Silver Notes: I apologize for the length of this chapter, but there was too much stuff and I couldn't really break it into two. I hope it won't be a problem.


Pieces of a Puzzle


The minutes passed and Barry waited impatiently –had he ever done so otherwise? Probably not–, his foot rapidly tapping against the ceramic tiles of their room. He could hear Niss moving around behind him, the swoosh and swish of fabric against fabric almost silencing her hushed whispers.

"Shit, there we go," she finally said after a couple minutes. "All right… you can look now."

Swallowing down his excitement, he turned around as fast as he could and laid eyes on his friend's new outfit.

He was pretty sure he made some sort of sound, though he wasn't sure what kind. As he stood there gawking like an idiot, part of him noticed the slight blush covering Niss' cheeks, along with the way she looked at everything in the room except him.

"Well?" she asked, voice full of anticipation. "What do you think?"

She'd somehow found a way to keep the basics of her old outfit while still re-inventing it in an amazing way, that's what he thought. Her new coat was the exact same color as the last one, though shorter and more professional looking, not to mention opened in the middle to show her black sweater adorned with grey vine patterns. Her jeans were a bit darker now, and she'd replaced her tall, pink boots with more close-fitting ones, which were brown and looked made of fake-leather. A circle scarf adorned her neck, made of white cotton just like the old one. And, of course, a familiar hat of the same color rested atop her head, bringing the whole outfit together.

There were a lot ways he could describe what he thought of her new look, though almost all of them would've made the situation awkward. He decided to go with the safe –yet still true– option.

"Niss…" he whispered, shaking his head with a smile, "…how are you the coolest girl in the planet?"

Her eyes went wide, and the red in her cheeks exacerbated.

"Stop it, dumbass." She crossed her arms and looked to the side, a tiny smile forming on her lips. "You wanna embarrass me or something? I'll… punch you."

"Hey, you asked," he shrugged. "Seriously though, you look amazing! No one's gonna mess with us if they see you walking around like that!"

She scratched her cheek absentmindedly, still avoiding eye contact. "I guess I could live with that…" There was a pause, after which she swallowed hard and turned to look at him. "Thanks. I was really hoping you'd like it."

"Any time," he said. "Though… I was wondering. Why a red coat?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I never saw you as a red kinda person. You really like purple and white and pink, but these coats are the only time I ever see you use red."

Niss looked like she wanted to reply, but then her gaze turned distant and her mouth hung slightly agape. She closed it after a few seconds and gulped, looking down.

"It's… remember that one dumb anime I used to love as a kid?" she asked, forming an embarrassed smile. "The one about that one guy and his brother. I just… always liked the protagonist I guess, because he was also short and irritable and super arrogant but also kind of a cool guy?"

Realization dawned on him. "Oh, I remember! He also had a red coat, didn't he?"

"Yeah, that was the signature part of his outfit," she said. "And ever since I was a kid I always wanted a cool, red coat like that, but Shadi always told me I'd look ridiculous wearing grownup clothes while being a kid. Then… a few years after, I guess I decided to ignore her and just bought one anyway." She rubbed the back of her neck. "That's… that's the whole story."

The silence in the room persisted for a few seconds, until Barry took a few steps forward and surprised Niss by grabbing her arm and squeezing it slightly, a reassuring smile on his face.

"You sure showed her, then," he said. "Seriously Niss, you look incredible."

She only side-glanced at him, but still he felt her appreciation without even needing to use Mesprit's powers. He could've sworn he heard a whispered 'Thanks', followed by Niss standing up straight and imitating his smile. For a second, it seemed as if she wanted to say something else.

"…Anyway." She cleared her throat. "We should get going. We don't want your mom catching us."

"Yeah! Don't worry, we'll slip out easy," he declared. "She'll never know we even left."


Sunlight hit Sarah's face in the exact way she hated; that is, at all.

She raised a hand above her head to block it while she walked. Trying to ignore the throbbing of her temples, she moved the Poketch close to her mouth and spoke into it.

"Yes Palmer, I'm sure they sneaked out of the hospital," she said, tone rough and tired. "Though… it's fine, as long as they don't get themselves into trouble. They're getting discharged tomorrow anyway."

Her husband made a sound at the other side of the call, one which –even in her exhausted state– she identified as 'vaguely bewildered concern', or something like that.

"If you say so…" There was a small pause. "So… you're not going to tell them?"

She shook her head, then remembered Palmer couldn't see her. "I've been working my ass off so that Barry and Inyssa don't have to worry; the last thing I'm doing is tell them you're going on a dangerous mission."

"…Yeah, I guess."

She couldn't help but smile, making the sore muscles on her face hurt slightly. If only the public knew that the legendary Tower Tycoon Palmer was actually just a worried, insecure softie deep down. But… no, that secret was hers alone. One of the only things she'd been able to hold on to after all that had happened.

"I'll try to be back as soon as possible," Palmer assured her. "Just… take care of yourself, okay?"

She blinked a couple times, the town street in front of her slightly blurring. "…Yeah, alright."

"I'm serious. Remember to take a break, eat something and take a little nap." The concern and love in his voice would've moved her if she weren't so dazed by exhaustion. "Don't you dare collapse on me, okay?"

Her smile turned sour on her lips. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay." She hovered a finger over the screen of the Poketch. "I'll talk to you later. Good luck."

As soon as the call was finished, she approached the side of the street –avoiding a couple dozen people going about their business– and leaned her back against one of the nearby walls. Big gulps of air came in and out as she tried her best to ease the wild throbbing in her head and the soreness in her legs. The world around her shifted out of focus for a moment, before returning with vibrant clarity.

She'd lied. Just keeping up her tone when talking to Palmer had been difficult enough; walking to the other side of town just for her meeting would be almost impossible. Still, it wasn't like she had many options. There was no one else in the Association with her experience; every second she wasn't working toward finding and destroying Team Galactic was time wasted.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and almost fell asleep on her feet. Her body felt ready to give out, ready to…

No, she grit her teeth, forcing her eyes open. This is nothing compared to the war. Like hell I'm gonna collapse here.

With shaking fingers she pushed herself off the wall, legs wobbling as they were forced to bear the weight of her entire body. She breathed deeply for a moment, then raised her chin high and stared forward with a burning gaze.

Not before I finish this. Not… not before I make sure Barry's safe.


Despite loving all kinds of adventures, Barry had to admit to himself that those which involved sneaking around were not his forte. He was too tall and awkward to hide anywhere, not to mention he sucked pretty badly at not making noise while he walked.

Niss… well, she was a natural at it. Even all wounded and wearing her new coat which of course was blaze freaking red, she moved like a shadow through the sunlit streets of Celestic and was probably the reason no one had noticed them yet.

"Come on… should be right around this corner," she whispered to herself.

He followed as best he could, ducking slightly as to counteract his height. There wasn't much chance of running into someone they knew, but there would be hell to pay if Sarah realized they'd sneaked out of the hospital a day before they were discharged just to check out the ruins.

"How the heck do you remember where to go?" he asked, trying to keep up with Niss' swift stroll. "This whole city's like a giant maze, and not the fun kind."

"Hm?" She perked up slightly. "Oh, I memorized the map already. The town's structure isn't as complicated as it looks."

There she went, saying stuff like that as if it weren't a big deal at all. He could barely memorize the days of the week, how the heck was he supposed to make his way around a city built like someone smashed a bunch of spirals together and then spun them around a few times?

We all have our strengths, I guess.

Before he could think anything else, he saw Niss stop abruptly in front of him. She narrowed her eyes and extended her left arm back to stop him.

"It's here."

Slowly and –somewhat– methodically they approached the end of the alleyway and peered over the wall, their eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden sunlight.

The sight was, unfortunately, a familiar one. In front of them stretched an expansive circle of dark, almost polished stone. A few rings rose up from the edges, one of them littered with so much debris, the shape of it was unrecognizable.

That's where we fought… that thing, he thought, frowning.

At the base laid the strange, house-like wooden structure they'd seen the first time, and behind it rested the side of the mountain which served as the entrance to the Celestic Ruins. And at the sides of the entrance…

"Oh come on..." he whispered.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

A couple of guards stood at each side of the entrance, both equally tall and imposing. They looked all around with crossed arms and pronounced frowns, as if daring anyone who passed to make trouble. Not only that, but he noticed the distinct shine of Pokeballs on their belts.

"I don't remember guards being there the last time," he said. "Though… take that with a grain of salt I guess."

Niss shook her head. "I was there too, I'd remember."

He took a step back, gently nibbling on his thumb. "Hmm… maybe they'll let us through if we ask them? We could tell them we're tourists."

"Everyone in town knows who we are," she rebutted. "We have to sneak past them, somehow."

"We could teleport or something."

Niss frowned. "Only if you can do it. I've been practicing all week but I can barely lift a pebble a couple of inches." A sigh escaped her lips. "These powers are bullshit."

Her eyes went wide, in that way they did when Uxie was talking to her. There was a pause, and then she spoke to no one.

"Yeah well, that's just fucking wonderful." She looked over her shoulder at him. "How about you or Kitsune? Think you could get us in without those guys realizing?"

"I… don't know. We might end up teleporting inside the wall." He smiled at the thought, though Niss didn't seem to find it funny. "Not a very safe option."

"Then we'll need to distract them. If we release Steven and Razen and have them fight over there…" She pointed at the opposite side of the street. "Then those guys are gonna try to stop them. We can slip in when they're not looking and…"

Her voice trailed off, gaze lost for a moment, and then someone spoke behind them.

"And? What will you do after?"

Niss let out a sound like a Bunnelby grabbed by the ears and shot up. The last thing Barry saw before his vision went momentarily blank was the back of her head quickly approaching his face.

"A-Aagh!" Pain flared on his nose. He covered his face with one hand, his vision swimming.

"Son of a bitch!"

Luckily, their bodies were quick to react despite their astonishment. Both their free hands went to a specific Pokeball on their belts and in unison they turned toward the source of that voice.

Carolina raised an eyebrow, her wrinkly fingers tensing over the head of her cane.

"Is that how you greet an old lady?" she asked, a hint of a smile in her voice. "As confident as I am that I could whoop your butts even if you used Pokemon against me, how about you put those things back where they belong?"

Barry froze, dread sending a shiver through his body. Next to him, Inyssa's face had gone paler than usual, which was saying something.

"W-we're so sorry!" he blurted out immediately. "I… I mean we didn't think…"

Inyssa lowered her Pokeball. "How did you find us?"

A smirk formed on the old lady's lips, barely noticeable amidst all the wrinkles on her face. "Studied a map once and you already think you know every nook and cranny of this town? You don't know half the things you should if what you wanted was to sneak around unnoticed. As the previous Lorekeeper of Celestic, I have eyes all over the place."

He frowned, trying to determine if Carolina was mad at them or simply joking around. The thought of checking with his powers came to mind, but something told him it was a really bad idea to use them on someone like her.

"We were just… you know, looking around," said Niss, not very convincingly. "…Shit, you already heard us talk about distracting those guards, didn't you? Guess I can't fool you."

"No one can, dear," Carolina smiled. "However, I appreciate your efforts nonetheless."

Then, suddenly, her expression turned grim. She seemed to age years in a second alone, as she looked over the alleyway toward the guarded ruins.

"…Cynthia put you to this, didn't she?"

Barry's lips went pale. How the heck…?

"Y-yeah."

"She gave us a way to get answers without getting into trouble," Niss said. "We want to help, even if it's just a little. So, if you could let us see what's inside those ruins…"

"Very well."

Niss froze mid-sentence. She exchanged a look with him, her eyes spelling out 'Well… that was easy'.

"You'll let us in?" asked Barry.

"I'm not going to do anything, you witless boy." Carolina scoffed. "I am but a humble, old lady who wishes to have a simple talk with those two guards over there. And if, say, any unruly children happened to sneak into the ruins while they're distracted… well, that would certainly be no one's fault, no?"

It might've been just an involuntary facial tic, but he could've sworn Carolina winked at them.

"Alright I take it back," said Niss. "Rowan's been dethroned. Now you're the coolest old person I've met so far."

"Thank you so much, really," he added.

Carolina shook her head. "I'm not doing you a favor, so you shouldn't thank me for this." Once more her fingers played nervously over the head of her cane. "That darn granddaughter of mine… I've been taking care of her ever since she was a sprout and not even I know what's going through her head half the time. Knowing her, she probably expected me to run into you here. No… no, she must've known. Because…"

As she muttered, one of her hands went into the pocket of her shawl. She raised a closed fist toward them and slowly opened it, revealing what lay resting on her palm: a faded, golden ring built into a shape which seemed… strangely familiar. Two halves of a broken circle with an X piercing it through the middle.

"…You'll need this, if you want to see what Cynthia wants you to see."

Niss' eyes widened, "Hold on… isn't that like, a religious thing?" She asked. "I remember a giant one of these strapped to the front of a church I saw once. Isn't it supposed to represent the golden ring around Arceus' body or something?"

Caroline raised her head a bit, the darkness of the alleyway casting a strange shadow over her face. Her lips shook for a moment, and she let out a dry, sarcastic chuckle.

"Ha! Trust me, this symbol is older than any surviving religion," she said. "As is this ring, which has been passed from Lorekeeper to Lorekeeper ever since Sinnoh came into being."

"T-then why are you giving it to us!?" Barry asked, the weight of such a responsibility terrifying him.

"Because it's not mine anymore, it's Cynthia's," said Carolina. "And she wanted you two to have it. Of course I'll expect you to return it before you leave the town, but in the meantime… feel free to use it. You'll know how, when the moment comes."

Not quite knowing what to say, Barry reached out and grabbed the ring from the woman's palm. He expected something to happen as his fingers brushed it. A brilliant light, or maybe a rush of power. However, all he felt was the rough and cold surface on his hand.

He exchanged another look with Niss. What the heck were they supposed to do with it? Caroline spoke before he could think of an answer, though.

"Now… my bones are getting quite rattle-y from being still so much." She tilted her head to the side, a deaf crack coming from her neck. "I think I'll head over there to have my chat now."

She walked in between Barry and Niss, giving them nary a side-glance as she headed toward the entrance to the ruins. However, before she'd walked much, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Her expression was unreadable.

"I trust you'll soon understand the breadth of what you're getting into," she said. "Good luck. You'll need it."


Inyssa had made a very interesting discovery that day, as she thought back to her trial in the Lost Tower just before challenging Fantina. Turned out, she didn't mind caves and encloses spaces as long as they were wide and well illuminated. Unfortunately, the tunnel carving a path through the mountains toward the ruins was neither of those things.

It's just a cave; it can't hurt you, Inyssa had to constantly remind herself. Sure, it's pretty dark and kinda cramped and oh boy that ceiling sure looks like it could fall on top of me any second now…

Her fingers applied even more pressure on Barry's free arm, though not enough to seriously hurt him. He'd been kind enough to offer himself as a pillar for her to rely on, which she appreciated greatly since at the moment she was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other, not to mention doing so quickly enough for it to be considered walking.

"This place's been here for like, thousands of years," Barry reminded her. "I know we're pretty unlucky, but I don't think it's gonna collapse on us all of a sudden."

She tried to nod, though it came out as a spastic shake of her head. "Y-yeah, you're right. This cave ain't shit, it can't defeat me!"

Defiantly, she raised her chin to look ahead and almost fell from the sudden burst of vertigo. Dark, too fucking dark. She could barely see a few feet in front of them. Her face grew hot and she started to feel lightheaded. W-why was breathing so hard all of a sudden?

Then, like a really obnoxious light in the darkness, she heard Uxie's voice:

"You know, this might be easier if you could see better."

She closed her eyes, pressing her lips tightly. "…Yeah, no shit."

"H-hey!" Barry asked, turning to her. "What was that for?"

"Oh, sorry. Speaking to Uxie," she said. "Hey Uxie, I told you to put your voice on speaker when I'm with Barry."

"And I told you that I have no idea what that means."

"It means speak to both of us. It's confusing otherwise," she said, irritated, though she welcomed the distraction from the panic. "Anyway, what did you mean about seeing better? We already turned on the flashlights on these things." She raised her palm to show it her Pokétch.

There was a short pause, and she felt a foreign feeling of shame. "Of course… I must've forgotten to tell you. If you concentrate and draw upon my power you should be able to enhance your senses enough for this darkness to be inconsequential."

Inyssa stopped in her tracks, almost making Barry trip by holding his arm so strongly. She took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder.

"You know, for being the guardian of wisdom and memory and all that, you really suck at remembering things."

"Well... that is…" She heard a sigh inside her head. "Yes, I've been told."

Still, she couldn't be that mad at Uxie because she should've remembered it too. Hadn't she heard it from Carolina a few days ago, even? 'Finally, Uxie sharpened his mind and sight so that all his strikes and arrows would land true…' were the exact words she'd used.

Barry gasped in excitement next to her. "Whoa, so Niss can have like… super sight?" His expression brightened at the idea. "Can I do it too!?"

"I'm afraid not. Even discounting Mesprit's childish vow of silence, you would be unable to as it is an ability only accessible to those who bond with me."

"Aw, man…"

"Don't complain, you get to read people's emotions." She looked at Uxie again. "So, how do I do it?"

"That depends on you. Concentrate and try; that's the only advice I can give."

Of course, she thought bitterly. Getting a straight answer from Uxie was about as likely as getting it from a rock or a tree. Luckily, such frustrating teaching methods only made her more determined to succeed.

She forced herself to stare straight at the dense darkness of the tunnel, trying to ignore her inner screaming and the loud panic alarm ringing through her mind. Breathing and concentration, that was the key. Having a panic attack and curling on the floor while crying… not so much.

Eventually, it clicked. Her entire body shivered as an invisible current of electricity ran through her skin. The back of her eyes tingled slightly, and she felt the subtle difference as they changed from green to that bright gold.

"Alright, let's see here…"

She pictured the image of a volume slider in her mind and, as slowly as she could, reached for it and turned it slightly clockwise.

The change was immediate. An explosion of sensations flooded her entire body. She gasped, feeling every muscle in her neck contract with painful, uncomfortable clarity. The cave still looked as dark as it had done before, but now her sight could penetrate through it and notice even the smallest details of the walls and ceilings. The smoothness of the rock, the occasional stubbles of grass breaking through cracks on the ground, every individual speck of dust floating in the air…

But, unfortunately, it wasn't just that. She noticed the distant sound of rushing water, along with the hushed whispers of the guards they'd left behind. She heard Barry's breathing as if inside of her own chest. She felt every bump and pebble under her boots, along with the folds of her clothes against her skin.

Her tongue brushed the roof of her mouth, tasting the hot chocolate she'd drunk a few hours ago. The scent of dust, humidity and moss assaulted her nose like a noxious cloud of pest, only broken up by the lovely aroma of Barry's perfume. As she took a step back, eyes wide in surprise, the big scar on her back flared with a pain intense enough to make her clench her teeth.

"This particular ability was favored by those of my partners who dabbled in the warrior lifestyle," Uxie explained. "As you're nothing of the sort, it's bound to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Still, you'll get used to it with time."

"I won't," she muttered through her teeth. "This is the last time I'm doing this. It sucks."

Barry's hand brushed her arm, sending an uncomfortably specific shiver throughout her body. "Hey, what's it feel like?" he asked, starry eyed.

"Be grateful you don't know," she replied. "Come on, let's get this over with so I can stop… doing this."

She wasn't sure exchanging a paralyzing phobia for uncomfortable clarity was the way to go about getting over her fears, but it was a tad late to regret her actions now.

The tunnel kept spreading forward and downwards for what felt like ten minutes, though it might've just been her heightened senses messing with her sense of time. However, now she could see they were not simple, empty walls. Every now and then she noticed the faded remains of ancient carvings or drawings stuck to different parts of the rock. None of them looked distinct or recognizable, but they were still pleasant to look at when compared to everything else.

After a couple more minutes, they finally reached the end of the path. The walls widened slightly as they descended into an underground chamber the size of a large living room, almost completely circular except for the flat piece of wall at the opposite side. And on that wall…

"Wow…"

It had been smoothed out to the point it almost looked like glass, and painted on it was a fresco which span the entire length and width of the wall. The shapes and colors had faded somewhat, but even without her enhanced senses Inyssa wouldn't have had trouble recognizing what it depicted.

The triangular, towering shape which covered most of the wall had to be Mt. Coronet, as seen from the base of Celestic. It rose into the sky, piercing a thick sheet of clouds and stopping just before reaching the ceiling. A pulsing red light shone at the top, around which orbited the shapes of three familiar Pokemon, their bodies painted entirely white with the exception of their golden eyes.

She heard Barry let out a gulp of air. "This is…"

"Yeah, I know."

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and extinguished Uxie's power, like blowing on the flame of a candle. Her head swam for a moment as her senses returned to normal. Suddenly, the world around her felt much more muffled and distant.

"It's… the creation of Sinnoh," she said, her voice sounding strangely quiet inside her head.

A foreign feeling of uncertainty tickled the back of her mind. Was Uxie worried?

"Oh, yeah! There was a stained glass like this in that church I met Cynthia in."

"There's a bunch of these all over Sinnoh. Though I guess this one's the original." She took a step forward, narrowing her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. "That light at the top of Mt. Coronet must be Arceus, creating the lake trio and the entire region with…"

"That's not how it happened."

Her muscles tightened at the unusual force behind Uxie's voice.

"What did you say?"

"…You're wrong about this painting." Its tone was rough and resolute as it spoke. "Our birth and the creation of Sinnoh are two separate events, often mistaken for one. We were born some time after this land was."

"Really!?" asked Barry.

"But… what about all the stories and stuff?" she asked, brow furrowed. "And what do you mean after? I thought you guys were supposed to be one of the first Pokemon ever."

"It's a common misconception humans hold," it said. "The more powerful or important a legendary Pokemon is, the earlier they're believed to have come into this world."

"Then… how old are you?" asked Barry.

"I… am unsure of the exact number of years. However, I know that we came into existence shortly after humans did." Inyssa reeled back, blinking in surprise. "You were a much different creature at the time."

Then… what was there before? Inyssa asked herself. Tentatively, she took a step forward and brushed the smooth rock of the wall with a couple fingers. The scars on her arms tickled slightly, and she narrowed her eyes as she studied the image depicted atop the fresco.

Something felt wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Without thinking, she began speaking. "I… don't get it. You and your siblings aren't as old or as strong or as wise as people think you are, so… why does Team Galactic want you so much?" A small crease formed on her forehead. "The more I learn about this, the less fantastic it becomes. You're not gods, you're just a bunch of fuckups who happen to have cool powers and also a terrible family dynamic."

"That's kind of a rude way of putting it…" Barry scratched his cheek. "But… yeah, I was thinking the same. What does that Cyrus guy want with you three anyway?"

Uxie didn't reply immediately. At first Inyssa thought she might've offended it by being so crass, but the resigned tone in its voice as it spoke a few seconds after erased that possibility.

"I… don't know. I was the first to be captured, but I was never able to learn anything about this plan of his." There was a short, significant pause. "However… I imagine Mesprit might be able to answer that question if it weren't acting like a child and ignoring us."

Inyssa quirked an eyebrow up, "What does Mesprit know?"

"Oh, it knows plenty of things it shouldn't, you can be sure of that."

Never in her life did she imagine she'd hear Uxie, one of the primordial beings of spirit, talk with a catty, sarcastic tone inside her head. Then again, the unexpected had become kind of the norm lately.

"Look…" She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a sigh. "I can't heal your like… millennia-old relationship with your sibling, but maybe I can get you a therapist later if you stop being so goddamn cryptic and just tell us what we fucking want to know already!"

Her scream echoed off the walls for just enough time for her to realize how loud she'd been.

"…Sorry," she whispered, placing a hand against her face. "Didn't mean to yell. It's just… this shit's getting real old."

"I understand," said Uxie. "However, getting mad at us won't solve your problems. We are not omniscient, Inyssa, we can't…"

"No, she's right."

Barry's hand unconsciously closed around her arm, sending an explosion of pain throughout the length of her scars. Her teeth clenched strongly, but her mind was busy with something else. That voice… had it been…?

"Mesprit!" Barry screamed, his expression beaming. "You're alive!"

"…Wonderful," Uxie whispered.

"Where the hell were you?" she asked, her tone accusatory. "It's been two weeks!"

It was a weird feeling, technically yelling at Barry even though the target of her anger was the creature above him. She narrowed her eyes as she looked up, barely catching a glimpse of the legendary Pokemon's fleeting image. It floated in place much like Uxie did, and though its eyes were open no expression could be seen on its face.

"Ah… I'd almost forgotten how clingy you humans are." It's voice echoed in the empty cavern, a mix of smugness and something she couldn't identify. "I decide to nap for… a couple weeks, you said? And already you're acting like you can't live without me. I'm sorry, but you are not entitled to my time."

She felt Uxie's anger inside her. "You are not sorry, are you?"

"…No, I suppose I'm not."

The muscles on her arms tightened, a slight red tinting her cheeks. Mesprit was trying to provoke them to say something so it could justify its absence. Was it working? Well… yes, but she wouldn't give it the satisfaction anyway.

Barry sighed. "We were just worried. I thought something happened to you."

"Not to mention you're lying," she said. "Barry told me how scared you were of that Cyrus guy, so much that you abandoned us during the fight. Whatever you were doing, it wasn't napping."

She could neither see nor feel Mesprit's indignation at her words, but she had no problem imagining it. It brought her a strange, bitter satisfaction.

"I see… so that's what's been keeping you so hushed, Mesprit. I should've expected it."

"…You don't know anything, Uxie."

Uxie let out a dry, sardonic laugh. "Don't I? But it all makes sense now. You escaped to the depths of this boy's mind because you were confronted by your biggest fear: one of your mistakes coming back to bite you."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you!?" Mesprit bellowed, its scream exploding throughout the room like a powerful gust of wind. "Tell me Uxie, how many good people have you sent to their deaths lately you self-important, hypocritical piece of-!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Barry stepped forward, raising one arm to stop them. "All right, time out! I'm officially declaring a time out! You two need to chill."

Inyssa nodded, still reeling from the force of Mesprit's yell. This was getting them nowhere, she needed to steer back the conversation:

"Here's what we'll do: Uxie, shut up. Mesprit, say what you wanted to say and keep it brief. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit right now."

Okay, now she felt it. A tremendously powerful wave of rage hit her like a small hurricane, stealing the air from her lungs and threatening to topple her to the ground. She remembered how Mesprit had toyed with her the first time they'd met, how it'd almost killed her with a terrifying ease of mind. She'd clearly gone a step too far just now, and she might be about to pay for it.

But… now she could defend herself. Planting her feet firmly, she summoned the electric force behind her eyes and stared up at Mesprit, gold clashing against gold. She could almost imagine sparks flying between them as she folded her arms and set her jaw, unmoving.

"How… dare you order me around, you lowly human!?" Mesprit bellowed. "Do you have any idea who I am!? Any idea what I can do to you!?"

"Yeah, I do," she replied. "But I'm not gonna give you an ounce of respect until you've earned it. Don't like it? Feel free to exit Barry's body and roam around the region until you're caught by Team Galactic."

"Y-you…!"

"Times have changed. We're not as stupid as we used to be and we're not gonna praise the ground you… float on, just because you're a legendary Pokemon. You're stuck in the same shitty boat as us, and until you get your head out of your transparent ass and contribute something to help our situation, you're just going to be a burden. Got it?"

She raised an eyebrow as she pronounced the last two words, which seemed to hang in the air for far longer than they should've. Mesprit said nothing. Uxie's repressed laughter bubbled in her mind. Next to her, Barry whistled.

"I knew there was a reason I liked you," Uxie whispered.

"…Yeah, laugh it up you bastard." Mesprit's voice came out hushed, a strange mix of bitterness and shame. "Stream and stone, talking to one of you Shockeyes is always a waste of time. I could be telling you the sky is blue and you'd still find a way to prove me wrong."

Barry cocked his head, "Huh? Shockeye?"

"Hm?" Mesprit looked to the side, anger absent from its voice for a moment. "…Oh, right. You don't know."

"Shockeye is a clandestine, sometimes derogatory term used to refer to humans who have bonded with me," explained Uxie. "It originated a couple thousand years ago, though its use has declined in modern eras, for obvious reasons."

"My partners, on the other hand, are called Galehearts," said Mesprit proudly. "A much better name, if I do say so myself."

"That is so cool," Barry whispered, lips curling into an excited smile.

Inyssa furrowed her brow. The names didn't seem to have much to do with the aspects Mesprit and Uxie embodied, Emotion and Wisdom. On the contrary, they'd probably been made in reference to the first people to ever bond with them; how many stories had she read where Synn used his giant fan to control the wind, or Noh called forth thunder to eliminate his enemies? Which meant…

"I'm guessing… the name for people who bond with Azelf has something to do with fire?"

"Why would it…?" Barry's eyes narrowed for a moment, then they shot open as he placed a palm against his forehead. "O-oh… I just got that one."

Her lips pressed tightly, trying to contain laughter. A few seconds passed, and only then did Uxie reply:

"That is… to be honest, Azelf hasn't bonded with many people ever since…" There was a short, awkward pause. "…In any case, if one were to hypothetically come up with a name for them, perhaps Flamesoul would work?"

"Ugh, that name's terrible," complained Mesprit. "Though this is Azelf we're talking about, so I suppose it fits."

The room stood silent for a few moments, presumably while they all thought what to say next. While the few tidbits of information they'd learnt were pretty interesting, they shed no light on the answer to the question they'd come to the ruins for: what was Team Galactic's plan?

She bobbed her head slightly. "I think we got derailed here. Mesprit, you were going to say something?"

For a moment it looked as if it was debating whether to reply sarcastically or not, though thankfully it must've realized they'd wasted too much time already doing that exact thing. She heard it sigh, then speak:

"The only reason I came out was to… clarify something. Otherwise Uxie would've explained it itself and would've painted me in a bad light in the process." She felt Uxie about to reply, but hushed it with an angry glare. "What I wanted to say was… ah, how to put this. There is a… non zero possibility that I might be partly responsible for the creation of Team Galactic."

Inyssa blinked twice. "…Excuse me?"

"Sure, consider yourself excused."

A vein popped up on her forehead. I'm gonna find a way to astral project myself so I can punch you in the goddamn face, she thought.

"I think what she meant was that we… don't get it," said Barry, scratching his cheek. "What do you mean you're responsible?"

"Might. I said I might be responsible," Mesprit whispered. "You see… that man Cyrus, I might've wronged him in the past and it's possible that's the reason he's after us."

"Do you think this might be revenge?" asked Uxie, its tone intrigued. "It would be justifiable on his end, though I don't see why he'd target me as well."

"Hey, time out again!" Barry raised his hand high, frowning. "I could really use a whistle for this. Anyway, what are you two talking about?"

"What happened between you and Cyrus?"

"It was Azelf who started it." As it spoke, Inyssa could make out a hint of defensiveness in its voice. Whatever Mesprit was about to tell them, it really didn't want to. "We hadn't heard from our sibling in ages, and one day out of the blue it tells us we need to meet. And when we arrive at Lake Valor, what do we see? It'd bonded with another human!"

Inyssa startled for a moment, her eyes going wide. That meant…

Barry asked the question for her, his voice full of disbelief. "A-Azelf bonded with Cyrus?"

"I know, right!?" Mesprit shook its head, letting out a scoff. "This bastard spends thousands of years lecturing us about how bonding with humans is pointless and a waste of time, and then it goes and does it anyway! And do you want to know the worst part? The icing on the cake? It came to us because it wanted our help! Can you believe it!?"

Uxie sighed. "It… seems this man had encountered Azelf after looking for it for a long time. I don't know how, but he managed to convince our sibling to become his partner, along with… other things."

"He must've been one hell of an orator, because as soon as we met with them Azelf asked us to help them in stopping a war!"

"A w…" Inyssa whispered in disbelief "Wait, you mean the war!? Like… the one that ended twelve years ago?"

"It would appear so," said Uxie. "I can't possibly conceive how this man made Azelf care about a human conflict, but…"

"We refused, of course!"

Barry shook his head. "Why!? If you could've helped…"

"We don't get involved in human wars anymore," said Uxie. "Not since the first one."

Mesprit nodded. "Why should we? Every time I wake up from a nap you humans are fighting another pointless war."

Inyssa could feel the heat running beneath her skin, and did her best not to say anything. On one hand she understood; these were almost timeless beings who'd seen millions die by the passage of time, but still…

They could've stopped the war sooner, she thought bitterly. My dad, Reiko's family… if the lake trio had intervened, maybe they would still be alive…

"What happened then?" she asked through pursed lips.

"Well I was furious, of course! To think this bastard was pretending to have a change of heart, telling us about how we could help and change the world for the better… it was sickening." Mesprit made a sound which she couldn't categorize as anything else but a mix between a heave and a cough. "It looked so happy with its little human, too. After everything that had happened, after Nyss, to see Azelf this way…"

She expected Uxie to complete the sentence, like it'd done so before, but as the silence stretched and stretched she understood they'd reached the crux of the issue. Whatever came next, Mesprit was the one who needed to say it.

"I… I might've acted without thinking," it said, a tinge of shame in its voice. "I was so angry, I wanted to hurt Azelf but I had no way of doing so. At least… not directly." There was a small pause. "I did it without thinking. I approached the man Azelf had bonded with and… I erased the emotion out of his spirit."

A moment passed in silence, and then it happened.

The air of the cave vibrated, and Inyssa was hit by a wave of emotion so powerful she was almost knocked off her feet. Her hand unconsciously moved to press against her mouth, disbelief and disgust rising from her stomach like bile, making her feel as if the nerves on her gut were on fire.

Eyes wide, she turned toward Barry. He stood still, looking up at Mesprit with eyes like solid gold. His expression was indescribable.

"I… oh my god…" His face scrunched up in disbelief. "It makes so much sense now. I… I knew I felt something weird from him, but…!"

Her knees wobbled, but she somehow managed to stay on her feet, the world blurring around her. The sensation was like nothing she'd ever felt before, not even when at her most furious; it sapped her will and conscious mind, rendering her unable to even summon her own powers to protect herself.

Before, she'd never understood how something as abstract as emotions could be used as weapons. But… having her friend's anger and contempt exploding outwardly, amplified tens, no, hundreds of times, she finally understood.

"B-Barry…" she whispered, voice forced and hoarse.

"I… can't believe it." The boy grabbed his head, grimacing. "That's awful! Why would you do that to someone!?"

Inyssa clutched her chest, the frenzied beating of her heart almost deafening her. "Barry…"

"Why didn't you tell me before!? If you did that then…"

"BARRY!"

Her scream momentarily startled him out of his rage; just enough for his eyes to shift back to their usual brown. He stared at her, brow furrowed, for a second, until realization dawned on him.

"A-ah… I'm sorry!" Immediately the oppressive aura disappeared, and he approached her with a clear look of guilt. "I didn't mean to do that, I'm so sorry!"

"It's… fine." She closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. Her entire body felt numb. "Just don't do it again."

Another minute, another awkward silence. She was starting to get tired of them, and it only had a little bit to do with the fact Barry's emotions had just been flared toward her to the point of torture.

She bit her lower lip, forcing the pain away by will alone. This had been a pretty shitty mystery hunt so far; the last thing she needed was to fall apart on everyone when she was needed the most

"It makes sense that Cyrus' emotions were erased," she said, tone tired. "But… I really don't think he's doing all this for revenge. You weren't there when he gave his speech; he's… fighting for something. An ideal or… I don't know, but it's something else besides wanting to get back at you. So if you were worried about that, then don't."

A faint sense of appreciation made its way toward her, but she slapped it away like an annoying mosquito. She wasn't done yet.

"That doesn't mean you're off the hook, though," she frowned. "What you did was disgusting and selfish, and you deserve much worse than what you got."

"It wasn't just me who…"

"I'm not done," she cut him off. "You should've paid for your actions, but you didn't. Now you can either run and hide like a coward, or you can own up to it and help us make things better."

She expected Barry to say something, to agree with her and try to convince Mesprit to change its attitude. However, as she looked to the side she barely caught the light of his Pokétch lowering to the ground, his expression darkened and impossible to read. Was he still angry? Personally she didn't think erasing someone's emotions was much worse than killing them, but it made sense Barry thought otherwise considering… well, everything about him.

"Tsk, it's not like me to get chewed on by a human twice in a row," Mesprit whispered to itself. "Mark my words, girl; your irreverence will come back to bite you in the end. However… I wonder. Making things better… is such a thing even possible?"

The question had been rhetorical, she could sense that much. Mesprit stared at nothing, lost in thought, for what felt like an entire minute.

"…I'll retreat to the boy's mind for now," it said. "There is… much I need to think about."

Inyssa raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to come back this time?"

"I will. It's clear you don't expect me to take you up on your offer, and I've always been fond of proving others wrong. Until then, farewell."

Its transparent guise dissipated, and for the first time Inyssa felt its presence leaving the room. Barry, however, didn't seem to pay much attention to it. He was still looking away, a hint of bitterness in his expression.

She took his hand and squished it slightly. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we need to concentrate on finding more clues."

He nodded absentmindedly, "Y-yeah, you're right. Though…" He looked at the painted wall. "Is there anything else to see here? We learned what this painting meant and a lot of other useful stuff."

"Yes, I was about to voice similar thoughts," said Uxie. "I don't believe there's anything else of interest here."

She gave them a slight shook of the head. "All the information we learned was thanks to Uxie and Mesprit, but Cynthia doesn't know we have them. She expected us to find answers… some other way."

A sly smile formed on her lips as she said that and, just to complete the gesture, she raised a hand palm up and held it to Barry, expectant.

Seconds passed in silence. Inyssa's smile dropped, replaced with a look of disappointment and a sigh.

"The ring, Barry."

"Oh! Right, right…"

Cheeks flushing, he looked down at one of the pockets of his jeans. His brow furrowed slightly, eyes taking on a slight gold tint, and a moment after the ring shot up as if fired from a gun. It hovered in front of his face for a second, then slowly floated toward Inyssa's open palm.

Yeah I get it, you're good at using those powers, now stop showing off, is what she wanted to say. However, Barry's arm on the side of that pocket was broken, and considering how upset he'd looked before she figured a bit of showing off wouldn't hurt anyone.

"All right, let's give this a spin."

She spun the ring between her fingers as if it were a coin, and after taking a deep breath slipped it on one of them.

The fresco began to move, startling her to the point of almost dropping the ring.

"Holy crap!" Barry gasped.

"What the…?"

It wasn't the stone that moved. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the painting itself shifted in its entirety as if it were some kind of video. The clouds surrounding Mt. Coronet's peak moved to the right at breakneck speed, disappearing as soon as they hit the wall and re-appearing on the other side.

Without thinking, Inyssa summoned forth Uxie's power and enhanced her senses again. An explosion of light and sound stunned her for a moment, but it wasn't as disorienting as the first time. Now she could see every tiny detail of the painting as it changed; the vibrant green at the mountain's base, the shining white at its peak, the three siblings of the lake trio and the red light between them, it all disappeared. Mt. Coronet stood now as nothing more than a gigantic slab of rock, stripped of all life.

"What's it doing?" asked Barry with urgency. "Is it… showing us the future or something?"

She shook her head. "The sun's moving from west to east; it's going back in time."

As she said that, it started slowing down. Then, when the sun and clouds were almost completely still, it happened in a flash.

Three balls of light materialized at the peak; however, they were not arranged in a triangle like the lake trio had been. They formed a line; two smaller lights at the side, blue and pink, and a much bigger one in the center, a piercing, perfect white.

Had Inyssa not enhanced her senses, she probably wouldn't have noticed them. They lasted for less than a second and then… nothing.

With time slowed to a crawl, she saw as the land, sky and the entirety of Mt. Coronet dissipated into nothingness. An opaque, uniform sheet of black swallowed the entirety of the wall and, after what felt like an entire minute, writing appeared in the middle. The letters were painted a shining white and contrasted immensely with the rest of the wall.

It took her a moment to realize where she'd seen those letters before. Eyes going wide, she turned to look at Barry and found him mirroring her expression.

He gulped, "You think…?"

"Let's try it out."

They looked at the wall once more and flared their eyes in unison. The shapes of the letters didn't change, but suddenly she could understand their meaning, like pieces of a puzzle fitting together. Muttering under her breath, she read the inscription aloud:

In the beginning, there was only a churning turmoil of chaos.

At the heart of nothing, a light shone, giving rise to the Original one.

From its power, two beings the Original One did make.

Time started to spin. Space began to expand.

From its soul, three living things the Original One did make.

The two beings wished, and from them, matter came to be.

The three living things wished, and from them, spirit came to be.

The world created, the Original One hid itself in the Hall of Origin.

Its door was locked. Its key was hidden; shattered into seventeen shards.

Its duty fulfilled, the Original one took to unyielding sleep.

About a million thoughts and question began to buzz inside her mind as soon as she finished reading. However, there was one which buzzed the loudest.

One of the lines is missing, she thought, frowning. Someone intentionally erased it.

While she debated which of the many, many inquiries inside her head she'd voice, she heard Uxie speak behind them.

"You know, fun fact about that inscription…"

Both her and Barry looked over their shoulders. While it wasn't reflected on its transparent body, she could feel a cheeky smile coming from the legendary Pokemon.

"…it is actually a poem. And, strangely enough, it rhymes in its original language."


Half an hour later, the sun began to set as they made their way back from the ruins.

Inyssa wouldn't have realized if she hadn't looked up at the sky. Somehow, the glass-like stone used to construct most of the houses in Celestic had the strange quality of retaining an impressive amount of heat and sunlight even as night approached. Still, even such a cool phenomena couldn't keep her attention in lieu of what they'd seen at the cave.

It'd been a long time since she'd encountered such an interesting and complicated puzzle. She rejoiced at the feeling of her mind working at full capacity to try and unravel it, even if she would've never said so out loud.

"So…" Barry scratched his head, trying to summarize what she'd been saying, "…there were two other Pokemon before the lake trio, and they embody time and space?"

"It's the most likely explanation," she said. "The white light in the middle has to be Arceus, though I don't know why they call it the Original One in that inscription." She furrowed her brow, deep in thought. "Though… I wonder about that line that was erased. If we follow the narrative structure of the poem, that line should talk about what was the original duty of the lake trio, like it did so for the other two Pokemon."

"Isn't their whole deal that they created the human spirit? Wouldn't it be about that?"

"Why would they erase it if that were it?" she shook her head. "It has to be something else. Uxie, do you know anything about that?"

"I'm afraid I do not," it said. "I am not aware of any special duty the Original One could've given us, besides being the guardians of Spirit."

She clicked her tongue. "Then there's still something we're missing."

Not only that, she thought. That line about the seventeen shards… she was starting to get an idea as to what they referred.

"Still, we learned so much cool stuff!" Barry bumped his shoulder against hers, smiling. She could tell what he'd said didn't include the bit about what Mesprit had done, though. "With your super brain I'm sure we're gonna figure out something big in no time!"

"…Super brain?" she raised an eyebrow, trying to contain a smile. "Anyway, let's hope so. With some luck the rest of the info we need will be in Canalave's library."

By the time they reached the hospital, the sun was barely a sliver of light in the horizon. They stood a street away from the entrance, looked around to make sure neither Sarah nor Palmer were close to catch them, and then finally headed inside.

"We should start packing," said Barry as he opened the door. "Dad said he wanted us up early tomorrow to take us to Floaroma."

She nodded absentmindedly, "You go ahead, I have to go get Shadi's Pokeball from the nursery."

The Kricketot had taken much more damage than any of their other Pokemon during their fight with Cyrus, and as such needed to stay in intensive care for almost two weeks. Inyssa felt a clump on her throat as she remembered the state she'd been in the last time she'd seen her.

"Oh… okay," said Barry, concern written all over his face. "Good luck, then."


Some part of Inyssa –the one she'd been trying to bury into the darkest recesses of her mind for a while now– knew her good mood at their discoveries couldn't last forever. Something, or someone, would eventually come to smash it to pieces.

As it had happened a million times before. As it was happening right now, with her standing across the counter of Celestic's makeshift Pokemon nursery, fingers pressing strongly against Shadi's Pokeball.

"You… you told me she'd be okay!"

Fear permeated her voice like a thick, corrosive poison. The nurse flinched and took a step back, hands going to her chest for a moment. This wasn't right, the logical part of her mind told her. The woman wasn't responsible, she was simply the messenger. And still…

Uxie said something behind her, reprimand in its tone. She didn't care.

The nurse swallowed before speaking. "Please… let me explain. I know this can be hard…"

"What… happened?" Inyssa asked, desperation in her voice. "I… I'm here waiting for two goddamn weeks because you told me her recovery would take some time and… and now you tell me…"

She couldn't finish the sentence, her throat blocked by something hard and unpleasant. Her eyes began to sting.

"It's… it's not simple. We thought you already knew, we thought the nurses from other Pokemon Centers would've warned you already…"

"Warned me about what!?"

"I… here. Please, sit down so I can explain."

She did so reluctantly, the stiff wood of the chair hurting her back as she leaned against it. The few lights adorning the room were pale and sickly, and the scent of antiseptics hung in the air like a cloud of pest, one she'd gotten familiar to over the course of the past two weeks. It was a necessary building, but it lacked the warmth and familiarity of a real Pokemon Center.

"I need you to listen to me, okay?" the nurse asked. Inyssa nodded weakly, her lips thin and pale. "Your Kricketune is… technically fine. We've taken care of all her wounds and as far as her physical condition is concerned, she's already made a full recovery."

"Then what's the problem?"

"It's… it's not an easy thing to bring up. You might not be aware…" A crease of worry formed on the woman's forehead. "Tell me, how much do you know about bug Pokemon?"

Inyssa frowned. "As much as any other type, I guess? What does this have to do with Shadi?"

"Well, she is one, for starters. A very powerful and well trained one, but a bug type nonetheless." The woman looked down, fingers playing with the fabric of her uniform. "I'll just… come out and ask. Are you aware of the average lifespan of a bug Pokemon?"

Her breathing froze. Inside her ribcage, it felt like cold, sharp fingers grabbed onto her heart.

"Y-yeah. I know."

"I figured that was the case," the nurse said, sighing. "And I wanted to let you know that we made some tests on your Kricketune to determine how old she is. That's… when we noticed."

No…

Her voice came out forced and high pitched. "Noticed what?"

"Well, according to the results of the test she should have… most of her life ahead of her." Inyssa noticed the way she'd avoided mentioning a concrete number of years. "However, the state of her body tells a very different story."

No, no, no…

"After taking a closer look, we realized she looks a lot more mature than we expected."

Please stop…

"Not only that, but the muscles on her wings, legs and arms were incredibly deteriorated for someone as young as her."

Shut up! Just shut up!

"The only explanation we can think of is that her body can't keep up with the… amount of power your training has led her to develop."

I-it's not my fault, please…

Inyssa took a moment to breathe, shaking off the voice booming at the back of her head by willpower alone. Her muscles were tightened painfully, and she could feel sweat forming on her neck and forehead, but still she looked up and answered.

"I… don't get it," she said. "I trained her the same way I trained all my other Pokemon. There's nothing different about her…"

"Listen to me."

She closed her mouth, jaw set in fear. The nurse sighed and rubbed her eyes before continuing:

"It's… very nice of you to want to give that Kricketune a chance. Whether you did it out of a sincere appreciation for her or just because you wanted to prove you could, it doesn't matter." She paused, breathing in. "But that doesn't change the fact that she's still just a bug Pokemon. Her body can't handle the level of combat you've been putting her through."

"B-but what… what about Aaron!?" She asked, tone desperate. "He's part of the Elite Four and he specializes in bug Pokemon, doesn't he!?"

"That's different. Most of his Pokemon have a secondary type that counteracts the Bug type's brittleness, and those who don't he uses mostly for support," she said. "He's only gotten so far because he understands his partners' limits."

Inyssa bit her lip, shaking her head strongly. "No, Pokemon have no limits! Every… every one of them can beat another as long as their trainer is skilled enough!"

"It's very nice of you to want to believe that." The nurse reached across the table and placed a hand on hers, forming an apologetic smile. "But there are some things you can't achieve with willpower alone."

Her gaze moved down to her right hand, still firmly gripping Shadi's Pokeball. Had… had she known? All this time, had she known that she was being pushed way past her limit? And even still, she kept trying day after day, just for her.

Just for me…

"I… don't get it," she said, choked up. "There were other trainers with a Kricketune, I saw them during my journey. What about them?"

The nurse shifted in her seat, looking down. "Most Kricketune are caught for artistic purposes, since they can use their scythes to play music like a violin. They're often sought for by rich people, to keep as pets." There was a pause. "As for trainers, I'm guessing most of them release theirs once they've… outlived their usefulness."

It was a miracle she didn't heave as soon as she heard that. That familiar, pulsing heat began to grow from her chest outwards, tinting her cheeks red.

So she really was abandoned, she thought, furious. That night when I found her outside that Pokemon Center…

"I... I promised her I'd make her strong." Her voice came out more like a plea than anything else. "I promised her she'd be there when I became the Champion. She's my strongest Pokemon!

"And I'm sure she's very proud of that. Your Kricketune has probably experienced a level of combat that no other member of her species has. She's pushed past her limit time and time again, but… she can't keep doing it for long." Her brow furrowed, expression turning serious. "I'm not telling you to get rid of her, but you need to find another way for her to fight or I doubt she'll survive to see the end of this year."

Inyssa didn't reply, gaze still set on Shadi's Pokeball. In the back of her mind, she heard herself speaking a familiar phrase:

There's not a single Pokemon I can't achieve victory with!

How false it sounded now, how mocking. She remembered back to when she was still in trainer school, the excited chatter of her classmates about what Pokemon they wanted to catch when they finally went on their journey. What kid hadn't dreamed of taming a Charizard or a Tyranitar? What kid could deny the appeal of such terrifying beasts; the very epitome of power itself?

Well… she had. And now she was paying for it.

But still, she couldn't go back on a promise, especially not one she'd made to her closest partner. Even if it was impossible, even if she had to think day and night without a minute's sleep, she would find a way for Shadi to fight without hurting herself. It's the least she owed her.

She… no, they would prove everyone wrong. Her fingers curled strongly against Shadi's Pokeball, and she smiled.

Someday, you'll stand at the top with me, she thought. And no one will be able to look down on us.

"I'll do it." She looked up at the nurse, resolute. "I promise I'll find a way."