A/N: Things are gonna get heated this chapter. Heh. Puns. Enjoy!

"I would have expected you to be more excited today," Yoko mused airily, swirling a teacup in her hands. "No longer the child of our troupe. Must be a big day for you."

Hibari shrugged, lips pursed. Of course, she would have been excited to finally have someone younger than her dancing with the Kimono Girls. Yoko, Tsuki, and Hina were not too much older than her, all things considered, but six, eight, nine years was almost half of her life! Hibari had waited for them to bring a new dancer on since she had joined two years prior. But she was expecting someone not quite as young as Eiko. "I am," she finally said, cautiously. "Especially now that there is an actual child among us."

Yoko chuckled and took a sip of her tea. "You saw her dance for us; you saw her skills," she replied. Hibari nodded. Yoko was right, she was easily the best dancer of the prospective group, moving with the grace and poise that Hibari knew she herself could not match now, gracefully weaving steps in complex patterns around the erratic movements of the Jolteon she danced with. It was almost as if she could predict the patterns of nature herself at the tender age of eleven. Eleven. Hibari had been dancing longer than this girl had been alive. She and Eri were even partners before this girl was born. And now, here she was, accepting her new role in the troupe, sipping tea with the four older dancers as if she had been doing it as long as Hibari had.

"She's a prodigy," Hibari agreed. She could feel her jealousy gurgling in her chest, but she had to keep it inside.

"Thank you all," Eiko said, taking a big slurp of her tea and bringing it down on the table quickly. A bright clink echoed in the otherwise empty theatre, and in seconds, Koichi shuffled in from the kitchenette in the back with another steaming tetsubin, just in case the dancers wanted to drink more. Hibari set her cup down, much more softly. She was not thirsty.

"No, thank you for gracing us with your beautiful dancing," Hina replied. She and Tsuki were sitting together, mirror images of each other, even down to taking sips of their tea. Between them, Hina's partner, the sleek and elegant Espeon named Sol sat, purring as he rubbed his head up against her outstretched hand. "You remind us of, well, us," she continued, chuckling.

"Talent like yours is hard to come by, and even harder to harness," Tsuki said, her voice deeper and smokier than Hina's dulcet tones. "Rehearsals will still push you. We are a troupe, after all, and a troupe is only as good as its weakest member." Her dark eyes danced left and right, resting on Yoko for a moment before landing on Hibari, who squirmed under her gaze.

"I will not let you down," Eiko said, hopping up to her feet with such energy Hibari felt a pang of fatigue from watching it. As she did, her Jolteon bolted to attention, yipping playfully, loud enough to wake Eri and Luna, who were napping in the corner. Luna, upon realizing the source of the commotion, rolled over and put her head back down, but Eri hopped up and trotted over towards Eri with curiosity.

Hibari, meanwhile, bit her tongue, hoping no one could see her face twitch in annoyance. How good it must feel, she thought, to not have your ambition burned up like kindling right in front of your face. Eri sidled up next to her and nudged her arm, mewing lightly. She absentmindedly moved her arm around him and pulled him close. "At least I will always have you with me, Eri," she muttered under her breath, so quietly that not even Tsuki's hawk-like senses could pick up.

"More tea?" Koichi asked, having finally arrived. He held the tetsubin up eagerly.

"Thank you for your expedience as always," Tsuki said, with a dismissive wave of her hand, "but we've spent too long sitting. There is much to do."

"Of course," Koichi said, bowing slightly. "I will take your cups, then." As he busied himself with their dishes, Hibari pulled herself up from the floor and stretched her legs. Eri stretched as well, yawning widely and revealing tiny but sharp fangs.

"A battle, maybe, to warm up?" Hina asked.

Eiko stopped, blinked, and looked at her in confusion. "A battle?" she repeated. "I thought we were dancers, not fighters."

Hibari withheld a smirk as she straightened herself. "A Pokémon battle is often a dance in its own right," she recited proudly, "and a dance is a battle as well."

"Hibari has had our mottos memorized from her first day," Hina explained with a giggle. Hibari sensed the smallest bit of mockery in her flowery cadence. "A testament to perseverance in her craft."

"To know both battle and dance is to succeed as a Kimono Girl," Tsuki said, finishing the statement that Hibari had begun. "Hibari, would you please?"

"Yes, Tsuki," Hibari said, quickly turning and walking to one end of the stage, Eri following diligently.

"Well, if it's a battle you ladies want, it's a battle you ladies will get!" Eiko shouted, rushing off to the other end. Her Jolteon was even faster and was ready before she had reached the end of the stage. "You'll find out how good I am at battling, too! You should have seen the monks in the Brass Tower. Spark here, was unbeatable. He wasn't even a Jolteon yet and none of their Pokémon can touch him!"

"A true master walks among us, girls," Tsuki said, her voice icy with sarcasm, but Hibari could tell that the eldest dancer in the troupe was already hiding the warmth of great affection under her walnut-colored eyes and sharply styled black hair. She folded her arms, ready to appraise the battle.

Hibari sneered. Of course, this perfect little girl had passed the trials at the Brass Tower without breaking a sweat. But she was not going to let a schoolgirl best her and her partner, even if Eri would be weak against the lightning Spark could control at will. She could not. She looked to her partner. "Come on then," she sighed. "Let's get this over with."

"Let's get this over with," Hibari grunted as she caught up to Eri in the darkened entryway to the tower. It had been a decade since she had last entered the tower, but it looked just as it did every time she entered, albeit now being much darker. Plain wooden walls with no adorning artwork; the monks operated a sparsely decorated tower. She could hear creaking above her; Eiko and Yoko must have spent no time taking in their surroundings and gone straight for the staircase that surrounded a pillar near the back of the tower. Every six steps led to a small landing that jutted out from the pillar, and then continued another six steps up to the left, where it repeated the pattern and disappeared into the second story. Hibari inhaled deeply, mentally preparing herself to race up the stairs. She could already smell the lingering stench of burning wood. She felt heat bearing down on her but could not yet tell if that was from the fire above or the lack of winds blowing around her. "Stay close," she advised, and rushed to the stairs.

Six steps up, turn. Six steps up, turn, six steps up. She was on the second floor now, one that was equally as empty as the floor below. The only difference between the two floors was a large white square, painted plainly on the floor – the perimeters of those battling in the trials. Hibari remembered this one well enough. The monk here had battled with a Rattata so weak that even Hibari could defeat it each time she came up. She felt a strange pang in her heart; who would attempt the trials now? Where could they even go? She shook the thoughts out of her head and continued up the stairwell.

The third and fourth floors were no different visually, still dark from the black skies around it, but now the heat was starting to be much more noticeable. "Eri, spray me," Hibari said, wiping sweat from her brow. Eri gave her a small shower of water, but she did not feel any more refreshed. Why was she still climbing? Where were Yoko and Eiko? She called out to them but heard nothing but more creaks in the ceilings above her. They were growing more plentiful. She took another deep breath in as she climbed to the fifth story but coughed it out almost immediately. The smell of fire was so much stronger here. She could even hear the popping and crackling of flame on wood above her.

"Yoko! Eiko!" she called again as she pushed herself up the next flight of stairs. As she strained to hear any response, she glanced up and saw that the fifth floor was much brighter than the prior four. Instantly, she froze. She had considered what it would mean to traverse a burning building, but it had not yet truly hit her just what it would be like until now. The crackling that she had heard on her ascent was now almost as loud as her speaking voice, and she watched as strange, formless shadows danced along the walls. Were these phantoms coming from Eiko? From Yoko? She inhaled another gulp of hot, dry air and pushed herself forward.

"Yoko!" she cried again as the light hit the side of her face. It was less like walking out into the sun on the hottest Summer afternoon, and more like the heat from one of Summer's fire blast attacks. Hibari twisted to face the flames and saw them slowly spread out on the far end of the building. What luck it must have been that whatever caused the fire started on the other side of the building away from the stairs.

Eri barked and rushed forward, knowing what to do before Hibari could say anything. His jaw opened and a volley of water shot out to the other end of the building. Steam erupted when the water met the fire, instantly beginning to darken the room. "Excellent!" Hibari cried, ducking low so she could still see and breathe as far away from the smoke and steam as she could. "Keep the fire to one side of the building until we can all get down!" she ordered, skirting around behind him and looking up the staircase.

"Hibari!" A voice came from above. Hibari looked up and saw Yoko crouched on the first landing. She looked like she was about to faint; her typically sharp and meticulous eyes smoky and dull.

"Yoko!" Hibari shouted and clambered up the stairs.

"Stay—stay down there!" Yoko coughed. "There's too much smoke up here!"

"R-right," Hibari said. "Are you okay?"

"Been better," she wheezed. "Just a little light-headed."

"Where's Eiko?"

"Where do you think?"

Hibari grimaced. As glad as she was that Yoko still had enough wits about her to crack wise, Hibari had hoped she had been able to catch up to the daring hero before she had got herself into too much trouble. "How many more floors up?"

"Wherever Master Giichi is, I suppose. Help me down, will you?"

"Right." Hibari reached out a hand and Yoko clasped it weakly with hers. Her hand was dry and warm, much like the deserts of Hoenn that Hibari had often read about. As she pulled Yoko to her feet, she thought about how much heavier Yoko seemed. Could she not hold herself up on her own? Hibari shuddered, not even daring to think about what would have happened had she not charged in after them.

"Thanks…Hibari," Yoko said softly.

"Eri! Give us another spritz!" Hibari ordered, and they were met with a single splash of water before Eri went back to dousing the flames. Yoko coughed again, but the water rejuvenated her enough so that she could walk with less assistance.

"I—I think I can walk now," Yoko said, grasping the pillar, but Hibari's hand did not leave her companion's. The two gingerly walked down the steps onto the floor as the light of the flames faded.

"Eri, you're doing wonderfully!" Hibari said. "We may be able to save the rest of the tower.

"I—urk—I don't know if Eri is enough," Yoko said darkly.

"What do you mean?" Hibari asked. "We almost finished putting this whole floor out."

"I caught a glimpse of the next floor before I lost Eiko," Yoko said. "The supports are weakening. Even if the fire is put out…"

Hibari gulped. "Don't tell me Eiko is…"

Yoko let out a single, pained laugh. "When has she ever worked in half measures? Of course, she is still up there."

"Wait, where's Summer?"

"I asked him to follow Eiko. He can take this heat much better than any of us can." There was a sudden crash above them, followed by an aching groan from the entire building itself. From the sound of it, Hibari surmised that something horrible happened two or three floors up. "You have to get Eiko and get out of here," Yoko said weakly.

"What about you?"

"I'm—I'm going back down," Yoko said between coughs. "It was foolish of me to follow her in in the first place."

Foolish for all of us, Hibari wanted to say, but the smoke in the air was getting thicker. Any extra words said would mean breath wasted. Yoko slowly made her way further down the stairs as Eri continued to extinguish the fire on the fifth floor. She looked up the stairs to the sixth floor, where the fire was still raging at full force, creeping ever closer to the staircase. There was no way she'd be able to get to Eiko in time, and even if she did, she herself would be trapped fifty feet above the ground. But as she looked in the other direction, watching Yoko's descending figure, she found herself at an impossible decision. The smart choice was to get out while the stairs were still strong enough to hold her and Eri, but that would mean leaving Eiko and Master Giichi to perish in the flames. Hibari could not take a step either way.

Another loud crash from behind her roused her from her paralysis, and she turned around and screamed. The entire floor above her had burned through and fallen, instantly lighting up the room with the dancing yellow and red flames. Above her she could see up not one but two, maybe even three stories. The entire tower was beginning to collapse. Across from her, Eri yelped in fear and surprise. He was now surrounded by walls of fire closing in on him.

"Eri, water pulse!" Hibari yelled, and he snapped to face her. She had never seen such fear in his eyes, but still, he screwed his face up in determination and roared with a voice louder than she knew he was capable of. A sudden burst of water flew out in every direction around him. It was not strong enough to quell the flames entirely, but enough that he could make a path for himself through the wreckage. Shortly, he was at her side again.

Hibari reached down with a trembling hand and petted the fin on the top of his head. The fin, usually damp with the water that Eri's skin naturally secreted, was dry and flaky, and his head trembled in tandem with her hand as her fingers snaked around his head. She glanced up to see the holes in the floors above slowly spreading, dropping cinders and embers like snowfall upon the floor in front of them, but she could not see Eiko, Spark, or Summer. She tried to take a breath to calm her nerves, but inhaled smoke. After coughing it back out, she had made up her mind. She had to leave the tower.

Quickly, as another snapping sound heralded the falling of a large wooden beam, she made her way to the stairs leading down to safety, but Eri had other plans. As she stepped down on the first stair, he barked. Hibari whirled around in surprise. "What?" she hissed, ducking low so she would not inhale more smoke.

Eri rushed to the other side of the staircase and put his front paws on the first step, then turned to look at her intently.

"Eri, what are you thinking?" Hibari asked, looking back at the rubble on the floor. The fire was starting to spread again. It would be at the staircase soon, even with the water Eri had shed with the water pulse.

Eri continued to look at her, making his argument silently. He took one more step up. His eyes began to glow orange with the reflection of the newly revitalized flames.

"Look, the last thing I would want is for her to die in this, but what do you expect me to do about it?" Hibari pleaded, though she knew he would not sway. Eri had always had stronger aspirations than her, even as an Eevee and especially as a Vaporeon, and still, they did not waver. Finally, Hibari groaned in resignation. As she took her foot off the step, she looked down at her partner. "Your stubbornness will be the death of you," she said sharply.

"Your stubbornness will be the death of you," she said as she kneeled down next to Eri. He lay on the cool wood of the stage, weak and panting heavily.

"What did I tell you?" Eiko cheered. Spark jumped into her arms, and she spun him around in celebration. "Spark and I are unstoppable."

Hibari clenched her fists. Obviously, Eiko was going to win the battle from the start. Everyone knew that water Pokémon could not compete with lightning types such as Jolteon. Beating her in a quick battle meant nothing, but she knew it was no good to talk back. Not with Hina and Tsuki watching. But when she looked back up, she saw that the two of them were conversing in the corner, barely paying attention to the battle at all. Only Yoko was watching now, and her eyes were looking at Hibari curiously. Hibari knew that look – Yoko was adept at reading emotions and had not once failed to read hers like an open book.

"So now we can get started on the actual dancing, right?" Eiko asked, dropping Spark to the ground. He landed nimbly and barked with excitement.

"Hm? Of course, in a few minutes," Hina said. "We ought to give Eri some time to get his composure back." Hibari's fists clenched tighter. A few minutes was more than enough time for Eri, and if they were so concerned about his well-being, then maybe—

"If we are taking a quick break, I would like to have a little chat with you," Yoko said in a singsong voice that all but yelled to the world that she had just finished the latest chapter of Hibari.

"Yes," Tsuki agreed. "There are some fresh oran berries in the kitchen; that should perk him right up." She smiled faintly at Hibari, then nodded to her Umbreon, who quickly arose, stretched, and trotted over to her. Hibari wondered if Eri and her would ever be close enough to have that kind of unspoken bond between them. Eevee did not often evolve into Espeon or Umbreon; only trainers of the highest renown could manage it somehow.

"Thank you, Tsuki," Yoko said, bowing just a sliver. "Hibari?"

"Uh, yes," Hibari said. She pulled herself up to her feet, and Eri slowly did the same. Already, he was looking stronger. The mere mention of fresh oran berries was likely enough to fully heal his wounds. He padded across the stage with her, but she could sense the pain in his paws. He had pushed himself too hard in this battle. And for what? She briskly walked past Yoko, feeling her eyes weighing heavily on her head but not giving her the satisfaction of a shared glance. Instead, she went straight to the kitchenette.

"How was the battle?" Koichi asked as she walked in, but Hibari did not respond. When Yoko appeared behind her, he muttered an "I see," picked up Ginger the Cyndaquil, who was dozing on the counter next to the oran berries Tsuki had mentioned, and hugged him tightly to his chest, making a swift and decisive exit. Hibari sighed. Even Koichi, chatty as he was, did not want to take part in what Yoko was about to say.

"What is it?" Hibari asked, trying to hide the sticky barbs in her voice.

"You seemed…distracted in that battle," Yoko said. Hibari faced her, eyes narrowing. Yoko's answer was too calculated for her tastes.

"I apologize if I underperformed," Hibari replied testily, giving no quarter. "I think Eri did splendidly despite being put into such an unfortunate situation to begin with."

"I agree," Yoko said, "Eri did splendidly. I did not say he looked distracted. I said you did."

Hibari flushed. "Well, why wouldn't I be? A new dancer, using lightning against Eri? It is incredibly distracting."

"A Pokémon's type is not the only thing that wins the battle."

"So, in that case, Summer should be beating Eri in battle more often!" Hibari jabbed.

Yoko did not immediately respond, choosing her words carefully. After a few seconds passed, she spoke again. "Your bond with Eri is frayed."

"What are you talking about?" Hibari asked icily. "I trust in him fully, and he in me. Just as we always have."

"I suppose," Yoko replied with a nod. "And yet, that battle…"

"Am I not allowed an off day?"

"I never said that," Yoko snapped. Even she was losing her temper today. "Hina and Tsuki have been muttering—"

"They're always muttering—"

"—muttering that you are losing your way," Yoko pressed, stopping Hibari's interruption as soon as it began. "I am inclined to agree with them, too. The minute we told you Eiko would be joining us, something has been on your mind."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Hibari said darkly. But she did know. She knew where she stood with the troupe, at least. How she had auditioned when Eri was still an Eevee, and how they were clearly so desperate for a new Vaporeon trainer that they allowed her to join up before Eri even evolved. She knew that she was just a placeholder until a better trainer showed up. Hibari had been lucky that Eiko's Eevee had already evolved into a Jolteon when she auditioned, just as she had been lucky that no other Vaporeon trainer had come to audition for the Kimono Girls since she joined up with them.

"Hibari, please do not take this the wrong way," Yoko said, her voice quieter.

Hibari's frown grew, her lips entrenching themselves against her lower cheeks. "Saying the bond between Eri and me is frayed? Is there a right way to take it?" She hissed. "Eri and I have a stronger bond than you know, Yoko. We trust each other. We…we have to."

"You have to?"

Hibari took a deep breath and nodded. She felt tears coming in but held them back. Of course, she had to trust Eri, and he her. How else were they to keep their shaky position in this dance troupe? But she could not bring herself to tell Yoko that. Yoko would tell Hina and Tsuki, and then they would have even more to mutter about every time they watched her dance or battle. They would have more ammunition for when they could eventually get rid of her. So instead of explaining, she looked straight into Yoko's eyes, challenging her to push against her resolve harder.

Yoko's eyes softened, and she gave Hibari a sad smile. "So, it isn't your partner that you don't trust," she said. "It's yourself."

Hibari blinked. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Another chapter, expertly read.

"I understand," Yoko said with a weak smile. "I know the pressure you feel yourself under. I have felt it myself. And I promise—"

"You do not," Hibari said. She grabbed an oran berry and tossed it to Eri, who caught it in his mouth. She turned away from Yoko and stalked out of the kitchenette, not even checking to see if Yoko or Eri were following.

"Good, you are back," Hina said the second she returned. "We are starting with our first formation. Eiko is to learn our basic steps before we can do much else."

Hibari felt the warm wetness of Eri as he pressed against her calves. "Eri, lead the way," she said dully.

"Eri, lead the way," Hibari said, her eyelids almost completely squeezed shut in a vain attempt to wet her eyes and shield them from the smoke. The air she breathed was thick with it now that she was on the sixth floor of the tower, and the fire that edged ever closer was too bright to stare into for long. All she could make out now was the vague blue shape of Eri's body as he spat water towards the advancing flames, securing their passage to the seventh story. The heat was overwhelming, and Hibari was beginning to feel lightheaded. Why was she still trying to play the hero? Was little miss perfect Eiko really in need of her help.

She shook her head. No, she thought. I cannot think that way. Eiko is not infallible, even if she is a better trainer than I. She coughed and grabbed at a wooden guiderail at the edge of the staircase, pulling her up further. "Eri!" she called out. "Focus on the staircase! Keep it wet! We will need a way down!" Eri let out another water pulse, weaker than the first, and Hibari let herself relish in the water that splashed her face for just one second. It was warm, but anything was better than the smoky air. Revitalized just the slightest bit, she pulled herself up the stairs, heading to the seventh floor Briefly, she entertained the thought that this time she would climb the tower, and this time she could find success in it by helping the last monk escape. That thought, the thought of even the mildest of victories, gave her an additional boost of strength as she reached the second landing before reaching the seventh floor.

"Hey! Hey!"

Hibari snapped to attention as she stepped onto the floor. The flames on this floor were now entirely overwhelming. Even Eri's water may not have been able to keep the fire from reaching the staircase. In front of her, still crumbling away and growing larger by the second, was the hole in the floor. Flames were eating away at the sides, and as Hibari looked forward, she saw a widening gap in the floor, nearly too wide to jump at this point, and was well on its way towards the girl calling out at the other end of the floor.

"Eiko!" Hibari yelled.

"Oh man, am I glad to see you!" she called out. Her voice held little relief, however, and as Hibari continued to peer through the smoke, she saw that Eiko was leaning underneath the arms of a larger figure. Even with his face down, Hibari recognized him immediately – he was the monk who battled with Xatu. And he was completely unconscious.

"How did you get over there?" Hibari called out. "Where is Spark? Where is Summer?"

Eiko wobbled on her legs, slowly sinking under the dead weight of the monk, and coughed. "Hibari..." she groaned. She seemed to be losing her strength quickly. Hibari looked left and right. Eri was the only Pokémon in sight. There was another crack as a segment of ceiling dropped in front of Eiko, splitting further as it crashed against the hole in the floor, and taking two planks with it as it descended to the floor below. Eiko screamed and fell back, dropping Master Giichi, who collapsed on the floor like a rag doll. "Hibari, help me out!"

"Eri, quell the fire to our left," Hibari ordered, pointing to a stretch of floor that looked sturdy enough to walk across. Eri obliged and sent a stream of water, dousing the floor and opening up a path for Eiko to take. "Come on, Eiko! You have to hurry!"

Eiko rushed to Master Giichi and tugged at his arm, but in her weakened state, she could not get him off the floor. "Hibari, we have to help him!" She called back.

"Is he even still alive?" Hibari shot back, flummoxed at Eiko's persistence.

"Don't even say that!" Eiko shouted. "Please, help me!"

Hibari looked behind her. The fire was still inching closer to the staircase. If she and Eri crossed the planks, the fire would overtake the stairs and they would be trapped. But if Eri stayed back to keep the fire from the stairs, the path he had just cleared from the floor would be enveloped in flame once more. "Eiko, please, leave him!" she begged.

"I can't leave him here to die!"

Little Miss Perfect Eiko, Hibari thought. The fire continued to creep forward, consuming all it touched, and she knew she had little time to make her choice. She looked to her partner. Eri was looking up at her, waiting for her command. He trusted her, just as he always had. She looked back to Eiko, who was still holding Master Giichi's hand and staring with pleading eyes. Hibari had never seen her so desperate, and in that moment, she was reminded just how young and overwhelmed Eiko must have been. Even if it had been her idea to race inside haphazardly, even if it had been her unwillingness to compromise and leave an old man to die for her sake, Hibari still felt her heart soften towards Eiko. But she still could not justify helping the old man.

In the end, it was Eri who made the decision. He leapt forward, crossing the charred and rickety planks, and came to a halt next to Eiko. He shot a glance at Hibari, either daring her to follow or chastising her for not acting with conviction, and rubbed up against Giichi's body, trying to rouse him. Hibari, outvoted, screwed her face up and charged through the damp wood as the flames came ever closer.

Just before she made it to Eiko and Eri, the building gave a loud moan, and the sound of multiple beams of wood snapping and breaking surrounded Hibari, blotting out all other sounds. The walls collapsed around her, but before they could crash into her sides, she felt the floor give out. She was falling, and the world around her was turning black.

A/N: Thanks for reading! There's still more to come, this isn't a "rocks fall, party dies" scenario. Let me know what you think!