into it."

Metchi placed her bandage covered hand on her knee. The persistent itch of dirt and grime stung through the broken fabric of her jeans. She would've done anything for a scalding shower, save for murder. Her gaze went outside, toward prettier things than the concrete box around her.

"That sounds like a shitty way to live," she said to the empty room.

Azelf didn't refute her, which said more about it than it desired. A strange pulse grew from her insides, burdensome. It tugged her shoulders down and made her drowsy. Exhaustion.

"I'll focus on healing you further. Don't bother me again."

She nodded absentmindedly, choosing not to remind Azelf that it had been the one to bother her first. Pale gold evaporated from her eyes, bringing back their usual blue. The warmth left too, alerting her to just how cold it was.

Mist spiraled into a few strands of pale grey as she exhaled. It would be a harsh night to sleep through. Looking toward the window she caught that orange blur again, and sighed. With effort she pushed herself to her feet, the remaining third of her sandwich on her right hand. She walked to the frame and stopped just an inch from it. The wind carried her voice all throughout that part of the beach.

"You can come out," she said, eyes only half open. "Seriously, you can have the sandwich. I don't care."

No reply. She scratched her cheek in thinly veiled frustration.

"I don't know if this is a pride thing or like… you want to hunt your own food, but you can't afford to keep at it like this," she said. "I'm a big girl, but I don't have that much of an appetite. I have no problem sharing with you."

The low rumble of a growl made its way from somewhere close, but out of her sight. Had she offended him?

"It doesn't have to be a charity! Look, you help me make a bonfire and I'll give you food. An agreed exchange; that's how society works."

The sound stopped, and a tentative silence set over the freezing air outside. It smelled like sea and fire and frustration.

"It's pretty cozy here. Concrete is good at absorbing heat, you know."

She waited for what seemed like an entire minute, and just when she was ready to give up the Pokemon stepped into view. The flame of his tail burned meekly, with the pale red of autumn leaves. His snout shook slightly, and his eyes were a strange mix of tired and angry.

He looked barely able to keep himself awake, and Metchi had to try hard not to show how bad she felt for him. That would only wound his pride.

She stepped to the side and gestured an invitation. Slowly, he walked towards the frame of the window and hopped in, all the while avoiding looking at her. He stood still for a few seconds, unsure. As subtly as possible she handed him the wrapped meal, which he took after moments of consideration.

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" she smiled. "That's how you make friends. And it's also how we're gonna avoid freezing to death tonight."

The shadow of a smile flashed over his eyes. He nodded as energetically as he could, and turned towards a small pile of paper and leaves in the middle of the room.

His fire was weak, but it would be enough to get them through the night comfortably.


Route 214 - 5PM

Leaving Veilstone turned out to be difficult for reasons other than the gut-wrenching pain in Inyssa's… well, gut.

The whole thing had been rather grim, even with Barry's mom trying to cheer them up. But not even Sarah's unwavering (and she imagined somewhat faked) optimism could dispel her son's shadowed expression.

Inyssa had tried her best, too. She even showed him the new and improved Hao, who cracked a few jokes on her behalf. He found it interesting, and even smiled a couple times, but in the end it wasn't enough.

She'd been useless again. Starting to get used to the feeling.

They'd bought their provisions and escaped through the city gates just before they closed them, and now they walked through the middle of Route 214. At their right the massive wall which was Mt Coronet blocked all but a sliver of sunlight, while from the forests on their left filtered a misty, freezing air which turned her hands pale and her skin stiff. The road was built on slightly higher ground, leaving the tall grass and less traveled routes a few feet from them.

Barry walked next to her, hands on his pockets and gaze lost someplace else. A few feet ahead was Pedri, shoulders squared and prepared never to let someone get the jump on his trainer again. At her left Kuro walked lazily, without a care in the world. He nuzzled her leg occasionally, looking for a scratch behind his ear and a treat.

"So…" she said, clearing her throat. "I heard there are some cool Pokemon around. We could go down to the tall grass and see if we have some luck."

He came back to reality in the middle of her sentence, and it took him a few moments to decipher the rest through context.

"I… don't know if I'm feeling up to it right now." He smiled, his eyes droopy. "But I can wait for you here if you wanna go. I could prepare some snacks."

It's not fun without you, though.

Those words didn't leave her mouth, even if they were written all over her face. In any case, she couldn't stop trying just after one failure. It was her job to cheer Barry up when he was feeling down, and she'd accomplish her task even if it killed her.

She looked at him, fists clenched.

You're gonna have fun and be happy, goddammit.

"Here, I have an idea," she said, smiling. "We can…"

A flash of light cut her words short. The ground rumbled as a column of flame and smoke erupted from the nearby forest, not too far from them. It climbed the air up toward the sky for a few seconds before dissipating with a dying roar. Kuro almost jumped out of his skin, and the small discharge of electricity he released hit Inyssa's leg, making her flinch.

The heat wave rustled the leaves and grass as it traveled towards them, making their eyes water from the intensity. As silence fell over the route once more she turned to Barry, who looked like someone had dumped a bucket of water over him.

"Do you think that was…" he whispered, eyes flashing gold for a moment.

"Enma," she said, desperation clear in her voice.

"O-oh. I meant Team Galactic."

The bridge of her nose wrinkled as she stared at him, worried. The idiot was trying to put on a façade of bravery even though he was quaking in his… were those things boots? Well, whatever footwear he had on it didn't matter; she would make sure nothing happened to him or his Pokemon.

"Have you guys considered that it might've been something else? Something you don't have to get involved in?"

Hao's voice came to life from the device on her wrist, and she almost jumped from the surprise. It would take some time until she got used to it.

"It never hurts to check," she said.

Barry nodded. "Someone could be in trouble."

"You're killing me, Ni Ni." Hao's avatar shook his head. "Fine, I'll have the emergency beacon ready just in case."

"What would we do without you." She smiled. "Also stop calling me that."

Barry helped her down to the tall grass, and with caution they approached the opening to the forest, Pokeballs in hand.

The stench of burnt leaves and dirt stuck to the ground as they advanced. It was slow and methodical, mostly because otherwise every step would've felt like an arrow to the stomach to Inyssa. Pedri and Kuro walked at their sides, their senses sharpened to their limits as they formed a shield for their trainers.

It was a good thing they had some sense of self control, otherwise the person they ran into might've been severely hurt.

Pedri extended one fin to stop them, frowning. He gestured in front of them and pointed at his ears. Indeed, as soon as Inyssa concentrated she heard the sound of crunching leaves approaching from the east. Both trainers moved closer unconsciously, ready to unleash the rest of their teams at a moment's notice.

A dark silhouette appeared between the trees, and it stopped as soon as it saw them. Silence wormed its way through the darkness of the forest for a few seconds. Just when her patience was about to run out a voice met them.

"Oh, hello there!"

A woman's voice, probably. Rich like honey, and full of strength. It hit Inyssa like a gust of wind and the simple sound of it eased her nerves without her realizing it.

She walked a few steps, revealing herself to the sunlight leaking through the branches above.


Barry couldn't help but gasp.

He'd never been good at remembering people. Like most complex things, they tended to slip through the broad cracks of his memory if they didn't leave a lasting impression. Subjects regarding numbers and words? Those were a lot easier, and it was the reason math was the only class Niss had never been able to beat him in.

But she recognized the woman in front of them even before she showed her face. He didn't mention it to Niss out of fear she might think him crazy, but he had a hunch it was her. It was as faint as a sheet of ice, but the moment he heard her voice he knew it was right.

She waved at them, almost lazily. A golden sheet of hair fell from her head towards her hip, one strand covering her left eye.

"It's you!" he said, perhaps too loudly. "Cynthia, right?"

Niss turned towards him, one eyebrow raised. "You know her?"

"Y-yeah, from Hearthome," he said. "I ran into her at the church, that time Fantina invited you to her room."

The woman approached them with such ease that neither Pedri nor Kuro even considered trying to stop her. It was as if she were nothing more than a fallen leaf, dancing down toward them.

"Barry, if I'm not mistaken," she said, smiling. "What a delightful twist of fate to find you here. And you…" Her stormy grey eyes fell on Niss, whose entire body shivered under their weight. "…must be Inyssa, or the Child of Thorns as people have been calling you."

Niss's eyes went wide, and he had to press a hand against his mouth to stifle a laugh. It'd been a long time since he'd seen her so offended.

"Is that really what people are calling me?" Her voice was half a plea and half a growl of anger. "Because if so, I'm walking back to Hearthome right now to shove this Relic Badge up Fantina's…"

"Niss!"

Cynthia's pale lips curled up in amusement, and Barry suddenly felt glad he was already blushing from before.

"There is no need to be angry; I think it's a lovely title," she said, raising her left palm delicately. "Besides, I believe you have earned it. Bought and paid for it, if your recent showings are any indication of it."

Now it was Niss who was blushing. She gulped, probably not knowing how to react to people complimenting her without insulting them.

"The same can be said for you, Barry." She addressed him with a smile. "I can feel the strength of your spirits by just standing here, and I am impressed. I'm sure you'll both grow up to be incredible trainers."

He and Niss exchanged a look which boiled down to:

Was she this weird when you met her?

Pretty much.

"T-thanks," he muttered, bowing to her slightly. "But… we came here because we saw that fire and thought someone was in trouble. Do you know what happened?"

Cynthia's brow furrowed, and she let out air through her nose. The childish gesture looked almost comical coming from a woman her age.

"I'm afraid that was my fault." She shook her head, placing her hands on her hips. "I was on my way north when I ran across a lovely fire Pokemon. I might have… gotten a bit too excited about that." She smiled awkwardly. "And I accidentally let her steal an item from me which intensifies the power of fire attacks."

Barry narrowed his eyes. "How do you… accidentally let someone steal from you?"

"In any case, the fire you saw was one of the Pokemon's attacks." Cynthia sighed, ignoring him. "She escaped my grasp, I'm afraid. A shame, because I would've loved to catch such a vigorous creature."

"Was…" Niss took a step forward, eyes wide open. "Was that Pokemon a Monferno?"

Cynthia was somewhat taken aback by the intensity behind her voice. She tried to form a soothing smile and replied.

"I'm afraid not."

Her shoulders fell. "Oh…"

He grabbed her hand softly, almost palpably feeling her disappointment. He was glad to be wrong, too.

"Well, I'm glad you could escape that thing safely," he told Cynthia. "Though… it might be dangerous if that Pokemon's still running around with something that makes her so strong."

"Wait, that's it!"

He slightly jumped at the volume of Niss' voice, whose color seemed to return to her face. She turned to him and smiled.

"We're going to catch that Pokemon for you!" she assured, clasping his hand strongly. "You don't have a fire type yet!"

"What?"

Cynthia clapped her hands together, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Oh, that would be so lovely! I wish I could stay to see both of you fight."

"Hold on, I don't know if…"

"Alright, it's decided!" Niss punched her palm, showing a smile full of determination. "Sorry old lady, but I'm afraid me kicking your butt in a battle will have to wait for next time."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow, amused.

"If you say so," she whispered, as though she knew something Niss didn't.

Barry didn't even have time to protest as Niss grabbed him by the arm and walked into the deep of the forest. He barely saw the outline of Cynthia as she waved them goodbye.

"Have fun, kids!" she cheered. "Try not to get yourselves killed!"


The metaphorical trail of breadcrumbs couldn't have been easier to follow if there were giant, neon arrows guiding them. The smell of burnt earth became more potent as they advanced, and all around them small embers covered some of the bushes and tree trunks scattered around. Barry released Razen to extinguish any they saw, even if the humidity of the place made a forest fire an unlikely possibility.

Inyssa couldn't fathom why a fire Pokemon would hang around a place so… counterintuitive to its nature. As far as she remembered, most fire types tended to appear around the outskirts of the mountains and the southern parts of Sinnoh, where it wasn't as ruthlessly cold.

Maybe it belonged to a trainer, she thought.

She wasn't very thrilled with the possibility.

Next to her, Barry looked the most nervous she'd seen him in a long time. He walked with a stiff posture, fists clenched. His cheeks were pale, as well as his lips.

"This place feels weird," he said. "Maybe we should turn around."

She tried her best to make her expression unreadable. "Come on, we can handle anything this forest throws at us." She jokingly poked at his side with her elbow. "We're together, right?"

He nodded nervously. "Y-yeah. Right."

"Prii!"

Pedri's cry startled them. He stopped in his tracks, and a moment later Kuro lowered his legs, the fur on his back bristling. It took her a second to hear it, and when she did she really wished she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning.

A guzzling, tearing sound of teeth against flesh came from behind one of the nearby trees. With utmost carefulness they approached, walking into a miniscule valley between a group of trees.

A quadruped Pokemon stood in the middle of it, her skin black as coal. Thick, silver bones resembling a ribcage grew from her back to her stomach, becoming thinner as they went down. They couldn't quite see her face, which was lowered into…

Barry let out a gasp, and Inyssa came close to doing the same. Under one of her front paws lay the bloody corpse of a Pokemon, its body incinerated so badly she couldn't even make out which species it was. The stench of burnt meat made her heave as she pressed a hand over her mouth.

She knew she shouldn't have been so disgusted by the scene. Of course some Pokemon ate others, she'd known that her entire life. But that reality crashing with her so unexpectedly… she couldn't help but be somewhat terrified.

The black beast slowly turned towards them. Demonic, silver horns grew from the side of her head and curled backwards. Her canine snout was a faded, orange color, mostly stained with the dark red of its victim. There was no white in her eyes.

By reflex alone Inyssa took out her Pokédex:

Houndoom: The Cerberus Pokemon – Fire/Dark type. The pungent-smelling flame that shoots from its mouth results from toxins burning in its body, and should be avoided at all costs. They are very territorial and aggressive, though most will become loyal if caught by the right trainer. Long ago, people imagined its eerie howls to be the call of the grim reaper.

"Oh that's just fucking peachy," she whispered.

The Houndoom snarled, sending a low rumble through the ground. Faint wisps of fire escaped through her fangs as she fully turned towards them. Inyssa noticed something hanging from its neck, tied by a string. A bright red rectangle of stone, looking eerily similar to…

"It's one of those plate things," Barry said, voice shaking. "I… I knew I felt something weird from here."

She nodded wearily. Images from their time in the abandoned Chateau and close to that statue in Eterna came to mind.

The dark beast bared its fangs as it approached. Inyssa's hands went to Steven's Pokeball, while Kuro jumped in front of her and snarled in return. Pedri stood still, waiting.

"Rwaaaa!"

She physically felt the roar as it traveled through the air, hitting her square in the chest. Houndoom threw her head back, and a pulsing ball of flame started to form on her maw, growing with every second that passed.

"Is that…" Barry asked, eyes going wide.

Flamethrower! her mind screamed.

The column of fire fell on them a lot faster than they expected. Through its deafening roar she barely made out the sound of Barry yelling something, and less than a second after Pedri jumped forward, both fins raised. The attack clashed against the barrier of energy around them, exploding into a dozen threads of flame flying in all directions.

They still felt the heat, even after the fire dissipated. Around them the ground was scorched black in a circle. Flames licked at the outline of a few nearby trees.

Houndoom let out a sound that could've been a chuckle. She stood on her four legs straight, and waited expectantly. The previous attack must have been a warning, Inyssa realized. She was giving them a chance to get out of her territory now that they'd survived it.

The thought made her skin hot with anger. The nerve of that fucking thing…

"Wait, Niss!" Barry yelled once he saw her expression. "I don't know… I think we should leave her alone. She looks dangerous."

She didn't fail to notice the way his voice was shaking, and that made her even madder. She had to restore his faith in himself, no matter what.

"This is nothing compared with that Golurk," she said,. "We can catch this thing no problem."

As if on cue, Hao's voice came to life.

"Ni Ni, do you need my help? Trust me, those plates are bad news; I know exactly how much stronger and angrier they can make you if you're close to them."

Realization came to her then. What was it Cynthia had said when she ran into them? That the Pokemon she was hunting had stolen something from her? Something which, conveniently, made fire attacks stronger? Her eyes fell on the string connecting the plate with the Houndoom's neck; there was no way it could've been an accident. Cynthia had set this encounter up, for some ungodly reason.

She'd have time to worry about that later. Now there were more pressing matters at hand.

"You stay in there," she ordered Hao. "A single dark attack would knock you out, and I need you in case we need to send an emergency beacon. Barry…" She turned to him. "I promise you; we can do this. We'll have Pedri and Kitsune be our defense, while we attack with Razen, Steven and Kuro."

Barry seemed unsure for a moment, but after she smiled a certain weight seemed to drop off his shoulders. He returned it as best he could and nodded, grabbing two Pokeballs from his belt. Inyssa did the same. Houndoom realized there would be no peaceful resolution, and lowered her knees once more, ready to attack. Three consecutive flashes of light exploded around the trainers, from which materialized their partners.

"Steven, fly around and provide support!" she yelled, sending her palm forward. "Kuro, try to shock her!"

"Kitsune, f-form a barrier around us!" Barry ordered, voice wavering. "Razen, Aqua Jet! Pedri, get ready to jump in to defend him!"

The Buizel smiled as he covered his body in a thick sheet of water, and with a hit of his two tails against the ground flew forward with incredible speed. Houndoom opened her maw once more, but was too slow. The entire weight and momentum of Razen fell on her. She was thrown a few feet backs, her sharp claws stopping her before she slammed against a tree.

She stared daggers at her opponent, and without waiting she threw herself at him. She covered her fangs in pulsing black energy and lunged at his neck, maw wide open.

Her concentration broke as something slammed onto her side with the strength of a cannonball. The Staravia had flown down to attack, but was now stuck there for a few seconds. Houndoom switched directions mid fall and threw herself at him, snout brimming with flames.

Light shone at the edge of her vision, and a heartbeat later all her muscles contracted in pain as electricity hit her back. The flames evaporated as she crashed into the cold ground, jolts dancing around her body. The Luxio's cheeky laugh reached her, making her blood boil and skin steam.

Inyssa stared intently at what was happening, giving orders when needed and keeping an eye on the flow of the battle. Next to her, Barry was slowly easing back into his usual confidence, at the sight of how well they were handling the situation. Their Pokemon moved so much faster than they had done only a couple weeks ago. It was almost breathtaking.

She noticed their opponent grow more aggressive and impatient as the battle unfolded. Luckily Kuro was doing his job and breaking her concentration every time she tried to use Flamethrower. Still, the Houndoom might've tried to escape if things got too badly. She needed to prevent that. Her fingers closed around Bret's Pokeball, and a second later the flash of light evaporated around him.

"What are you doing!?" Barry turned to her, incredulous. "If that thing even touches Bret…"

She glared at him. "I have a plan, dummy. Bret, can you use Grass Knot with one hand?"

The Roselia raised an eyebrow, offended by the implication that he couldn't. She simply smiled and nodded.

"Here's what I need you to do."

She whispered something into his ear. Bret softly pressed one of his rose covered hands against the ground. It rumbled for a moment, and all around the battlefield dozens of thick vines exploded upwards, blocking any possible exit the Houndoom might've considered. As she got close to one of them all the nearby vines fell down like whips onto her body, forcing her back to the middle of the clearance.

"Alright, we've got her on the ropes!" she clenched her fist, almost tasting victory.

Barry formed a goofy smile. "Don't you mean on the vines?"

"That pun physically hurt me," Hao said from the Pokétch. "And I don't have a body, so make of that what you will."

"Come on, let him have this one," she tittered, looking up at the battle. "Everyone, attack at the same time!"

A cavalcade of attacks pelted the Houndoom, whose speed was declining fast as the fight continued. She couldn't last much longer; not with that kind of assault. Preemptively Inyssa started looking for a ball inside her coat, ready to hand it to Barry when the moment was right.

That's when Barry jumped, letting out a gasp of surprise.


He'd almost forgotten about the egg.

Yes, it was kind of a horrible thing to forget about, but he'd like to think he had some kind of excuse. Still, the moment he felt that violent tug in his backpack, reality came back to remind him, like a mother telling you to clear your room if you didn't want to lose your videogame privileges.

"What? What is it!?" Niss reacted poorly to his surprise, tone full of worry.

He took the thing out of his backpack, roars and grunts of battle still echoing around him, and held it in his hands as if it were a priceless antique. Fear and anticipation were clear in his face as they both stared at the egg. Just when he thought he'd imagined it, a small crack appeared on the shell.

"Oh… Oh no," he whispered, his voice much thinner than usual. "Wait, stay in there a bit longer! This isn't a good time!"

"This is literally the worst time!"

The egg had no consideration for his pleas, unfortunately. Whatever was inside pushed and struggled to escape with all its might, sending an almost heartbeat-like pulse of energy outwards. Every time the cracks on the shell widened light would filter from the inside, making it look like Barry was holding a very strange lantern.

The strain finally proved too much. Light blinded them as the top of the egg exploded, which caught the attention of their Pokemon and the wounded Houndoom.

Once it dissipated the first thing Barry noticed was two small, beady eyes looking straight at him. Its head was a soft, almost white-ish yellow, with spikes at the top in the form of a crown. Both arms were small and chubby, as were the legs. The entire rest of her body was still encased in the white shell, covered in blue and red marks.

Niss' Pokedex was the first thing to break the silence:

Togepi: The Sunshine Pokemon – Normal/Fairy Type. The shell encasing their body is said to be filled with their positive emotions, which they will share with those who are kind to them. Even though they are fragile there seems to be a strange, bottomless power residing inside them, which they will use in moments of need.

"Chi-prrii!"

The little bugger smiled at the sound of her name, so happily it almost hurt. She moved her stubby arms up, as if trying to get a hold of Barry, who was still too shocked to react.

Their momentary confusion gave Houndoom the opportunity she needed. With her opponents distracted she jumped backwards as far as possible, landing just out of reach of the vines. She lowered her body as though ready to pounce, but instead closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing.

"W-what is it doing!?" Niss came back to reality first, turning towards the fire Pokemon. "Shit, Barry, put that thing inside a Pokeball for now!"

"What? No!" He pulled Togepi closer, almost hugging her. "She was just born, we don't know if it's safe to put her there! Hey, hold on!" He felt her miniscule fingers grabbing his shirt. "Look, I love you too but this isn't the time for hugs!"

They heard a violent jolt as Kuro ran forward, his body covered in electricity. He was almost at the range to attack when the first wave hit him.

A circle of scorched earth appeared around Houndoom. Her skin turned from black to a bright, molten red as steam rose from every pore of her body. The heat exuding from her traveled like a shockwave, like a ripple in a pond.

Barry almost dropped Togepi when it reached him, making his eyes water and turning his throat as dry as sandpaper. In front of him Kitsune punched the air with his spoon, forming another energy shield around them.

"What is that!?" he yelled, panic clear in his voice.

Niss, quick as always, pointed with the Pokedex at the blinding ball of flames that was their opponent. The electronic voice was barely hearable through the rumble shaking the ground.

Inferno: The user of this attack gathers the heat in their body and releases it all at once in a devastating explosion of flames. Any Pokemon caught by it will receive a serious burn.

Images flashed through his mind, of the fight with Mars and the way his friends had ended in the floor, bloodied. A painful shock ran through his body.

"Everyone, fall back!" Niss hollered, eyes wide open. "Behind the barrier, now!"

"We gotta run away! That thing's too dangerous!"

"We're so close!" she protested, fingers turning pale against her Pokeballs. "If we can just…"

He didn't have time to protest. For a single moment which felt like an eternity, the rumble stopped, and all the fire and heat around Houndoom was sucked into herself. Silence swallowed the forest.

Then it exploded, as bright as a flash bang and as strong as an earthquake. The flames swallowed everything in their path, turning the ground into what looked like black glass. He felt the impact in his bones when it crashed against the barrier, and some of the heat slipped through. He didn't see how many of their Pokemon managed to shield themselves.

The barrier didn't shatter, but barely. As soon as the attack ended Kitsune released it, and promptly fell face first to the floor, unconscious. In front of them lay nothing but smoke, slowly climbing the air. The trees and vegetation around them had been burnt so badly that not even an ember remained.

That's when he saw it, and his heart dropped. Razen lay a few feet ahead of them, half his body steaming and part of his fur covered in small flames. He was flat on his back, and on top of him was Houndoom, immobilizing his arms with her paws.

"RAZEN!"

His scream tore through his throat painfully. He could feel Togepi moving her hands incessantly from one side to the other, but his mind didn't process it, too busy being frozen by terror.

All Razen saw through his half closed eyes was the beast's maw open, followed by a heat so intense he felt like he was going to pass out. He heard his trainer's scream, followed by those of Inyssa, ordering her Pokemon to help. But it was too late, and he knew it.

"Chii-prrii!"

Togepi screamed as she threw her arms as high up as she could. Startled, Barry looked down and saw that the tip of them had started to glow with a blue, pulsing light.

Niss' Pokedex spoke again, umprompted:

Metronome: The user waggles its fingers and taps into their hidden, cosmic power, summoning a completely random move.

As if on cue, Togepi threw her hands forward. For a moment nothing happened, and the next second Barry was blinded and thrown backwards like a ragdoll. A thick, ivory pillar of energy travelled forward, swallowing the Houndoom whole. The last thing he heard before falling to the ground was her ear-piercing shriek of pain.

He made sure to land on his back, which both kept his new Pokemon safe and knocked the air out of his lungs.

"Barry! Are you okay?"

With difficulty he dragged himself to his feet, the ball of joy and destruction still sitting happily on his palms. He looked at her first, then at the battlefield where Houndoom had fallen unconscious after the last attack.

"What… what the heck was that?" He rubbed his forehead, still a little dizzy. "How did you do that?"

Togepi let out another chirp of happiness, still smiling. He and Niss exchanged a puzzled look.

"That thing is insane," she laughed, eyes still wide in shock. "And… it's a baby."

Barry knew the fact that Togepi had been able to perform such a powerful attack was mostly luck, but he couldn't help but agree. Though at that point he was more relieved for Razen than excited about his new Pokemon.

Without delay he returned all his partners to their respective balls, and Inyssa did the same soon after. They approached the unconscious Houndoom carefully, and once at her side Inyssa kneeled next to it and snapped her collar, releasing the stone plate hanging from her neck.

"We can take a look at this later," she said, giving it to him to save inside his backpack. "For now, I think there's something you need to do."

He nodded, still shivering a bit, and took an UltraBall from his vest. It fell on the Houndoom's body and turned it into light, swallowing it. It wiggled thrice before confirming the catch, and only then did he allow himself a sigh of relief.

He felt Niss' hand on his shoulder, followed by an expression that looked half regret and half happiness.

"Sorry for pressuring you so much into this," she said, looking down. "I'm just… not used to seeing you so down, and I kinda freaked out. I wanted you to have a nice time."

"Come on Niss, no need to apologize!" He smiled brightly and, after putting his new catch on his belt, ruffled her hair playfully. "Thanks to you I have two new teammates!"

She gave him a non-verbal thanks, her cheeks turning a pale red.

"So… what are you gonna name them?"

"Well, I was thinking of naming this girl Wrathia," he said, looking down at his belt. "As for this cutie here…"

He raised the Togepi high into the air, as she giggled and shook her arms and legs.

"I think I'll go with Auri."