Author's note : Thank you for the review!

Brandon couldn't be dead. It took more than a little bit of fire to kill the mighty Pyramid King. No, this had to be another one of the man's famous tricks. He'd told his sons about them years ago. Paul couldn't quite recall all of the details but he knew that his father had once played dead in order to fool some bandits. He was doing the same right now, he had to be. There was no way that he could have gone down that easily and quickly. The man was thick skinned, resilient, unstoppable, unbreakable. His pride wouldn't allow him to stay down. He would never had been struck by such a blow unless he'd thought he could pull through it somehow. He would have had a plan.

There was no way he would have made such a sacrifice for his worthless son…

The Pyramid King did try to rise. He struggled, with only his left arm easily complying with his wishes. He let out a shrill complaint as he did so, promptly collapsing back into the dirt. Paul could only stare at the form of his father. Somehow the sight of the man whimpering in pain, smoke still rising from the scorched remains of fabric around his burned shoulder. The man couldn't even turn himself over. All he seemed capable of doing was trembling. Shaking and shivering from a mixture of shock and pain.

There were some shouts from nearby. They reached some part of Paul, who mindlessly turned towards those who had called out to them. He found Ash, Brock and Dawn, the Lake Guardians by their side staring in horror. His attention fell upon the man who was responsible for all of this. If he looked in their direction, it was more of a sideways glance, barely interested. He simply seemed to be taking note of what had happened, chalking Brandon off of his list of troublemaking enemies as if to say "one down". The commanders were quiet. Not exactly distraught but neither did they appear to be basking in their victory, only gawking at the sight.

Once more, Brandon attempted to get up. Actually, in retrospect, Paul wasn't entirely sure that was what he was trying to do. He looked more as if he was about to flip himself over. Just the effort of pushing himself up with one arm seemed to require an amount of strength that he no longer possessed. He'd managed to push himself up only by a foot or so. His teeth were gritted tightly. It was then that his son noticed the burns on the lower right side of his face, from his jaw to his cheekbone. The teen felt his stomach turn at the sight. For the Frontier Brain, the effort that it had taken to get himself onto his knees had left him exhausted, gasping for breath.

There was a growl from behind the man. The houndoom which had first attacked, stepped forwards, flames still flashing around its maws. Brandon shifted, he managed to turn his head around so as to see the creature as it approached. The man starred at the monster. It too came to a stop, considering him as if sizing up its prey. Brandon closed his eyes, once more he strained in an effort to get to his feet. Every time he succeeded in rising just a little bit however, his knees would wobble and his legs buckle, sending him back down in to the dirt. Behind him, the fire pokemon began to approach with more confidence.

Get up… Paul willed his father. Get up!

He didn't know why but he found himself to be a prisoner of his own body in those few instants. Some part of him screamed that he needed to do something. He knew that as tough as he was, Brandon wouldn't survive a second attack and that he wasn't in a state to protect himself right now. He needed his youngest son… But all Paul could find it within himself to do was stare helplessly, becoming nothing more than a spectator. Horror and terror froze him in place. He felt every single last one of his muscles tense up, as a scream caught in the back of his throat threatening to choke him.

A beam of powerful energy shot out over his head. It struck the Houndoom before the pokemon could even lunge. It sent the creature flying backwards, howling in pain as it went and crashing into the cave walls behind it. It didn't move afterwards, completely knocked unconscious. The culprit wasted no time in revealing itself. Regirock moved surprisingly quickly, the fastest that Paul had ever seen it move in fact. It stormed on past him, racing to stand by its stricken master's side. It's cries were strange; rapid and loud, despite their oddity, they somehow still managed to get across a sense of both distress and rage. If anyone had missed that much, the volley of rocks it sent in the direction of the remaining Galactic grunts, commanders and their pokemon was a much clearer message. It followed up with a zap cannon. Then another. Clearly not aiming but contenting itself with sending such a barrage in its enemies' direction that it was likely to hit something eventually.

Cynthia ran past. She paid the boy no attention, rushing over to his father's side, already half way through removing her coat. As soon as she'd done so, she used it to tap the smouldering fabric of the man's shirt and back. Smothering any traces of fire. Brandon winced and fell further onto his knees. He continued to shiver periodically. The man did what he could to bring his right arm closer to his chest cradling it, the champion stopped him by putting a hand on his other shoulder. She caught sight of the dark skin, blackened so that it almost looked like charcoal at about the same time that Paul did. The boy looked anywhere else, feeling his stomach turn and threaten to spill its contents.

A cry from nearby provided him with the distraction that he needed to avoid puking. Regirock continued its relentless assault on the few remaining Galactic grunts nearby. It had blown through their defences and anything that they might have tried to take shelter behind. Now it began to prepare itself et lose with one more hyperbeam, its targets a couple of shaken and helpless grunts nearby. Cynthia moved quickly.

"Regirock, that's enough." She spoke softly. "That's… That's not going to fix anything."

The creature continued to channel its energy. Its partner watched it but said nothing. Paul wouldn't have liked to have said whether Brandon actually felt that they deserved to face the wrath of his pokemon for what they had done or if the man was simply too weak to do anything to stop it. The boy chose to believe that it was the first possibility. It seemed safer somehow than the alternative. Slowly, the light from the attack that Regirock had been generating died down. It relaxed a few moments later.

With that emergency dealt with, Cynthia let out a sigh before turning back towards Brandon. She pulled out a pokeball, wasting no time in calling out Milotec. The water pokemon looked around, turning towards its trainer for direction. The champion nodded towards the Pyramid King, her hand still resting on his uninjured shoulder as if it was one of the few things preventing him from falling.

"Milotec, water pump, very gently."

The pokemon obliged. What came out was less of an attack and more of a gentle spray which might have come from a tap or a shower. It struck the man on his back and shoulder. He tensed up and for a moment, looked as if he might topple forwards. Even such a trickle looked as if it might be enough to knock the man over. Cynthia provided some support, kneeling down to be at the same level as the Pyramid King. The man was gasping for breath, looking out ahead of him with his eyes wide.

There was a rumble. A sinister light caused Paul to turn away for a few moments. Everything had changed. He could feel the air turning cold all of a sudden. Between Dialga and Palkia there was a strange space, it was like a door, a whole. Space itself seemed to be distorted around it. Even from where he was standing, the boy could feel something coming from it or maybe it was nothing. Whatever it was, it caused the hair on the back of his arms and neck stand on end. He found himself transfixed. Cyrus had his back turned to them, taking in the new world as it formed. Never before had the Pyramid King's son felt so driven to turn tail and run. The ends of the earth wouldn't be enough to allow him to escape this.

Brandon inhaled a couple of times, readying himself for what would certainly be a great effort. The Champion turned back towards him:

"Don't worry about me..." The man managed to choke out.

"The Red Chain..." She spoke in a hushed tone before getting to her feet and calling out towards Ash and his friends. "Listen, we need to target those rings!"

Paul supposed that he really should have paid more attention to what was happening but for whatever reason, he found that he only had eyes for his father. Injured as he might have been, Brandon dedicated all of his attention to what was going on with Dialga and Palkia. He didn't seem to have noticed his son staring at him.

The events that had lead to his father being in such a state replayed themselves constantly in the young man's mind. He heard the man's cries echoing through his ears and could almost still feel the inferno burning around them. The Pyramid King had saved him… He was safe but at what cost? Paul's body was numb from head to foot with the exception of his right hand which continued to burn away. He was only somewhat aware that he was shaking. Even his mind seemed to have disconnected from everything else, refusing to kick into gear to allow him to do pretty much anything other than stay there on his knees and fixing dumbly the man, his father, as he suffered in relative silence. He should have been feeling something, the boy knew that, but for whatever reason, nothing came to him, not even anger.

Time lost its meaning. Hours, minutes or seconds, any of which could have passed and Paul wouldn't have been aware of it or said which it would have been.

Three children took on the pokemon of time and space whilst a madman ordered them to give birth to a new world and to Paul it barely registered, not so much as the sight of the Frontier Brain slowly but surely slumped lower and lower, his strength leaving him. His son felt as if he could have been watching a movie, somehow disconnected from the reality of what was going on around him. Some part of him questioned if this might not all be a dream or rather a nightmare. Perhaps, he would wake up in his tent on his way to the Sinnoh League. That would have been better than this. Anything would have…

Then, the air seemed to change once more. The cold oppression, the feeling of unease and that something was very wrong somewhere disappeared in the space of a few seconds. Paul knew that it was over but couldn't even rouse himself enough to turn and check. Everything seemed quiet. Only the incessant thundering of his own heart pounded through his ears, confirming that this was very much real. He was living through it.

Nearby, Brandon gasped. He crumpled forwards, almost doubled over with only his left hand to support himself to ensure that he didn't crash face forwards into the dirt. The man was gasping now, as if each and every breath that he took was both an almost impossible effort for him, painful to boot and simultaneously not enough. He needed help. Someone had to help him but Paul's legs wouldn't even begin to contemplate carrying him over to the man's side. The Pyramid King's dark gaze came to fall upon him. The man's eyes seemed dull now, like all of the spark had gone from behind them. Somehow though, the man's son felt as if he could understand just what was going through his father's mind: his son was safe. That was all that he seemed to need to know before finally, his strength abandoned him. The Frontier Brain fell forwards, landing in the dirt. Seconds trickled by but he showed no signs of picking himself back up. He didn't even move.

It was the others who attended to the man. First Cynthia, then Ash and his friends. The former made no secret of her concern, gently trying to coax the older man to open his eyes once more, the latter were far more frantic. He could see them turn pale as they noticed the charred skin of his right arm and shoulder. Finally, with some effort, they managed to rouse the Frontier Brain. The man looked around, disorientated and confused but still very much with them.

"We need to build him a stretcher." Cynthia declared. "Quickly now-"

It must have taken the small group no more than five minutes with the help of their pokemon to make something which could pass for a stretcher. It was relatively crude, crafted from branches and vines that Grottle and Sudowudo had created. The regis and Garchomp stood as a solemn and silent vigil over the remnants of Team Galactic, battered, bruised and well and truly defeated. Paul found it within himself to get to his feet but not to actually move. He could do little more than stare at Brandon. They'd shifted the man onto his side. There he remained, gasping for each and every one of his breaths.

It was only when the time came to actually get the Pyramid King onto the stretcher that things became complicated. The Frontier Brain did his best to assist them. He managed to shift over from where he had been lying, settling down as best as he could on the construct. Even the most innocuous of movements caused the man to grimace and required an impossible amount of effort. He succeeded though, using as much of his reserve as he still possessed. Cynthia issued some clear threats to the remaining Galactic Grunts regarding any attempts to escape or otherwise harm or endanger their number. It was only then that the Champion's eyes came to fall upon the Pyramid King's son.

"Paul, come on."

Her voice was soft but commanding. It was enough to shake him out of his stupor. His eyes fell briefly onto the form of his father as between them, Brock and Cynthia lifted the stretcher. Brandon's head lay on one side, the burned part of his skin facing outwards. He locked eyes with his son for a few moments before they began the climb back to the surface.

It hadn't seemed that far on the way down but going up, even with bright sunlight visible at the top back towards the entrance of the cave, it felt as if they were climbing forever. Brock and Cynthia tried both to simultaneously move quickly and be as gentle as possible with the Frontier Brain. With every passing second, the man seemed to slip just a little bit closer to unconsciousness as his eyelids fluttered. From time to time, he would grunt but otherwise clearly did whatever he could to conceal his suffering from them, as if somehow that might make things better for them and perhaps for himself as well. Paul dragged his feet somewhat as he followed. His eyes were rooted onto the form of his father, hoping, praying that the man might suddenly somehow manage to recover.

Meowth ran ahead of the group, going to alert those they'd left behind that they had both prisoners to ensure were locked up where they couldn't cause any more harm and someone else in desperate need of medical attention. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Looker emerged from the base. Relief passed across his face as he saw that most of their number were alright, it fell a moment later when he spotted the Pyramid King.

"Is that?-" He shook his head, deeming the answer too obvious to question. "I've radioed for help. They're sending a helicopter from Hearthome and some officers to help us with these guys. There's a few cells to keep them locked up until then."

"How's Reggie?" Ash questioned.

"Not so good…" Looker muttered. "Come on, lets get into some shelter."

The storm had vanished, as if by magic, giving room for a bright and cloudless sky. From up here, it felt as if they could see much of Sinnoh. Certainly Hearthome was about visible. Paul found himself frantically searching for some of the much promised rescue. Yet the horizon remained empty and there wasn't so much as hum of a rotor to be heard, no matter how much he strained his ears. Reluctantly, he tore himself away from the sight to follow his father as they brought the man inside to shield him from some of the cold mountain air.

Team Rocket assisted Ash, Dawn and the Regis whilst they locked up the remaining members of Team Galactic.

Reggie hadn't moved much. He'd somehow turned paler in what could only have been a few minutes that they'd left him. Even from where he was standing, Paul could tell that his sibling was now struggling to breathe. As soon as they'd placed the stretcher down with the Pyramid King, Brock was quick to rush over to the Pokemon breeder's side. He placed a hand on the young man's sweat covered brow. Although Reggie continued to grimace and whimper as if he was assailed by some hidden, unseen force, he didn't acknowledge the new arrivals in the slightest. His body tensed up suddenly, as if someone was running an electric current through him. For a few seconds, he abandoned his rasping breaths in favour of a partially muffled scream.

"Reggie..."

Paul had thought his father beyond speech at this point, yet he managed to croak out his eldest son's name. It was a broken sound. If he weren't as injured as he was, then perhaps it might have been enough to clue Ash and his friends in to the fact that, there was more there than a passing acquaintance. The man's eyes rested on his eldest son and for once, none of those walls and barriers that usually made the man impossible to read were absent. The terror and horror there were only too plain to see as for the first time, the man saw what had been done to his own flesh and blood and witnessed his suffering, unable to even shift over so as to take his hand and comfort him.

Yet, Reggie didn't react to the man's presence.

"Have you given him some water?" Brock questioned.

"Some." Looker answered. "I think Jessie got him to take a little but he just started bringing it all up."

"Do you have any more medical supplies?" Cynthia demanded, her voice sharp as she turned towards Saturn before he could be escorted into the cell.

"No. Why would we need them? Our world would have been perfect..." The man shook his head distastefully. "That fool and the old man are dead."

Rage coursed through Paul's veins. It was a familiar and welcome release from the numbness that had been occupying him up until that point. He allowed himself to snap. He lunged forwards ready to smash a fist straight into the commander's jaw. He wasn't too sure if it was the insults directed towards his family or the fact that Saturn had just been the first one to say aloud what he suspected they all already knew. Looker moved quickly, grabbing the boy and pulling him back whilst James ushered the commander into the safety of the cell. Even with his target out of his sights, the young man still struggled, trying to shake off the officer's grip so that he might be able to give chase.

Cynthia moved quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder:

"It's petty vindictive cruelty." She assured him. "That's all..."

"He has no right!" In Paul's mind that freak shouldn't even have been looking at Reggie and Brandon.

"No… So don't give him the satisfaction."

Paul felt a growl escape him. Looker must have felt confident enough however that Cynthia's words had had at least some effect on him as his hold loosened, finally allowing the teen to slip free. He pushed himself away from the man, irritated and shooting him a warning glare. There was something about the officer's steely look which told the boy that he wouldn't hesitate to intervene again if he thought it necessary. The assessment was quickly and confidently made: it wasn't worth it. Disgruntled, he turned away searching either some escape or a distraction.

Cynthia knelt back down next to Brandon. The Pyramid King shifted only slightly to acknowledge her. His dark gaze came to rest upon the woman but he said nothing. Paul was expecting her to do… Something. Perhaps to try and dress his wounds or to offer him some water to drink. He didn't know what, lacking any real medical knowledge but surely just sitting there next to the man wasn't going to achieve much. Yet that was what she did, placed a hand on his left forearm and gave him a knowing smile.

"Don't you call it quits just yet." Brandon could manage little more than a tiny nod.

"He's getting worse!" Paul snapped, wondering why nothing more was being done. "He shouldn't be getting worse!"

"That's not how burns work Paul..." Cynthia told him softly.

"Yeah but he's- He's-" Words abandoned him briefly. "He's the Pyramid King!"

Brandon shouldn't have been like this. He was too strong to be broken, too brave to be afraid and too powerful to ever possibly be dying. With every second, Paul tried to tell himself that what he was seeing with his own eyes couldn't possibly be. There had to be something that he was missing somewhere. His father must have had some sort of trick up his sleeve somewhere. The young man fought tooth and nail against even the faintest possibility that he might be about to lose his father, deafening himself to any voices that might claim otherwise. Had it been possible to march over to the Frontier Brain, slap him across the face and demanded that he stop all of this pathetic show and pull himself together, his youngest son would doubtlessly have done so.

The man wasn't paying him any attention anyhow. What little strength he had left, he seemed to be channelling into watching his elder son. Reggie was withering away. Brock listened to the young man's heart through a stethoscope, his expression barely managing to mask his concern. Brandon's gaze remained fixed painfully on the boy. Wounded though he might have been, the Pyramid King could still see that his son was ailing. There was still enough awareness behind the man's eyes to tell his youngest that he was very much aware of what was happening. For a dreadful moment, Paul imagined both his father and brother closing their eyes and dying here. For the umpteenth time, the trainer shook his head, chasing away even the ghost of such a possibility.

They would be fine. They would be fine.

Brandon shifted. He turned his head, his muscles straining with the effort as he did so. It hurt even to do so little. That much was obvious. It was to Cynthia that he looked now. Something passed between the two of them. Paul saw it but he couldn't quite identify just what it was. An understanding of some sort. About the only thing that he could pick up on was pain, perhaps not physical but rather brought on by the reality of their current situation. They remained frozen like that for only a brief while. Then, taking a deep breath before doing so Brandon managed to get out in a single pleading breath:

"Save him."

"I'll try..."

Cynthia's hold on the man's forearm tightened for a few brief seconds, one last squeeze as if she was hoping to be able to transfer some of her own strength to him. She pulled away a few moments later, getting back to her feet.

She pulled out a pokeball from her pocket and contemplated it for a few moments. It was towards Reggie that she looked next. Taking a deep breath, the woman seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. She was concentrating rather than absent-mindedly daydreaming, working things out quickly and quietly. Paul waited with baited breath, wondering just what trick his father seemed to think that the champion might have up her sleeve that would allow her to save his brother. He didn't dare to ask, fearful that it might somehow chase away that faint bit of hope. It was with a determined tone of voice which left no room for debate that Cynthia finally spoke:

"Looker, Brock, help me with Reggie, I'll fly him to the nearest Pokemon centre myself."

There was no arguing, not even an attempt to remind the champion of the potential risks of such a move. Paul took that to mean that there was a silent agreement among the older people present that this was the best, if not only option where Reggie was concerned. It took three of them to lift him. Initially, Brock and Looker just tried to coax the young man to his feet but he refused. If he was conscious at this point, he was far too far gone to possibly react appropriately to the world around him, much less walk. Eventually, James rushed forwards, picking up the pokemon breeder's legs to help carry his body back outside. His brother followed wordlessly.

Cynthia wasted no time in calling out her Garchomp. It was a challenge to slump Reggie over the beast in a way that ensured that he didn't risk slipping and was also at least somewhat comfortable. Paul stayed near to his sibling. He wanted to hear his brother assure him that everything would be okay. At the very least, he needed to see him open up those eyes of his and give one of his reassuring smiles, the sort that his little brother had found so irritating and condescending in the past. The most he got was a weak groan from the young man. A lump formed in Paul's throat as he watched helplessly.

"Can't you take Brandon as well?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"Not like this..." Cynthia muttered painfully in reply glancing over her shoulder towards the body of the Pyramid King.

In the space of a few seconds, Paul felt his heart sink. He understood what the Champion wouldn't say: Brandon would die if he was moved, Reggie likely would if he wasn't.

Shaking slightly, Paul stared at his unconscious brother. Could this really be it? He wondered if this was the last few seconds that he might have with his sibling. In the space of a few seconds, that little piece of hope that he'd felt was dashed, replaced instead with a feeling of dread. He didn't want his brother to go. Not when it meant abandoning him to an uncertain fate. He might have been out of sight, but he most certainly wouldn't have been out of mind. Terror took hold. He didn't want to not know what was happening to Reggie. He needed his elder sibling with him just to be certain that he was still alive, for some of the comfort that that would bring him. That fear drowned out the knowledge that right now, an emergency flight back to the city was his best chance at survival.

Cynthia took a last few precious moments to ensure that Reggie was secure and wouldn't risk slipping. Her steely eyes fell upon Paul and to the young man, it felt as if somehow she might have been able to see right into him, to know just what he was thinking. Maybe it was obvious, after all, his brother was by all accounts dying. It was a fair and safe bet that he was not doing very well. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy tensed up, the contact was unexpected but he didn't have it in him to shrug her off. She crouched down to be at his level, speaking quietly, only for him:

"Stay with your father."

Paul's eyes widened. His mouth hung open, too surprised to speak. How did she know?! She shouldn't have known…

She didn't say anything else, climbing onto her Garchomp. They were gone a few seconds later, taking to the sky far faster than any helicopter ever could. Paul watched for as long as he could. His heart was in his mouth. Startled and lost, he stared until the champion, her pokemon and his brother disappeared into the horizon. He could have stayed there watching and praying, holding his breath. He tried to double down on what he'd been telling himself since the beginning of this nightmare: everything would be okay.

A strange sound from the Pyramid King caused him to turn back to face his father. With the departure of Reggie, it almost seemed as if Brandon had given up. The man slumped down, barely even conscious. He was wheezing, gasping. Ash and his friends were by the man's side, doing what they could to comfort him. They tried to encourage the man to hold on and keep fighting, to stay awake whilst the former did what he could to try and ease the man's suffering. Dawn brought some water, the prospect of which was enough to rouse the man just a little. Brock pushed it away though, warning the girl about the dangers of giving someone suffering from burns the likes of which the Frontier Brain was water. The man closed his eyes, saving his strength as much as he could just to keep himself alive.

Paul's legs couldn't hold him up any longer. He made his way over to a wall. He wasn't next to Brandon, it was Ash who occupied that place, pleading with the man to stay with them and to hold on. Instead, he slumped down with his back to the cold steel and closed his eyes. Desperately he tried to block out the rest of the world around him. What he wouldn't give to escape the hell of the freezing side of the mountain and the agonized gasps of his dying father...