Pokémon Chronicles - Web of Lies

by Eric566

Three years after the disbandment and defeat of Team Uncario, the members of Team Star find themselves thrust back into stardom after a succesful mission in dealing with an unexpected menace. However, the fall of the last of the Dark Eons and this new achievement has stirred new enemies from the ends of the world, and re-ignited the fires of an empire best forgotten. Sequel to AHR.

7. Chapter 4 - Red Snow

And here we are again! So, sorry for having left the last chapter on a cliffhanger, I promise I will not do it again, and I apologize for having taken so long to write this one. Life got in the way, as always, but now I have a bit more time to work on this stuff weekly, so it should be good! I still want to keep at least a chapter every 2 weeks, and at worst 3 weeks. Sorry I missed the deadline again guys, but I think this chapter will more than make up for it!

Before we start however, I'd want to repeat myself: the opinions/ideals expressed by the characters aren't correspondent with my own, so don't post an angry review saying that I hate a certain ethnic or religious group, cuz I don't. Also, if you have something to say or ask, no matter how small it is, review! I love answering your guys' comment and questions, and I'd like to have a better interaction with my readers. So go ahead, don't be shy!

And speaking of answering reviews, let's do just that!

*looks at the two reviews I had*

On second thoughts, I think you guys have waited long enough! Have at ye!

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Chapter 4

Red Snow

Recover from the attack and destroy the cold from ages past.

"LUUUUUUUCYYYYY!" Zed's screams of despair quickly overshadowed those of his teammates, who rushed to the Shinx's limp body to check the wound. He wanted to check the wound, praying to whatever god that looked for them high up that it wouldn't be fatal… but the blood… there was too much for even him to handle, a constant stream of crimson from the open hole in her throat. He tried to stop, tears on the verge of his eyes as the others stared at her in a mixture of shock and disbelief. This had to be a joke, or a prank of some sort. Eric half expected it to be a dream, a nightmare that he'd suddenly snap out from, some kind of vision he could later on defeat… but he hadn't experienced those ever since the end of the time freeze, and so he knew, he knew that it wasn't a dream and that this was happening in real life.

Elly and Zed kept calling for the electric type, but her eyes had long closed, and she was getting colder and colder by the second, the blood still erupting from her throat… until Vincent pushed past them and crouched on top of her, shouting something. They were all still dazed, unsure of what was happening and unable to react, and so words well on deaf ears, Serge's concentration waning for just a bit as a chill of icy wind blew through them. Slowly however, that despair was replaced by a blind rage, and everything came back as his words became obvious to them.

"Snap out of it and concentrate on the opponent! Keep her safe and I shall do whatever I can!" He didn't need to tell them twice to concentrate on the threat around them, but Zed refused to leave her side, something that Vincent didn't find to his liking but completely understood. "If you won't leave then… hold her wound, make sure to stop the bleeding… the less blood I have to deal with the higher the chances of her survival." The Roselia touched the snow beneath her, now crimson red, and tried to absorb the blood… but it was already too diluted. There was no way he'd get it from there. "Fine then… remember, do not lift your paws." Zed nodded again, crying tears of grief as he held what he believed to be the neck of her dead mate. Her heart was beating quickly, and her blood and body were still warm… but they wouldn't be for much longer. Still, Vincent continued to touch and check all over her body: her chest, her head, her limbs and her neck… and suddenly smiled.

"Lucky devil… she's still got time. Very well, I need you to keep a close eye on our surroundings on top of holding her neck Zed. If you don't do either we will die or she will die. Understood? What you are about to see now…" The Roselia closed his eyes and held his hands on the spots of her wounds that Zed didn't completely cover. "Is my gift."

While this happened, the group turned to face outwards and around the area. "Serge, do you see something?!" Nox's inquiry was met with a negative from the Pidgeot, whose usually laid back demeanor had now shifted to one of pure contempt and rage, scanning their surroundings for any signs of their foes as his wings glowed. He didn't care about headaches or migraines… the moment they stepped into that circle he'd cut them in half and spread their insides across the snow, just like they'd done with poor Lucy.

"Damn it! You mother fuckers! Stop hiding and show yourselves!" Eric shouted. As if on cue, the white mists reappeared, shifting around and taking aim at the already wounded Lucy, taking a potshot at the two pokémon tending to her, and the other five. This time, they were prepared however, and Eric broke and smashed one of the icicles into bits whilst Elly blocked the other with her barrier. "So there's two of them… damn it, all this time we thought there was just one. The noises, the markings, the attack earlier… it was all the work of one of them. They kept the existence of the other a secret!" Once again, the shapes disappeared into the blizzard, only to reappear behind them and try to get a sneak attack on them. Nox was faster than they were, and launched a fireball through the barrier and into one of the creatures as it created another icicle. A bellow of pain echoed across the mountains, the chilling wind carrying the scream down to the valley, where the pokémon making their escape from that land's curse turned their heads to face the mountains, fearing the worst.

The snowstorm cleared for just a bit, and a hint of nine clear white tails was briefly spotted by Jake. He didn't waste any time relaying this information to the others, of course. "The enemy is a Ninetales! Their fur is white as snow!"

"They can't be the only one though, given they attacked Lucy from different angles!" Elly kept her eye out on the snowstorm as she said this. The once shapeless forms were now somewhat recognizable with that information. That cluster of white was none other than the large bushy tails of the pokémon dashing around them, attacking relentlessly and shooting icicles at the group. By now, they'd noticed that Vincent was doing something… that none could clearly see, a secret he was keeping to himself, but their attackers were having none of it. Taking aim once more, they attempted to snipe the pokémon trying to keep Lucy alive… only for their efforts to be destroyed by a furious looking Riolu, who swung his light staff and destroyed both the icicles, then took aim with an aura sphere coated in flames, Nox standing besides him as they both fired simultaneously, the fire colliding with the snowstorm and clearing a bit more. This time, the Ninetales were fully visible, sneering at the duo before they hid back in that white mist.

"So that's the enemy then! Alright team, group up! We have to draw them in somehow!" They clustered around the wounded Lucy, trying to check on her, but the grass type seemed to be in deep focus, a hand on her neck and another on his own, probably checking her pulse, both of them coated in her blood. Every time they looked at her lifeless eyes they shook in anger.

"Bastards… alright, here's a plan. Whenever they take aim again, I move towards them, they'll be out of the blizzard and in the circle and you guys beat the shit out of them, got it?!"

"Nice idea, but what if t-" They noticed the shapes stopped again, a gentle whisper carried by the blizzard as they stopped on either side of the circle, before their shapes simply vanished, no longer visible. As if on cue, the blizzard subsided and slowly disappeared. The skies were cleared completely, the sun slowly beginning it's slow descent towards the far west, over a sight they couldn't initially believe: the Great Glaciers.

A massive mass of ice laid where eons past a great ocean had been, completely frozen over into a solid block of ice that lead to a pitch black darkness underneath, almost like an endless void. From the glacier itself spikes and different undulating shapes could be seen, almost as if that sea had been frozen in a single instant, the water forever still in its last moments of freedom from the unrelenting cold. Whatever had happened there ages ago, that was the aftermath, and it was almost breathtaking, as the almost transparent glacier reached farther than the eye could see.

This was however, all the time they had to admire the beauty of the landscape before them, as the threat of the two Ninetales loomed over them, distressing Nox. "Where'd they go? I can't see anything or anyone!" Elly was the one who made the callout this time however, as a mound of snow at their feet shifted, and from it a Ninetales with all nine of its tales coated in ice lunged out, shooting its appendages right at them. Serge took off to escape from their range, taking Jake with him, whilst Nox ducked under two that aimed to attack him, Elly blocked four and Eric hit the remaining three back. Tee ice shattered on the tails that were hit or blocked, raining down on the pokémon before them as a deadly storm of shards that cut the Riolu's flesh through his fur, the remaining two swinging back and hitting his legs to throw him off balance before the second aimed to skewer him alive, but he quickly reacted, slammed his staff on the snow and spun on it, jumping off the top and slamming down on the tail, eliciting a groan of pain from their attacker which Nox followed up on with a fiery tackle, brandishing burning claws that singed and cut his flesh, then Elly finished with a massive black fist that launched the Ninetales backwards, ripping the fur and probably some of its tail clean off.

The following screeches of pain were enough for the second Ninetales to pop up from the snow, but he was right behind the three pokémon, icicles and what seemed to be razor sharp snowflakes hovering near him. The projectiles shot forward upon the backs of the unprotected pokémon, cutting Eric's back as the impacts threw him forward, though thankfully the icicles missed thanks to a quick intervention by Serge. Elly's ear was nicked by one the stars and she quickly spun around and hit the attacker away, whilst Nox was hit on his right flank, of all places, eliciting a yelp of pain. "Fuck! Ow ow ow!"

"Focus, Nox!" Jake's cry of alarm came to him just in time to open his eyes and see the wounded Ninetales pouncing him, quickly building up heat and blasting it all around him, an explosion of heat throwing the ice type off of the Houndour and near its twin. The two glared at the Pidgeot, who was flying up in the air with the Sneasel on his back, three icicles aimed straight at their heads. They both dispersed as the flying type gave chase, the wounded one heading for Eric, whose back was still turned, small streaks of crimson red visible, while the other started running circles around the group. As it ran, snow floated up to his neck and became snowflakes and icicles, which he immediately fired at the group. The shape of the projectiles made it hard for Serge's constant control of the wind to do much, and Elly managed to block of a few attacks with her psychic barriers before one of them rebound from a nearby tree and cut her right front leg, making her yelp and fall on her front.

The ice type aimed and fired one last icicle aimed right between her eyes, intending of finishing her off right then and there… but Serge, with a vaillant shout swooped in, sliding across the snow as he became a whirlwind of silver feathers, Jake jumping off him and lunging straight at their opponent as it backflipped and jumped away, avoiding most of Serge's crazed swings that whistled through the air. Finally, Jake landed on Serge's wing and then swung forward, launching Jake at their opponent, flying past him and slashing his face as it landed at took aim. The chunk of ice hit Jake's leg and threw him off course, but it continued and Serge sliced it in half before harming him. Still, the attack was a relative success, as Jake's claws ripped its left ear clean off, deafening the color variant, who roared in anger. "Damn you!"

Jake tried to stand up, but his right leg buckled, pain blinding him for a brief instant. He'd either broken or twisted his ankle… but was still capable of running and fighting. The other Ninetales aimed to finish off their leader, but he found that he wasn't that foolish to leave himself wide open. Once he was close enough, the Riolu spun around and threw an aura charged punch straight at his face, having been hiding this fact whilst crouched in the snow. His opponent's tails quickly shot forward and created a shield that blocked the attack, once again shards of ice raining down and cutting his face, closing his eyes just in time to prevent any damage as it stabbed him like shards of glass. Blinded momentarily, the ice type moved in again to strike… but in the moment he'd forgotten to glance sideways to see Nox lunge at him, enveloped in a blaze of fire and tackle him, the fire singing and burning his fur before the Houndour jumped off, free of the flames and throwing him away, rolling on the snow and extinguishing the fire.

His fellow ambusher saw this and hid under the snow again, quickly tunneling to his aid, the dup standing side by side. "Brother! Compose yourself, the fight has only just begun!" The other ninetales looked at his kin and nodded, and even if it had lost a tail and the other an ear, they seemed more than ready to keep on fighting.

"So you can talk! Alright, then how about you start answering some of our questions?!" Serge aimed his wing at the duo, his feathers still giving off that silver sheen. "Do so and we'll lock you up with just a few more cuts and bruises!"

"Bah… Fools, you honestly think you intimidate us?! We already took care of one of your companions…" He forced them to glance at the Shinx, who laid still on the snow… Zed was crying over her while Vincent seemed to be muttering or praying, his eyes closed. This image made Elly fear the worst and turned to face the ice types, enraged.

"Who… who was it? Which of you shot the icicle that killed her?!" The Eevee's voice trembled, whilst she shook in place, anger taking hold of every strand of fur on her body. Neither Ninetales responded verbally, but the one on the right, the one with the missing ear suddenly smiled. That was the last straw for the Eevee, who screamed and unleashed a psychic barrage at the two, sweeping the snow on the way and creating a small avalanche that would've swept the two pokémon off the cliff… hadn't a large wall of ice been erected between the two groups. Confusion spread through Team Star as the Ninetales ran to the side and towards the peak… and there they saw him. Walking out of the cave at a calm pace, and glancing down at the pokémon was a massive Abomasnow, his hand stretched and reaching towards the ice wall, which collapsed at his command, clenching his fist. Jake observed, as he did this, that it burst into shards and chunks violently, and some even almost reached the group.

The Ninetales positioned themselves besides the Abomasnow, and proceeded to check and tend to their wounds. "Your ear… They shall pay for this."

"But brother, your tail is…"

"Both of you, remain calm. They are but superficial wounds." The Abomasnow silenced the two Ninetales like so, establishing his superiority over the duo. He then turned his attention to the group of five pokémon glaring at him, and then and the three right beside them, in particular at the inert Shinx. "...We should not underestimate our opponent, for they are Team Star. They have a penchant of finding their way out of dangerous situations like these."

"Yeah? Well, what are we, celebrities?! You seem awfully concerned about who we are, almost if you knew we were coming!"

"We did spot you enter the mountain range yesterday, and ever since Daij and Kaui have been tracking you closely… furthermore, our attempts at assassinating you were fruitless due to an unexpected anomaly…" The Abomasnow closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of their nose, mimicking as if he were deep in thought before he smiled and pointed at Serge. "That was your doing, wasn't it? Sly move, hiding those abilities from your companions and the rest of the world… that, in the end, is what saved you all."

"Yeah well, I'm not about to take compliments from a criminal… Though I am awesome and that was totally my plan from the very beginning." Everyone turned to give Serge a deadpan to downright annoyed or angry expression, giving the Pidgeot the idea that this wasn't the moment to be cracking jokes.

"No matter what it was, the fact still remains: you came of your own volition, and fell right into our trap… fully knowledgeable that this was, in fact, a set up. You truly are idiotic."

"Wrong." Jake would not let the Abomasnow get away with his own twisted way of both insulting them and praising his own plans. "We came for one reason only: to save and free the people of Akil from your subordinates' attacks. Already, several pokémon have succumbed to the bitter cold… and we shall avenge those deaths, here and now!" The Abomasnow laughed while Jake's words motivated the group further, looking at their opponent.

"Bold, confident words, coming from one who understands little… do you know why we are here to begin with? What our goal is? Why we were planning on driving them out of here, or why no one has come to their aid in the first place? Do you know the first thing about what is happening right behind your backs as we speak?!" Nox had to glance behind them just to make sure there wasn't a third Ninetales, but there wasn't anything like that, thankfully.

"Most of that is irrelevant at this point… fact of the matter is, there's pokémon in need of help, and we're here to help them! Beating you up for what you've done and recovering the fragment… That's all just an added bonus." Eric held out his paw, his light staff growing outward, before he spun it and aimed it at their enemies, essentially challenging them to a battle.

However, the Abomasnow wasn't easily intimidated, albeit that smile vanished from their face. "So… you do know of what lays in these ruins… then perhaps you already know far too much." He shook his head, and smiled again. "No, you got something wrong earlier, therefore you just don't know what you're dealing with."

"And what would that be then?"

"You said that Daij and Kaui were the sources of the Blizzard, but… you see…" The Abomasnow's arm glowed in its entirety, a glow that… for lack of a better example, resembled that of Eric's arm and Serge's left wing.

(Incoming! - Xenoblade Chronicles 2)

He too, had an emblem.

"You were quite wrong with that assumption!" He threw his arm forward, and the snow around them fluttered up and twisted uncontrollably, the chunks of snow shattering and transforming into that dreaded white mist that once again obfuscated their vision… but didn't impede their hearing this time, the figures of the Ninetales and the Abomasnow visible still. "My name is Taikok, the guardian of this fragment… and the one that shall bury you and your spirits in this icy tomb!" Serge quickly got his barrier up again before the bitter cold could reach them or the other three, with Zed being the only one paying attention to their surroundings.

Taikok wasted no time rushing into the circle, fists coated in ice and slammed then down, snow flying up around him and freezing in the air, a dangerous barrage of ice shards raining down on the team. Nox blasted a cluster of them with fire and helped Serge and Jake survive, whilst Elly used her black craft to create a surface under which she and her mate hid. The Abomasnow rose up and faced the leaders of the team, deciding they were the biggest threat… plus they were the only ones separating him from the wounded pokémon. "Daij! Kaui! Deal with the others!" The Ninetales seemed to respond to his request form the blizzard, as Daij, the Ninetales with the missing tail, rushed in, coating the aforementioned limbs in ice and attempting to skewer the group once more. At the same time, Kaui attacked from the blizzard, shards of ice aiming directly for Serge, trying to break his concentration.

The Pidgeot immediately took off to the air, only to find that the Ninetales followed him wherever he went. Jake lunged for Daij, his claws clashing with his tails as he rolled and dodged out of the way of the shards that then shot out whenever he destroyed one of the limbs, finding himself right in his face and attempting to attack once more, their claws clashing and struggling, but the Ninetales won the struggle as one of his tails coiled around Jake's foot and threw him towards the blizzard, attempting to leave him for dead outside. Thankfully, the Sneasel reacted quickly enough and slashed the tail holding him, forcing the fox to free him and land just behind Taikok, who sensed his presence and attempted to squash him with his fist. He was stopped by Eric, who rushed in between the two and blocked the icy fist, struggling against the massive pokémon before pushing him back, Elly coming from behind to hit him with a fist just as big as his own.

However, the ice type quickly turned and met it with his own, shattering the Eevee's black construct and making her howl in pain, the black substance flying everywhere, and even into the snow. She wasn't incapacitated however, as she used a psychic barrier to protect herself from a follow up sweep of his foot, giving her just enough time to jump away, leaving a trail of blood from her wounded leg. Eric jumped up and swung his staff, meeting the Abomasnow's ice coated fist once more, but using it as leverage and jumping up off of it, swinging again and striking his face, landing on his shoulder and dropping below as he attempted to smack him off, kicking off his back in an attempt to flee… only to be hit by his fist, using his staff to block most of the damage, feeling the construct tremble in his paws as he was hurled backward brutally, almost falling outside the circle, saving himself by the hairs of his fur as he used his staff to slow himself down, digging into the snow.

"Damn it… he's strong! We need to switch it up!" He looked at Nox, and ordered him to go after Taikok. "I'll care of the others! Serge, make sure that the circle doesn't shrink!"

"And leave you to fight these guys? Not a chance!" The flying type swooped down as he said this and took a slash at the bloody tailed Ninetales, missing but keeping up the pressure as Eric rolled into the action, stabbing forward with his staff and jabbing at the ice type. He hit the jugular and made him choke, quickly turning around and smashing the staff into his face with a reverse hit, stopping the spin as he faced behind him and twisted his weapon, smacking projectiles out of the air as the two brothers kept him on his toes. Serge landed right on top of Kaui, tackling him and flying away afterwards, stopping the constant rain of projectiles on the Riolu, who was still smacked away by three icy tails. He couldn't handle the two brothers all on his own, and Zed, who was still crouched by Lucy, noticed this.

He looked incredibly distressed, fresh tears in his eyes, his fur matted in ice from all he'd been crying so far, whilst Vincent was still focused on whatever he was doing, muttering words and phrases of encouragement to himself. "Go." He suddenly said, having noticed the Zorua's constant glancing behind him. "We'll be joining the battle soon, so get over there! The last thing I need is to have to take care of more of you!" His forceful, sardonic tone of voice was back, but the dark type could tell he was actually telling him to go help the others, and he did just that, transforming into a Pidgey and flying off to aid Eric. He flew just above Taikok as he brought down his fist on Elly's psychic barriers, making her slide away while Jake slid underneath him, standing up and grabbing on to his back, digging his claws into his flesh and stabbing repeatedly. The Abomasnow bent down in pain and received a fireball to the face, snapping him out of his stupor and reaching behind to grab Jake, crushing him in his grip.

He felt his body give in, his brittle bones at the fringe of snapping and breaking into splinters, but Elly reacted quickly and summoned psychic swords, slicing the Abomasnow's ankles, giving the smaller ice type the brief window of time he needed to escape, slipping through his grasp and down into the ground in almost agonizing pain, breathing in desperately. The massive ice type reached down to the snow and lifted a chunk of it, icicles spearing out of the ground in a trail headed towards Elly, forcing her to move as the spikes attempted to follow her, barely missing her, though this gave Nox enough time to grab Jake and get him out of harm's way, which in turn allowed Taikok to coat his legs in ice, effectively closing the wounds and numbing the pain as he rushed at the Eevee, throwing more snow and raising another wall of spikes, closing her off from everyone else.

Zed however, had other goals, transforming into a Graveler mid flight and crashing down right next to Eric, blocking some more projectiles from Kaui and allowing him to focus on breaking down each of Daij's tails before moving in closer, vaulting and jumping through the tails until he was right on top of the Ninetales, stretching his legs and jumping right at him, bringing both of his feet down and then launching him sky high with his staff, then hurling the weapon at him. They both collided in midair and the staff exploded, throwing him away into the Blizzard, probably knocked out for the time being.

"Brother!" Kaui's cries were silenced as Zed tackled him, throwing him off balance and leaving him defenseless for Serge, who swooped down and slashed his belly, a streak of crimson appearing on his underbelly. He landed on his legs, quickly covering that part of him in ice to keep himself from bleeding out… but it was only a temporary solution, howling and creating more projectiles than before, catching Eric and Serge off guard as the shards cut into their skin, piercing in and either melting inside or cutting through their skin, giving them superficial cuts on their arms and wings.

Serge was forced to come down to the ground, lest his wings be wounded and rendered useless, but Zed, still a Graveler, rushed in and tackled the ice type, his rock skin protecting him from any severe damage and instead leaving bruises whenever he transformed back to a pokémon with normal skin. His elbow buried itself into the Ninetales' muzzle and broke some teeth, who hit him back with a blast of shards that broke his transformation back into a Zorua, cutting him further, but giving Eric just the window of opportunity to aim and fire a quick aura sphere from his right arm, using up the charge there, then quickly creating more as he kept him on the move, till finally one of the spheres hit him head on and threw him away, just at the edge of the circle protecting them from the still raging blizzard.

They'd won that battle, but a scream of pain snapped them back to reality, as Elly, who was still blocked off from the rest and being forced to back off against the blizzard, had an icicle pierce her already wounded leg, drawing blood and tears from the Eevee as she desperately tried to pull it out, stuck to the ground. SHe couldn't move, immobilized by the ice as Taikok loomed above her, bringing his fists up and slamming them down. Elly's black construct came back to her just in time and managed to block just one blow before it gave out and burst into pieces, splattering all over the ice walls around her.

"You have lost!" Those fists of ice rose once again, and Serge took off, Eric jumping on his back as Jake attempted to climb the wall with his claws, which simply scratched the surface, and Nox kept attempting to melt it, proving to be incredibly hard, as it spread on the snow from how impossibly cold it was… and as his fists fell down on Elly's head… a bolt of electricity soared through the air, faster than anyone, not even the expertly trained Abomasnow could react to, howling in pain as the electricity coursed through the water coated barriers and electrified him further, howling in pain as the bolts coursed all over him and through him, before finally slumping over, saving the Eevee's life and halting the blizzard around them

(Stop the music)

They all slowly turned to face the source, and there they saw Vincent, whose left arm had withered, looking like a dead twig. For a second, they were all confused as to what had happened, but the real surprise came right after… as Lucy shot yet another bolt at the ice wall, shattering it further, giving Nox a better target to aim at, relentlessly blasting it with fireballs until it went down, Vincent rushing in and running to the Eevee, pulling the icicle out of her paw. "Now… what did I say… about wounding yourselves further?" He placed his only healthy hand on the whole and gripped it. A burning sensation spread through her body as she screamed just as loudly as when she'd been hurt, and Vincent had to hold back groans of pain as well. "You're lucky you didn't bleed too much, I only have to regenerate the flesh and the fur…" His right leg withered slowly, though shortly after, he lifted his hand from the Eevee's leg… and she was perfectly fine.

"Wh-what?" She stared at her once wounded leg in awe, then at Vincent, who seemed to be having trouble standing on his right leg, as if he was crippled. Serge and Eric swooped in, the Pidgeot grabbing the Eevee with his claws and Eric reaching for Vincent's hand, who simply held it out with a weak smile and was pulled off the ground with them, taking them away from the still dizzied Abomasnow. Once they were out, they all regrouped around the barely conscious Shinx, whose mate had rushed over the moment she'd thrown that first bolt, screaming her name and crying as he nuzzled her. The others were in a mix of bewilderment, happiness and tears: She was completely fine, albeit a bit pale, the hole in her neck was gone, and could breathe just fine.

"Lucy! Lucy! How… are you alright?! You're alive you… I was so…" She tried to shut him up with a paw, but instead Zed took it into his own and held it close to his chest, crying onto it, too. Lucy walked over to her friend crouched down, crying just as much as Zed was.

"You stupid… You had us worried sick there, it looked like you had died! How did you trick us so easily?!" Elly still didn't believe it… it was borderline a miracle that she was alive and fine like that… and that miracle thankfully, had a name and voice to speak with.

"Well… that may be because she did in fact almost die…" Everyone turned to face Vincent, who was sitting on the snow, holding his withered arm. "But you're lucky that I was with you this time, and that I got to her as soon as I did. Had she lost more blood, she might not have survived. The fact that she's awake baffles even me, but I'm sure that is thanks to the absurd amounts of adrenaline that pumped through her veins when she was stabbed…"

"Nah… that's just because I'm a pain in the ass."

"Pain in the ass and my arm… seriously, you're fucking lucky as it is, instead of throwing bolts all over the place you should try and get some rest… then again, these aren't the best conditions to rest in."

Serge was the first to react to this chain of events, cutting the grass type off as he was about to tell them to fall back now that the opportunity had presented itself. "Hold on, back up, back up: what the fuck did you do again? You healed her?" The Roselia rose his withered arm in response to his question. It was incredibly thin and brown, looked incredibly brittle and weak, almost as if it were about to fall apart into tiny dead leaves at any second… but it was still attached to the rest of his body, which looked healthy in contrast, even if the leaves on his shoulders were of the same colour.

"It's called equivalent exchange: one part for another. The wound was in her neck, so I took the wound and healed it. Instead however, I have to give up something, my life energy, and since the wound was on her neck, it took the energy from my neck and the surrounding areas to make up for both damage and the blood loss… So I just transferred that damage to my arm the moment it was made."

"So that's why you were holding your neck!" Zed now understood why he'd taken that curious position, and the grass type nodded.

"So you can mend any damage sustained by transmitting your life energy to the wounded individual and sustaining the same wounds they have, which you then heal and spread across your body equally… But that's impossible, never in recent history has such an ability existed among grass types."

"Well… that's because they probably…" His breathing was ragged and he coughed up purple and green blood, splattering on the snow in front of them, very weak. "That's because they didn't have this, I feel." He showed them the back of his right hand… and Eric's eyes shot wide open as they saw those same outlines, surrounding a different symbol from both his paw and Serge's, giving off a weak dark green hue, almost invisible with his skin.

"Another one?! That's five us here up on this mountain!" Eric's exclamation didn't go unnoticed by Taikok, who slowly got up, smoke coming off of his body.

"Elementals… beget other elementals…" The sound of his voice made them all turn around to face him. He was heavily wounded, some of his hair having been completely burnt off, and what seemed to be a clot of blood coming from his side, no doubt from an older wound that had been reopened and fried thanks to Lucy's bolts. "The power that you have is not unlike my own… and not unlike our leader's. That power seeks to be complete… seeks its brothers and sisters to become whole once more. Call it fate, call it gravity, call it whatever you want, but…" He pointed straight at the four branded pokémon. "No matter where you go, and what you do, you are bound to encounter those with the same powers… and they will try and kill you, just like we've tried to."

"Do you mean to tell us that there are more with these emblems spread across this world?" Jake's question was met with a smile from the Abomasnow.

"Yes… but we know who they are… and they all know who you are too… and trust me, they will stop at nothing until you draw your last breath!" His eyes were bloodshot with anger, primordial rage and anguish coursing through his veins. "And I am just one of them… I have the power of a god, and yet… you've managed to show resistance…" He chuckled. "But that is about change." The last part of his speech served as an indication for Daij to burst out from underneath the snow and slam his tails straight into Vincent, drawing more blood from his mouth as he was launched away quickly and into a tree, snow falling on him and burying him slightly. The Ninetales dashed to the incapacitated grass type, as the sneak attack had been far too quick for the rest of the team properly, but even when they took off after him, the blizzard once again started blowing, this time even stronger than before, forcing Serge to stand still and focus on protecting not only them, but also Vincent, who was more than ten meters away, as a wall of ice burst out between them and their temporary companion, courtesy of Kaui and Taikok.

"You were so close to defeating me… if only you hadn't distracted yourselves with your companion, you could've finished me off. But that was sadly not the case… Shards of ice rose up from the snow, hovering around Taikok and shining with intensity as the blizzard roared around them. The group found themselves forced against the wall of ice as Eric, Elly and Zed focused on defending the others, whilst Serge protected them from the blizzard and Lucy got on his back, attempting to gather enough electricity to shoot one more bolt before consciousness slipped away from her. Nox launched a fireball at Kaui, who was hurling a barrage of icy projectiles straight at them, but the fire died the moment it left the circle, which meant the temperature outside in the blizzard was enough to flash freeze them, making the Houndour shiver. "This shall be the end!" The shards on his back glowing with even more intensity, and Jake kept an eye on the ways some of them were angled upward and looking at eachother… whilst one of them, the leftmost shard, was looking straight at them, specifically at Eric.

Then it hit him.

"Get down!" He tackled the Riolu just in time for the beam of sunlight to soar just above their heads, burning right through the ice wall behind them. They all looked at the hole and then at the Abomasnow, who began gathering more sunlight again. "Those shards are refracting sunlight between them, building up intensity… and then firing it our way!"

"Exactly. I made these crystals with a certain fractal structure in mind… a structure that optimally refracts the light from the sun and allows me to send it your way…" The crystals shuffled and they all turned to gather light together, giving them no chance to tell which of them would fire. Eric got up again and kept hitting projectiles out of the air as Jake tried to come up with an idea to get out of that situation.

"Nox, if you can hit one of the shards, then the energy he's building up could misfire and hit him from behind! That could give us an opening to strike!"

"I can't hit him ice! It's too cold out there and my fire can't stay burning! Serge get him in the circle!"

"And let Vincent die?! Like hell I am!" Once again, disagreement and confusion settled in the group… While all of this was happening, the Roselia behind them managed to get out from underneath the snow, wounded and hurt. He tried to reach for the tree, seemingly to seek shelter… but Daif was having none of that, one of his tails piercing his leg and keeping him in place, facing up at the clear sky as the Ninetales got over him.

"Well… you gave us quite a scare earlier, mister Vincent… you managed to heal their friend, and that was something that none of us could've seen coming. Still…" He twisted the tail in his wound, making him groan in agony. "Such a shame that such an ability will go to waste on you. Then again… we already have our sights set on someone else with nearly the same abilities… so nothing's lost there!" Vincent's eyes widened in anger as he tried to fight against his hold, his hands buried in the snow right above his head. Daij let out a coarse laugh, filled with contempt and hatred. "It hurts, doesn't it? Feeling that you're worthless, that there's someone out there that can do all you can and better. Feeling that no matter what you do, someone else will beat you at it, and the rest will forget you even existed… well, that's what happened to Kaui and me… thrown into the streets by those bastards…" He chuckled. "And now look at us! We're the top dogs now!"

Vincent listened to his speech in silence, but that last comment made him chuckle. "Top dog, eh? Heh… to me, it feels like you've just fallen even further… from the trash of society to terrorists…" The tail in his wound twisted again, but he held back from expressing his pain, if anything to spite the Ninetales above him. "And besides… to me it just sounds like you were just spoiled… you had more than enough chances to show your worth and prove you were not the best… but someone worth their time. But you didn't… You grew complacent and ended up getting what you deserved… you don't know what it's like… what hunger feels like."

Daij pressed down on his chest in anger. "You are the one that doesn't know anything… you filthy prissy rich boy! You aren't tricking anyone with your fancy dresses or fake smiles… you're rotten to the core, just like the rest of them!"

"On the contrary… I'm quite fresh… I've kept myself well, feeding off of all I could find. I lived off of their scraps and managed to survive… and always, always, I was hungry. The hunger I've experienced is nothing compared to what you've gone through… In fact… even now… I still hunger." A broken twig fell from the tree on top of them, making Daij look up at the tree… or what was left of it. From a somewhat dead, withering trunk it had degraded to a husk of its former self, reduced to the wooden carcass as its insides rotted and died as they spoke. Vincent's hands pulled up from underneath the snow, his fingers snapping free from the roots he'd taken to the ground to sap the tree's life and a blade burst out from his palm, slashing across Daij's eyes and blinding him.

The Ninetales let out a howl of pain as his vision was taken away, and was kicked off with unnatural strength. Vincent's left arm was still withered, but his legs were now perfectly fine, albeit the rest of his body was drained of color. "Wha… Whaaaat?! What did you doooooooo?! You mother fucker! I'll fucking kill y-" He was silenced by the weight of Vincent's foot stomping his head into the snow. The grass type looked at the rest of Team Star, pinned like that against the wall and discussing among themselves… and let out a sigh.

"Bunch of amateurs… still, they did surprise me a large deal with how they fought together… but they leave much to be desired… Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah… hungry." He reached down to the Ninetales' neck and dug into his flesh, the ice type letting out screams of pain as he left his energy leaving his body, while Vincent's own recovered it's splendor and vigor, recovering to the point where he was fine. Meanwhile, the Ninetales had been drained to just an inch of his life, his eyes healed again so he could see what was happening. "I will always hunger, my friend… hunger to become better than everyone else, to be at the very top of the food chain, where nothing and nobody can touch me… that's my goal." He looked at his hands and at his emblem, clenching his fist as that confident smile returned, shaking his cape. "And I'll use this gift to do just that!" He got off Daij and ran over to the group and to the wall of ice, calling for Team Star.

When they turned around and saw the grass type in perfect shape, they decided they didn't need to wait any longer. Serge changed the radius of the barrier to stretch towards Taikok, shrinking around Vincent and leaving just a tiny gap behind the wall for him to stay in. The moment the Abomasnow realized that he wasn't under the protection of the blizzard anymore, it was too late. Nox released his fireball, overloading the right most shard of ice, which vibrated intensely, letting out a screeching noise that deafened until the howling blizzard before shattering into pieces, the beam of light firing off into the sky. Defenseless and dazed, Lucy screamed as she put her energy into one last intense bolt that shocked the massive ice type and stunned him as Eric and Elly moved in. Eric let out a barrage of fists straight at his stomach, pushing him back and then lowering himself to the ground and pushing off the snow with his paws, slamming both of his paws feet into his underbelly, releasing the last charges of aura in his legs and throwing him sky high, where Elly was waiting atop a transformed Zed with a black fist bigger than the Abomasnow himself.

The sheer intensity of the hit sent ripples through the air as he was sent downward and towards the entrance to the cave he'd come out from disappearing from sight and throwing Elly and the Pidgeotto she was on top of to the ground, both of them being caught by a concerned looking Eric. The snowstorm died the moment that fist hit its mark, the snowflakes fluttering around them for one last time before falling down to the ground gently, tranquility recovering its reign over the peak.

Down in the valley, the pokémon exiled from their own village looked up, among the leaders of the party was a Beartic, who faced the peak at the sound of the air rippling, like that of a hammer slamming down on stone, the sound echoing around them and disappearing along with the blizzard. For just a second, his heart skipped a beat, his hand searching for that of the other Beartic, gripping it with renewed hope as they waited, standing just in the middle of mountain ridge separating their home from the outside world.

Back on the peak, the majority Team Star celebrated their victory by sharing howls of enthusiasm, high fives or hand shakes, while some, specifically Eric and Vincent, simply smiled and traded nods with everyone else. Out of the corner of their eye, they all saw Kaui tar up and rush towards the peak as well, chasing after his leader, though for the time being there was nothing he could do. The wounds Taikok had sustained were simply too great for him to fight further, and Kaui all on his own would be unable to do anything. "Right… Well that's done and over… holy shit, that was intense. Roll call?" One by one, the members of Team Star responded to the Pidgeot, with the exception of Lucy, who'd fallen asleep on his back after that last bolt. Vincent chimed in last, which made everyone turn to look at him.

"How did you recover from your wounds?" Jake inquired, the grass type responding by pointing at the husk of Ninetales behind him.

"Giving energy isn't the only thing I can do. Don't worry, he has more than enough energy to survive for at least two or three days, I know my stuff. He's asleep, so he won't be going anywhere anytime soon… so let's just go check up on that cave and get down from here. This cold is absolutely dreadful for the complexion!" He was back to his usual, insufferable self, which made them all groan in annoyance… even if what he had done for them during that fight was bar none impressive and had saved not only Lucy's life, but probably Elly's and who knew what else.

"Right… well, after we get down there, we'll have a few words with you… don't worry, it won't be like yesterday. Hadn't you been here, Lucy's death would've made this fight snowball out of control." Bar the unintentional ice pun that made Jake groan, everyone else laughed and the Riolu facepalmed, Eric's attitude towards the grass type was softer now, something that made Vincent smile

"What? So now that I've done something nice for you all I'm getting praise? That is a far cry from the treatment I received these past few days, isn't it? A bit hypocritical, don't you think?" Any and all praise directed towards the grass type disappeared with that comment.

"You know, for just one time, just shut up and take the praise." Eric was obviously angered by the Roselia's response, kicking himself mentally for ever showing him his paw in affection.

"If it comes from the likes of you, I've no need for it. I did it to ensure my own survival, that is all." He walked past the fighting type with a snarl on his face. "Anyways, let us go into that cave and secure the criminals before descending the mountain." No further commentary was necessary as they grouped up and headed for the peak's entrance, all but Vincent keeping an eye on the still sleeping Shinx to see if she stirred awake. As they reached the entrance, however, a strange noise, perceptible only Elly, made her ears twitch and look around.

"That's weird… I can hear… voices." The others stood still and listened closer, but they didn't hear anything.

"Maybe it's your imagination?" Her mate shot her a concerned look, but the Eevee shook her head.

"No no, I can hear them clearly… I think it's someone using telepathy!" The feeling in her ears was similar to when she used it herself to communicate with anyone else, but the pokémon in that cave weren't capable of using psychic powers… or at least that she knew of. She closed her eyes and paid close attention, making sure they didn't sense her spying in on their conversation…

"They're too strong, sir, Daij has fallen,me and Kaui have been heavily wounded… we need reinforcements! When will she arrive?!" The voice belonged to Taikok, who'd somehow woken up from his wounds and was calling for help. While the other voice… it made her shiver, as she recognized it immediately.

"It is far too risky. She is not yet ready for a direction confrontation against Team Star. Her objective was to retrieve the fragment and minimize damages, and your duty was to guard it without calling too much attention… what you decided to do was drive out the inhabitants of Akil to draw more pokémon to our cause. A noble idea, but one that you were strongly advised not to follow…"

"Basically, you fucked up, and now you gotta pay for the consequences! It's simple! Shame you won't be getting here in one piece, otherwise we would've loved to tear you apart ourselves." The two voices complimented each other, and Elly recognized them as… The Pursuer. She could barely hold her surprise, telling her companions of what she was hearing, all of them remembering the cloaked figure that had proven the be the bane of their stay in that other world… and a menace towards the friends they'd made there, along with other locals. "Buuuut, there is a way for you to get out… it's a bit risky though!"

"Please, anything! I cannot bear to… not again! I will not be taken in by those Judges again! I refuse to be taken away kicking and crying like last time, and have my dignity and possessions stripped… I will do anything to go down with a fight and take as many of them with me!" Elly could feel the sheer hatred and sadness in those words, his last oath being what his superiors wanted to hear.

"You know what to do, Taikok… at any price, correct?" There was a long silence, and for a slight moment Elly thought they had stopped… until Taikok spoke again.

"Understood. It was an honour fighting for your cause, sir. Take care of my family for me."

"We shall… and you should hurry." A chill went down Elly's spine again. The vivid image of the Pursuer appeared in her mind's eye, his eyes glowing in two different colors and giving her that twisted smirk that he'd worn when claiming the lives of pokémon and humans alike. "For we seem to have an unannounced visitor…" Taikok left the conversation immediately, and before Elly could do the same she felt something pulling on her mind, keeping her there. "I know not how long you have been here… but should you survive, we shall meet again, surely… daughter of Blake." She managed to pull away, falling back and panting heavily as her teammates gathered around her, even Vincent to turn and face her.

"He… He knows who I am…" Suddenly, a howl of pain echoed from within the cave, protected from both sides with what seemed to be a stone statue of a strange pokémon: an Aurorus, Jake identified it, with little jewels of ice where its scales should be, signs and papers with symbols and prayers hanging overhead as they walked inside the shrine. The floor was coated on a thin layer of solid ice, reflecting the ceiling, filled with stalagmites and icicles through the which the sun shone into the room, light refracting everywhere and heightening the haunting image before them. At the bottom, a wooden altar for prayer had been erected, and behind it encased in ice, what looked like a massive Aurorus curled up into a circle protected the naked stone wall, and in the centre, a golden fragment gave off a faint cyan hue.

However, that was what it would've looked like hadn't it been for Taikok, who was grasping the fragment and screaming as tendrils of that same light extended and grabbed his arms. The pain was severe and was trying to push him away… but he still held on, his will proving to be too much even for the fragment's power. Besides him Kaui looked in a mixture of panic and despair, repeatedly shouting at him to let go of the fragment. "What the hell's going on?!" Nox, who had never seen the effects a fragment could have on an individual should they touch it, was confused, and yet… this whole scene was somehow familiar. Whatever the case, the other team members quickly rushed in to stop the Abomasnow… but it was too late.

"I will not… let you take me away!" With one mighty roar he ripped the fragment from the ice and slammed his fists backwards, a gust of ice shards and freezing wind blowing everyone away and cutting them lightly. His body was glowing, almost as if the markings from his arm had spread across his body under his fur, increasing in brightness as time went on, gripping the fragment in his right fist. "I…. I refuse! I can't…. I can't…" His became hoarse before letting out an ear-splitting howl, ripples of cold air threatening to freeze them on the stop hadn't it been for Serge's quick reflexes, all while Kaui took shelter besides the altar.

"Stop! Let that thing go! Taikok!" His words fell on deaf ears however, as already, the Abomasnow was doomed the moment he'd unleashed that power. His limbs were quickly coated in ice as he let out more screams, the ice around his limbs not only showing transparency, but also a type of diaphony that wasn't normal of a coat of ice. They could see right through him. He was becoming a solid block of ice, not unlike the Aurorus on the wall. Not before long, he'd completely frozen over, but he was still screaming and moving, slowing to crawling stop… until his screams too were deafened by the ice, and he seemingly died. The frozen Abomasnow shook violently, the fragment still in its clutches glowing and blinding everyone momentarily as the sound of something shattering into a billion pieces was heard… and when the light went out the statue was no more, and neither was the fragment.

They all stood still in awe of what they'd just witnessed, chills running down their spines as those that had come in contact with the fragments themselves reminisced the times they'd directly touched them… wondering just what had gone wrong and how lucky they were to not have died in such a horrifying manner as well. This all ended when Kaui let out a wail, falling down on the ice facing down, sobbing and crying. "Stop this! Please! Just… stop!" The pressure had gotten to him, and the sight of seeing his superior and to an extent mentor die like that… it was too much for him to bear, breaking down into a mess of tears and fur. "I… can't take this anymore, this is too much. I just… I just wanted food, something safe… that's all that me and my brother wanted, and we'd do anything to do it, but… this is too insane! I can't take this anymore, and I don't want to die please don't kill me! Please!"

His pleads snapped the group back to reality, still somewhat shocked that their foe had been slaughtered mercilessly in such a fashion by the very power he'd been trying to use against them. "Calm down, we shall not kill you or harm you any further… if you are truly giving up, that is." Jake's cool demeanour was their only saving grace, as the others were still too shaken to properly speak without stuttering.

"Yes! Please just… anything. I don't want this to go on, and I'm sure neither does my brother…" His pleads only made Vincent snicker and face the opposite wall of the cave, walking around.

"This is exactly what your brother told me earlier, that were just a miserable pair of kids that had gotten themselves wrapped up in some shit… but you don't exactly come through to me like too relatable. Do you know the damage you've caused and how much grief you've given to the pokémon down in Akil?" He didn't get a response, instead turning to face him. "I'm waiting for your response you know."

"Vincent, they said they would give up, what is it that you want?" Jake turned to face the grass type, not condoning his behaviour in the slightest.

"From them? Nothing, I am just making sure they fully understand the severity of their actions. Taking into account that, right now, I am the only one who decides whether or not his brother lives or dies, I have the power to do so. Or what, did you expect me to not understandingly, drag him back to Cunabula and have him confess to what he's done? We don't need a confession from him or his brother. We don't need anything other than them to be punished for all they've done. They were once weaklings, and once they rose to power they used that power to take advantage of the weak and kill them. What other punishment do they deserve but death?"

"We are not killing them, if that's what you're suggesting, Vincent." Elly stepped in between him and the Ninetales, standing up for the sobbing mess of fur. "They may have done horrible things, but it's not in our hands to decide what happens to them."

"Oh yeah? And in whose hands is it? In the Judges'? You know that what awaits them back there is ten times more horrible than what I'm proposing. Or do you want some corrupt judge to make them go to trial and probably get them a death sentence anyways? Either way, I don't see these two anywhere else but five feet underground and labeled as terrorists." She bit her lower lip and looked away. "You all know I am right. And need I remind you he was the one that pierced Lucy's throat and almost killed her? Or are you just willing to forgive him for that all of a sudden now that he's broken down into a poor sobbing kid?"

Nobody answered him for the longest time, but the fact that none of the pokémon spoke up or looked at the grass type was all he needed to know their decision. "Bunch of cowards. Cowards, hypocrites and liars, the lot of you. No wonder our world is going to shit: with heroes like you, who needs villains." He stormed out of the cave to go and fetch the other of the Ninetales brothers, leaving the rest of Team Star to ponder his words. While he was gone, Zed approached the ice fox, asking him to turn over to check the wound on his stomach. At first, he was scared of the Zorua, but he conceded and showed him his wounds.

"It doesn't look that deep… you'll be fine, once we get you to the village they'll be able to heal you so you don't bleed out. How old are you?"

"S-sixteen." He was just as young as Nox and Jake, who were the youngest of the group. Barely a kid in Serge's eyes, which made this even harder to understand. "Y-you are…"

"We won't do what Vincent says… he's not exactly a part of the team to begin with either… but he's right." Something in the Zorua's eyes made the Ninetales shiver. "I will not forget you for what you've done to my mate. You would've killed us all without a second thought a few minutes ago and now you're asking for forgiveness… You may be younger than I am, and you may have made some wrong decisions… but it was all your choices that ended up with you here. So cry all you want, I won't feel sorry for you." And with that the dark type walked away, Eric walking into his path and putting a paw on his shoulders as he sobbed on his own, having gotten that off of his chest, receiving a comforting hug from his best friend while the Ninetales looked at the ground, doing just what the Zorua had told him.

It wasn't long before Vincent came back, dragging Daij right behind him and leaving him in the middle of the room like he was a useless sack of potatoes. Kaui wasted no time crawling over to his brother, checking his breath. "He'll live, I made sure of it, as much as it lives a bad taste in my mouth to say that… let's just go and get this over with." They gave the still conscious Ninetales just a little bit of time to check that his brother was alright, stirring him awake shortly after.

"Wha… Kaui, what is…"

"It's over brother… Taikok… He used the power he had and destroyed himself…" His words seemed to strike Daij pretty hard, looking around at Team Star. He attempted to get up, but was too weak to even muster up the strength to stand. "It's over, they won't hurt us anymore, they're just going to… turn us in."

"Turn us in?! Brother they'll only..:"

"Do you want to keep going like this?!" Everyone stayed silent and let the two brothers argue. "Do you still want to keep on pushing like this without Taikok?! Without any real purpose?! What else have they given us asides from food and a roof, brother?! I haven't felt that sense of accomplishment they always talked about... only grief and guilt whenever we stole food from them and made sure they froze to death! And I know you've felt the same… And I don't want us to go through this anymore…" He nuzzled him, sobbing softly, and Daij closed his eyes, thinking for a long time as he himself accepted just that.

"What a stupid charade… can we please start moving?!" An irate Vincent chimed in and interrupted their brotherly moment, making everyone else face the grass type with contempt. Even Zed, who had more than enough reasons to despise the ice type, wasn't being so brutal with them, and it made the group wonder whether or not Vincent had a legitimate reason behind his actions or if he simply enjoyed showing authority over pokémon that were too weak to fight back… the same thing that he had criticized them for.

Whatever the case, their opinions of the grass type were already cemented and wouldn't budge in the slightest… and nobody was in the mood to discuss with Vincent over it. They got Daij on Serge's back and Kaui was escorted by Elly, Eric and Nox, all three of them standing around him and keeping an eye on the ice type, making sure he didn't try anything funny, though it was merely a formality, as he looked just as defeated as earlier when Zed talked with him.

They got out of the cave, but just as they were walking through the clearing at the top of the mountain… snowflakes began falling down on their heads. Instinctually, they looked up to check the sky… and to their shock, it was still clear, the sun going down still. There was no longer any danger of the blizzard freezing them do death during the night… but the fact that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and it was snowing was worrying, to say the least. They exchanged looks of concern, not sure of what to do.

"I think we should just go down the mountain and get to town as soon as possible, that way w-" An ear splitting screech that was all too familiar to them cut off the Pidgeot's suggestion, waking up Lucy and Daij, and making Kaui's eyes open wide.

"Tha- that scream… it can't be!" That was the same sound that they'd heard about a few minutes ago… when Taikok had shattered into pieces in front of them. The blizzard picked up strength after that, but it was nowhere near as cold as before… it still obstructed their vision. Even when Serge tried to create a field, out of fear that it would freeze them on the spot, he found himself unable to.

"What the… This wind it's… much stronger than before!"

"But it's not freezing us solid! What the hell's going on?!" Not even Nox could feel any abnormalities in the temperature… even if he already felt the cold to begin with.

"Let's back to the cave and put these two safe… Come on!" They made their way back to the cave and took shelter inside, leaving the two Ninetales brothers safely by the shrine before scanning the outside. The storm was still raging, and even if Serge tried and tried again, his magic didn't have any effect on the blizzard. "That's weird… it's too strong for me now. Taikok's wasn't nearly this bad, and if it were a natural one then it'd be even easier…"

Vincent glanced at the twins, but Elly quickly forced to look away. "You've already beat them thoroughly… you think they have the strength to muster up something like this? Besides… Taikok said he was the one making the blizzard, and he was the only one with an emblem."

"Oh, so now you're going to take a terrorist's word for granted? How low can you go?"

"Oh will you just put a cork in it and pay attention!" Her response promptly shut the grass type up, though he was in a very foul mood either way. They waited for a bit longer, and nothing but the wound of the Blizzard howling was heard… until they heard laughter, once again, laughter that they recognized as Taikok's.

"Who goes there?!" Jake was the first to speak up and ask… only for the blizzard to return the inquiry, and with his exact voice and tone too. "What the…"

"Please tell me it just echoed." Lucy was starting to show signs of distress again, looking around as her mind kept flashing back to that single fatallic moment… which she was still trying to avoid thinking about lest she had a nervous breakdown.

"No, that was a little bit different… if it were an echo we would've heard it repeatedly, but now i-" They heard the question again, which confirmed Elly's fears. Whatever was out there… it was listening closely to their every word and move, and repeating it all down to their very accent.

"Shit man… This is creepy. You think it's like… his ghost or something?"

"Given how he broke apart and what he was holding… It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if he actually didn't die." The last word of Eric's sentence was repeated by the blizzard over and over, which was about what they needed to understand its intentions.

"He's waiting for us out there… whatever he's become now." As Serge spoke, the wind mingled and matched their words to make some incoherent sentences… and some very much coherent, sending chills down their spines.

"Let's not keep him waiting then. If gets down from this mountain… whatever he is, he could end up being far worse than the actual Taikok. Those fragments have always been bad news." The Riolu's words made everyone turn to face him, confused. "We aren't going to be able to stay up here forever, waiting for this thing to disappear… and even if it does, it won't just go away magically, it'll become someone else's problem, probably Akil's, and we swore we'd save them from the blizzards. We aren't about to go back on our promise."

"Besides… we are the only ones who can do this." He showed them the symbol that now he, Elly, Serge and Vincent shared. "Taikok said that elementals, which I presume we are now, attract other elementals. There's a chance that this thing could chase after us if we don't finish it here… and bring all this snow and cold with it. They may be ready to face it here in Akil, but in Cunabula it could prove to be disastrous… let alone if it goes all the way to North Sinnoh. Or it could spread to the whole world for all we know… and all because we didn't face it here and now, before it goes anywhere else."

"That's true but… we don't know what it is to begin with, we could be walking straight into a death trap here Eric." Nox, surprisingly, was being reasonable. He understood where Eric was coming from… but more than ever, the possibility of death loomed above their heads, probably because of the episode that Lucy had put them all through.

"Well… as long as you all don't run in and get your heads chopped off… I should be able to heal you. If worse comes to worse that is." To their utter shock, Vincent once again put his services on the table, proving to be an invaluable asset, Elly making a mental note to thank Ferrus' foresight when they got back home… if they ever did. "My ability takes a heavy toll on myself and my body, so let's not abuse it… and don't think that this means I've changed my views on you, even after that committed speech."

"Frankly? I don't give a damn about what you think about me anymore. The fact of the matter is that there is a threat that only we can take care of… so we'll do just that." The others nodded in understanding, and Vincent's glare changed to a bemused smile.

"Fine… I'll concede… if the kitty cat doesn't turn out to be a liability." He quickly pointed out something that had gone unnoticed by most of the team members: up on Serge's back, Lucy was trembling like a leaf, about to break down into tears, clearly conflicted.

"Lucy… do you want to stay here? With them?" Lucy quickly turned to look at the Ninetales brothers, and then outside… It was either getting stuck along with her attempted murderers or going out there to face a situation awfully similar to when she'd almost died.

"No. I… want to go with you all. I'll offer support whenever I can from Serge's back… probably a bolt or two. I'm not feeling too hot right now."

"Do what you can or want, but do make sure you don't become a deadweight halfway through the battle. I don't have anything against you personally… besides what I have against every single pokémon in your group… and, you know, those shocks you gave me that other night… and your foul attit- Ow!" Her fur crackled as a single jolt of electricity zapped the back of his head and Serge's body.

"Sorry Serge, but you're collateral. And don't worry, I won't be a "liability"... Whatever that is." Some chuckles spread through the group, the tensions between them having cooled off considerably… and now that they were all mentally and physically ready, Eric was the first to walk out and into the snowstorm, readying himself with aura and his light staff. The others followed him closely, sticking together and never straying too far into the snowstorm. They went like this for several minutes, reaching what seemed to be the edge of the cliff, but once they turned around… the blizzard dissipated, the great glaciers once again coming into view, which was a familiar and expected sight.

What wasn't expected where the dozen of ice sculptures behind them.

They could see a sculpture for each of the Team Star members and Vincent, all ready for battle and facing off against what looked like Taikok and the Ninetales twins, a faithful representation of what had just transpired. Besides them, however, were new members: that same Aurorus from the shrine, howling out into the skies, a cloaked figure, which they all recognized as the Pursuer… and another pokémon, which no one had ever seen, but Jake identified as a Kommo-O. "A species native to the far north of the Johto peninsula and surrounding islands."

"The region that's trying to become independent? That's… a really weird looking pokémon. What are they doing here?"

"Well… the Pursuer and the Aurorus weren't here during the fight… and let's theorize for a second, that these ice sculptures could be a representation of Taikok's last memories… which would explain the presence of the Pursuer, the last pokémon he talked to, and the Aurorus, which was everywhere inside that cave. If that were to be the case then… That Kommo-O must be related to both Taikok and the Pursuer is some way."

"Huh… Why do I get the feeling that I've seen them before?" Nox suddenly spoke up, approaching the ice sculptures and looking at the ice statue closer, inspecting every small detail. He was awfully familiar, but he couldn't quite his paw on it… Though he had a very limited amount of time to think about this, as suddenly the Taikok statue trembled and cracks appeared all over it. The group jumped backwards and away from the statue, but soon all the rest were following its example… and inside the ice statue, something could be seen. Something black as coal, covered in snow white and silver scales, and a strange metallic head, which gave off a blue hue… Before they could even process what they were looking at however, the statues shattered into fragments, and these fragments blew and flew around them in a haphazard way, the blizzard itself having compacted itself into those statues to give the group that grim image… and within the blizzard, they saw it again.

(Frozen Frog - Devil May Cry 4)

The creature rose up to its full height, a full eight feet, towering over Serge and leaving the Pidgeot behind in strides, those scales covering it growing bigger and bigger as the blizzard died down slowly, enveloping the monster until it was outfitted in a strange icy body, which doubled his height, encased inside of it like some sort of full body armor. And its head was now easily distinguishable: the watch fragment was there, glowing intensely as it seemed to be controlling the creature, facing the group as the head was finished around it, the glow only coming out through a set of icy fangs and six eyes arranged in two columns. The creature gave out a roar that could be heard down in the valley, where Akil's inhabitants had slowly made their way back… and they all knew that their fight was far from over.

With the real threat now in full display before them, and given its characteristics, just as it roar, Eric cried out the only possible definition for the monster that Taikok's will and the fragment's power had given birth to. "REBSCURA!" The creature lunged at them, the four-fingered hand at the end of its thin right arm morphing into a sharp end, moving with unparalleled speed and forcing the Riolu to jump away, though immediately it reverted to its original form and elongated itself, grabbing the fighting type and pulling him closer, crushing him in its icy grip.

The others broke out of their shocked stupor and unleashed everything they had: bolts of electricity, blasts of wind, fireballs, icicles flew all at once at the creature, while a black mass transformed into a fist, right on top of it a Cranidos and a Roselia approaching the creature at kick speeds. Its left arm changed shapes, growing wider and blocking most of the magic attacks, but the fist threw it off balance, allowing Vincent and Zed to rush up its arm, the transformed Zorua smashing against its head whilst Vincent's arm shot out a vine and swung from one arm to the other, sliding on its thin surface and stabbing the wrist with his blade, forcing the monster to release Eric as the hand shattered and fell to pieces, the Riolu retaliating with an aura sphere directly to its chest. The group retreated as the creature took all of these attacks one after another.

"Eat that, you fucking freak!" Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs and shot another bolt… but to their surprise even at its speed the creature's arm changed, this time into a flat surface that the bolt simply bounced off of and hit Lucy back in the blink of an eye, which knocked her off of Serge's back and shocked her for a few seconds, leaving the rest and the Shinx utterly confused. "B-but that's… that's fucking cheating!" The creature took her words and repeated that last one, before putting both of its arms together, transforming them in what looked like the barrel of a cannon, its body glowing intensely, not unlike the fragments Taikok had used to refract sunlight…

"Holy shiiiit!" Nox screamed as they all scrambled out of the way, the energy beam burning right through the snow and the stone, making the earth crackle and break as it was burnt to a crisp, molten rock and steam shooting up as the entire area became more unstable, the snow sliding as a small avalanche began, dragging them all down the hill, screaming. The creature didn't stop charging however, aiming to erase them as they were defenseless, but Eric quickly send another aura sphere towards it. To his dismay however, the creature simply blocked the projectile… which never blew up, absorbing it as it spread to its arms and legs, unlike the Riolu's own self-taught technique.

"It just…" He didn't have time to finish his sentence as it got down on all fours and unleashed the aura all at once, launching itself across the air and down the hill, sliding on the running snow and halting, arms transforming into claws as it waited in their path to slice them down to bits. Nox and Jake fired more icicles, but the creature blew out its icy breath, stopping the fireballs while the icicles left nothing but mere scratches on it. The first ones to reach it where Vincent and Eric, and the former used his vines to grab on to its arm like before and try and sling under and over it, whilst Eric used his water string to stick to its face and try to smash a light staff into it… but to their shock, it once again adapted. Time seemed to slow down as it slashed across the snow and attacked Serge, who used his wind and wings to launch himself forward and away, though not before the claws scratched his back, all whilst the creature moved its left arm and head in unison, making the two vine like users smash together in the air, eliciting a simultaneous groan of pain and then dunking the two further down the side of the mountain and to the next patch of flat snow, now closer to the glaciers and the endless abyss underneath.

The others reached the three wounded pokémon unharmed, though Lucy barely had the strength to stand on her own four legs. It wasn't long before the creature joined them down there, its arms morphing into that flat barrier and the icicle, roaring and lunging at the group. Elly and Nox quickly stepped forward and attacked at the same time, but the same strategy from earlier failed, as it halted and slid on the snow, throwing it all over the two and smashed its shield against the fire and the fist. The shield absorbed the fire and glowed intensely, which then burst out and incinerated Elly's dark construct, rendering her somewhat defenseless to the next attack from the other arm, which tried to skewer her through the skull. She quickly brought up a psychic barrier that softened the attack, breaking the sharp end and letting her deal with a blunt extreme of the attack, which knocked her unconscious to Eric's panic, whilst Nox was thrown away by the crash of the icy limb, falling near Eric, Serge and Vincent, who was already busy healing his own wounds and Serge's.

"Elly!" Eric attempted to get up but yelped in pain, his ankle twisted in a strange way. Vincent stood up, his back somewhat withered from healing Serge's wounds, having ignored his own broken arm for the time being and focusing on healing the fighting type.

"Don't move! You imbecile! You will worsen your wounds and make it harder for me to heal you!" Vincent took a hold of his leg and asked Nox to aid him in putting the femur in place before healing it completely.

"Damn it…" He looked at the Eevee, accompanied only by Lucy, Zed and Jake. "Elly! Wake up! Elly!" Since she was unconscious they couldn't communicate through their psychic link, and so the creature grabbed the Eevee's name and repeated it mockingly, adding insult to injury as its arms combined into that same cannon shape and gathered light, aiming it directly at the group. Jake closely observed all of this, his focus allowing him to see how the ice was structured: layers branched out in equally perfect ways, like fractals that followed an endless pattern, and within them the light bounced back and forth, increasing in intensity.

With Lucy still weak, and Elly unconscious, Zed was the only one who could do anything to save the group from being incinerated… and quickly transformed into a Graveler, using his four arms to grab them and try to escape… but the creature fired a smaller beam and blasted the snow and molten rock again, splashing his back and burning him even through the rock, while the steam, boiling hot, hit his eyes, making him howl out in pain whilst Lucy screamed his name, shooting another bolt in anger, directed both at the monster and Jake, who was still looking at it. He saw how the bolt hit the barrier, and seemingly splashed against and across it, a smooth thin layer of ice that was almost transparent, and yet reflected them perfectly. Just the perfect amount to be brittle enough to be shattered in one hit and yet made in such a way to refract any type of energy. The bolt shot back and hit her again, spreading through the paining Graveler to the others, snapping Elly out of her unconsciousness and frying Jake for just a bit, breaking his concentration. Though he'd gotten about as much information as he needed from the creature. The continuous screams and that ray once again made the hills and the snow shift as they were all dragged further down.

As they descended, the monster rushed towards them, the group falling through a snowy forest, avoiding the roots and trunks as best they could, Eric being forced to use his staff and grab Vincent to turn sharply and avoid hitting a particularly thick one, leaving in it their path to blow up the Rebscura as it chased after them. It worked, and the creature flew up… only to come back down with its fists held together in another cannon, blasting the forest and the trees into bits and burnt splinters, burning fragments and flames licking away at their furs and feathers as they passed through a very brief hell on the snow, which made Vincent panic. As they slid out of the forest they all tried to group up, the creature sliding through the burning woods and facing the Team again.

"Everyone, report!" Eric made a roll call, as he feared they'd lost someone in the midst of all that confusion.

"Zed is unconscious! Oh my god his back… I can see the blood and… He's gonna bleed out like this!"

"Vincent is already on his way, don't worry!" As he said this the Riolu motioned to Vincent to rush to the Zorua, who was in fact bleeding out. But he wasn't the only one, as the twigs, rocks and flames had taken their toll on the group, leaving cuts, burns and some very ugly looking blue wounds, especifically Nox, whose right leg was twisted, probably broken.

"Fuck… we're gonna fucking die… this hurts so much!" The Houndour was about to break down into tears from the pain and panic.

"Pull yourself together kiddo! We need to combine all our attacks again, just like we did earlier!"

"I can't summon by black construct again though, it's too soon and we've gotten too far away from the remains! It's going to take longer for me to call it back!"

"And even then, it wouldn't work." Jake's statement was bleak, to say the least, and he earned himself an angry response from Lucy.

"Shut the fuck up Jake! You could've moved out of the fucking way and Zed wouldn't have gotten hurt like this! If you want to fucking die so badly then do it on your own you f-"

"It won't work." He interrupted her again. "Because we used it before. I have a theory on how we can beat this creature… but it will require an intense amount of teamwork." They all looked at the Sneasel, and even if Lucy was still livid with him… she recognized that when he had a plan, they usually worked out. "This is a fearsome foe, but there is one glaring weakness that I have just now uncovered… We must exploit it now, before it learns that this weakness exists."

"Just tell us what to do!" Lucy once again pressed the ice type, who gave in and explained his plan. While Nox, Eric and Serge would carry out the thick of it and Lucy and Vincent would cover the wounded Zorua, Elly and Jake quickly dashed towards the Rebscura the moment the explanation was finished, roaring as they used psychic blades and icicles simultaneously to draw its attention. The icicles were blocked, but the first few blades dented its shield before it also adapted, absorbing the energy and throwing it back, the two engaging in battle alone whilst Eric and Nox both stood side by side in front of Serge.

"So you know how to do this?" Serge inquired, gathering up wind, mostly oxygen above their heads.

"Yeah, I did it once before… with Nox's fire, it'll be even more painful for it."

"What are we waiting for then?! Let's do it! Eric!" He arched his back and breathed out fire, the Riolu's paws glowing with blue aura before it became flames too, fireballs growing and throwing them at the mass of fire that Serge was keeping together through the use of his wind technique. Nox added the fire, Eric concentrated into spheres and Serge kept them all together in one bigger orb… The heat was palpable and melted the snow around them.

"Eric! Now!" Serge called out their leader's name once the sphere was too big for him to control, and the Riolu jumped onto Nox's back, then from him he bounced onto Serge, and leaped off of him with his fist coated in aura, roaring as he punched the cluster of fireballs… and unleashed the aura from his fist. The balls fired up in the sky and momentarily halted… before raining down on the ground at high speeds. A rain of fireballs enveloped the group as Serge sheltered both of the pokémon under him with his wind and the other three around the incapacitated pokémon, a move not unlike the one Eric and Elly had once performed with the human Eric back when he was alive.

Jake watched it all unfold behind the creature and smiled as the fire rained down upon their heads. "Elly!"

"Got it!" She quickly brought up a barrier to defend them… and the fire did the rest. Each time a ball hit the ground the fire burst out in a small explosion, spreading around and melting snow and burning whatever it caught that was flammable... and when it hit the Rebscura, it too was caught off-guard, as a new angle of attack and strategy were revealed to it. And as it struggled to deal with that attack, Elly felt her dark construct return, and howled out as she and Jake unleashed a simultaneous attack, Jake throwing out a chunk of ice which Elly grabbed with her fist and slammed into the monster, shattering it's barrier and then hitting its face cleanly with his fist, shattering its armor into bits and exposing the fragment.

(Stop the music)

The creature let out an otherworldly high pitched screech of pain and stopped moving, looking skyward as the fire rained down around and on it, melting the ice off of it and weakening it severely and exposing more and more of its dark limbs, melting the ice scales all over it and leaving it just a bare humanoid creature. Once the firestorm was over, the group stood still for just a bit, listening closely to the monster's sounds and screams… and nothing came. Before they could cheer however, it quickly lashed out, what was left of its ice armor shattering as it smacked Elly away to the group and Jake closer to the edge. They were right at the level of the glaciers, but between the huge chunks of ice and the cliff was a long fall, spikes of ice and veils of frozen water leading one into a hole so deep that not even light could show the bottom. The sun was setting now, and the light was bouncing off the glaciers and through it, the colors of the rainbow illuminating the scene as Jake fought and blasted icicles and attacks from the monster, having identified it as the inventor of the strategy that had wounded it so heavily. Enraged, it attacked, again and again, drawing Jake closer to the edge… until there was nowhere left to go, bringing its foot down and kicking him right up to the end.

"Jake!" Eric got up and rushed to him, same with the other two pokémon with him… but the creature was ready for them, both of its hands hollowing out and becoming cannons, gathering light as one pointed at Jake, and the other pointed at the wounded group. It was giving them a choice. Vincent's arm was still broken, and would only be able to grab either Lucy or Zed… but not both. Elly tried to stand up and try to defend the group, but the last hit had broken some of her ribs, and that blinding burning pain was surging from within her fur, drawing tears to her eyes, coughing up some blood whilst the Sneasel turned to face on his back, panting heavily and looking at the monster, who returned its gaze.

"Grab them!" He ordered the group, but already the trio who had said choice were torn as to what to do… but either way, they were going to lose someone.

"No! We can't let you… Nox, Serge, go get him!"

"It's too late you won't get to all of us in time! Get the others I will be fine!"

"Jake!" Serge howled out the Sneasel's name, and the monster once again, picked it up.

"Jake… Jake… Jake… die…" A wicked smile appeared on his mouth as the beams were almost charged up, the ice type closing his eyes…

"Serge! Get them!" It was either now or never… and Serge chose. In the middle of his flight towards Jake, he closed his eyes and sobbed… and took a sharp left towards the other group, tackling them and making them roll away from where the beam was going to hit. The beams fired… and the one aimed at the wounded group missed entirely, piercing the trees behind them and lighting them on fire.

As the beam on top of Jake fired… he smiled, opening his eyes and bringing his right arm, which had been buried in the snow all of this time, right in front of him, holding a thin layer of ice that the monster recognized the instant he hit the ice barrier, the same type he'd used countless times earlier to return the pokémon's attacks right back at them. With a triumphal smile, Jake returned the beam to its, melting right through its neck, the beam hitting the very top of the spire above them, making the earth and the entire mountain tremble and shake momentarily.

There was a single second of peace and realization: Jake had been observing the creature to learn of how it used the ice in those ways… and turned that ability against it. The creature stood still, falling backward slightly… and then slamming down its foot on Jake's chest. A sharp, pain followed by asphyxiation clouded his senses, and everything went blurry as the adrenaline rushing through him made his ears ring, letting out the loudest scream he was able to… which basically transformed into a long whine as his lungs collapsed and were pierced by his shattered ribs.

Everyone else looked on in horror as the creature stomped the Sneasel mercilessly, crying out his name and heading for the creature again… who readied its arms to fire more of those solar beams, and stopped its stomping, keeping the Sneasel pinned. Serge could barely see Jake out of the corner of his eye, his blood pooling up around him from the pierced skin… even if they were to beat it now, Jake was too hurt and Vincent didn't have enough energy for him… he was as good as dead. The Rebscura kept the others at bay, seemingly in a panic, its head shifting and looking at one group and then another, not a single one of them moving a muscle.

"I should've known…" Jake's voice was barely audible to the rest, but the Rebscura turned to face him almost immediately. "You are not a normal creature… causing major damage to an area like that wouldn't destroy you… But I took that into account nonetheless, and I have used to put you in a situation to exploit your weakness." Jake mustered up a smile. "You greatest strength against us was your innate ability to learn and adapt. Whatever we threw at you, you first took the attack, but then adapted to our attacks, and when our strategies were repeated, you reacted and countered them accordingly. Even if we used new attacks or strategies, if they were slightly similar, you simply drew from those past experiences…" He coughed up some more blood.

"I shive at thought of how powerful a being like you could've become. Should you have remained alive and survived this encounter, with the knowledge you'd gotten from us you would've easily overcome most opposition, learned more… and become an undefeatable killing machine. But thankfully, this place shall be your grave… all because of that same ability. You can only learn those facts… one at a time. You require focus, just like any normal being, and when there are two or more impulses simultaneously, you must split your attention, you struggle to learn both at the same time…" The stone underneath them cracked from the weight of the Rebscura. "The first fact: due to your stomping and the weight, this cliff is going to collapse and throw us both into the abyss" The mountain rumbled behind them as a deafening noise eclipsed all others. "The second fact: an avalanche is heading our way and is going to throw us off the cliff."

And it was then when Jake, whose wounds had been frozen over thanks to his own abilities, pulled up the same fragment he'd used to deflect his beam, a lot thicker. "Third fact: I've won." The shard shot up into its neck and burst into pieces, shattering the head and exposing the fragment, the cliff giving out underneath them as the monster lost its footing. Jake grabbed onto his leg and climbed up, fighting and roaring through the pain as he grabbed the ridges of the melted ice and jumped off its shoulders, spinning in midair and stretching his claws as the creature shouted… and in one flash of light, the neck was severed completely by his claws, grabbing the fragment as he flew towards safety upside down, small snowflakes and shards of ice trailing after him as he kept that same smile on his face. "Checkmate."

In the span of just a couple short seconds, which slowed down to a crawl for the rest, the Sneasel had leaped over the creature, coated in black drops of the Rebscura's substance and the shards of the ice he'd shattered, the light of the setting sun shining behind him, making for a breathtaking scene. As Jake fell he managed to angle himself to land on his feet, but his wounds took his toll and fell on his knees the moment he hit the ground, groaning as a sharp pain coursed through his legs as well, his own illness taking a toll already. Behind him, the icy goliath tumbled back and forth, black mist spewing from its head like a geyser as it let out high pitched screeches, making the mountain tremble… until the chest burst into pieces as well, limbs and lower half falling down on the already precarious cliff and completely breaking it off. The rocks rolled and dragged the snow on top of them… and with it, Jake found himself stuck in the flow and dragged towards the abyss.

"Jake!" Eric called the Sneasel's name as he summoned two aura spheres: the one in his right paw became transparent as he blasted right behind him, launching him to the cliff, sliding on the snow as the one in his left one became a sphere of water, then fell off the cliff after Jake, managing to grab his free hand just in time, while the sphere shot and hooked onto the cliff side. The two saw the remains of the monster fall and tumble down the icy waves, smashing and breaking into them as they gave off an intense glow, the rush of snow from the avalanche rushing above them and slightly covering their view as the ice smashed and broke brutally… And then a flash of light blinded them. Those on the cliff saw only the mounds of snow that had fallen over the cliff shoot back up in a spectacular typhoon of frost, the glaciers before them shaking and cracking near the source of the explosion, the bang echoing all across the entire icy region, reaching Akil and beyond.

"Damn it… hold on Jake!" Eric started to pull himself up with the string… but his combined weight and the Sneasel's was proving to be too much for him. The ice type had frozen the fragment to his hand… and tried to go limp in the Riolu's paws. He felt for a second that his grip on his companion slipped, and held on, turning to look at him with panicking eyes. "What are you doing?!"

"The string will not hold both of our weights! You are too weakened from earlier! Let me go and save yourself! The fragment will stick to my hand, you just need to find my b-"

"Like hell I'm gonna let you go! Now stop being an idiot and- Gah!" The string stretched violently, and he could feel like his shoulder was about to snap in two. He still held on however, trying to climb up. Already, up on the cliff the others were struggling and trying to find a solution to this issue…

"Vincent!" The Pidgeot called for the grass type, who was wounded, just like the flying type. He wouldn't have enough energy to heal Serge and have him fly down, especially when they were so close to the cliffside… so there was only one solution for them.

"Damn it! Jake! Don't let go!" Eric kept repeating himself, trying to convince the Sneasel that there was another way. The string snapped again as the Riolu roared and tried to push himself up higher, spotting his mate's brown ears peeking over the cliff… right when the string snapped. The only thing holding them up broke and they proceeded to plummet to oblivion.

"Noooooo!" The two falling pokémon a scream from above… and then a green vine shot down, coiling itself around Eric's arm and once again holding them suspended in midair. The Riolu, who'd closed his eyes and waiting for the inevitable surge of pain and death, cracked an eye open and looked up… to find a smiling Vincent whose right arm had transformed into a vine, while his left and the rest of his body had taken roots in the mountain.

"Good grief… After that entire fight you were willing to give up so easily? That's a disappointment and a half if you ask me…" He wasn't having any issues holding them there, but couldn't pull them up. But that was where Nox and Elly came in, grabbing the vine with their fangs, pulling back as the two pokémon ascended up the cliff face. "Ouch! Watch your heat Nox! It may not look like it, but this is part of my body!"

"I can't help it! It's all involuntary!" Is what the Houndour intended to say, but with the green limb in his mouth only muffles came out. Elly focused her entire being on pulling up, and Lucy, who'd been besides her mate, who was already stabilized, rushed over and helped pull up. A full minute of pull later they were close enough for Elly to use her black craft to pull the rest of the way and get them up, the grass type's body recovering its color as the vine retreated. Once they were far away from the cliff side, and only when they made sure they were all safe, only then did Eric hug the Sneasel, as cold as he was. Right after him Nox came to tackle the ice type, followed by Lucy and Elly. "You crazy mother fucker ice… What the fuck was that all about! You were willing to let yourself die like that?!"

"I thought there was no way for us to get up… and Eric risked his own life to save us."

"I honestly thought I could pull us up, even if I was exhausted… but how'd Vincent get back to full strength to quickly?" The grass type smiled and motioned towards Serge.

"Let's just say… Someone decided to donate for the cause." Behind him, the Pidgeot looked exhausted, but out of danger, waving his wing at them weakly. "He let me take the energy I needed from him."

"Yep… Wouldn't be the first time a man sucked me dry."

"And it wouldn't be the first time I've sucked a man dry myself." Both he and the Pidgeot let out a simultaneous chuckle whilst Nox and Lucy gagged.

"Oh come the fuck on!" Nox looked away whilst Lucy kept on gagging.

"You guys are the actual fucking worst. We all almost died and you're ALREADY cracking those jokes again?" The Lucy's inquiry was met with more laughter, now also from Eric and Elly, who were in high spirits after all of that. Even Jake joined in, laughing and chuckling along with them. His chuckles didn't last long however, as a sudden wave of exhaustion came over him, his limbs becoming heavier along with his eyelids, world spinning around him as nausea took over… the next moment he was on the snow, breathing heavily and coughing, and his body felt hot… really hot. And then, nothing.

---

His eyes snapped open and shot up from underneath the sheets, immediately inspecting his surroundings. Wooden walls, a fireplace near him, a comfy warmth, even for himself, and his felt incredibly sore and it was difficult to move… but his eyes could open and close, his breathing and heartbeat, albeit a bit faster than normal, no doubt because of his sudden awakening, were ok, and looking out the window besides him he saw a street full of pokémon dancing and eating around a fireplace. It was the dead of night, but they were still doing something… celebrating, perhaps?

"Hey." A voice called from behind, and he immediately turned around to face them. He found himself face to face with Vincent, who, albeit looking withered and tired, seemed perfectly healthy, with no visible wounds or broken bones. "Finally woke up, eh? You're perfectly healthy, I made sure to heal all the internal wounds and did all I could with the rest, though you're going to be wearing those bandages for a bit." He pointed at his torso, and sure enough, they were covered in those white strips of cloth. "Your ribs were also cracked and pierced your lungs, but I managed to put all of those in place too… The advantages of having had a half baked barber slash surgeon as a mentor for a few years: you get to see a lot of pokémon opened up down the middle."

"Y-you… you operated on me?" The Sneasel was shocked to hear this, but the grass type shrugged.

"Come on dude, I'm a grass type, I can heal wounds with a snap of my fingers… sure, I'm not the greatest person to ask for pointers and to detect wounds. That was all thanks to Elly and Zed, as well as Akil's own physician. You were a fucking mess on the inside, if I hadn't stabilized you the entire time you would've kicked the bucket a lot earlier… next time, try to not freeze your wounds. The blood builds up and in gangrenes and… I think I'm just trailing off right now aren't I?"

"Yeah, a little." The two pokémon looked at each other in an awkward silence before the grass type turned around.

"Well, now that you're alright, I'll go tell the others. Be sure t-"

"Why did you help me?" He drily asked the question to the pokémon that had turned out to be his savior, despite all odds and opinions he may have had of him in the past.

The grass type turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Why? I mean… shouldn't you be asking other questions right, like what happened, or where you are… instead you want to know why I helped save your life?" Jake nodded, and Vincent shook his head. "Geez, they weren't kidding when you said you're the weirdo… Well, I suppose there's no harm indulging you: I did it because you impressed me."

"I… impressed you?"

"Yeah." He grabbed a chair and sat on his backwards, resting his arms on the top rail. "And I don't mean it like, with what you did yesterday… as shocking as that turn of events was, and trust me I was shaken at the sight of you taking that thing's head clean off, willing to sacrifice yourself and all that… I feel that, out of this entire team of complete and utter hypocrites, you're more… redeemable one." Once again, Vincent was back to both simultaneously insulting and praising others, especially those that weren't present. "No, I did it because of what you told me yesterday: you mentioned you were born and lived during the time freeze."

Jake's confusion must've been clear as day, because Vincent began chuckling. "Allow me to explain: from what I know, because I was lucky enough to be frozen during that event, that was a cruel, desperate world where one could only survive based on brute strength… and I look at you, someone who is not only abnormally physically weak because of the condition of your bones… which by the way, you picked the wrong fucking profession for having slightly brittle bones pal. Anyways, trailing off again: I look at you, and I can only imagine the shit you've gone through, and how much you've had to give up and adapt to your surroundings… and I pity you. At the same time though, I admire the lengths you're willing to go to, not only to save your teammates mind you, but also save those in need."

"So… you healed me because you think I am someone… brought up in an adverse situation who strived and now helps others in similar situations?" His question was answered with a smile and a shrug.

"Pretty much! I have a soft spot for people who do that: they got out of the shithole they grew up in, but never forgot what it felt like, so they help the weak instead of crush them. There's something admirable about that, don't you think?"

"So that's why, during our first meeting back in Cunabula… You poisoned that pokémon?"

"Well, poisoned I think isn't fair, I just… spiked his drink a little bit, made sure he didn't leave the bathroom for a couple of days… And I may have overdone it. A bit of dysentery never killed anyone, did it?" Something about that last line didn't sit right with Jake… but he let it slide, thinking that he should at least give the benefit of the doubt to the pokémon who'd saved him.

"A bit of a severe punishment, don't you think? That pokémon will be in pain for a long time… you have severely affected his lifespan too, and might end a premature death… if not at the hands of your position, the damage may have harmed him irreparably. Would you be willing to get his blood in your hands?" Once again, silence lingered in the room, until Vincent got up.

"I think this conversation has gone on for a bit too long… why talk about defecation and illness, when just outside, everyone is having a grand old time. But I will spoil you, if you desperately want me to: he won't die. Medicine in Cunabula is far too advanced for that, and… consider this: hadn't I done that, and remained still like the rest of you lot… that pokémon might've been fired, thrown into the street along with his family and then recruited by the pokémon we just fought. So at the end of the day… who knows? Maybe I saved more lives than you can imagine by harming someone. Oh, and speaking of those pokémon, the brothers are fine as well, if you're even slightly concerned about them, and the authorities will come grab them shortly… so please, do your best to appear presentable." He placed the chair back where he'd found it and walked to the door, waving at Jake with his hand. "Oh, and I insist, do join us. The food your Zorua friend has prepared along with the pokémon of Akil is simply to die for." His remarking of the word "die" made Jake uncomfortable, but the Roselia, without looking at him, knew this and chuckled. "I jest I jest… Now, ta-ta!" And with that, he left the room, the sound of his footsteps echoing down the hall as he disappeared from view.

Jake didn't waste any time getting up and checking his balance and other limbs. Everything seemed in order, and if he had been operated on Vincent had made sure that they didn't leave any signs of the incision, asides from the mild discomfort from the bandages, which he deduced were there to protect some lighter wounds that would heal quickly enough under normal care. Jake slowly made his way out of his room and retraced the grass type's footsteps, reaching for the main door of the building and walking out.

The first thing he noticed was the lovely, warm scent of food being prepared just over to his left, fireplaces and brewing pots steaming with soups and stews with opened up his appetite, roasted berries, vegetables and many more dishes being prepared over those fireplaces, which managed to stay alit even with the cold temperatures. Speaking of which, raising a hand up to the air, he confirmed that the wind was calm, gently blowing past them and bringing a comfortable chill with it, which was easily mitigated by the fire. He could see some familiar pokémon around the biggest fireplace: Eric and Nox were sitting in front of each other, staring the other down as they ingested copious amounts of food, in the midst of a heated competition it seemed.

Elly and Zed were cooking and helping give out food to everyone who asked for seconds or more, and right besides them Lucy languidly sipped at her soup, deep in thought, though every so often the aforementioned duo would approach her and manage to steal a smile or chuckle from the Shinx, though she'd fall back into her serenity right afterwards. He'd never seen her like this, and knew that whatever was keeping her restless wouldn't leave anytime soon. As for the other two…

"Drink drink drink drink drink!" It seemed that Vincent had wasted no time in rejoining Serge and Leon in their own little competition: massive jugs of what seemed to be Ale were raised above their mouths as they drank their contents in one fell swoop in rapid succession. One… two… three… he counted them as they breezed through, and while Leon and Serge looked mildly intoxicated, Vincent seemed to be holding his alcohol just fine, even laughing and poking fun at his rivals.

"Well now! Serge, I'd thought you said you were a brave bird….

"Ssshhhhhhut up ye! I'm gonna do somethin' elsssshe with ya at this rate… And lemme tell ya it also ends with… Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkk." He almost passed out, toppling backwards and onto the snow, but recovering just in the nick of time, while Leon seemed to be deep in thought, trying to keep his wits about him. The scene was rather amusing, and Serge's rather childish sense of humor only added to it. As he'd been asked by Vincent, who'd probably relayed the message from the others, he joined in, walking towards the group with a smile.

Eric was the first to notice him, interrupting his challenge for a bit and calling him over, alerting the others to his presence. "There he is! Come on, join in Jake!"

"Yeah, join in before these two gluttons eat everything." Elly quickly served the ice type a big, warm plate of soup, her words making the Riolu roll his eyes and return to eating.

"Hey, we did a lot of stuff yesterday, we deserve this!" With all the food in his mouth, Nox's words came out as incomprehensible muffles, and had to repeat himself after swallowing.

"We all did a lot of stuff… heck, Zed's back was basically skinned!" Zed trembled as Elly mentioned this, trying to forget the excruciating amount of pain had knocked his senses out during that whole event. Seeing this, Elly decided to change the topic and gave another bowl of food just so he'd shut up.

"Wouldn't by that logic, mean that all of the food in this place is mine? After all, it was I who dealt the finishing blow to the beast." The fire type rose an eyebrow at Jake's comment, and Elly saw a perfect opportunity to tease the Houndour.

"You know what? No, he's right!" As she did this, Elly took her plate right from his claws, placing it down right besides Jake, which annoyed the Houndour.

"Come on, I'm gonna lose! I'm already a plate behind!" Nox eyed the Riolu in front of him, who was just straight up drinking from his plate, much to Elly's dismay, who hit the back of his head lightly.

"Well, I'd rather have someone in this team act like a civilized pokémon than watching my mate eat like he's a cub." The Riolu simply groaned and decided to stop after that one… he was already pretty full too, and the last thing he wanted was to get sick… like Serge was. As they all ate, laughed and even sang together, Jake realized something as he caught himself humming along their tunes for their rather unruly songs: beforehand, doing all of these things really brought no satisfaction to him, it was simple social interaction but… now he did feel a strange warmth, and that in it of itself make his chuckle, his mood improving exponentially as he started fully singing alone, Serge's drunken screeching overshadowing essentially everyone else as he held Eric and Vincent's shoulders besides him, the trio swinging back in forth with the tune. Elly was actually attempting to bring her best, her singing voice proving to be very soothing… unlike Lucy's, who was essentially repeating the lyrics along with no real effort, with Zed shying away from the action.

Time went on, and the food soon vanished, and as the party died down the team sat around one of the fireplaces, simply staring at the fire in silence, sometimes fidgeting with the dirt underneath them or the snow, nuzzling their significant other or chuckling to themselves, remembering some funny joke or too drunk to even understand what was happening. "Well… I'd say this was a job well done everyone." Eric spoke up, earning nods and hums of agreement. Since they were in a safe spot, he felt it appropriate to congratulate his companions for what they'd done the day prior, something that impacted the Sneasel: he'd really been asleep for a whole day.

They fell silent again, sleep winning over their senses as the night's exhaustion and food got to them… but still, they were in for a couple more surprises, the first of which caught them right as they got up. Nox looked at the sky and exclaimed in awe, drawing the others to look up as well. Above them, waves of light shifted and gently swayed around, illuminating the sky. Green, purple, blue, all the colors mixed and matched around, transitioning and moving as the vapid mass, akin to that of a specter, loomed in the sky, veiling the stars.

"The Northern Lights… I'd read of them in books, but I would've never thought I'd get to see them in person…" Jake muttered to himself as the group stared on, enthralled by the spectacle. Even Serge, in his drunken stupor, was looking at them, lost in their gentle cold glow, and besides him Vincent was simply enjoying the spectacle, finding the view to be relaxing and soothing. As the colors changed to purple, a warm orange overthrew the blue with hints of a greenish yellow tainting it, making it look like the sun was raising… which it wasn't. A single, sly paw snuck to Elly's side, and she grasped her mate's as they looked up along with their friends, all of them united under the same blanket of light.

This moment of peace and serenity didn't last long, unfortunately, as shouts and the sound of names being called were heard behind them. Zed was the first to turn around, slightly self-conscious… And called his friend's attention as he looked at a group of pokémon, all veiled in white cloaks with golden stripes carrying away a duo of Ninetales that were all too familiar.

"The Judges!?" Eric and Elly were the first to break out of the group, concern spreading across the group as they also approached, Serge somehow fighting against his drunken haze and chasing after them, his feet getting tangled together and tripping up on nothing.

"Hey!" Eric's voice stopped the cloaked pokémon's actions, all of them turning to face the group. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Those are our marks!" His irate face was enough of a deterrent to make them back away, or it might have been Elly, who stepped up besides him and stared down the pokémon as well.

"We have become here sent by the Cunabulanian government. Word of a special ETF expedition to solvent the situation reached the ears of the Council, and we were dispatched to sort out the issue." A voice that rang familiar to Elly came out from one of the cloaked pokémon, and she guessed it must've been that Gallade that had interrogated her, Martin. Besides him however, a new, bigger figure stood, his cloak much more decorated with stripes and even what seemed to be precious jewels: a sapphire and a ruby on the left side of the coat, an emerald and an amethyst on the right, and a topaz acting as a form of brooch on the chest, all of them arranged around what in mythos was called the emblem of Arceus: an x with two middle circles on both sides and a smaller circle in the middle, the lines spreading from the X reaching to the back and making intricate patterns that contrasted against the pure white of the coat itself, purer than the snow the figure stood on.

"Oh, really now?! Well… you got here a bit late I think! Fun's already over, and had you gotten here a bit sooner you could've done something to help!" Elly, as always, was critical of the religious followers. "Then again… knowing you, I'm sure you would've never come here hadn't we done so in the first place. You're just here to pick up the scraps and get the merit, aren't you?!"

"Hmph, I should've expected such foolishness out of the mouth of some two bit explorer… but from one the leaders of team Star! Your words wound me, Elizabeth!"

"Cut the crap Martin, I know it's you under that cloak! Let the Ninetales go: we'll be the one turning them in, or else they will never be seen or heard of ever again."

"And if we don't?" The Gallade teased the Eevee, and she could sense that he was smiling underneath that stupid hood, taking a single step forward… but the well decorated cloak stopped the Gallade, raising an arm slowly. Immediately, the psychic type stopped, and with its other free hand, it snapped its claws and the group dispersed from around the Ninetales.

"They are yours, if you want them. I am afraid that we should've specified who our target was in the first place." A deep, soothing voice came from the cloak, one that none of the present could recognize, and with an accent that was impossible to pinpoint and attach to any region. The figure took a few steps forward and then pointed at Elly. "Seize her."

"What?!" In the blink of an eye, they were on top of her, a collar that inhibited her psychic powers quickly placed around her neck, and she instinctively reached for her magic and attempted to smash the attackers away with it…

"Don't. Should you attack any of us your sentence shall be aggravated." Even with what was happening before him, the cloaked figure seemed impassive and calm, the opposite of Team Star, who seemed just about to jump them too. "The same goes for all of you… should you attempt anything she shall be the one to suffer."

"You fuckers! Let her go damn it, she's an explorer! You have no right t-"

"No right…" The cloaked figure cut the Riolu off, chuckling as he took a few steps forward. "We do, in fact, have a right, Eric… A right to keep the pokémon of this world safe from the clutches of terrorists and others that may want to continue the legacy of Blake. And who, I ask, would be more fit to do that… than his own daughter?" A chill went down their spines as Elly immediately reached for her powers, throwing all caution away and smashing the judges away, one of them receiving the blunt of a black fist, whilst she hit the other with the back of it, managing to free herself whilst Eric summoned an aura sphere, aiming it at the cloaked figure…

That was no longer there.

Moving with speed and precision unnatural to its stature, the figure rushed to the Eevee and met her black fist with its own… both clashed, much to her shock, and then a wave of purple energy that Eric recognized overcame and crashed against the fist, shattering the black matter and allowing the pokémon to grab the Eevee's neck and lift her up above him. With nothing left to do, she dangled in his grasp, completely at his mercy. Eric shouted in anger and rushed in to help her, holding the aura in his paw… only for more of the mysterious attacker to shoot outward, screeching and scratching noises coming from his arm… until the aura shot out to cover the entirety of the group, carrying with it a deafening screeching noise that made them all bend forward in pain, shattering and breaking the crystals around them and immobilizing the group.

As the noise died down, they all looked at the pokémon, who stared them down "Now… what did I just say?"

"That… that was… that was aura just now! What… how did you do that?! Who are you?!" Eric inquired, his ears still ringing from the attack. The pokémon chuckled and reached for the hood… pulling it back and revealing a long gray snout, scales hanging from the sides of his head like lentils as he reached to the back of his head and took his scale mane from inside the cloak, falling behind him. A Kommo-O. One that looked exactly like the ice statue the Rebscura had made.

"My name, is Tharmius Wiremu Paora the 3rd , Supreme Judge of Arceus, true carrier of his will and leader of the Judges of Arceus." The massive pokémon announced himself, much to their shock, but at that point Eric couldn't care less about who he was and what his title were… he wanted to free Elly, and that was what he intended to do, rushing towards Tharmius again… "Do so and I shall snap her neck where I stand." It was only then when Eric saw that Elly was struggling to breathe, unable to concentrate enough to even call back her black craft, and the others behind Eric seemed about ready to fight and take her back… but scared that the dragon type's worse weren't empty, he called them to stand down, and so they did, much to their dismay. "Good."

"You bastard… What do you want from her?!"

"Didn't I just explain myself? Elizabeth Star has been found suspicious of being the daughter of Blake Dugald and the leader of the terrorist group responsible for the attacks on terror in Flumerc Ars." Once again, that cold sweat that had overcome the group washed over them again, the grip on Elly's neck never tightening, not even to let her take in a proper breath. "Given your transgressions and crime of attacking two Judges, we would normally have every right to apprehend all of you and execute Miss Elizabeth on the spot… but given the charges placed against her, I defend that a trial is in order."

"A trial?! Under your jurisdiction?!" Jake's inquiry was me with an intense glare from Tharmius, making his body involuntarily tremble as his red eyes sized the wounded Sneasel down.

"Yes, a trial… it is only fair that she is found guilty or innocent of this heinous crime before the eyes of Cunabula's people and the eyes of the lord in the sacred courts of law. We are fair and kind, even against those that defy the lord's law." Eric took a single step forward, a burning desire to smash his muzzle in overcoming the fighting type… but doing that would only worsen the situation.

"How did you get the power to do any this?! Who authorized you?!"

"The people of this world did. All of them, they are afraid… scared of this little Eevee, fearing that at any point she may strike the city they live in and kill any of their loved ones! The majority of the Cunabulanian Council has given us permission to apprehend anyone who has been found guilty or suspicious of the aforementioned charges… and that includes explorers, who are usually protected by the ETF."

"That's insane! You can't go around stopping and locking up anyone you want!" Nox spoke up for the first time in the whole interaction, and even when Tharmius looked at him, he stood his ground, growling.

"It is the will of the people… and that is what we shall carry out. If you have any complaints… then perhaps you should hurry and find your contacts in the ETF. We will be taking her with us… and in exchange you can keep the Ninetales. Do what you will with them." He finally released his grip on Elly's neck, dropping her to the ground and making her cough up and she breathed in, trying to reach for her mate… only for her paws to be bound by what appeared to be metal shackles, one of the judges tying a similar metal chain around her neck and yanking her back violently.

"Elly!" He tried to reach for her again, but Tharmius quickly turned around and stomped the ground, which trembled underneath him. "Fool… You still do not understand who it is you're defying, do you? The ETF, explorers, rescuers and your lot… you're all obsolete. The people have seen through your gise, through the corruption of your ideals, and have decided that we, the Judges, should be the ones to take your place! So be humble, for you stand before the pokémon that shall lead this world to a brighter future, where the criminals you play catch with shall be jailed and buried underneath the earth, where that scum belongs." And with that, Tharmius turned around and threw his hood up again, his tail hidden underneath the long draping cloth behind him as they took the Eevee away, crying tears of impotence and rage.

Eric didn't waste a single moment. "Don't go too far ahead!" The Riolu shouted, his expression serene, while hiding hints of anger. Once again, Tharmius turned his head to look at him, a smile on his face, as he knew exactly what the fighting type was going to say, voicing the thoughts of the rest of his team.

"We'll be tagging along… To Cunabula. To defend my mate."

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Out of the frying pan, and into the fire! Seems like they just can't catch a break can they? From cliffhanger to cliffhanger, and I am probably going to lose my head in the reviews today! So you guys have fun… losing your minds over this! As I said up, you're free to review and say hi or ask if something's making you confused, I'll answer all reviews!

And with that, I'll see you all next time! Take care!