A/N - Man this took some editing! I hope you enjoy it! =D Thanks for all reads, reviews, faves and follows!

72 - The Price of Poison

The narrow tunnel spread out into a wide cavern. Harlequin raced through it, her ears pricked for any sign of danger. The ground sloped gently downward, slick with water and algae. The tunnel had been unhindered, and in surprisingly good condition given no one had used it for years.

The air smelled stagnant, and was almost suffocating. Not unusual given the air could only flow one way. Mischief's steps were silent behind her, but she could hear his heavy breathing joining hers as they fought their way through the tunnel. Soon they'd be at the lake and have to swim through it blindly, trusting that if they kept heading upwards they would eventually break the surface and emerge into the Shadow Lands.

The path grew suddenly steeper and Harlequin's paw flew out from beneath her. A strangled yelp left her throat and she landed on her chest, sliding over the slick, slimy mud. Her paws scrabbled and she thought Mischief shouted for her, but she couldn't hear him for the rushing of blood in her ears. Harlequin's muzzle touched water and she stopped, her paws fastened around a hard rock. Her heart was racing. She stood up and shook out her coat, then sniffed the air. It was so dark she couldn't see where the lake began, but it lapped at her paws. If it weren't for that rock she'd have slid right into it.

Mischief came to a stop at her tail, panting heavily. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Harlequin spat mud into the lake and took a step back. Her heart was still racing and it was a battle to keep her voice steady. "We'll need to swim from here."

"Swim?"

"Yeah. You can swim, right?"

Mischief's light footsteps splashed through the wet mud behind her and he stopped once his fur brushed hers. Harlequin fought the urge to step aside or swat him away with her tail.

"I dunno," he said. "I don't think I've ever tried."

Harlequin snorted and lowered her head to sniff the water. "Well, if anything, you'll at least float."

Mischief shifted uncertainly beside her, and she heard the water break as he dipped his paw into it. Harlequin's mind swirled as she tried to think up a way through the lake. She hadn't considered the possibility Mischief wouldn't be able to traverse the water safely. Whimsicott weren't heavy. But with all that fluff they carried it made sense they wouldn't be adept swimmers. It would just slow them down.

Harlequin's claws curled into the dirt as an idea surfaced in her mind. Not a solution she wanted, but it was the only one. She flicked out her tongue to lick her nose. "Hold onto me."

She could feel Mischief's eyes on her. Or was it her imagination? It made her pelt burn and her lip curled back from her canines involuntarily.

"I'll carry you through her water," the zorua explained. "You're not exactly heavy."

"If you're sure…"

Harlequin wasn't, but there was no other choice. Mud oozed between her toes as her claws dug into the wet earth. "It's the safest way."

Mischief's paws splashed through the water as he joined her side. His paws fumbled to find her ruff, and Harlequin's spine stiffened. As he secured his grip on her fur, the zorua's hackles rose and she fought a growl as it rose in her throat. This was Mischief. He wasn't going to hurt her.

She took a deep, steadying breath and waded through the cold water. It soaked through to her legs as it rose past her knees, and mud caked her paws. She felt Mischief tremble as he kept pace at her side. She stepped cautiously forwards, checking for the ground beneath her feet. When her paw touched nothing but water she nodded to Mischief.

"Okay… we're going under," she said. "Take a deep breath."

She sucked in air, hearing Mischief do the same. Then she let herself drop, paddling her paws to propel them both through the water. They would be soon at the surface. The lake wasn't that big, but it was dark, and definitely deep enough to drown in. There was no light breaking the surface. Was it night already?

She pushed herself upwards until her ears brushed cold, slimy earth. She stifled a curse, but bubbles leaked from her mouth as she tried to correct herself. Mischief was becoming oddly heavy. He clung to her side, fastening his arms around her neck. Harlequin's paws churned through the water, propelling them both through the murky depths. Her ears brushed the slimy earth again and panic flooded through her chest. With Mischief hanging off her like a dead weight she was beginning to lose altitude.

No. No, she couldn't panic. If she panicked, they'd both drown. Slow and steady would get them to safety. She slowed her churning paws and gradually lifted them both through the water. Beside her she could feel Mischief doing the same with his legs, struggling to find a rhythm that matched hers. But at least it was something. It took an edge off his suddenly unexpected weight and soon it felt like she wasn't carrying him at all. The water began to lighten above her and excitement filled her chest. She picked up the pace, her lungs burning as they begged her for air. Her head began to feel foggy but she pressed herself on. The water pressure lifted and her nose broke the surface. She gasped, her paws splashing over the surface of the lake. They'd made it!

The moon shone high above her, casting milky ripples across the dark lake. Harlequin opened her mouth to address Mischief, then panic swept over her. Just beneath the surface she spotted his wispy fur billowing out behind him as he sank back towards the bottom. Kicking her paws, Harlequin dived beneath the lake again and surged after him. She opened her jaws wide and mucky water gushed inside her mouth. She fastened her teeth into his upper arm and yanked him back towards the surface.

The pair of them gasped for air and spewed water back into the lake. Harlequin felt a flood of relief that Mischief was okay, but what left her mouth was a searing remark as he choked up water beside her.

"Are you stupid?! Why did you let go?!"

Mischief was still gasping for air. He diverted his gaze and wiped a clump of soggy cotton from his eyes. "I lost my grip…"

"Moron." Harlequin forced her head under his arm and dragged them both to the edge of the lake. "I told you to hold on."

The lake was surrounded by thick bushes and drooping willow trees. Harlequin clambered out among thorny brambles and dragged the waterlogged Mischief out by his scruff. Once he was doubled over on dry land panting, Harlequin spat cotton tufts from her mouth. They clung to her tongue and she wiped it with a muddy paw.

"I guess you don't float at all, huh?" She took a few steps away from him and shook out her soggy coat.

"I guess not." Mischief pushed himself up onto his haunches and grabbed clumps of his fur, straining the water out onto the bank. He gave her a sideways glance. "Please don't tell Cleo."

"Hey, not being able to swim is nothing to be embarrassed about," Harlequin scoffed as she glanced around at the trees for any sign of a threat. "That would be like me being embarrassed I can't fly, or walk on two legs."

Mischief let out a lone laugh. "I guess." He stood up, water still dripping from his thick cotton-like pelt. "So… where are we?"

Harlequin stopped looking around and inclined her head on one side. She could hear voices in the distance. Not ones she was familiar with. Beyond the lake she could make out the backs of the assassins' barracks. Beyond that stood the thorny spire of Hydreigon's castle.

Being so close to the barracks filled Harlequin with a sense of dread. The trainees would be deep into their sparring sessions by now, so the area around the lake should be free from any immediate danger. The rest of the Shadow Lands, however… Harlequin clicked her tongue and joined Mischief's side.

"I'm going to use my illusion to look like a weavile," she told him. "I want you to act like I've taken you prisoner."

"How would that work?" Mischief asked. "Weavile walk on two legs."

"Leave the details to me. Just don't do anything to surprise me or it'll break my focus."

"So I shouldn't fight you?"

Harlequin frowned at him, but not out of irritation. She was impressed. He was really taking it seriously. "Don't make it look like you're coming with me willingly, but don't make it look like I'm struggling to control you either. Otherwise other pokemon will rush over to help. You're already infamous here, and members of the Darkness are going to want a piece of the action."

Mischief nodded stiffly and stood back, watching as Harlequin cast her illusion. To her, she still looked like a zorua. But the surprise on Mischief's face said it all.

"You'll be our ticket into the castle," Harlequin explained quietly. "Once we're in there, I'll rush to poison Hydreigon and Yveltal. I'll need you to use your dazzling gleam if things turn nasty. Understood?"

Mischief nodded again and raised his head, his expression turning serious.

Harlequin fastened her jaws around his arm, firm but not breaking the skin, and lead him along beside her. Once they were out of the bushes he started putting up mock resistance, leaving Harlequin to jerk her head to drag him back to her side. To any pokemon watching, they saw a weavile struggling to apprehend a wanted criminal in its sharp, wicked claws.

Murkrow sat in the trees watching curiously, their caws spreading out across the Shadow Lands. A few assassins were sparring in the courtyard near the barracks, and they looked up when they spotted Harlequin. A purrloin gave a nod of approval and said something to his partner, but the others looked envious, their eyes burning into Harlequin's illusory form. She fought the urge to move faster, instead keeping up her act of dragging Mischief towards the castle.

It stood ahead of them, tall and imposing. The deino herd spread out before it like an impenetrable barrier. They sniffed the air as Harlequin and Mischief approached, and a few broke away to investigate. Many missed the mark, stumbling over their own feet or each other. Fights broke out amongst the herd, and Harlequin deviated away from them to avoid getting caught up in their senseless brawl. A pair stumbled in front of her, rolling over each other. One had his teeth locked in his brother's throat while the other dragged fresh, red welts along his assailant's scaly hide with his claws. Mischief faltered as he watched with horror, stepping back to avoid being caught in it.

"Ignore them," Harlequin hissed, tugging him away from the blind dragons.

Purple dragon fire erupted through the deino herd as the fight rippled through them, drawing more dragons into the fray. The flames lit up the dark sky with an indigo hue and seared the already torched and trampled ground. Harlequin picked her way around the edge of the herd, keeping a wary eye on the dragons. She barely noticed the commotion filling the sky until claws jabbed into her back and rammed her into the floor. Her illusion shattered and she struggled beneath the wicked talons of a honchkrow. Shadowy wings whipped around her amid a flurry of cotton spores.

Yurlik lowered his beak to her ear. "Well, well! Look who came back! And you brought the whimsicott!" He lowered his voice to a purr. "Shame it's not under better circumstances, isn't it?"

Harlequin tried to force the large bird off her but it only resulted in his claws winding into her neck. Panic pulsed through her and her eyes widened, her claws scrabbling at the earth. She gave a strangled scream and dark energy licked around her canines.

"I wouldn't put up a fight if I were you, deviant." Yurlik clicked his beak and motioned behind him. "If you do, I'll tell them to pull your fluffy friend to pieces."

Mischief was pinned beneath several murkrow. His fur was peppered with ice, and the culprit stood proudly over him. A weavile. One of the assassins she'd seen earlier. Had they really seen through her disguise?

No… she'd been so close. The castle was right there. Enigma's face flashed through her mind and his words came back to her. 'You will be back.'

'I'm sorry…' Tears stung Harlequin's eyes. 'I've failed…' She shook her head and instead let out a snarl. She wasn't going to give this foul bird the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

She twisted her head to snap her jaws into his leg, but small shapes on the horizon froze her and her heart plummeted into her gut. The commotion filling the air grew louder, pulsating against her eardrums. Noibat. Hundreds of noibat.

Yurlik raised his head and a chilling chuckle left his chest. "Sounds like Rumble and his swarm are back." The honchkrow beat his wings and lifted Harlequin roughly off the ground. "I wonder if they found the rest of your friends? I mean… you wouldn't be foolish enough to come back here alone, would you?"

Harlequin's blood turned to ice. The small dragons were swiftly drawing closer, but she couldn't see them. Yurlik had his claws fastened in her shoulders. Blood trickled down her legs and glistened on his sharp talons. Several murkrow carried Mischief beside her, but he wouldn't look at her. Instead he obediently let them carry him. Harlequin wondered if he had a plan. Would he still attack knowing that the numbers were now against them? Could they actually get out of this?

Yurlik dropped before the castle door, landing heavily on top of Harlequin and knocking the wind out of her lungs. He was joined by several smaller thuds as noibat landed on the castle roof, their upside-down faces sneering at Harlequin. A few trainee assassins had joined the swarm, gathering around as they chatted amongst themselves, throwing leers at Harlequin and watching the rest of the noibat swarm arrive. Harlequin spotted the purrloin that had watched her earlier. She swallowed back a growl, not wanting to provoke Yurlik any further.

As Yurlik struck the door with his beak, Harlequin raised her head to follow the trainees' gaze. Her heart sank. Standing a few feet away, at the bottom of the stairs, was a noivern. Enigma was pressed beneath his claws, while smaller noibat hovered around him clutching several captive pokemon. Faith, Harbinger, Spark. Harlequin's eyes met Cleo's. Bloodshot. Defeated.

Harlequin's gasp came out as one small word. "No."

She'd failed.

It was over.

Yurlik struck the door again. "Open the door, vermin!"

A black-furred rattata pulled the door open, still smoothing out his tail with a paw. "Yeesh, keep yer feathers on-" His eyes widened when he noticed the large gathering of triumphant noibat. "Wow. Guess this is Lord Hydreigon's lucky day?" The rodent's words sounded strained, as if they tasted bad in his mouth.

"Oh yes. Most certainly. Renegade." Yurlik shoved him roughly aside, walking awkwardly as he dragged Harlequin behind him in one set of talons. He called back over his shoulder to the noibat swarm as they followed behind him. "If either of those former assassins make any efforts to fight back, kill every single one of those Outcasts!"

Harlequin stifled a moan and screwed her eyes shut. Everything hurt. She lay on her back, letting Yurlik drag her by the scruff towards Hydreigon's throne room. He stopped and struck the door with his beak. When Harlequin saw that trident pattern of a hydreigon engraved in the door her heart hit her throat and beat against her rib cage.

This wasn't it.

It couldn't be over.

"Enter!"

Hydreigon's voice boomed from behind the closed doors. Yurlik tugged them open and tossed Harlequin across the floor. Her claws scraped against the tiles as she tried to push herself back from the hulking dragon. Behind him, wicked blue eyes flashed through the darkness. The noibat swarmed into the room, dropping their prisoners before the large dragon. Amongst them ran a few sneasel and scrafty, their red eyes filled with curiosity and excitement. The tiny noibat then flocked to the door, filling the room with the sound of beating wings and chattering as they swarmed into an impenetrable barrier, barricading the only exit.

Harlequin rolled onto her stomach. She lay sprawled before the massive Hydreigon, and Harbinger stirred beside her as he pushed himself onto his front. Blood matted the fur of his ruff, crimson against his snowy white fur. The Outcasts were still struggling to stand up, every one of them trembling. Hydreigon was imposing enough. But none of them were watching him. Standing behind him, his beak open in a wicked grin, stood Yveltal. He seemed bigger than when they'd last encountered him. Harlequin felt her confidence drain away through her paws and she found, much to her shame, she was also trembling.

Hydreigon's red eyes burned into her fur, and he turned both pincers towards her. "Harlequin!" The dragon narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the rest of the room. "And Enigma?! I thought you were dead!"

The banette stood between Cleo and Faith, his eyes narrowed in a dangerous leer.

Hydreigon didn't pay it any attention. He jerked his head towards Yurlik who gulped and stood back, spreading his wings in a bow.

"I guess I was mistaken, my lord?" the honchkrow stuttered.

Behind Hydreigon, Yveltal tutted. "Can't even finish a job? I'd have made sure he was dead."

Hydreigon puffed smoke from his nostrils, his glare not leaving Yurlik. "Well done, Rumble. You and your swarm have pulled through for me, bringing in these deviants and their vermin friends. You even brought in the whimsicott! After we're done here, you can finish him off."

Rumble looked down Mischief fastened in the talons of several murkrow. Rumble licked his lips as a look of delight filled his eyes.

Yurlik clicked his beak. "Actually, that was my-"

"As for you, Yurlik…" Hydreigon met the honchkrow's eyes. "Get out of my sight."

Yurlik closed his beak. He knew better than to argue with Hydreigon. "Very well, my lord."

Harlequin ventured a glance back. Yurlik trembled by the door, glancing to the noibat huddled by the walls. A few young assassins stood amongst them, their eyes narrowed yet glittering with amusement.

"What about these trainees that snuck in?" Yurlik asked the dragon.

A low growl rose in Hydreigon's throat like thunder. "They were nosey enough to follow you in here! They can stick around to see what happens to those who defy me!"

The trainee assassins pressed themselves up against the walls as looks of uncertainty crossed their faces. Several of them looked to the door as it closed behind Yurlik, trapping a couple of stray black feathers.

Hydreigon cast his gaze around the room as it slowly fell into silence. "Well, isn't this interesting? Not only have you joined the Outcasts, you've picked up a filthy absol along the way." He met Harbinger's livid stare. "How did that work out for you, Harlequin? Have you been followed by nothing but misfortune?"

Harlequin's legs trembled and she glanced to Harbinger as he struggled to his feet, favouring his front left paw. She opened her mouth to speak, but Hydreigon's eyes flashed and he smashed one of his pincers onto Harbinger's back. The absol yelped and crumpled back to the floor.

"Don't you dare stand!" Hydreigon roared. "You won't defy me, vermin! You'll get to your feet when I tell you to!"

Harlequin's heart hammered against her ribcage. Harbinger lay beside her, his face contorted in a grimace. He struggled to raise his head, keeping his eyes narrowed on Hydreigon.

The large dragon turned his attention back onto Harlequin. "I heard you were friends with an absol once. One that Yurlik was sent to kill, but it looks like that fat honchkrow has grown lazy over the years. He can't even finish a simple job." He flashed a glare towards Enigma, which the banette met head on with one of his own.

"So…" Yveltal inclined his head on one side as he smirked. "Are we going to kill them all right here? Because I'm hungry."

"Not yet," said Hydreigon. "I think I want to have a little fun first."

The smirk left Yveltal's face and his blue eyes turned icy, chilling the room. But if Hydreigon noticed he didn't acknowledge it.

"I think I want to play a little bargaining game." Hydreigon slowly looked over the members of the room. "These pokemon are clearly important to you, Harlequin. You were once one of my aces. Right at the top, behind Boomer. I know what you're capable of. But somewhere along the way you deviated. Or perhaps you were always a deviant?" The dragon's eyes shone dangerously and he exchanged glances with one of his pincers. "You know what happens to those who turn against me, Harlequin. So if these pokemon are more valuable to you than your own life, surely you'd be willing to make a little exchange?"

Harlequin's fur heated up and she raised her head, meeting Hydreigon's gaze. "If I give my life you'll let them go?"

"Oh, no. It's not as easy as that." A grin split Hydreigon's maw, chilling Harlequin to the bone. He glanced towards Harbinger. "I want you to kill that absol."

"What?!" The exclamation had been involuntary, echoed by the Outcasts.

"What are you playing at?!" Enigma barked.

Hydreigon turned a pincer towards him and fired. A pulse of dark energy nailed Enigma in the chest and he fell back against the wall with a jingle and a grunt. Harlequin jerked her head to follow it, her ears pricked and eyes wide. Enigma sank down the wall, held up by his mane by a struggling noibat. Cleo and Faith struggled in their confines to help him, and the mawile screamed as her head was jerked back by a pair of noibat. Enigma raised his head, fixing Hydreigon in a crimson glare. But the dragon's attention was back on Harlequin.

"I hate absol," Hydreigon went on. "I can't stand them. They're filthy pokemon that leave nothing but disaster in their wake. So I can either kill all of you now, starting with that absol, and all of you can watch as each of your little friends is lead to the slaughter. Or… you, Harlequin, can kill that absol and perhaps then I'll let all of you go?"

Harlequin's mouth hung open. She was painfully aware of Harbinger shifting beside her as he checked the distance to the door.

"It's hardly a fair trade?" Yveltal turned his cool gaze onto Hydreigon. "That vermin's life isn't worth a single hair on this zorua's treacherous pelt!"

Hydreigon chuckled as he admired his pincer. "If he's the last absol alive, then eradicating his species off the face of Estellis carries great value."

"Enough to let all these pokemon go?" Yveltal spat. "Your priorities are warped. Barely fitting for a ruler."

"Are you defying me, Yveltal?" Hydreigon raised his head, meeting the dark bird's icy glare.

Yveltal stared back at him, the feathers rising along his spine. But he said nothing, instead turning his frosty gaze onto the rest of the room.

Hydreigon turned back to Harlequin. "So… what will it be? His life…" He gestured towards Harbinger with once pincer, then to the room with his other, "or everyone else's?"

Harlequin glanced from Hydreigon to Harbinger. Voices filled the room as her friends shouted from the wall.

"Don't do it, Harle!"

"It's not worth it!"

"We'll find another way!"

Hydreigon opened his jaws, letting out a long, booming roar. The pokemon cowered back against the wall and the noibat stirred, flocking to the high ceiling. Yveltal flinched, fixing one eye on the large dragon.

The room fell into silence, save for the frantic, panicked breathing of Hydreigon's prisoners and the twitchy trainees. Harlequin met Harbinger's eyes for a long moment, then turned her gaze onto her friends. Was there anything they could do? Any way they could all get out of there with their lives? Cleo watched Harlequin, her eyes glossy with tears. Faith trembled beside Enigma, her violet eyes pleading. Harlequin's heart sank. She'd never seen the mawile looking so scared. So desperate. Enigma was still on the floor, his mane tangled in the claws of a noibat. Harlequin knew he could do something. He could warp away to freedom, but he was clearly too terrified to try. He wouldn't meet her gaze, instead staring at the floor between his paws. Mischief was pinned by the door, separated from everyone else by Yurlik's bedraggled murkrow. There was one pokemon Harlequin couldn't see. She searched the noibat again, then she spotted her. Spark, hanging limp in a noibat's talons. Harlequin's heart picked up when the dedenne met her gaze. A look of understanding and determination crossed the rodent's little face. A message that Harlequin hoped she'd understood, and that the Darkness had missed.

Harlequin turned back to Harbinger, and her ears pulled back against her head. If she did this right, Harbinger would only need to play dead. She just had to get close enough to him to tell him that. There was enough blood on his ruff that it would look convincing.

"Okay." Her words sent a jolt of surprise through the absol. "If I kill him… you'll let us go?"

Hydreigon's eyes glittered with joy. "Sure. I'll let you go."

Harlequin nodded once and turned square to face Harbinger. He raised his head to look past her at her friends, then met her gaze. He nodded once and pushed himself to his feet. Harlequin's heart sank. Was he willing to give his life for her and her friends? She fought back tears and pulled her lips back from her canines, tensing her limbs to lunge.

"No. Not like that," Hydreigon scoffed. "I know your speciality, Harlequin."

The zorua's blood roared in her ears and she jerked her head towards Hydreigon.

"You have a nidoking horn," he purred. "Another vermin I've striven to wipe off Estellis. Using that horn will be a fitting way to finish off this scum." He fixed a smirk on the seething absol.

A lead weight dropped inside Harlequin's chest. Poison? She would have to use poison? She swallowed around a lump in her throat and struggled to meet Harbinger's eyes. If she missed, made it look convincing, would Harbinger take the hint and fake it? No… she couldn't risk messing this up. She still had the antidote off Elsa. If she was quick, and if she didn't cut too deep, she could rescue him.

Harbinger stared at her steadily, despite wobbling on his legs. Then he closed his eyes and lowered his head. He was really going to let her do this? He was already too weak from fighting. She had to get this right. Harlequin reached into her bag and pulled out her nidoking horn. The whole room was silent, and tension filled the air, thick with fear scent.

"Good." Hydreigon raised his head. "Now toss your bag over here."

Harlequin tried to mask the despair on her face. He'd guessed she had the anti-venom. She bit back a curse.

"Quickly!" Hydreigon barked.

Reluctantly Harlequin shed her bag, and it was snatched up by a sneasel. He skittered back to the wall between an axew and gabite, clutching it in his sharp claws.

Harlequin stifled a growl and turned to Harbinger. Now she couldn't risk cutting him. There was little chance she'd get her bag back. She met his gaze, finding it steady and confident unlike his trembling legs. But his face said it all. He was ready.

Harlequin braced herself and leapt, aiming to skim him with the horn. Harbinger's good leg gave way and he toppled sideways. She felt the horn catch in his fur and the absol let out a hiss of pain. Tears stung Harlequin's eyes as she landed behind him. The soft thud as his body hit the floor sounded like thunder in Harlequin's ears. She raised her head to look behind her. Harbinger lay on his side, his flanks rising softly as if he were asleep.

It didn't work that fast. He was exhausted. Had she missed him? Please… She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth around the horn's handle.

"Excellent! One less absol to worry about!" Hydreigon rumbled laughter and waved a dismissive pincer at Harbinger's prone form. "Clear up this mess! Throw him in the lake, that should finish him off."

A group of noibat flocked onto Harbinger, fastening their claws in his scruff. They raised him into the air and fluttered towards the door. Harlequin watched them, her jaw aching with tension.

"As for the rest of the prisoners," Hydreigon went on, "take them outside and kill them. The deino could use some fresh meat."

Harlequin's heart lurched. She jerked her head to her friends. Cleo spat venom and her eyes flashed. No… the room flashed. The walls lit up with electricity which danced over the black bricks and tiles. Noibat screeched and hit the floor like pebbles. Then Spark dropped among them, her tiny body pulsing with static.

Hydreigon jerked his head towards them, spotting the little dedenne. A thunderous roar left his gaping jaws and he lunged towards Spark. The dedenne bolted, dashing between his snapping pincers. Harlequin snapped herself together and launched towards Hydreigon, turning the horn in her jaws. It plunged deep into his side, cutting off a dragon pulse into a splutter of purple fire. He threw his head back and howled, thrashing his huge body. Harlequin jumped aside, leaving the nidoking horn buried fast in his thick scales. He hit the floor with a thud and Harlequin just managed to avoid his flailing pincers.

Harlequin's eyes didn't leave Harbinger as the noibat carried him from a high window. The absol's eyes were open, his mouth gaping as he gasped for breath. Harlequin sought out her bag, but the room was in chaos. Pokemon raced about, firing attacks, turning the floor slick with ice, blood and feathers.

Yveltal spread his wings, watching the chaos explode across the room. The Outcasts were rushing for the door, sending pink light flashing through the room. Mischief was on his feet, surrounded by fallen murkrow. His eyes landed on Yveltal and he threw out his paws, sending a flash of sparkling light over the heads of his friends and into Yveltal's gaping beak. Red and black energy spluttered around his face, hitting the wall like harmless cinders.

Cleo reached the door, yanking it open. Another wave of pink light flashed over their heads as two kirlia teleported from the doorway into the room. They raised their arms as Yveltal spat out a crimson beam. It bounced off an invisible barrier, fizzling harmlessly into the air. Yveltal threw his head back in an infuriated screech, hopping up and down like a hatchling in a tantrum.

Harlequin rushed for the door, then slid on her belly between Rumble's feet. The noivern let out a cry of alarm, then snapped his yaws at her tail. Harlequin left him with a mouth full of fur as she scrambled for the open door, hoping her friends wouldn't be far behind her. She had no time to check. She had to reach the lake before the noibat.

...

Cleo lashed out with her claws, dragging red welts across Rumble's muzzle. He reeled back from her, his ears vibrating as the room filled with a deep, deafening noise. He lashed out with his tail, sending Cleo's feet out from beneath her. She dragged her paws over her ears, holding them flat against her head. She realised her eyes were closed and when she opened them she found herself face to face with the noivern's gaping jaws and a torrent of purple flames.

"Cleo!"

Spark's tiny body landed between Cleo and the noivern, right as dragon fire pulsed from his mouth. It smashed into Spark's little body, engulfing her in flames.

"Spark!" Cleo screeched.

Cleo's heart almost stopped as she stared at the spot her friend had landed, mere inches from her nose. The flames fizzled out, washing over the dedenne's body like water. Spark looked down at her paws and blinked. Her confusion was reflected on Rumble's face as he pulled his head back from her. Spark was completely unharmed.

Cleo stuttered as she pushed herself to her feet. It couldn't be… Was Spark part fairy-type?

Spark's large eyes locked back onto the noivern and she leapt up at his face, striking him on the nose with both forepaws. He keeled backwards and Spark twisted, landing a kick to his forehead. Rumble fell to the floor in the doorway and Spark landed on his nose with a glance back at Cleo.

"Get a move on!" she squeaked.

Cleo wasted no time. She leapt over the noivern's prone form and bolted down the corridor after Faith and Enigma. The duo had cleared a path, leaving the stunned bodies of hatchling dragons, sneasel, scraggy and noibat in their wake. Mischief followed behind Cleo, firing another dazzling gleam into the room. Yveltal shrieked with rage, exploding from the door after them. The kirlia kept between the Outcasts and the dark bird, keeping up a barrier that repelled his deadly beam.

Cleo's legs pumped against the floor, her heart racing faster than she could run. The door was just ahead of her, and Faith was about to reach it. Cleo caught up with the mawile as she threw the door open. Cleo keeled back as they were greeted by the roaring jaws of a white dragon. A few smaller dragons rolled back into the door from the force of his roar, almost tripping Cleo in the process. From his back, a gardevoir fired a dazzling gleam into the castle, driving Yveltal further back.

Reshiram pulled away, giving Cleo and the others enough space to run into the courtyard. The white dragon was accompanied by an altaria, salamence and flygon. They spewed their attacks onto the ground, scattering the deino and other members of the Darkness who had come out to defend the Shadow Lands.

The grounds were teeming with so many dragon-types that Cleo couldn't identify them all. A herd of gabite lead by a garchomp rushed them from the left, while on the right was a pack of mighteyena trying to drag the flygon out of the air. The ground erupted around the large black canines as the flygon summoned a sand tomb, driving them back, away from the Outcasts.

"Grab Cleo!" Reshiram roared.

The salamence turned and dropped towards Cleo, grabbing her and Mischief in his talons. His wings were curved like a boomerang and he soared back into the air away from the castle. Spark clung to Cleo's tail as the dragon tossed them onto his back. The garchomp landed right where Cleo had been standing and let out a roar of fury. He opened his jaws and sent a dragon pulse towards them. The salamence flipped away from it and it skimmed his tail, but he didn't so much as flinch.

Cleo caught sight of Faith warring with a pack of gabite and fraxure. The pack was immense. A shadow flit back and forth along the floor and Cleo thought it was Enigma. But NyukNyuk emerged from beneath one of the dragons and his costume expanded as his spectral arms dragged dragon after dragon beneath his disguise. Screams of terror followed as whatever lay beneath NyukNyuk's disguise battled with the dragons, spitting them back out one by one. They lay terrified on the floor, struggling back to their feet to flee the mimikyu. But it did little to help Faith. She swung at the dragons with her dual horns as flamethrowers streaked from their jaws, singing her yellow fur. Cleo's heart sank as the mawile lost hold of her mega form.

Reshiram did a back-flip in the air and aimed his tail at the pack of dragons. Flames erupted from it, exploding across the pack and scattering them. Many lay prone on the scorched earth and Reshiram rose back into the air again with NyukNyuk shouting triumphantly from his head. The mimikyu expelled one last fraxure which plummeted to the floor in a stunned stupor. The flygon swooped down and scooped up Faith in his talons. The mawile gave him a grateful smile, but she looked absolutely exhausted.

Yet more dragons filled the air, blue and rugged. They were accompanied by some that looked like flying fruit, but the purple flames they spewed were as potent as the attacks of their brethren.

"We need to get out of here," Cleo told the salamence. "There's too many of them."

"Dragon attacks are working just fine," he said.

A loud screech split the air as an explosion of black feathers erupted into the air. Yveltal's blue eyes flashed in his head and his beak gaped, spewing forth his crimson beam. The salamence's face twisted with horror.

"Move!" Cleo yowled.

The salamence swerved to the side, narrowly dodging Yveltal's attack. It struck one of the druddigon, freezing it in midair for a moment before it crashed to the ground and shattered into stone.

The salamence faltered for a heartbeat then barked a command to retreat. He soared towards the woods with the flygon on his tail.

The altaria, or what Cleo guessed was one, took the salamence's place and faced Yveltal. Its fluffy feathers almost drowned out the small shape of a riolu sat astride its back. Tinker? Cleo blinked a few times to process it. A loud scream left the altaria, flooding the air with pink energy. Yveltal keeled back from it, losing altitude. A few noibat that had gathered around him grew disoriented and crashed to the floor.

Starshine let out another hyper voice, but Yveltal was prepared this time. Still, the large bird flinched. But after Starshine's attack faded out the large bird lurched towards them. Tinker tugged on Starshine's feathers and the altaria arced into the air, leading Yveltal up and away over the Shadow Lands. Crimson energy followed after the altaria, cleaving through the soaring dragons. Noibat dropped like stones onto the ground, scattering the deino and cuffing many soldiers over the head.

Reshiram bolted after the dark bird and grabbed his tail in his jaws. Yveltal let out a strangled screech as the white dragon swung him down from the sky and towards the ground. Yveltal landed hard on his back in a cloud of dust, scattering the deino herd.

"Pull out!" Reshiram barked.

The Outcasts and outlaws turned and fled across the Shadow Lands, back towards the Border Woods. They were trailed by the noibat and their noivern leader, who spewed out dragon pulses at the fleeing dragons. The noivern's muzzle split in a grin and a deep pulsing noise tore through the air. The noibat swerved aside, their eyes widening. But some joined in, their ears amplifying their screeches.

"You have to be kidding…" Reshiram gasped.

"He won't, right?" Spark asked from Cleo's shoulder. "I mean, a boomburst with all his noibat right by him? It's suicide!"

Yet the sound deepened, radiating through the air until Reshiram and the other fliers struggled to remain airborne. Cleo's eyes widened and she dragged her ears down with both paws, bracing herself for the inevitable explosion.

Rumble opened his jaws wide and roared, his ears shuddering as the sound waves amplified, shaking the very air. Noibat and murkrow dropped from the sky like lead balls. The salamence swerved, careening towards the floor. Cleo clutched onto his neck, an involuntary scream flying from her jaws.

"Hope!" Reshiram barked.

The gardevoir had her arms raised. A huge, pink ball hovered above her, growing as the fairy-type concentrated. She hoisted it towards the dragons. Rumble let out a grunt of confusion, his eyes widening as the huge ball of energy slammed down on top of him. The noivern vanished beneath it, taking a few noibat with him. The sound cut out and the salamence jerked upright, his claws skimming the dusty floor. He was rocketed back up alongside Reshiram, but not before Cleo got a look at the chaos beneath them. Pokemon staggered across the courtyard, dizzied by the sudden boomburst. The few noibat and murkrow that remained in the sky hovered, spitting insults as Reshiram and the outlaws fled towards the wall.

They flew in close to each other and the world warped around them. In a heartbeat they were surrounded by trees with a squat, white building in the centre.

The salamence landed and his form changed to that of an ordinary salamence. He lowered himself so Cleo and Mischief could slip from his shoulders. Spark landed at Cleo's feet and looked around at the clearing.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Our hideout," said the salamence. "Don't worry, they won't find us here."

Spark scoffed. "They will if those slimy dragons sell you out."

Mischief looked up at her with a start and balled his fists. Cleo could almost feel the anger radiating off his body.

"They won't find what they can't see," said Reshiram. "Hope made sure of that."

NyukNyuk dropped from his head and saluted, chattering in his own tongue. Reshiram chortled laughter, but a look of seriousness returned to his face.

"You're back?" A familiar, gooey voice came from the door to the ruin.

Cleo jerked her head towards it, but Mischief pushed past her pointing an accusing paw.

"You!" he snapped. "You tricked us! You said-"

Reshiram spread his wing, blocking Mischief off from the goodra and sliggoo. His usually warm expression was stern and silenced the whimsicott. "Don't place blame on these two, Mischief."

"But they tricked us!" Mischief narrowed his eyes at the two dragons and they flinched back from him. "We lost Harbinger because of them!"

"They sold us out," said Spark. "They called the noibat swarm!"

Slip and Snails shifted uneasily and inched backwards into the ruin, leaving a slimy trail on the dirty stone.

"They might have made a wrong decision," said Reshiram. "But your plan would never have worked, whether or not they made the mistake of summoning the Darkness onto you." He lowered his wing, keeping himself between Mischief and the dragons. "These two have indeed done wrong, but so have you. It's not their fault Harlequin was caught. You took matters into your own paws in a foolish attempt to battle a force much stronger than you. You are fortunate only one of you has lost their life today."

Mischief's expression fell and he stood back. Cleo clenched her jaw. She'd been staring death in the face. Reshiram wasn't wrong. They could all have died. They were fortunate they got out of that scrape with their lives. But Harbinger… Cleo glanced back towards the Shadow Lands.

"You're right, Reshiram," said Faith. "We have all made foolish mistakes today." She lowered her head. "I should have done more to convince them otherwise, rather than going ahead with their plan. I know this isn't our fight. I am so sorry."

"But… Harlequin did it, right?" Spark asked. "She killed Hydreigon."

Cleo shook her head and turned to her friend. "We don't know for certain if Hydreigon is dead."

"But… she stabbed him with her nidoking horn," said Spark.

"Yes, and he took her bag." Cleo hissed through her teeth. "She might have had an antidote. We don't know that." She turned to seek Harlequin in the crowd. To get some reassurance.

Reshiram's expression turned sombre and he looked up at the others. "Whether or not he is, Yveltal is still very much alive. There will be a huge battle very soon, and all of us here will be called into it. It doesn't matter whether Hydreigon is alive or not, we'll be facing Yveltal and the rest of the Darkness."

Cleo's blood turned to ice and she exchanged worried glances with her companions. But it wasn't just Reshiram's words that had chilled her. She couldn't see Harlequin among her friends and allies.

"Harlequin?" she called, drawing the attention of everyone else. She raised her paws in a weak shrug. "Where is she? Has anyone seen her?"

Faith's violet eyes widened and she joined Cleo in searching the crowd. "Harlequin?!"

"Seriously?" Tinker scoffed. Starshine stood beside him, his fluffy feathers returned to their normal size. "Did he just leave you all?"

"She went after Harbinger," said Cleo. "She-"

"It's not just Harlequin." Faith wound her paws together, her eyes glossy with tears. "Enigma is gone, too."

Cleo stuttered, looking over her friends hoping desperately that Faith was mistaken. But there was no sign of the banette amongst them. No hint of him lounging in the branches.

Faith closed her eyes as realisation dawned on her. "He went after Harlequin."

Cleo bit back a curse and looked back at the trees. "He's still in the Shadow Lands?!"

Reshiram looked up towards the Shadow Lands, his ear feathers drooping. The group fell into silence, and Cleo could hear her heart hammering in her ears. They weren't all safe after all…

"I knew he'd do that. I should have stopped him," said Faith, her voice choking. "I'm sorry."

Reshiram shook his head and lowered his muzzle to the mawile. "It's not your fault, Faith." He looked back towards the Shadow Lands. "What shall we do? Should we go back there?"

"No. That would be foolish." The salamence's voice came out as a growl and he narrowed his eyes at Cleo and her friends. "The whole place is in an uproar after what these pokemon have just done."

Cleo's fur prickled with shame and she glanced aside, feeling Spark shuffle on her shoulder.

Hope raised her paws to placate the dragon. "Calm down, Ripwing."

A jolt ran through Cleo like lightning. Ripwing?

"I agree their actions were foolish," Hope went on. "But there's no need to place blame. Especially when two of our friends are still in danger."

"Well there's nothing we can do now," said Ripwing. "It's not safe to go back there."

"I'm with Ripwing," said Tinker. He leant back against the ruin with his arms folded. "There's no point going after those two foolish assassins. I say we leave them to their fate. Lesson learned."

"That's an awful thing to say!" Faith gasped. "They're our allies!"

Tinker sighed and dragged a paw over his muzzle, muttering something Cleo didn't catch.

Slip slunk out of the ruin, keeping her head low. "If they've gone to the lake, then we might be able to help them." She glanced at Cleo.

Cleo's heart picked up and she straightened. "Of course! The swamp!"

A look of realisation crossed her friends' faces. They'd all forgotten in the panic.

Reshiram's face crinkled with a confused frown. "What does the swamp have to do with anything?"

"The lake is joined to the swamp," Cleo explained. "Harlequin and Mischief took a tunnel through it to get into the Shadow Lands." She looked up at Mischief who was still eyeing the slippery dragons with caution. "Was the tunnel clear?"

The whimsicott nodded.

Cleo turned back to her friends. "If we go back to the swamp we might be able to help them."

"You mean go back into the Shadow Lands through the lake?" Ripwing scoffed.

"No." Faith stepped forwards, clasping her paws together. "If they made it to the lake, then they should hopefully have found the tunnel."

Tinker rolled his eyes. "And be leading a mob into the Border Woods?"

"The Shadow Lands don't know about this tunnel," Faith went on. "That's my understanding, at least."

The goodra and sliggoo nodded.

"Okay." Hope looked up at Reshiram. "I'll take a small party to the tunnel. Those wounded should get their wounds taken care of."

"Take us with you," said Slip. "It's our fault everyone was captured. We want to make it right."

Ripwing frowned at the goodra. "But you're no fighters."

"No, but we blocked up the tunnel." Slip grimaced then shook her head as she turned back to Hope. "If you touch it, it'll poison you. We'll clear it."

The gardevoir nodded once. "Very well. Tell me how to get there and I'll teleport us."

"I'll go too," said Faith.

"No." Hope placed a paw on the mawile's blackened shoulder. "You're wounded. Stay here and rest. I'll take Tinker and Starshine." She looked to the riolu who's eyes widened with surprise. Hope nodded and gave him a warm smile. "Don't worry. I'll mask our presence, the Darkness won't find us. We'll make sure Harlequin and Enigma get back here safely."

...

Thanks for reading! =D