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Chapter XXI - Liar


"Damnit, Drayden, just listen to me!"

Crag's near-roar was followed by a frustrated stomp that shook the items on Drayden's desk. He was growing progressively more angry with Drayden as the conversation passed.

"You saw what happened when the kid discharged! Imagine what would happen if he actually attacked!"

"What would you have me do, Crag?"

"Hand him over to Vicus already! He can contain it!"

"Vulcan came and spoke with me about your conversation with him in the tunnels. I must ask the same question he did then. What happens if Nox attacks Vicus?"

"He's Vicus. You don't think he could take on a hatchling like him?"

"You and I both know this is no ordinary kit. Everybody in this complex knows this is no ordinary kit. Crag, please, find reason."

"Reason is only killin' us faster! We can figure out how to try and keep everything cool when we bring 'em down, but if we keep doin' what we're doin', Alder's gonna eventually figure out everything! All it takes is one slip up and we're done."

"So you want to stop dancing around the subject and figure out what Nox is exactly?"

"Yeah! What's wrong with that?"

"Mew, put plain and simply. If we introduce Nox to Vicus too early, we lose the only leverage we had on Mew. I understand what we're doing now is risky, Crag. Alder is catching on to more and more each day regarding the operation. However, we must choose between Vicus' safety and Alder's knowledge of what goes on here."

"Vicus ain't in any danger, though! Even if we let Mew out now, she won't do anything!"

"Can you guarantee it?"

"Probably! She's just as scared as he is, as you are! She coulda easily killed all of us when we captured Ray's team, but she didn't. She ain't stupid, Drayden."

"It's a risk both Vicus and I are unwilling to take. Thank you for speaking your mind, however I have to deny your request."

"Drayden, c'mo-"

"I'm giving you the day off. I'd appreciate it if you would teach Nox a bit more regarding technique. Skipp has shown him more of the basics, but I need you to help us, Crag. Help us find his excess power and figure out how to mold it so we're safe. Can I trust you to do that?"

The Druddigon was simply livid. He sent his trainer a scowl as he turned and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

If he had to choose one of his teammates he thought he knew would help, Drayden was it. Just like Seraph and Vulcan, however, the Gym Leader shot down his ideas before he could even voice them fully.

For that, he was angry…

Very angry.

Seraph met him outside with an annoyed gaze, matching his moderate pace as he stormed down the hallway.

"I'm assuming Drayden shared my opinion?"

"Shut up."

She sighed. "It's for the best, Crag. All we can do is make sure Alder doesn't figure anythi-"

"I said shut up!"

He turned on her, face oddly neutral and eyes ablaze. Seraph took a surprised step back.

As the echo of the roar slowly faded into nothingness, both of the dragons picked up on another, distinct sound further down the hallway.

Yelling. All sorts of different voices, calling out in fear.

Allowing himself to calm down enough to shoot a short glance at Seraph, Crag grunted and led the way to the lobby and the commotion within.


"..."

"Misa?"

"I'm fine. Just not feeling the greatest."

"You don't have to get up if you don't want to."

"I said I'm fine, didn't I?"

"You don't look like it… You're green."

"I'm always green."

In truth, I myself was feeling much better about the previous night. The fact I once again had my recurring dream showed me yet another reason why being human would be much, much more favorable. Mew's absence I found increasingly concerning. Was she really speaking to Jet every single night? It was worth investigation.

Misa was already halfway through the door by the time I finished my introspection. I followed her worriedly.

"I can get Seraph, Misa… We all get sick sometimes, it's nothing wrong with you."

"Just leave me alone, Nox… That's an order."

I froze as she continued down the hallway towards the kitchen. It had been awhile since she'd actually given me a serious order.

I sighed, resigning to check and see where we were. By pure coincidence, Skyla's room was just to the left. With nothing else to do, I pushed through the unlocked door and into the dark room, closing it behind me.

She was still asleep. I wasn't exactly hungry at the time, and it was still early in the morning.

I simply hopped onto the bed and curled up against her side. She shifted in her sleep, throwing an arm over me as I settled.

I needed more time to think. What I had let happen the previous night was unacceptable, plain and simple. I had to remember my place in all this.

"Something up?"

I peered through the darkness at Skyla's face. Her eyes were still closed. It wasn't as if she could see me, anyways. I knew it was too dark for a human, as the room was then.

I grunted out a simple 'meh' in response.

"Mm… What time is it?"

Skyla rolled over to look at a digital clock on her bedside stand.

"Six thirty… You guys get up early, huh?"

I elected not to answer.

"Alder didn't talk to you again, did he? Is that why you're in here?"

I shook my head, making sure she felt it.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep, then," she then said sluggishly, laying back down while reaching a hand to scratch my head lightly. "Wake me up if anything happens."

I responded silently, shifting into a more comfortable position as she closed her eyes yet again.

My eyes were only shut for half a second before the door exploded in loud banging. Instantly on alert, my ears pressed against my head as I jumped away from the noises.

Skyla was jolted awake, the banging having continued. She struggled for a few moments to throw off the sheets before sluggishly moving towards the door. Still on alert, I watched the door with wide eyes from the bed.

She'd hardly even opened the door an inch before a terrified Flygon burst into the room, shouting.

"Nox, Nox, are you in here?!"

I supposed Skipp couldn't see me as well as I could see him because of the lack of lighting in the room. After getting over my initial shock, I tried calming my voice as I responded.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's going on?"

Skipp's eyes locked onto me as if to verify I was really myself. He sighed shortly afterward.

"Okay, good," he muttered under his breath.

"Flygon!" Skyla exclaimed after getting over her initial shock. "What was that for?!"

"Both of you need to come with me, now. Something happened."

My curiosity was piqued as I took no time in following Skipp's command. I simply followed him out the door and into the hallway as he took Skyla by the arm and dragged her along.

"What's going on?" I reiterated as we made our way into the living room. Skipp, unanswering and taking short glances through the windows and into the courtyard, brought us down the secondary hallway to the far end.

"Not sure yet," he revealed as he reached up with his free claw and fiddled with an object I hadn't noticed he'd been holding. At first glance, it seemed to be a string, but I could see his interest was on the end of it.

Unable to fully grasp it with cumbersome and nervous claws, he simply huffed and handed it over to Skyla, who'd been yelling just about the entire time she'd been dragged along.

"I can walk for myself!" she exclaimed as Skipp passed off what he'd been holding.

It was then I saw that it was a key. A single key, silver and rather large. Skyla accepted it without further word and finally wrenched her wrist from Skipp's claw.

Shortly afterwards I realized where we were. A sudden shiver ran down my spine.

Skipp could see me trembling with anticipation and turned to comfort me as Skyla worked the door.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said comfortingly, mistaking my anxiety for fear. It wasn't the suddenness of the situation that put me at unease, however.

It was the fact we now stood in front of the locked door to Drayden's study. The room I suspected to be the only way to access my team, and the room I had been supplementarily trying to find a way into since I'd come.

"A-are we being attacked?"

"I don't know." Skipp crouched down and reinforced his reassuring face. "But, even if we are, we're going to be alright, okay?"

"Misa?"

"Vulcan picked her up in the courtyard. She'll be safe, don't worry."

I nodded, looking around the Flygon to see Skyla had just finished unlocking the door and was opening it. Following Skipp's lead, I promptly went inside. The door was shut behind us and locked.

It was pitch black initially, necessitating that my eyes had to adjust. I could see better than Skyla and Skipp both after a few seconds, but the lights were quick to turn on.

"Try not to touch anything that looks important," Skipp advised, prompting me to nod.

The room was actually rather small. A few bookshelves lined two of the walls, overflowing with rotting manuscripts and rough, dusty leather. Directly in front of me was a wooden desk, simplistic at best. The carpeted floor seemed out of place with the rest of the house, considering its sickly green color.

Various certificates and pictures took up the remaining wallspace, including a plaque recognizing Drayden's status as a Gym Leader. Some of the pictures taken were in complete black and white, while others were of Drayden with various people I recognized as famous Unovan figures.

Actually, most of them were just that. Looking around, I was able to discern most of the people pictured, including what I counted to be nine of the past Unovan Prime Ministers. Even if I didn't recognize the people in a few photos, I recognized the landmarks in which the picture was taken…

Except for one. It just so happened to be the only picture without Drayden.

It looked rough, obviously the oldest out of all the ones taken. The fact that it was crumpled in multiple spots and singed on some of the edges led me to believe it'd been through much. Depicted was a pair of humans standing in front of a Haxorus and a Garchomp, all smiling or half-smiling into the camera.

I looked more closely, noticing something else. In front of the group of four, and sitting on the ground at the ankles of the humans were two figures. They were both quite small, but it was almost impossible to discern their identity considering this part of the picture had almost completely been worn away.

I could only see a fin poking out of one of their heads.

"You like Drayden's pictures?"

I turned around, startled by Skipp's voice. He'd snuck up on me without my noticing, despite his size.

"Me and the team aren't in a ton of them, but then again they're almost all from back when Drayden was the mayor of Opelucid. You knew that, didn't you?"

I shook my head. How would Nox have known that?

"Well, that's what he did for a while. We did a ton of stuff, really. My favorite parts were before Drayden got involved in all the politics stuff. Did you know we actually went out and did missions for the government?"

"Missions like?"

"Well, a lot of them were stuff involving the UPF, to be honest. This was back when they actually worked in the public, and did some really bad things."

Skipp laughed for a moment and beckoned me over to look at one of the lower pictures on the wall. It was of Drayden and a man I recognized to be the Champion before Alder challenged and defeated him.

"This is Sanuek, one of Drayden's best human friends. Back when we were doing that kinda stuff, they worked together all the time. I think it was Sanuek that actually came up with the name 'UPF' in the first place, as a joke."

"A joke?"

"Well, the UPF isn't actually called the UPF, you know. They technically don't have a name, but the people working against them needed something to call them by. They were all a bunch of guys who didn't think the law applied to them, so Sanuek made the joke one day that they should just split apart from Unova entirely and make their own country of thieves. The United Poachers' Federation."

I looked up at Skipp curiously. Even I hadn't known the name's origin.

"The public didn't know a ton about these guys, even back then. They might know of them now since Drayden talked about them in his press conference, but we honestly thought we'd gotten rid of 'em for good, you know?"

"How did you know?"

"Well, Drayden and the rest of us were part of the raid that took out their last big stronghold… Jeez, that had to've been 40-something years ago now, or something like that."

"If you destroyed them then how did they come back?"

"Well, ideas like the ones they had never really die. They thought that people shouldn't be restrained under laws from the government, and obviously that kinda freedom struck a chord with people. Even then, though, two of their younger admins ended up getting away. But, years passed and nothing happened, so we finally gave it a rest. Drayden got into politics to try and fix some of the things that the UPF saw wrong with the world, and that lasted for a while."

"Huh."

Skipp was spouting facts like he'd told this story dozens of times. It made me remember how old the Flygon actually was, despite his shifting personality. The fact that Drayden had tried to rectify many of the issues the UPF found with the region was interesting as well. What were his intentions?

"Sanuek went on to be Champion while Drayden was mayor of Opelucid, which ended up giving Drayden the motivation to become a Gym Leader something like 25 years ago. Sanuek was Champion for a long time before Alder came in and beat him a few years back, and, well… He passed away last year."

I remembered having heard that on the news. The man had been champion for decades, the third longest tenure anybody had ever held in Unova. I probably would've attended his massive funeral out of pure respect for the man if it hadn't been held in his hometown of Lacunosa, halfway across the continent from where I was at the time.

However, despite all the interesting backstory I could have probably found anyways with a simple search on the internet, I still needed to learn more. I needed to discover the things that weren't otherwise easily found, and for whatever reason, that set my mind on one course.

Vicus.

I needed to pressure Skipp while he was in a reminiscent mood. He was still the one dragon I could rely on to feed me even a droplet of information if I pressured hard enough. I gave a small glance towards Skyla out of the corner of my eye. She seemed to be fiddling with something at Drayden's desk, indirectly giving me Skipp's full attention.

"Sanuek and Drayden were good friends, then?"

"The best, as far as humans go. Drayden was never really good at making human friends."

"Even better than Vicus?"

I held back a smirk as Skipp's muscles visibly contracted. He laughed nervously.

"He's… Different. T-their, well, I mean… Vicus' and Drayden's f-friendship is, like, different."

I took note on how quickly he'd slipped back into his shell. He was stuttering almost as roughly as when he'd first met me.

"Different how?"

"Uh, um… I really can't explain that well, b-but, I mean, Sanuek and Vicus knew each other too. They w-were kinda like a trio, I guess?"

Such a reveal was interesting. If Sanuek knew Vicus and Drayden as well as Skipp was letting on, did that mean he knew their goals? Surely, a situation like the one we all found ourselves in couldn't have been predicted, but Drayden and Vicus must have had some goal in mind through their mutual working together.

I respected Sanuek, certainly. He hadn't been as much an idol to me as, say, Skyla had while growing up, but I would most definitely trust him if he were still in charge of the league. Much more so than Alder. If Sanuek knew Drayden's and Vicus' intentions for the future, did that mean they weren't malicious?

Some part of me wanted the answer to be no. I wanted to be proven right in my suspicion of Drayden, even if that meant detriment for my team and myself. It was a selfish desire, however subconscious, but even with the new information that Sanuek, the former Champion, had been buddy-buddy with Drayden and Vicus, I couldn't bring myself to believe their intentions were pure. There was a missing piece, somewhere.

There had to have been more of an explanation for helping me. It couldn't have been just out of compassion for my dilemma.

What's your game, Drayden?


Only about ten minutes passed in confinement before Drayden opened the study door and led us all outside. Skyla was on him in an instant, frustrated she wasn't able to communicate with Skipp to figure out what had happened.

I hadn't gotten much time to look around the cramped space, but it was almost instantly obvious that there was nothing to find. It led me to question why Drayden kept it locked, but I shrugged it off. No secret levers, no trapdoors, nothing led me to the basement. Nothing gave me even so much as a clue.

Alder was waiting in the living room and stood as our group of four approached. I deliberately avoided any eye contact.

"Drayden," he said, tone restrained, "don't you think we should talk about this in private first?"

The Gym Leader simply sent him a hard stare of defiance. I could see Alder's brow twitch.

I noticed Vulcan enter from the courtyard, sending Drayden a nod of confirmation as he passed behind the sofa Alder stood in front of. He snorted, prompting the Champion to jump in surprise at his otherwise silent entrance.

Misa showed herself right then, walking from behind the sofa and coming to a stop by Skipp's feet. I tried sending her a glance, but she was acting oddly reserved. Quiet. Scared, even?

"Misa, you alright? Something happen?"

I didn't even get a response. Before I could inquire further and press on, Drayden began speaking.

"I apologize for scaring you all, but this morning an unexpected visitor arrived on our doorstep and made a scene in the lobby of the Gym."

"And this visitor?" Alder asked, having already sat back down. He was nothing like the man I'd seen over the last few days. He was obviously ticked at something.

Drayden sighed.

"It was Jet. Ray Alston's Braviary."

Silence engulfed the room, minus a quiet gasp emitted by Skyla, as the information slowly seeped in. I tried sending Misa a terrified glance, but she was unmoved.

Why had Jet reared his head so early? That wasn't the plan! The plan was that I would signal him when the time came, but by then I had already theoretically found the way into the basement and could move there during the chaos. If he had just attacked the Gym, all elements of surprise were no longer existent.

The study had been my last hope, but there was nothing there.

I could now conclude that the entrance was somewhere in the TEC, but that information was now completely useless if Drayden's team had picked up Jet. I wouldn't be able to navigate the grounds alone with the extra precautions being taken for my safety.

"Nobody was injured except for my Druddigon. It was obvious that the Braviary didn't intend to harm anyone with whatever he planned on doing, but as soon as Druddigon and Altaria attempted to apprehend him, he fought back."

I held my breath.

"We detained him without further issue."

"That's it?" Alder asked, bewildered, "That's the end of it then, huh?"

"We can speak more on the topic in private if you'd like, but I've given you nothing but the truth."

"So we just forget about this then?! Drayden, I want to see Alston's team. Now."

"Alder-"

"No. I'm done dancing around it. People could've gotten hurt, Drayden, and all because you think you have the jurisdiction to keep the team of an international criminal!"

Skyla stood, rebuttal ready. Alder whipped his head towards her and shot her down, however.

"I'm tired of being in the dark here," the Champion continued, looking individually at everyone in the room. Including me. I shied away from his angry gaze, such a sharp contrast from the aloof personality I'd seen him exude up until this point.

"It's seriously concerning me that you're even thinking about acting like nothing happened here. Do you need to step down, Drayden?"

Drayden's gaze narrowed. I could feel the malice coming off him in waves.

"This is a circus," Alder exclaimed, turning and walking out towards the courtyard door. He pushed past Vulcan on his way out.

I didn't think Alder would directly mention everything going on, especially in public. To be honest, I would be frustrated too if I were him. Drayden and Skyla were his subordinates, after all, and in direct rebellion by retaining the secrets they had.

"I'm sending Brycen home," Alder called out, fuming as he passed through the door. "Be ready to answer me truthfully when I get back, or I swear to every god there is that you're both done."

The room sat in a shocked silence for a moment before Drayden made eye contact with Skipp and motioned towards him. Nodding, the Flygon whispered a few words before herding both Misa and I back towards our room.

I was too busy trying to process the conversation to take notice as my legs carried me away. What did all this mean? Were there to be even more changes, now that Alder had finally snapped regarding Drayden's secrecy?

How would I escape?

I gave a hopeful glance towards Misa, who was staring at the ground with arms crossed protectively, as if she were cold. I knew already that she wasn't feeling like herself today. Was it worth telling Skipp that she was sick?

Before the idea took enough time to gain traction, however, Skipp stopped in the doorway to our bedroom, prompting us to turn and face him.

"I'm sorry you two had to hear that. Drayden and Alder haven't really ever been the best of friends, you know? I'm sure they'll figure things out."

I looked up towards him with wide eyes, selfishly taking advantage of the moment.

"Is Crag okay? Jet probably didn't mean to hurt him."

"Crag might be the most hard-headed one out of all of us," Skipp chuckled, glad that my mind evidently wasn't on the exchange between Drayden and Alder. "He'll be perfectly fine."

"Now that everyone's here, can I see my friends?"

Skipp closed his eyes, restraining himself this time around.

"Now's probably not the best time to ask, Nox. How about you and Misa just hang out with each other for a bit while the grown-ups get all this stuff settled, huh?"

I looked towards Misa to see her reaction to the proposal. She was indifferent, and chose not to maintain eye contact with Skipp. I looked up to him worriedly afterwards.

"You feeling okay, Misa?" he asked, having recognized the concern on my face. "You've been a bit… Quiet."

"Yeah, just not feeling great," she mumbled. I simply stared, attracting her gaze for a quick moment. I tried silently asking if she was truly alright through my eyes alone, but she shied away, even going as far as to take a step back and retreat to the bed.

"Keep an eye on her?" Skipp pleaded quietly. "I would stay and talk with her, but Drayden sounds like he's gonna need help for the rest of today. Can I count on you?"

I sighed to myself before nodding. Skipp smiled softly and turned to leave. I myself was ready to turn as well when the flimsy end of his tail softly smacked me on the snout. I thought it was a simple mistake for a moment before I saw Skipp's contented smirk and wink as he walked through the door, closing it behind him.

I stood there for a few seconds, blinking confusedly. Had Skipp been playing with me? More than playing, even. The sentiment there was something else entirely.

Oh no… Oh Arceus, please, if you're listening to me and can do one thing, please… Not that.

My heart grew heavy. I'd been noticing it as of late, but with everything going on, I chose to keep my opinion on the matter out of mind.

I would have to tell him I was human at some point, as I would have to with Seraph, one way or another. I didn't want to lead them on, but it was inevitable. They cherished our relationship… A relationship I had built entirely on a disgusting lie.

One could go as far as to say they…

They adored me as if I was their own.

Did they love me?

I slowly exhaled, closing my eyes and hanging my head while still remaining just in front of the door. This thought, this mistake needed to take precedence in my mind right now.

I couldn't lead them on further, I just couldn't. The hole I'd dug myself into was already deep enough. But, in the end, I had to, didn't I? I still didn't trust Drayden in the slightest. I thought more of Alder, even, than I did of Drayden himself.

But, to see Seraph and Skipp… I trusted them, despite my best efforts. How could they team with a man as secretive as Drayden?

I wished things had been better, that I didn't have to lead them on and pretend to bring them close. I would have to break their hearts at some point. The question was, now that Jet was captured, where, when, and how would I reveal my secret?

Perhaps it would just be better to run away after somehow finding and retrieving my team. To let them keep believing I was a Zorua and Ray was truly dead. I couldn't deal with the embarrassment and shame that would surely come if they were to figure me out. Nobody had to know I had been transformed.

My eyes shifted to Misa. Nobody but her… Even if she didn't mean it, the secret would slip out one day.

That shifted my train of thought for a moment. What would she do after this? Seraph had suggested that she remain as part of Drayden's team, which honestly seemed like the best option. However, even with Seraph and Skipp around to care for her, I still didn't trust the Gym Leader himself.

What do you care? She'll finally be out of your hair.

I shook my head and ambled over towards the bed, hopping up once I was next to it. Misa was already laying down by then, looking away from me.

"I guess you're not gonna tell me what's going on? If we're both stuck in here, we should at least try and figure out what to do without Jet."

Silence.

"You're acting really, really weird, Misa. Did something happen last night?"

"Bad dream," she mumbled, hoping to end the conversation as quickly as possible. I thought a moment before responding, sitting down and staring at her curiously.

"Don't you always have those?"

No response again.

"Hey."

She wasn't talking.

"Look, Misa, to be honest I don't care how you feel right now, but we need to make a plan. We gotta figure out what to do."

I stepped forward as she still chose to give no reaction to my words. Unable to think of much else, I rested a paw on her shoulder and shook her for a moment.

She reacted to my touch by letting out an odd sort of squeal before swatting me away and jumping back. She looked at me with wide eyes as I tried processing her apparent fear.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Misa gulped for a moment, face obviously conflicted.

"Just… Stay away from me."

"What?"

"I don't want to be dragged down with you! Freak!"

It sounded like the words were more for herself than they were for me.

"Misa, you're not acting like yourself right now. What happened?"

She shut her mouth and shook her head rapidly, keeping her terrified eyes on me the entire time. I took another step forward, prompting her to retreat.

"Misa," I said with a bit more confidence, "tell me what happened. Now."

"No!"

Frustrated, I took another step forward, face lightening only somewhat as Misa's next step backward sent her tumbling off the side of the bed.

"Misa!" I exclaimed to pressure her further.

"I can't tell you!"

She was still out of eyeshot, but by the time I had made it to the edge of the mattress to see where she was, she had disappeared. I hopped down and found her squirming to fit further under the bed and crawl out the other side.

"This is really stupid," I said, rolling my eyes. "You know there's nothing to be afraid about, right?"

Grunting, I hopped back up onto the bed and crossed to the other side, where she was now just wiggling out of the tight space. Her eyes met mine for a moment.

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because she said she wou-"

She was screaming by this point, but what she said before cutting herself off caught me off guard.

"What?"

I could see Misa had given up, choosing to curl herself up and whimper pitifully. I hopped off the bed, prompting her to flinch. She didn't try running away this time.

"She…?"

"Forget I said that," Misa said so quietly I could hardly hear her.

"Someone threatened you?"

No response. I could hear her choking up.

"Was she… Pink?"

Misa froze, perking up for a moment.

"Oh no… Ah, come on."

I took a second to turn around and sit down, closing my eyes in frustration. Of course it had been Mew. Why now, of all times? I had asked her to try intimidating Misa before so she would leave me alone, but I didn't feel the same anymore. Misa was an asset, and significantly less annoying and dangerous to me as she was back before we left Timberline.

"Misa. Mew's really, really overprotective, but you've helped me a ton while we've been here."

I could hear the Axew's breathing begin to ease as she absorbed my words.

"A ton of the stuff I've gotten done I couldn't have done without you. And, in the end, I'm Mew's trainer."

I turned around to see she was staring at me with a single eye, still curled up.

"Sorry for chasing you around, but Mew's on our side, okay? I wouldn't let her even touch you if it came down to it. She's just really, really protective of me, and rightfully so."

I continued, walking past Misa to hop back onto the bed.

"I've died or come close to dying way too much, and Mew's saved me just as many times. When we get out of here, I'm going to talk to her, okay? Tell her that you're cool. As long as I'm around, you got nothing to worry about with Mew."

Why was I going as far as to say I'd protect Misa if it came down to it? I couldn't control Mew. I never had given her an order that she'd followed, nor did I have the power to stop her if she were to fall out of control. She was a god, for Arceus' sake!

Misa hopped back on the bed a few seconds later, choosing to keep her distance. I tried moving closer so we could actually converse and, maybe, plan for the future, but she stopped me with a sideways glance.

"Don't push it."

I blinked for a moment or two, proceeding to look down towards the bed.

"You got a plan?" Misa continued afterwards, avoiding any direct eye contact from there onwards. I huffed for a moment.

"No idea."


The pillow underneath Crag's head had long since been destroyed by the time Skipp quietly stepped into the room.

"What?" the Druddigon asked gruffly, feeling his grip around the weak bedframe supporting him only tighten.

"Oh, um… Didn't think you'd be awake."

Crag sat up, the coarse scales on his face frustratingly taking many feathers from the pillow with him. Skipp wanted to make the joke that he looked like a Pidove, but the Druddigon's angry glare stopped his mouth.

"What?" he asked again.

"Drayden sent me… He, uh, wanted to make sure you were feeling alright."

"I'm fine. Was going easy on that little shit during our Gym fight. He just got a lucky shot."

Skipp took a quick glance at the bandages wrapped around Crag's shoulder and smiled nervously.

"Haha… Yeah."

"He say if I was allowed to leave yet? I don't get how humans can sleep on all this crap."

"Well, I mean… They're kinda comfy, if you try em… Beds, I mean. Er… When was the last time you did get some sleep?"

Crag's expression tightened, prompting Skipp to laugh nervously again.

"Right, uh… Well, with all the stuff going on, Drayden said he… Y'know… Might like keeping you in here a bit more?"

"He what?"

Skipp gulped as Crag began standing.

"Well, I mean… With Alder running around all over the place, Drayden just wants to make sure you're not caught up in it, is all. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

Crag began walking towards the door, picking feathers out from his skin as he started pushing by Skipp. The Flygon, in a spur-of-the-moment decision, stepped in front of him. Crag stopped, looking at him with indifference.

"Hey, so, uh, haha… He also said not to worry about training Nox today. I got it covered."

"Don't worry about it. I got it."

Skipp stepped in front of Crag again as he tried getting around him.

"Please? Just let us take care of this stuff? It's your day off, anyways."

"Then I shouldn't be spending it in this cramped room, should I?"

Crag laid a claw on Skipp and tried not letting too much of his anger show while forcibly moving the Flygon aside.

"Crag!"

The Druddigon pushed through the small doorframe and out into the hallway, gathering his bearings and walking nonchalantly towards the lobby. Skipp slipped out of the room and followed him.

At his first opportunity, the Flygon ducked past the bulkier dragon and blocked the hallway.

"This isn't a good idea, Crag," he asserted, not being able to help but let off a nervous smile.

Crag's brow furrowed and eye twitched. Skipp laughed nervously again.

"Hey, taking the day off isn't so bad, right?"

"Skipp. I'm going to give you three seconds before I beat your ass. Drayden wants that Zorua trained? You bet your ass I'm gonna train him."

"Look, Crag… Training a kit as small as Nox probably isn't the best idea right now when you're this mad, you know? Maybe we should just wait for another tim-"

Crag's claw raked across Skipp's cheek with surprising speed, prompting the Flygon to take a few, shocked steps back.

Skipp, still in shock, reached up to touch his face to find the natural visor protecting his eyes had been torn in multiple places. Crag's attack had only been a few inches away from leaving him permanently blind in his left eye.

Crag took that moment of shock in order to roughly push past Skipp again and enter the empty lobby, slamming him against the wall in the process.

Skipp breathed heavily for a few moments, watching the Druddigon as he passed the front desk and made his way towards the courtyard. It had been decades since he'd seen anything not tinted red by his visors, but more important thoughts were going through his mind. Crag was going for Nox.

Skipp touched the now useless protective covering over his eye once again. It didn't hurt, as the area had no nerves, but the plastic-like shield would take a very, very long time to heal. Months, probably, months and months of reminders of what Crag had done every time Skipp opened his eyes.

A switch flipped on.

Crag was only alerted to something happening by an enraged yell before he was slammed into by a fast, blunt mass. The breath was knocked out of him as the force of the attack sent him into the air. He slammed against the back wall, cold marble not doing his recovery any favors.

"You are NOT going anywhere near Nox or Misa! Do you understand me?!"

Crag, after getting over the initial shock of the blow, chuckled and got to his feet.

"I guess I don't have to go easy on you like I do that Braviary, huh? Been awhile since I had a real fight."

Skipp twitched, voicing a low growl while charging a claw. It was the first time he'd ever seen the brilliance of the blue and gold energy emitting from his hand for what it truly was, rather than filtered by the red always present in his vision.

Crag charged, lowering his head and smirking confidently. Skipp, likewise, took off with an ear-shattering roar, feet leaving the ground with wings carrying him to met with Crag head-on.

Despite his power, however, the pure momentum Crag had built up was enough to throw Skipp off balance. The Flygon's feet touched the ground again after a few seconds of contact with the Druddigon, pushing against the bulkier dragon with all his might.

Crag drove onwards, using the slick marble floor to his advantage. Skipp was forced back, unable to match the Druddigon's physical strength. His rough scales were starting to dig into Skipp's hands and causing trails of blood to form.

Skipp roared again, grabbing Crag by the shoulders and turning sharply, using the Druddigon's momentum to throw him to the ground. As Crag tried recovering, Skipp charged again, wings beating and heart pounding.

He charged a fist full of draconic energy and swung at the Druddigon's muzzle, stopped in place as Crag simply raised a hand to stop the attack. Despite taking the entirety of the energy placed into the attack, Crag only stumbled for a moment and recreated his smirk.

The Druddigon was quick to open his maw and let out a bout of flames to throw Skipp off guard. As the Flygon was recoiling, Crag charged both his arms with energy and battered Skipp's belly with two, hard-hitting jabs.

The second sent Skipp sailing into one of the nearby marble columns. He recovered almost instantaneously, showing no signs of fatigue.

Skipp made sure to dig his claws into Crag's rough hide this time with energy, rather than simply try to grab him. Overcoming the initial sensations of pain, he tilted his arms upward as to stop Crag from pushing back.

In a few seconds they were both airborne. Crag bit down roughly around Skipp's collarbone with a Fire Fang, prompting the Flygon to flinch ever so slightly. He wasted no time in dropping the Druddigon, but not before charging his tail. Spinning, he smacked Crag away with a hard-hitting Iron Tail, sending him to land awkwardly on the Gym's front desk before rolling off back behind it.

Skipp roared as Crag didn't make his reappearance instantly. He landed back on the ground almost silently, still on guard.

"What the hell is going on in here?!"

Skipp paused for a moment, looking towards Drayden's office. In the hallway, Alder had appeared, hand grasped tightly around one of his own Pokéballs.

In his lack of concentration, Skipp didn't recognize a Focus Blast sailing his way until it was too late. It hit him directly on the snout and forced him to the ground.

Before he could get back up, Crag was standing over him with a fist full of energy.

"Lights out."


This day was a cloudy one, certainly. I had long since been looking out the window, conversing quietly with Misa. We were high above Opelucid from our perch, but I wasn't feeling the view that day.

"Maybe we just wait for them to bring you to your team? They gotta show you the entrance then, right?"

"Maybe, but what if I get found out by then? I don't know how much longer I can keep playing this stupid part. I don't like what it's doing to me."

"Huh?"

"Like, back when we were training with Skipp last night. I'm becoming too much of a Zorua for my liking, and being forced to act like one whenever there's a dragon around is hardly helping. I don't like how my brain is affecting my thoughts, you know? I'm actually becoming a Zorua in my head, and I don't like it."

"Well, what do you do to feel human? What do humans do that you could do?"

"Most things that'd make me feel human are physically impossible right now. Walking on two legs, mainly."

"You can read in human, can't you?"

"It'd be too easy to be caught. I'm supposed to be too young to know how to do that kind of stuff."

"How do humans play with each other, then? Maybe we can try that sometime."

"Look, Misa, I appreciate you trying to help, but it's not that simple. The only thing that's gonna make me feel human again is actually being human."

I sighed, laying my head down on my front paws.

"You know, we could alwa-"

The door slammed open, prompting both Misa and I to jump. Standing in the doorway was Crag, sporting multiple cuts and wearing a bloodied bandage around his arm. I was going to open my mouth before I noticed the intensity of his gaze.

"We're going. Come on."

"W-wait, Crag, are you oka-?"

He pushed past the doorway and stepped into the room, approaching the bed. I was rendered defenseless as he, without words, grabbed me by my scruff. Pinching it painfully between two claws, he lifted me up and left without words.

Misa could only watch as the Druddigon took me out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"I can walk for myse-AY!"

He had pinched me even harder to stop my complaining, eliciting a sharp whine.

As we approached the living room, however, Crag turned and began walking down the opposite hallway, leading towards the study.

Are we not going to the courtyard? What's going on? I know Crag was hurt in his fight with Jet, but this badly?

Yet, rather than mess with the door to the study, Crag's attention was directed to the door across the hall.

I remained submissively silent as he opened the door to Drayden's room and dropped me on the bed. I took a few moments to regain my footing and to allow my eyes to adjust. Crag seemed to be fiddling with the gigantic, white feather Drayden kept on a stand on the bedside table. I had remembered seeing it while spying around in Drayden's room a few mornings ago, leading me to wonder why Crag had picked it up.

Crag, without words, walked over to the single bookshelf in Drayden's room and stuck the base of the feather purposefully into a steel object sitting there. I knew better than to open my mouth, but couldn't help but look away as a bright, orange light emitted from the metal.

When I chose to look back, Crag was already halfway back to the bed and ready to pick me up again. Looking behind him, however, revealed that the bookshelf was nothing more than a swinging door. A strong draft and the moldy smell of water greeted me in a cold blast of air.

"Training's gonna be different today. We're going to the caves."

Before I could protest, my paws were dangling in the air again as his claws threatened to break the skin on my neck. I couldn't do anything, and despite the shallow astonishment and excitement to see the basement, I quickly realized the conditions in which I would be seeing it were hardly favorable.

Behind the bookshelf were a set of stairs and pitch darkness. Even my vision couldn't pick up what was below. Yet, Crag began descending the stairs, closing the bookshelf door behind him and leaving us in total darkness.

I couldn't place an exact time on how long we descended, but I knew when we were at the bottom.

"W-why're we down here?" I asked, tail having long since been tucked between my legs. More than anything, I wanted one of Drayden's other teammates to come and get me. Even the Gym Leader himself, as suspicious as he was, would have been an improvement over Crag.

He dumped me on the ground, causing me to stumble as I hit the cold stone below. The pads of my paws were instantly freezing.

I heard something in the distance, leading me to believe we were in a much larger area than I'd expected. Something about me wanted to dart right back up the stairs there and then.

My breathing was the only sound other than the ominous clicks against the stone from quite a distance away. It led me to believe something was moving.

Something big.

"Vicus!" Crag called out, voice echoing on the walls of the cave. The name prompted me to remember that Vicus did, in fact, live down here. Was I about to meet him, after all this time of speculation? What kind of man was he?

"Skemero. You've brought me something."

The voice was even and smooth, coming from everywhere at once. Perhaps it was the cave? Even then, the man's voice didn't seem to be strained; he wasn't yelling. How was it that he was projecting this far, from wherever he was?

"Yes… I brought a gift."

Crag's words seemed choked out. Was he… Scared? Scared of addressing Vicus directly?

I then realized what Crag had meant. This wasn't training, not in the slightest. Something was going on, and I really, really didn't like it.

I saw something.

Across the cave, there was a light. Like a fire, but a bright, teal blue. I watched, petrified as it grew closer. It was moving again. I could hear step after step of what I supposed to be gigantic claws on the stone floor. The light…

It was an eye. One, very bright eye. The second appeared out of nothing, and I could see large, black pupils shifting between both Crag and myself.

My vision began to adjust as it grew nearer, but, as it turned out, I wouldn't even need time.

Torches lit spontaneously behind us in brilliant, orange flame. They were lined against the back of the cavern, lighting the area around me. I jumped surprisedly, looking at them, astonished. Were they rigged with a mechanism to create fire?

The stomping stopped behind me. I knew I would now be able to see whatever beast laid before me in the torchlight. I didn't want to turn around.

I heard and felt a long, drawn-out exhale, the force and heat of which made my fur stand on end. I was quivering now, and chose to shut my eyes, genuinely terrified.

"C-Crag? What is that?"

"Turn around and look for yourself. You've been asking, haven't you? Wanting to meet and find out who Vicus was? Well, just turn around."

I could hear my heart in my ears. I was in danger.

I flooded my legs with energy in order to muster up the strength to turn around.

And open my eyes.

And look up, and up, and up.

Until I saw the harsh, blue eyes staring down into my own. Those of a dragon twice as tall as Crag, not to mention dozens of times as powerful.

The second legendary I'd met. Reshiram.

In his gaze, I was frozen.


"You're staying here."

"Like hell I am! I just lectured you on keeping secrets from me, and you expect me to stay here while you go try to resolve this on your own?! That Druddigon's a beast, Drayden! That's how all Pokémon act! He won't listen to you!"

"What do you know?!"

Drayden turned on his heel, pressing his face up against Alders in hopes of intimidating the champion.

"I know that even you're gonna have trouble subduing that thing until his energy is latent enough to stick him in a Pokéball. And, you know what? I'm your superior, Drayden, like it or not. I can insert myself into any operation I want. I have that right."

"This is a personal matter."

"Two of your dragons were trying to kill each other on League property! How is that a personal matter?"

Drayden scowled, choosing to leave Alder without a response in order to address Vulcan.

"Haxorus, I think you and I both know where Druddigon is and what he's doing."

Vulcan's face was pensive for a moment before his eyes lit up.

"Oh, gods."

"Check and make sure. Go straight there."

Vulcan didn't have to stay around to hear any more instructions. He was off, actually running out of the battlefield and taking off down the hall towards the lobby.

Drayden clicked open Skipp's Pokéball after having, thankfully, received it from Alder following the fight that'd broken out.

The Flygon was absolutely furious upon materializing, but a single stern glance from Drayden was all it took to calm him down long enough to listen. Drayden noticed how seriously Skipp had been hurt, but kept staring emotionlessly into Skipp's now-visibly blue eyes nonetheless.

"We will talk about your conduct and get you patched up later, but we need to subdue Druddigon and make sure he doesn't cause irreparable harm to the operation with the hatchlings."

"The hatchlings? Why would he go for them?"

Drayden ignored Alder.

"Haxorus is going to Vicus now. You and Altaria need to check and secure the hatchlings, if they're still there. If they're missing, follow us downstairs."

"Drayden."

"Go, now."

Without further delay, Skipp and Seraph exchanged a glance of worry before taking off after Vulcan.

"Drayden!"

Alder's voice was imperative.

"Tell me what the hell's happening!"

They were the only two left on the battlefield, where Drayden had been talking with Seraph and Vulcan before Alder barged in and began spewing something about a fight. How he'd gotten Skipp's Pokéball in order to retrieve the dazed Flygon was unknown, but Drayden resolved to keep a closer eye on his belt, especially now.

"You want to know?"

"Yes! Why would I be asking otherwise?!"

He was at an impasse. There was no stopping Alder from coming along if he so pleased, but how could Drayden even begin to explain the things he kept in the cave system below the Gym?

Though, there was a chance. Considering Alder was still open to discussion, there was a way to sway him should he have been shocked enough over the gravity of the two legendary beings staying under his house. Perhaps, enough to sway him to think rationally about what was going on in the region.

Of course, Alder could have simply disappeared 'mysteriously'. They wouldn't find a body.

Though, Drayden reluctantly settled as that for Plan B.

"Then come and see for yourself."


Ice…

Ice…

My mind fumbled for another word, but that was all that came. Ironic, considering a god of fire stood before me. His eyes… They were of the coolest, icy blue I'd ever seen anywhere, in anything. They were full of life, albeit frigid and cold.

I could feel my soul melting, my core set ablaze by the purest of paradoxes set before me. I felt helpless, trapped in an endless uncertainty regarding how it felt… No balance was achieved. I stuttered for a few moments, subconsciously stepping away and trying with all my might to close my eyes.

Yet, his gaze tore through any facade I had put up over the previous few weeks. The sensation his stare alone invoked was pressing in on all sides, threatening to consume me entirely and leave me trapped, in a world of neither warmth nor cold.

"I know your scheme, Skemero" Reshiram said, the breath behind the words alone enough to blow my fur entirely on end. "I'd be lying if I said Drayden hadn't alerted me that this might happen."

"Well. Here I am, with the ticket to getting Mew on our side."

"Is it, now? Well, you've obviously gone through the effort of denying orders in order to bring him here. He's entirely yours."

"Wait, you're serious? Just like that?"

"I am not here to judge whether or not your actions are in any of our best interests, but I will ensure you feel each and every consequence of your ambition. You wanted your answers? They're right here."

"Thank you, Vicus," Crag said, sending a small bow in the greater dragon's direction. Reshiram showed no emotion, instead opting to keep his gaze entirely focused on me. I couldn't even process the gravity of the conversation at hand considering the state of shock I found myself in.

"Okay, listen up! Every question I got is gonna be answered, one way or another. I know you're not what you say you are, so spill."

Almost instantly, I could feel Reshiram's energy slam into me from all sides, crushing me. Crushing my core. I knew my body wasn't breaking, but my mind was faltering. I tried pushing back, but the words just rose to my mouth.

"You're right," I croaked, unable to move from my position, unable to collapse. My legs were locked in place, as was every other muscle in my body. It was as if Reshiram's gaze alone turned me to stone.

"Huh. That was easy."

Crag stepped into my field of vision. I couldn't move my head to face him, stuck at attention and unable to escape the frigid blue of Reshiram's eyes.

"So, what are you?"

The sensation again. It felt as if gravity had been multiplied by itself thousands of times, though I knew it was only in feeling. The answer rose to my tongue against my own volition.

"I don't know what I am!"

I could feel tears start to form and stream down my face. It was so painful… Indescribable. I had to lie, keep my guise, but how could I? The answer was the truth, to be honest… From Mew's inability to influence me to my lack of understanding regarding the true nature of my energy, I truly had no clue what I'd been turned into.

Crag shot a look of confusion at Reshiram, who seemed to simply just ignore the Druddigon. This was to be his interrogation, after all.

"Ray really didn't hatch your egg, did he?"

"N-no…"

"Thought so. Why did you lie t-"

"I believe I made myself rather clear in our discussion!"

The booming voice came from across the cavern. I could see Crag's face flash with the slightest bit of fear.

"Too late, Vulcan," Crag said, turning back towards me and opening his mouth to ask another question.

"I swear to every god on this earth, if you don't step away from that Zorua right now!"

"It's not a Zorua," Crag said simply, narrowing his gaze at Vulcan. "Look at me. You and your weeks and weeks of observation on a goddamn hatchling gave you less info than I got after three questions!"

A moment of silence.

"Vicus, stop this, please," I could hear Vulcan pleading. "Without this kit, we have no way of getting to Me-"

"Draecarth… If you want Skemero to see his wrongdoing, then let him continue."

Draecarth, Skemero? I hadn't heard these names before, but Reshiram was addressing Vulcan and Crag. Were these, perhaps, the dragons' real names? I remembered that I knew nothing more than their nicknames, the names I had come to know them by. Reshiram addressed them by their true names, despite my presence?

"What? Vicus, please! Teaching him a lesson isn't worth blowing the entire operati-"

"He has gone against the resolution of the team and acted selfishly. Let the weight of what comes next lay on his shoulders, and his shoulders only."

A scowl formed on Crag's face.

"I'll show all of you!" he yelled out, turning a now bloodthirsty glare back towards me. "Why did you lie to us?"

Another constriction. I tried writhing, but quickly found I couldn't. I was just able to open my mouth to scream silently in agony as I felt Reshiram's influence lick at my core, threatening to engulf it entirely.

"I-ACK! I was scared! I wanted to kee-keep my friends safe."

Tears were freely flowing now. I wanted to cry so badly, but couldn't. I was unable to blink.

"Crag," Vulcan tried reasoning through clenched teeth. He seemed nervous. "Mew can see us, right now, torturing what may, as far as we know, be her own, personal creation! Stop this! Please, she'll kill us all!"

"Safe from what?"

"Safe from," I hissed, clenching my teeth with all my might to stop the words from coming. "Safe from you."

"Me?"

"All of you… Drayden, the-unf… The league."

"Y'see, Vulcan! He was lying to us the whole time!"

"You need to stop this. Now."

A rush of footsteps from behind. A screech. A ruffle of wings and shouting voices.

"Seraph, stay back!" Vulcan exclaimed, presumably holding the Altaria back as she arrived on the scene.

"Crag! So help me I'll tear your eyes out!" I could hear her scream, a mix between speech and primal screeches.

"You'll thank me for this," the Druddigon scowled simply, turning his attention back towards me.

I couldn't speak, couldn't plead for someone to just let me go… Maybe if I could reach out to Seraph, she would be compelled to help.

I arduously shot an illusionary connection in her direction. It took so much effort, but I got to the point of nearly being able to shove some words through the feeble string of energy.

I felt it snap… Snap in two. My string of energy was cut in two while it was extended towards another. Like a pair of scissors had snipped right through it…

The pain to follow was, put simply, unbearable.

I screamed, audibly this time, breaking from Vicus' influence for the smallest of moments to convulse and writhe in place. I dropped to the floor, seizing and screaming.

Through it all, I could hear Crag's footsteps steadily approaching.

"Now you done it… You overexerted, didn'tcha? Tryin' to trick us with Illusions when Vicus's got his power on you."

My mind felt like it was tearing itself apart. I couldn't fall unconscious, no matter how hard I tried.

"Tore straight through. Oh well. You'll heal eventually, I guess."

I could feel my own energy dwindling. I felt so, unbearably weak. I couldn't have stood, even if I tried.

However, much like the time I had experienced Mew's presence inside me, there was a spark.

A spark that lit the flame that soon engulfed me entirely. This, however… It was simply too much for my body to manage. I could feel as the newfound energy tore at the bonds in my skin. It threatened to rip me apart entirely.

Eventually it grew uncontainable and pushed past the surface. I could hear the collective gasps as a sudden whoosh filled the room.

When I opened my eyes, I sure wish I hadn't.

I wasn't stuck, yet again, in Reshiram's gaze. Rather, he was now dozens of feet away, bent over and crouching apprehensively, looking at me with those same blue eyes, though they'd lost their intensity.

Crag had thrown his arms, up, apparently having been pushed back about ten feet by my discharge alone.

The flame never died, as it had when I discharged before after Drayden's attempt to put me in a Pokéball. I could feel it invigorating me with a sense of power.

"Enough."

The stare was back… Despite my resistance against it, I was left captivated once more under its power.

"Your power… Why do you not resist?"

His presence was pushing down on me again. I tried pushing back, but ultimately failed. Words rose to my mouth again.

"I don't know what you mean! I don't know how!"

The answer seemed to trouble even Reshiram, who had been entirely calm up until this point.

"You guys see! He's a danger to us all! We need to break him, now!"

Crag had almost instantly gotten over his surprise following me discharge, and was rather quick to use it as a reason to continue. Reshiram seemed much more reserved, but opted to continue holding me in place with his eyes.

"So he really did go on with it," Drayden's voice piped in. Apparently he'd arrived as well, and was smart enough to maintain his distance… At least I wasn't hurting anymore. The presence of the excess energy inside me was incredibly uncomfortable. It was a pressure quickly growing, prompting the need to discharge again.

So I did, forcing my power levels to fall back to what I hoped was norma. As the discharge was less powerful than the last, Reshiram maintained his ground. Crag's scowl grew only worse.

"What the hell?!" Alder's voice appeared. Had he entered with Drayden? "Is… Is that-?!"

"Vicus, you need to remove yourself," Drayden said gruffly; I almost saw it as a command to what was clearly the greater and more powerful being. "The Zorua is a hazard."

"Continue your questions, Skemero, if you still find yourself unsatisfied."

He was back, back in the apathetic mindset he'd held before… He seemed rather adamant in letting Crag ride out the entirety of the situation on his own.

"Drayden, what the hell is happening?! What is this?!"

"Alder," Drayden responded, obviously frustrated. "Shut up. Shut the fuck up. Can't you see there are a bit more pressing matters than your stupid questions?! There's a kit being held hostage!"

"Then call him off!"

"What do you think I'm trying to do?! I can't go marching in there!"

"Why not?!"

"If I was to tear the kit away from Vicus' influence without his consent, he'd die instantly!"

I had never heard Drayden so imperative in his speech, and I believed this was the first time I'd ever heard him swear. One could even say he was anxious, beyond all else. Terrified, maybe? Everyone was terrified here.

Crag, despite all the argument to explode around him, continued his questioning.

"What can you tell us about your discharges?" he asked without even so much as thinking of the potential consequences of continuing. "They dangerous?"

"I… I don't know," I breathed out. The fire was quick to begin burning once more and fill my system with even more energy. I discharged before it became too much to manage. What was happening? Where did this power come from? Was it permanent?

"What's Mew's influence on you? Is she controlling you right now?"

"N-no," I choked, unable to breathe. "She… Saved me…"

I tried remaining as inconspicuous as possible while under Reshiram's influence. However, I knew the end to all this was inevitable.

"Saved you from what?"

"The… U. P. F… They attacked us and… I… Ack!"

"Keep going."

I was crying again, trying to turn myself away from Reshiram. I was only a few seconds away now… I could feel the words coming.

"I was… They… Ungh… They killed me, and… Stop! I… She made me a new… Body. I was tainted."

I wanted to vomit; I was sure the desire was heard in my voice.

"A new body? So you weren't born a Zorua."

"N-no…"

"If you don't know what you are now, then what were you?"

That was it… The million-dollar question. I tried looking for ways to avoid it, but, as expected, the answer came up like bile. I tried swallowing it.

"Eh… S-stop… Agh! I can't… I… No! Ra-... I was… I'm…"

Time stopped as they came.

"I'm Ray."

Silence. Complete and utter silence. Reshiram knew it was time to let me free. I discharged yet again as I fell, muscles feeling too weak to stand on. I could hear heavy, exasperated footsteps from Crag's general direction. He knew now the grave consequences of his imposed interrogation. I could hear someone's quick, shocked translation of the revelation to Drayden's ears.

"What, what happened?"

Alder was the only one talking now, but soon fell silent to fit the mood.

I could feel it. The inevitable wave of guilt and shame flowing over me. I could feel everyone's stares one me now. It was all I could to to curl up into a ball and hope to disappear entirely.

Yet, in the silence I heard a rattle, before everything went still again… Another rattle. I perked my ears, despite my being so distraught.

I could hear Drayden cursing silently under his breath in the background. His tone led me to harbor a sense of fear, more than anything. He was terrified, actually… Of Mew? They had just tortured her trainer, and Drayden seemed to know immediately the consequences it would have on his plan. Crag was of the same mindset, apparently.

"Nox?"

Seraph's voice was approaching. I felt heat rise to my face as I fully grasped the implications of what I'd just revealed. She herself sounded on the verge of tears.

"Nox? What did you say?"

The rattle again. I looked towards its source out of the corner of my eye.

There was a podium through the darkness, a darkness only I myself could see through. Out in the open, completely; where Vicus could access and watch it at any time.

A Master Ball. I narrowed my eyes as conviction, rather than regret and sadness, filled my system.

"Nox," Seraph said, a little more sternly. "Answer my question."

I looked at her through tear-filled eyes with hatred. I noticed Skipp had also arrived on the scene, with Misa kept protectively by his side… Perfect.

"I told you to stop," I choked out, "It would've all been so much better if you just let it be, but no… You had to come find us, you had to capture us… What do you want me to say, Seraph? After all this time, the guy you've been looking for has been right under your nose?"

The Altaria seemed taken aback. Her eyes widened as she recognized me for what I truly was.

"No… Please, Nox… Say it isn't true."

"I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to ever have to tell you. But everyone kept pushing, and pushing, and finally… It's out there. I'm done."

My stalling had worked… I had built up enough energy without discharging. Feeling confident with the overflow, I shot out connections to every single creature in the vicinity.

"I guess it's all over, then. And now you're all fucked."

I took off, sprinting as fast as I could in the direction of Mew's Master Ball. I'd made it about twenty feet before I looked back.

Seraph was still stationary, looking down where I had been with a growing sense of betrayal. My Illusion had worked. As unpracticed as it was, it worked! They believed it, if even for a short time!

Drayden was the first to speak up, however, as I'd nearly made it. He seemed the most inclined, if one excluded Reshiram and the distracted state he found himself in, to notice the fact that my energy, however inconspicuously, was influencing him.

By the time he could deduce my plan, however, it was too late.

I let the Illusion drop as I rammed into the white marble podium, knocking it over entirely. I then lunged forward for the Master Ball as it fell onto the rocky ground below and rolled.

A roar came, shaking the entire cave system to its core. I could hear Reshiram as he opened his maw in the hopes of incinerating me with flame.

Even then he was too late. The roles twisted. I made him freeze as I rounded the Master Ball and placed a paw on the button. The fear in his eyes right then was worth everything he'd done to me in the minutes prior.

"Let's have a chat," I said, pressing down.


One more chapter to go in what will probably go down as my least favorite act. And boy, do I have to say I hate this chapter.

No, not all of it. I actually rather liked the last scene, and the chapter as a whole wasn't one of my weaker moments in writing. In fact, the only thing I explicitly didn't like about this chapter was how quickly I had to resolve Misa's feelings about Ray after Mew's intimidation. It was how I wrote it that makes me hate it so much.

What you've just read is the first time in this fic that I've skipped sections of story. While writing this, I got about 2000 words in when I realized I had writers block for about ¾ of the chapter to come. To fix that, I decided to write the ending scene (everything from "Ice" onwards, as I'd been planning it for months and I couldn't wait to get to it).

Problem was that I didn't get around to writing the rest of the chapter until about a month after I finished writing the end scene. This is the first instance of which I actually finished the chapter itself a day before publishing.

I don't like how long it took to write. Everything from Ray's scene with Skyla to Crag bringing Ray down into the caves. I just didn't like it, and I hate the fact that I skipped it entirely initially. Huge props to my beta (who wishes to remain unnamed) for cranking out editing so quickly. Well, lesson learned at the very least.

Next and final chapter of Act II will be up in two weeks on Sunday the 25th, as usual. I'll have more news then on my plans for Act III. Hoping to hit 100 followers by the time I begin publishing Act III, so fingers crossed!