Salamence dove downward, kicking up sand as he skidded to a stop on Humilau's beach. Concordia breathed a long sigh of relief, the queasiness in her stomach settling as they arrived on solid ground. She let go of Anthea, rubbing her hands together. They were only shaking a little now.

Anthea shook her head as if to clear it, sliding off of salamence's back, and Concordia did the same. They both looked at Sylvia.

"I'll come back to check on you guys," she said, lifting in the air as salamence began to flap his wings. "Keep the Light Stone safe!"

Concordia grimaced, coughing as a wave of sand washed over her when salamence took again to the air. She realized, watching the Pokemon's retreating form, that it was snowing, a haze of flakes drifting from a white sky. A thin layer covered the beach and the roofs of the nearby wooden homes, placed in rows along vast stretches of dock. Concordia blew on her hands, shivering. She looked at Anthea.

"What… do we do now?" She asked. "What if Team Plasma comes after us?"

Anthea sighed, holding out the Light Stone. "Hold this for a second."

Concordia obliged. Despite how cold it was, the Light Stone felt warm against her palms, and so she held it close. Anthea began to scrub her hands through her hair, flattening the parts that were sticking up. The wind had been very potent while they were flying, but, while they were in the air, Anthea hadn't seemed to mind it at all. Concordia, however, had almost felt like she was going to faint: she and heights had never gotten along very well.

"Aren't you going to fix your hair?" Anthea said, nodding toward her.

Concordia cocked her head. "What's wrong with it?"

Her sister looked at her through half-lidded eyes. Concordia quickly used the hand that wasn't holding the Light Stone to adjust the unruly parts that'd escaped from her braid. When they were both finished, Anthea gestured for the Stone, and Concordia placed it into her hand. She supposed that after she'd dropped it, Anthea wasn't going to trust her with the responsibility any longer. Her chest felt heavy with shame when she thought of that.

"So, um," Concordia started, "you didn't answer my question, Anthea."

Anthea sighed again. She was doing that more often than she usually did. "I don't know what we're going to do with it until that Sylvia gets back." She paused, considering. "Well, actually, there's a gym here. We should at least check and see if, whoever the gym leader is, is here or not. We can give it to them if they are."

Concordia nodded. "Okay. Let's do that." As she expected, Anthea always knew the best thing for them to do. Her sister was amazing.

Anthea began to walk toward a set of wooden stairs led away from the beach and into the small, quaint town.

Concordia turned to regard the ocean, its foamy waves lapping against the shore. The smell of salt filled her nose. Shells of all different colors dotted the sand, and she thought she could make out the silhouettes of Pokemon as they swam through the turquoise water. It was the first time she had ever been so close to the ocean. The water was probably freezing, but she wanted to relax and swim in it. There was a whole world out there that she had never seen, full of Pokemon and color.

But there wasn't any time for that kind of leisure. She and her sister had a task to do, and with Team Plasma more than likely on their tails, she thought she might never get that kind of free time again. It was funny, because, when they had lived in the castle, all she'd had was free time. She had taken it for granted back then.

She turned and ran after Anthea, kicking up sand as she went. Together, they progressed up the steps and onto the docks. Concordia spotted the gym at the other end of the town, much larger than almost any other building, covered in a peaked thatch roof dotted with bits of snow. Anthea was already heading in that direction, feet tapping on the wood beneath them, and Concordia followed close at her heels.

Even though buildings of all different kinds lined either side of them, shops, and homes, the walkway toward the gym was oddly empty. The lights inside the houses were on, though, and Concordia could see figures moving inside when they passed the windows. It was probably in part because of the snow - flakes were already sticking to her hair - but she guessed that recent events involving Team Plasma made people want to keep to themselves. No boats were floating out in the ocean, either: sailors had docked most of them on a pier that stretched farther out than where the homes were.

Soon, they stood in front of the gym, staring at its front face dotted with many broad windows. Inside, Concordia could see the battlefield where trainers would fight the gym leader for the badge, but not much else.

"Are you sure we should go inside?" She asked, peering inward. "It doesn't look like anyone is in there."

"There's probably a back room," Anthea said. "It looks well-kept enough. The gym leader's probably-"

"What do you ladies think ya' doing, ogling my gym like that? No way in hell the pair of ya' are trainers."

Concordia spun to look behind her, toward where the voice had come from. Anthea did the same.

The man who'd addressed them was another person with red hair, his the color of a deep sunset. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and was very tall, with a hard face and cold eyes. Concordia couldn't accurately pinpoint why, but she immediately found herself not liking him. She didn't want to judge people before she got to know them, but... his eyes. There was something about them.

"This is your gym?" Anthea asked, apparently unperturbed by him.

"Isn't that what I just said, girl?" The man said. "Now, answer my question. You protesters?"

"Let's do this again," Anthea muttered, holding out the Light Stone. "We are not protesters. Do you recognize-"

But the gym leader was already jogging forward. He came close to Anthea, leaning forward and examining the Light Stone. There was a hungry look in those eyes of his. "Well, look what we have here! It's Reshiram itself!"

Anthea pulled away from him slightly, enough for Concordia to notice. We can't give it to this man. There's something off about him.

"Ya' came here to give that to me, I'm guessing," the man said. "Well, hand 'er over. I assure you, ladies, I'll make good use of that there."

"Make good use of it?" Anthea backed away more. "What are you going to do with it?"

The man reached to grab it. Anthea yanked it away.

"No," she said. "I've changed my mind."

"No?" The man harrumphed. "What do ya' mean, no? That's what you're damn here for, isn't it? You were holding out that thing like you were giving me a damn birthday present!"

"I changed my mind," Anthe repeated, standing straight. "We're leaving." She brushed past the gym leader, holding the Light Stone tight against her chest. He watched her go with narrowed eyes.

Concordia scrambled after, looking anywhere but at him. "Anthea! Wait for me!"

But she didn't. Only when they turned a corner and were out of sight did she turn and face Concordia.

"He was going to use the Stone for his own benefit," she said, smacking a fist into the wooden building they stood next to. "We can't give it to him, either! Isn't there anyone who can take this stupid thing out of our hands?"

"Please don't worry, Anthea. You made the right choice," Concordia said. "There was… something about him. Sylvia will be back soon, anyway." She peeked around the corner. The gym leader was no longer standing in front of the gym, but she couldn't see where he might've gone.

"Well, whatever," Anthea sighed. "Come on, and we'll wait for her. Maybe she'll turn out to be a half-decent person."

Concordia pulled away from the wall, glancing over her shoulder at Anthea, who was already walking away. "R-right…"