Chapter Eighty Eight: Walk to the Fire

Cold. No matter how pre-occupied Alaska's mind was, nothing could distract her from the icy bite of Seafoam. Every exposed inch of skin felt numb, a cold that seeped into her bones, threatening to freeze them if she stayed still too long. Every time she breathed in, a cold burn filled her nose and crawled down her throat. It left Alaska with the incessant desire to cough, but she knew she couldn't show weakness, not in her present company.

Another gym leader, another instant clash. There was a common denominator here, but Alaska wasn't thinking about that now. Instead, she simply stayed silent and masked her pain; she winced with every step, her stomach panged when she turned too quickly, her need to cough was violent and urgent, but Alaska didn't want to give Blaine any more reason to dislike her.

Instead, as their strange procession made its way through the frozen lower tunnels of Seafoam, Alaska simply watched the gym leader. She wanted to know who exactly she was dealing with. The Blaine she had known from watching old TV shows had seemed witty and clever, a smart thinking, straight talking kind of guy that men like her father had idolised.

None of that had come across in their brief conversation. If anything, Blaine seemed like an average old man: he looked like one, he laughed like one, he had the cantankerous attitude of one. For a minute, Alaska had wondered why Leaf possibly needed this man's help.

But after about twenty minutes of silently walking behind him, Alaska spotted what had been staring at her all along: the cane. It seemed to be an accessory rather than a tool, Blaine practically gliding along the ice without any hint of a limp, forcing even Ponyta to trot to keep up. She realised Blaine seem like an old man because he wanted you to think he was. Underestimate someone for even a second, that's all they need to get on top of you. Alaska knew Blaine had already one-upped her with his insults and sarcasm. She admired his cunning, but now the onus was on her to play the next card.

Unfortunately, the jolting pain up her leg couldn't be ignored any longer. "Can you slow down?" Alaska yelled, irritated by how weak her echo sounded.

"Slow down?" Blaine barked back without looking around. "Can't slow down, not when the fate of the world's on the line!" And he cackled again, his laugh imitated by the Ponyta that trotted in his wake. The Fire-type tossed her mane back and shot Alaska a smug smile, making sure their eyes had met before laughing right at her.

Oh, now that's just taking things too far. Alaska was looking forward to when they stopped so she could give Blaine and his bitchy horse a piece of her mind. She was struggling to hold her tongue until then, but Alaska had not come all this way, risked her life and possibly cost Sandy her own, just to ruin things with one misplaced comment.

However, now that the silence had been broken, there were some questions that couldn't wait. "How did you know Leaf sent me to find you?"

In the distance, Alaska saw Blaine's shoulders jolt upwards in a shrug. "Call it an old man's intuition. No one comes here unless they have to. Besides, I read your blogs," he added, finally glancing back and flashing a smirk. "Not that hard to put two and two together."

"So wait, if you knew I was coming, have you been waiting for me?" Alaska forced herself forwards, covering the distance between them in a few painful strides. "Where were you when I was fighting for my life last night?"

Alaska stopped only when she felt something hard press into her chest. She looked down and saw the cane was rammed against her sternum, stopping her in her tracks. She hadn't even noticed it move, and again made note of the old man's speed. His body may be withered and wrinkled, but Blaine clearly knew how to hold his own.

"Listen, girlie, just cause I was expecting you doesn't mean I want you here. You've got some case to make, I am willing to hear you out, but if I don't like what you have to say, you are just going to have to carry on your way. I'm perfectly happy carrying on as I was. Only one person in this tunnel has a prophecy on their name, and it sure as shit ain't me."

Alaska could feel Blaine glaring at her from the other side of his sunglasses, and for the first time in weeks, she found herself tensing up around a potential ally. Blaine had a seriousness she hadn't prepared for, and she was afraid for how the rest of this interaction would unfold. She had been sent here for a reason, and if she couldn't deliver, Alaska had no idea what would happen next with Leaf and Janine.

After a tense minute, Blaine let his cane drop. Alaska didn't realise she had been holding her breath and almost wheezed as she exhaled. The gym leader cracked a grin, baring mustard yellow teeth, and he turned around, Ponyta following in his step.

Alaska leaned against the ice, watching the two go as she regained her composure. She could feel the cold already settling in under her clothes, but she needed to focus. All this would have been for nothing if she couldn't win him over. Her injury, the fighting, Sandy… Where are you?

"So, you never told me this was why you were here."

Alaska looked around. She had almost forgotten about Damian. The sight of his furrowed brow and tight frown made her smile, and Alaska pushed herself off the ice and carried on; he may not be her least favourite of the reality stars, but that didn't mean she couldn't take pleasure in watching him squirm. "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" Damian hissed, hurrying to keep up. "You nearly got me killed last night, I have to right know why!"

"I nearly got you killed?" Alaska asked, snapping around and meeting his narrowed eyes. "Funny, I wasn't aware I was the one with a gun."

"Amanda only shot at us because she was trying to kill you!"

"If she was only trying to kill me, she wouldn't have blown her entire operation in order to do that. The fact she tried to kill all of us means that she and Buzz have a new plan… unless she has gone rogue." The thought disturbed Alaska, but she couldn't dwell on it now. "Look, we were keeping the Blaine thing on the down low. I didn't want Amanda finding out what we were up to." She turned, hoping that would placate him.

It didn't. "You could have told me this morning."

Alaska glanced back and rolled her eyes at his angry pout. "I didn't have the time in between you blaming me for everything."

"I didn't – "

"Will you two shut up?" Blaine growled. "There's no point bloody whispering when you're in a cave – ever heard of a thing called an echo, dipshits!"

Damian's face turned bright red, but Alaska merely smiled and hurried to catch up. Her face fell when she turned the corner and saw they had reached a dead end. Three walls enclosed Blaine and Ponyta, the icy glow even brighter as it reflected the Fire type's shining flames.

Blaine frowned as Damian joined the trio as if he had only just noticed the boy was there. "I thought Sandy was a girl," he grunted.

"She is. That's Damian," Alaska said, trying not to laugh.

"Should I know or care about him?"

Alaska glanced back, not even bothering to hide her smirk. "Not really."

"Good. I'm too old to remember any more bloody names." Blaine looked knowingly at Ponyta, who whinnied in some sort of agreement, and the gym leader chuckled.

Alaska wished he would stop laughing. She wanted to know why they were here, what tricks the old man had up his sleeves. Her only relief came from the change in temperature: when Alaska exhaled, only a thin vapour of frozen breath rose into the air.

What's up with that? She thought; the cave had been the same temperature the whole journey. It can't possibly be warmer here… unless…

As Alaska realised where they were, Blaine lifted his cane and slid it into a crack in the ice, turning the handle with a stifled grunt. The thuds and clinks of locks turning echoed through the tunnel. Alaska heard Damian gasp as a smooth line appeared in the ice, forming a curved doorway. Then, so silently it was as if it wasn't happening, the magic door swung backwards and revealed a smooth stone tunnel.

Blaine turned around and smiled at their stunned faces, like a magician presenting his latest trick to the audience. "Welcome to the new Cinnabar Gym."

It was like stepping into a warm bath. When Alaska breathed in, she could smell the heat that somehow permeated from every surface. A shiver went through her body at the shock of the temperature change, but Alaska savoured the quiver as it spread to her fingers and toes: the cold was gone, and that was enough to make her trust Blaine for now.

A narrow tunnel the same width as the ice path outside stretched ten metres from the door before opening onto a wide and open cave. Alaska's eyes were still seeing blue, and it took her a while to adjust to the gym's more sombre light. The cave was lit by torches scattered around the walls, casting flickering shadows across the stone that gave the gym the feeling of a gothic crypt. A large fire pit stood in the very centre of the room, a huge cauldron that burned brightly and demanded attention.

"How is this possible?" Damian mumbled behind her.

Blaine laughed as he walked past the pit, throwing himself onto a leather couch that was built into a stalagmite. "It was ice, once. Until I got here," he added, grinning madly. "Didn't take very long to melt it all away. Had a few Ground types left over from the gym I used to pack up the cracks so that no more water can get in. It does get damp in here sometimes, but there's no cold my fire can't fend off."

Alaska cast her eyes around the cave. On second glance, she realised how sparse and empty it was. There were a few items built into the walls and rock formations, including a desk and fridge, and if Alaska listened closely she could hear the gentle hum of a generator ticking away, the sound barely audible above the crackling fires. She saw no sign of any passageways leading beyond this cave: no bedroom, no gym, not even a bathroom, just a large, empty cave.

"Have you been living here for the past five years?"

"You sounded doubtful, girlie," Blaine grunted, his smile thinning.

Alaska turned to him and shrugged. "Maybe it's because I am. This can't be your life. There has to be more to this place."

"Why? What makes you think I can't live like this?" Blaine tossed his head towards Ponyta, who shook hers in disdain. "When you get to my age and you've been through all I have, you realise you don't need all the trappings that come with a regular life. I may be damaging the local ecosystem by using this cave, but I have all that I never had on Cinnabar: peace, quiet, time."

"You must get lonely though," Damian asked, voice awkward as though uncomfortable at contradicting the gym leader. "I mean, it's so far away from everything else. Don't you want company? Human company, I mean," he added, eyes flickering towards Ponyta.

Blaine laughed again, the sound reverberating off the jagged walls. "Why would I need humans when I have her?" He boomed, thrusting a withered finger behind his head.

Alaska thought she had seen everything the cave had to offer, but when she stepped around the pit, she realised there was someone else amongst them; a figure sat in the light of two torches, cast in shadow.

Alaska cautiously and curiously approached them. Blaine had implied it was a Pokémon, but the figure looked human to her; they were hunched over, drawing shapes in the dirt with her fingers, while what seemed to be a large, spindly walking stick sat at her crossed legs. Why does he have a weird old woman living in his gym?

A smirk sounded in the shadows. "Who exactly are you calling old?" The figure said with a voice like liquid silk, and she leaned forwards into the light.

Her ears appeared first: there were huge and yellow like the end of paddles, with large tufts of red fur rising out. A wide face that shone yellow in the light slowly followed, jaw thin and elongated beneath maroon eyes that suggested age and wisdom, narrowing as they examined Alaska.

Yep, that's a Pokémon. Alaska racked her brains, trying to recognise the creature, the combination of Fire and Psychic ringing distant bells in her memory. "I feel like you're from Kalos, right?"

"How observant of you," the Pokémon purred. It was meant to be sarcastic, but her voice was so soft and gentle that it simply made Alaska smile. "I am a Delphox, yes, though you can call me Hestia. I was not born in Kalos though, so I do not consider myself Kalosi. I am as Kantonese as you are."

"Oh, right, sorry. And sorry for thinking you were human, you just looked… very… human." Alaska wasn't sure why this Delphox had her on edge, but there was something mystical and knowing about her that had the trainer completely absorbed.

"It is alright, Alaska. We Psychic types have a tendency to take on the characteristics of your species, given how much time we spend in your company. It is merely a shame that, over the centuries, your species has taken on so many of our attributes in return."

She seems fun. "I guess Blaine told you about me, then."

Hestia let out a laugh, one that was long and strained like that of an old woman. "My dear, I was the one who told him about you."

"Oh really? And how'd you manage that then?"

"Why, we've already met," the Delphox said, smiling knowingly. "Are you saying you don't remember?"

Alaska's eyes narrowed, the familiar feeling that she was walking into a trap befalling her. "No, I don't."

"Ah, but of course," Hestia said, shaking her head. "I looked very different back in that tent, didn't I?"

Her eyes flashed pink and her figure became shimmering and distorted as if suddenly enclosed in a waterfall. Her body tense, Alaska stepped backwards and watched as the red, yellow and white of Hestia's fur was replaced with smooth purple robes. Alaska felt her breath freeze in her throat. She put a hand against the cave wall to steady herself, but the shock still hit her in a wave.

"Is that better?" The Delphox said, though she was no longer looked like a Pokémon. She was human, copper skinned with an unlined face paired with wise, mature eyes. Yet Alaska cared not for her physical appearance. She slowly cast her eyes down and saw what she had feared: a deck of purple cards lying beside the stick, five of them turned upwards. Alaska knew what they'd be without looking, yet she stared at them anyway, her heart beating against her chest as fear washed over her. A sword. A pair of scales. An Apricorn ball. A red rose. A cracked gravestone.

"You." Alaska looked up at Hestia, and suddenly she was back in the tent, back in Lavender Town, back in the day where she had nearly lost Sandy forever. Words echoed inside her head: And she shall be a Pidgeot by the time you ride her into your final battle… You are letting one thing outweigh the other… Love and passion, this is what is on the horizon for you… The dead will rise before your battle is over, and there is little you can do about it... Make your decision: will you end this war on the battle field or by simply refusing to take part?

"I see you ignored my advice," Hestia said, her dark lips smiling.

Her words brought Alaska back to the present, and without hesitation, she exploded.

"Who are you, you bitch?" Alaska screamed as she lunged forwards. Yet her hands had barely entered the Delphox's atmosphere before an invisible force sent her flying backwards. She cried out as her legs slammed into a jagged boulder, her skin grazed, and Alaska toppled backwards onto another couch hidden amongst the stone.

"That wasn't very heroic of you." The copper skinned woman disappeared as Hestia raised herself to her full height: in the orange glow of the fire, the blood red fur that covered her lower body seemed to burn with anger. With a gentle wave of her hand, the stick that sat at her feet rose into her hands and burst into flame. It was only a small ball of fire, wispy and sparking, but there was a purple tinge to it that Alaska eyed nervously as the Delphox towered over her.

"I told you to play nice!" Blaine snapped in his croaky voice.

"She sarcastically thought I wasn't fun. I thought I'd show her otherwise." Hestia laughed as she walked over to Alaska. "You should be glad your species adapted to survive mine. A thousand years ago and a fall like that would have killed you."

She held out her stick, and belligerently, Alaska grabbed it, and let herself be hauled up. "Why do you have a huge stick anyway?" She asked, trying to control her emotions.

"Compensation," Hestia replied, smiling. "That was a joke. I thought it would be to your taste."

"It'd be funnier if you were a man. Do Pokémon even have dicks?"

"Of course. You clearly aren't as imaginative as I expected," the Delphox said, rolling her eyes. She left her behind and walked towards Blaine, moving carefully over the warm stone. It was perhaps not surprising an old man would have an old Pokémon, but like her trainer, Hestia had a peculiar energy to her that made her seem younger and stronger than her body would attest.

Despite their age, Alaska knew she was outnumbered in whatever was about to happen. Blaine, Hestia, even Ponyta, who stood obediently by her trainer like a vainglorious guard; they were strong, smart, and she was in their territory.

Breathing deeply, thinking carefully, Alaska considered her options. That little revelation had been a test, one that Alaska had failed. They wanted to see which Alaska they are dealing with, and I walked right into it.

She was riled up, just as they wanted, and Alaska didn't want to let them get away with it. But she had to play this calmly, cleverly, differently. She may be here to talk, but Blaine clearly wanted to see if all the stories of her were true. If she wanted to make this all worthwhile, and if she wanted to save Sandy, she had to prove him wrong.

"So that was you back in the tent, eh?" Alaska asked, trying to sound and look calm and controlled. She prowled around the pit and stood next to Damian, his handsome face dumbstruck in his confusion. The fire pit now stood between her and Blaine, giving her enough distance should things turn nasty. "Why? Why did you hunt me down that day?"

"It had to be Lavender Town," Hestia answered. "It has a magic in the air, one that has lingered even without the Pokémon Tower. I needed to channel that in order to enhance my abilities and see your future."

"What? She read your future?" Damian interjected incredulously. "That's impossible. Only legendaries can do that, the most powerful Psychic types in the world!"

"Do you doubt my power, Damian Darme of Pallet Town?" Hestia purred. She smirked as Damian's face sank, and she exchanged a look with Blaine. "It was not fortune telling or predictions or any of those very human ideas," she continued with momentary disgust. "Any Psychic Pokémon with enough skill can read a human's thoughts, but the potential of such powers goes well beyond that. Your thoughts are not just the voices in your head that you can hear; there are dozens, maybe hundreds that you are ignoring at any one moment. I can access the voices that you haven't even noticed are speaking to you yet. I can notice things about you that you can't see for yourself."

Alaska struggled not to roll her eyes; it all sounded like the sort of new age bullshit her mother was always complaining about. Thankfully, she had spotted one flaw with what Hestia had said. "One of the things you told me was that Paige would be a Pidgeot when I rode into my final battle. That's an actual prophecy though, that wasn't in my head."

"Ah, so they have shown you your fate, interesting." Blaine smirked again, shaking his head. "With Red and Leaf, they waited so long to tell them anything, I thought they'd do the same with you."

"They did," Alaska replied, failing to mask the bitterness in her voice.

"Fair call," Blaine laughed. "I have seen some of Charlotte's prophecies. The one you brought is amongst the most well-known. There are creatures carved into the background, details so small that simpler people simply ignore them, but those of us with knowledge have always known that it showed something bigger and more complex that had nothing to do with your predecessors in these cursed wars. When the Alaska Code went off after finally, I knew that it was time for that prophecy to happen."

"You get those messages down here?" Alaska asked, trying to spot the computer.

"Of course! I may live in a cave, but I am not a caveman," Blaine snorted, his cackle echoing through the cave again. "I am still a gym leader, even if no one can find me."

"Doesn't getting those messages give away your position?" Damian asked.

"You forget what a big island we are on," Blaine shot back, his grin suddenly dark in the glow of the fire. "It's very easy to get lost down here, even easier if you give them a little push in the wrong direction," he added, tilting his head towards Hestia.

Alaska pushed aside thoughts of how easy it would be for Blaine to lead her to her death and soldiered on. "So you got the message that said they'd found a girl called Alaska, let me guess the rest: Latios disappears, Gideon re-appears, giant robots start attacking the region?"

"You're warm – literally!" Blaine barked, though he didn't laugh this time. "It began to seem more and more likely that you were the one we were expecting. However, when this all happened five years ago, I made the mistake of trusting in the plan that everyone had agreed on. I couldn't do that again, not after what it nearly cost us last time. I had to know if you were the person we needed to fight this battle, and whether or not it was worth me coming out of the shadows for."

"I went to Lavender and waited for you to arrive." Hestia stepped forwards, her face heavy and solemn. "I am sorry I did not do more to help you that day. If Charlotte had not been there, I don't know how I could have slept that night."

"That's easy for you to say. You didn't have to watch your best friend bleed out in the middle of the road." Alaska could feel her heart rate increase again and she paused, taking a deep breath before carrying on. "What did you see then when you looked into my head?"

"You already know what I saw. Conflict, doubt, fear. This is what I told you when I placed the cards in front of you. Your mind was clouded then, and I am not sure if it is any clearer now."

Alaska bristled at the remark, but she was uncertain whether it was meant as insult or warning. "You told me I needed to find balance in my life. I tried to do that, I chose to focus on my training and defeat the gyms before going onto the battle."

"And then you changed your mind," Blaine said.

"It was changed for me," Alaska replied. "Sabrina tested me to see if I was capable of playing to someone else's rules. That didn't really work. And then I realised the cost of my actions and I knew I had to do things differently. But then Leaf and Janine – well, Bertram more than them – they made me believe in what I'm doing, why I'm here. My mind isn't clouded."

Hestia smiled. "The saddest part of that sentence is you know you're lying."

"I'm not lying," Alaska snapped, suddenly unsure if it was a lie or not.

"You said your mind was changed for you. It doesn't exactly sound like you are willingly here," Blaine pointed out, eyebrows raised.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just meant I was convinced that I was doing things wrong."

"And you think that helped you find balance?" Hestia asked.

"Yes, I think so. I don't know!" Alaska flung her arms in the air and instantly regretted it. She was losing control. "Look, I've struggled this whole time because I felt I was being torn between two different paths. I've created my own one, right down the middle, and I think that is as balanced as you can get. It took a lot of pushing to get there, but if I didn't want to be here, I would have sailed the boat off into the sunset. I am happy to be there."

"Are you?" Hestia asked again.

It took all of Alaska's willpower not to scream. "Yes, I am."

The Delphox smiled and stepped forwards. She shut her eyes and raised her stick above the pit: the flames at the end blossomed, and Alaska felt Damian tense, as though Hestia was about to fire a magic spell at them. Nothing came out of the stick though, and while the Delphox began to whisper, but her incantation was not aimed at them.

Alaska leapt backwards as flames shot out of the cauldron. Damian flung an arm out in feeble protection, but Alaska realised a moment too late there was no need. The fire quickly receded, now with a pinkish tinge, and rose up towards the stick. The flames began to change and take shapes, and Alaska was dismayed as she saw what they created.

A Pokémon, a Flying type, was the first creation to rise from the fire. Its wings were outstretched and a figure sat on its back. Hestia waved her stick, and the flame-bird rose up and circled the stalactites above. There was a brief flash, and suddenly the Pokémon doubled in size. The figure looked shrunken by comparison, but it didn't stay on its flame friend for long. With clenched fists to match her gnashing teeth, Alaska watched her flaming miniature as she tumbled off of a wing and sank towards the pit, dissipating into smoke before reaching the flames.

Silence followed, interrupted only by the crackling fire and the distant click of the generator. Alaska could feel Damian's eyes on her, but she ignored him and stared straight across at her latest judges.

"So I let the prophecy get to me. It was a tense moment, I couldn't help it. You weren't there, you don't understand."

Blaine laughed again, but it was short and curt, an anger behind the blunted sound. "You think you've the only person who's ever been in a fight? Why don't you track down Celebi or Dialga, pop on back to 1996, then you can talk about fighting."

"You jumped because you were scared. Understandable, I know, fate is a frightening thing. But you were scared for a reason." Hestia broke away from Blaine and began to walk timidly around the pit. "Your mind is still clouded because you are afraid of the duty you have accepted. You do not want to fight Gideon and Buzz. You do not want to because you do want that responsibility. You do not want the weight of failure on your shoulders. You do not want to die."

"Is any of that unreasonable?" Alaska fired back.

Hestia shook her head. "Of course not, but it is concerning. Blaine sent me to Lavender Town because we both wanted to know who you are and what to expect from you. I am pleased to see you have grown and accepted your duties, but we cannot fight behind or beside anyone who does not want to fight themselves."

Alaska suddenly noticed how warm the cave was. She was sweating, her forehead and back moist. She was tempted to take her jacket off but decided otherwise; she couldn't look any weaker than she already did.

"I do not know what to say. Do I feel like a hero? No, not in the slightest. Heroes usually choose to save the day; they don't usually have everyone blaming them for everything." She purposefully glanced at Damian on the last note. "When Paige evolved, in that moment I realised what the situation was, that it was a real fight where people might die, and I wasn't prepared for that responsibility. The guilt of it has been weighing on me all day. My best friend is missing, and I haven't even begun to process what will happen if she is dead. I don't want to be like that, I want to be better. If you do help us fight Buzz and Gideon, and Amanda as well, I guess, I will take whatever advice you have and become the person I need to be to beat them. I can't fail, not after everything I have been through."

Alaska paused there, not wanting to lay it on too thickly. She looked at Hestia, hoping to find an endorsement, but the Delphox simply smiled sadly back at her. Confused, Alaska turned her attention to Blaine, but he wasn't looking at her, his eyes resting on the flickering fire.

"Nice speech. Means nothing though," he growled eventually. "If you are so willing to learn, why do you still get annoyed at people blaming you?"

Before Alaska could say anything, Damian spoke up, leaping at the opportunity. "You hate people pointing out that what you're doing might be wrong. If you had listened weeks ago, none of this would have happened. Amanda could've remained ignorant, they wouldn't have been focussed on trying to destroy you. They'd have no idea who you were. You could have –"

"Alright, I'm done!" The three words boomed inside the cave, so loud that Ponyta whinnied and glared angrily back at Alaska. She didn't care though. She was done trying to play nice. Ignoring Blaine and Hestia, she turned towards Damian, savouring as his eyes bulged at the accusatory finger she had rammed under his nose. "You don't get to tell me what I could have or should have done. You knew what Amanda was up to, you at least suspected, and you did nothing. You are as complicit in all of this as I am or any of the people sitting by waiting for the perfect plan to save the world. You don't know what I've been through; you wouldn't know an iota of the crap your bosses have put me through. I'm sorry that you had a tough life living under Red's shadow, but try living in the city he was allowed to destroy, cause his statue casts a pretty big shadow over everything that has gone on in these past few months."

"Oh goodie, I was looking forward to this part," Blaine cackled, clapping his hands together. "I didn't think you'd be so stupid as to play the 'my city got destroyed card' in front of the man whose home couldn't be rebuilt."

"Oh yes, I'm so sorry your island paradise got volcanoed, but boo-hoo!" Alaska snapped. "Look at this cave, it's luxury compared to my family home. My living room is damper than this place, and it doesn't have to share a wall with a frozen paradise!"

Blaine began to laugh again, but it took Alaska a moment to realise something had changed. His laugh was deep, angry, manic. It wasn't a sound that came from a natural place; this was something shaped by man, a laugh withered away by time and actions to become something cold and powerful.

"Look around… look around, she says!" Blaine boomed, throwing his hands up as he gestured at the walls. "Did you hear her? Look around, god that's rich. Oh Alaska, I truly wish I could, if only to see the look on your face as I did this."

With his smile wide and leering, Blaine removed his sunglasses, and Alaska had to stop herself from gasping. In the flickering firelight, the glass balls that sat where his eyes should be shone a hellish red; combined with his smile, Blaine resembled the star of some low budget horror movie, his furious, maniacal appearance the stuff kids used to have nightmares about.

"You think you know pain? Try having your eyes pulled out of your skull by a monster you helped to create. When you think you've experienced anything even close to that, let me know, then we can resume your argument."

Blaine leered at her, daring her to say something, but Alaska remained silent. The cane, the barren cave, hiding away, the gym leader finally made sense to her, but what could she do now? She wanted to prove him wrong and show him they were kindred spirits, but her words had never convinced anyone of anything before.

"I'm sorry."

Damian's voice barely registered above a whisper, but it was enough to draw everyone's attention in the tensely silent cave. Alaska looked up at Damian, surprised, but he did not meet her eyes, instead stared fixatedly at his shoes, his face weighed with sadness.

"I shouldn't have blamed you. It's not your fault Amanda attacked us, or that any of this happened. I just… never mind. I'm sorry!" Damian looked up, his eyes briefly falling on Blaine before he looked away, ashamed. His pitiful face was painful to look at it, and Alaska was surprised that, in this moment, she felt no hatred for the reality star.

"You're sorry? What for? You have nothing to be sorry about," Blaine shouted, his eyebrows arching that suggested he would be rolling his eyes if he could. "She's the one that needs to be apologising. You think cause you changed your opinion you magically are now a better person? Shit and blood are the hardest stains to wash out, and you're coated in them both. You should be fighting because you want to, not because a carved rock is telling you too. This is a war, and we need a warrior as a leader, not some little girl trying to play hero."

Blaine turned away while his words continued to ring out around them. He moved into the shadows, leaving only his bald head visible, shining an angry orange in the firelight.

Speechless and struggling to process the gym leader's vitriol, Alaska stared at the empty space he'd left behind. She had come all this way and it was for nothing.

As she stared across the pit, trying to think of a solution, something caught her eye; the blue flicker of Ponyta's mane pulled Alaska out of her thoughts as her attention fell on the Fire type. The Ponyta smiled as she caught Alaska's eye, and she flicked her mane and trotted towards Blaine, smiling wickedly as she did so.

This fucking fire pony, Alaska thought bitterly. Setting Darwin on her would really make the sting out of this. Maybe Chloe did die back in the valley, she seems to have been reincarnated here. Alaska smirked at her joke, but she felt the cold eyes of someone watching her. She turned and saw Hestia was watching her, her face heavy with disappointment. The look left Alaska feeling cold, but suddenly a thought occurred to her.

"I don't think I'm a good person," she called out, stepping past the Delphox and walking around the pit. Ponyta stepped forwards, but Alaska walked right past her, her eyes fixed on Blaine. "I'm a shit person, I am well aware of that. All of this would have been a lot easier if I had just complied from the start, but I didn't leave my family to get kicked around and controlled by people who stood by as my home was destroyed. I think you understand that. You wouldn't be here otherwise. Part of you blames Red and Leaf and everyone for what happened to you, but part of you blames yourself, and that's why you're hiding away at the bottom of the region.

"I know that feeling, I feel like that every day. If I could hide away in a cave, I would, but I don't have that luxury. I have to fight, even if I hate the thought of it. But it's not about what I have to do anymore. I want to do this. Buzz, Gideon, Amanda, they are trying to destroy my life. They probably already have," she added, pausing as Sandy's terrified eyes appeared before her again. "If I sit back and do nothing, countless other people are going to suffer the same way you and I have, and I can't let that happen. I don't care if you hate me – I'm pretty sure Leaf and Janine still do, that's the only reason why they've sent me down here. But liking me isn't important. You need to believe in what's happening, and you need to believe that I can help stop it. I'm not a hero, but I am a fighter, and if you fight with me, maybe we can find the clarity we're looking for."

Alaska felt silent. She hoped she sounded determined, powerful, like a movie general making their inspirational speech before they fight the enemy. Blaine hadn't reacted yet, silent and still in the shadows, but Alaska didn't care. If he turned her down after that, she had bigger issues to deal with, namely saving Sandy if she still had the chance.

Finally, after a few minutes of tense silence, Blaine made a noise. It was short, loud, explosive in the silence, and the last thing Alaska had expected. She turned to Hestia, hoping for some clarity, but instead saw the Delphox's mouth was twisted in an uncomfortable smile.

"What the fuck is – " Alaska began, but a snort cut her off. She faced Blaine again as the gym leader finally turned around with a burst of hysterical laughter that was as surprising and confronting as if he had just punched Alaska in the face.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep this up," he snorted, struggling to stand up. "That was too easy, too bloody easy!"

"Are… are you laughing?" Confused, Alaska turned around to make sure everyone was seeing this. When she saw Hestia and Ponyta were laughing as well, flanking an equally puzzled Damian, things fell into place. "Was this… was this a joke?"

"Yep," Blaine said with a vigorous nod, wheezing out the word like a deflated balloon. "You should've seen your face. Trying so hard, all furrowed and angry – BRILLIANT! God, I didn't think this would work."

"Wait, what the fuck is happening? I thought you were blind!" Alaska spluttered.

"Psychic Pokémon, deep connection, catch up," Blaine huffed impatiently. "Fuck, best laugh I've had in years!"

"But… why? I thought you wanted me to prove myself."

"Well of course I wanted to see what you are really like, but did you really think I hated you?" Blaine shook his head and sighed. "I thought I'd challenge you a bit, act like all the other stuffy fuckers up in the real world, put you through your paces. I thought it might be fun, but never in a million years…" Blaine trialled off there, a fresh wave of laughter consuming him.

Alaska was incredulous. She had no idea what had just happened, or what she should do now. "So… does this mean you are going to fight with us?"

"Of course!" Blaine boomed between snorts. "I thought we'd killed Team Rocket off last time, I'm not letting any of those slimy fuckers get away this time."

"Why haven't you reached out yet?"

Blaine shrugged. "I've been through more than all those other bastards put together. Leaf wants my help, she can come to me. You'll do though."

Alaska felt like she had been slapped. "Why put me through all this then? I put my soul into that speech. I've been through hell, I'm in pain, my friend is missing, and you killed time blaming a practical joke?"

"What do you want me to say – I live in a fucking cave! Give an old man a break." Blaine moved around the pit, the cane hanging limply at his side, and he put his hand on Alaska's shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find your friend. To our knowledge, she is still alive. Get some sleep and let us worry about Sandy for now."

Blaine's hand lingered for a minute before he turned and walked away without another word. Alaska watched him leave, dumbstruck. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. Blaine had gotten one over her, she wanted to react, but surprisingly, she didn't really mind.

"It may seem like it was all for nothing, but you'll appreciate he made you say all that one day." Hestia smiled as she walked past, resting her hand on the same spot on Alaska's shoulder before following after Blaine.

It was only now that the pressure was gone that a thought occurred to Alaska. "Hang on…. in the tent, you told me that the dead would rise before this was over. How did you see that in my head?"

The Delphox paused, halfway between two brackets so her body was masked in competing shadows. There was a long, heavy pause, and Alaska tensed, already dreading the answer.

"That wasn't something I saw inside of you. It was a warning, Alaska, a warning that your worst is yet to come. This fight is only just beginning."

Hestia walked away without another word, and Alaska made no effort to fill the silence. She blinked, watching Blaine's team disappear into the shadows. She was tired, she was sore, she desperately needed sleep, but after everything that had transpired in the last ten minutes, Alaska knew that wouldn't be possible now. She stared into the flames, the cracked gravestone burned into her memory, and shivered.