Wanderer

by Renaerys

Disgraced and ashamed, Alain drifts in self-imposed exile in the wake of a personal failure. But not all those who wander are lost, and those who listen may find something they never knew they were searching for. [Realistic Pokemon AU, post-Mega Evolution Specials]

7. Chapter 7

Wanderer
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon

---

When Korrina woke the next morning, it was to the sun warming the sheets and the weight of another beside her. She stirred, eyes unfocused with sleep's last tendrils, and blinked. The sheets were not white like hers, but blue and twisted up in a comforter that was slipping off the edge of the bed. She had lost her pillow sometime in the night and lay flat on the mattress, her hair her only cushion. Alain lay on his back with an arm over his bare chest, breathing deeply in sleep.

Korrina remained still for a few moments watching him and remembering the events of the previous night. She bit her lip and turned onto her side, pulled the sheet up over her chest, and propped herself up on one elbow. Alain still did not stir.

"You're a heavy sleeper," she said softly.

Looking at him like this, she remembered the first day they'd met and how strung out he'd looked. Gaunt in the face and soft everywhere else after months of lassitude, he'd nonetheless revealed his true nature to her as a Titan, one of the fearsome Dragon Tamers she'd only ever heard stories about growing up. There was something in his demeanor, an aura about him that could chill her blood the way it had when he'd briefly lost his temper after she refused to help him. It was the same controlled malice he'd employed against the Goomy, Sliggoo, and Goodra in the mines. It had saved them both that day.

And now, sleepy and unguarded, it was almost easy to forget he was the same person. No, that wasn't quite right. He was the same person, but she'd never really taken the time to see it. We all have our demons, a part of us we keep hidden from the world, but they are nevertheless a part of us, inseparable.

Korrina smiled and traced a finger over his stomach, following the ripple of muscle that hadn't been there months ago. Scars bumped her fingertips as she dragged them up toward his chest. A particularly thick scar exploded on his chest, like he'd caught a bomb and somehow lived through it. For all he'd shared, for everything she knew about him that no one else did, there was still so much that eluded her. She would ask him. She wanted to know. She bent down and kissed the scar on his chest, wondering what it was from and smiling in the knowledge that he'd tell her if she asked.

Alain stirred under her, and his hand found her hair pooling over his stomach. "Korrina?"

She looked up at him through her lashes and smiled lazily. "Morning."

She watched the couple seconds it took those luminous blue eyes to flutter awake and recall their current situation. He reached for her waist and pulled her up toward him.

"Did I sleep?" he asked.

"Most people call it that."

She twisted a finger in his hair absently.

"Huh. I guess that's why I don't feel tired for once."

"Hmm, how can we fix that?"

He looked down at her, easily discerning her meaning, and tightened his hold on her waist. Before she knew it, he flipped her over onto her back. The sheet she'd pulled around herself lay between them, and he yanked it down.

"What'd you have in mind?" he said, eyes wandering.

Korrina hooked an arm around his neck and pulled him into a long, slow kiss. "Gosh, I'm just drawing a total blank here."

He smirked against her lips and ran his hand down her hip to her thigh, pulling her closer. As they shifted, the sunlight caught Korrina's eyes and she squinted against the light. It was obnoxiously bright for so early in the morning.

Korrina's eyes flew open and she tensed up, her thoughts racing. Alain pulled back.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Korrina stared at the window and the fluttering curtains. "Alain, what time is it?"

"Uh..."

There was a clock on the nightstand on his side of the bed, and Korrina snatched it up. As though she'd been electrocuted, she jerked bodily and gaped at the clock.

"Quarter past ten?! Shit!"

She threw Alain off her and leaped off the bed, searching for her clothes on the floor. Alain just watched her.

"So what?" he said, lying back.

"So what? So we're late for training, dumbass! Like, a couple hours late."

Honestly, what was his problem? Why wasn't he scrambling? Korrina pulled her shirt on in a haste only to discover it was on inside out.

"Yeah, but you're the Gym Leader. It's not like the rules apply to you. Who cares?"

Korrina found his boxers and threw them at his face. "Actually, they do apply. And now, you and me're in for a day from hell courtesy of your busted alarm clock. Thanks for that, by the way."

Alain sat up in bed and pulled his boxers out of his face. "Wait, what?"

Back in her pajamas from the night before, Korrina marched to the door and yanked it open. "Better get dressed, Titan. We've got a full day of running ahead of us."

She left him looking like he might burst into tears at any minute. He nearly did five hours later when Korrina lapped him for the twenty-seventh time in their ceaseless run around the island.

"Is this the universe punishing me?" he complained as she slowed her jog to fall into step with him in the sand.

"No, just the house rules," Korrina panted.

"Ugh, don't you get some sorta special pass for being the Gym Leader?"

Korrina wiped the sweat from her brow. The sun still had a good two or three hours before it set. "Oh sure, 'cause that's totally fair to the Gym trainers."

"I can't believe I had to pass on morning sex for this," Alain grumbled.

They passed by the back porch, where Gurkinn and his Machamp were seated together enjoying the sea breeze and sun.

"Look sharp!" he barked at Alain and Korrina as they passed.

"Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me," Alain said.

Korrina laughed despite her exhaustion and picked up the speed, leaving Alain in the dust.

"Hey!" he shouted after her.

"Catch me if you can, Slowpoke!"

Alain chased after her, and after another hour of running finally caught her and plunged the both of them into the sea. The water was cold and the sun was low in the sky, but they laughed and rolled with the waves to cleanse the sweat and grime from the all-day run under the sun. The waves crashed against her, soaking her clothes and tangling her hair, and Alain kissed her amidst the sea spray.

By the time they finally made it back inside and got cleaned up, Gurkinn had sent all the Gym trainers home for the evening. He was waiting for them in the kitchen alone.

"Grandpa?" Korrina said, running her fingers through her shower-damp hair. "I thought Mack was supposed to join us for dinner tonight."

Gurkinn rose from his chair and the tea he'd been drinking. He wore a thick, violet robe with billowing sleeves that contrasted elegantly with his icy green eyes. Korrina recognized the attire as his formal wear, and suddenly felt inexplicably conspicuous in her leggings and oversized T-shirt. Alain was just as casual, but he didn't seem to share her thoughts.

"Not tonight, my dear. I've asked him to reschedule. Tonight, I wanted it to be just us."

"Look, Gurkinn, if this is about us both oversleeping this morning, then it's my fault," Alain said.

Gurkinn chuckled. "No, it's not. But now that you mention it, Korrina, I hope you won't make missing work a habit. The Gym trainers come here to train under you. It would not be fair to disappoint them."

Korrina flushed and would have punched Alain in his pretty face if Gurkinn wasn't standing right there. "No, Grandpa. It won't happen again."

Gurkinn looked between the two of them. "Of course, I don't mean to suggest anything beyond that. Whatever you two decide to do in your free time is your business. You don't need my approval or permission, in any case."

Now it was Alain's turn to blush, and he crossed his arms. Korrina remembered what he'd confessed about Gurkinn making him feel like a teenager.

"Grandpa, I'd rather not talk about this," Korrina said quickly. "Please."

Gurkinn spared her a knowing smile. "No, forgive me. I'm an old man and I forget my manners at times. I didn't mean to pry."

Alain shot her a look, and Korrina had to bite her cheek not to laugh.

"Anyway, please follow me," Gurkinn said. "There is something I'd like Alain to see."

Gurkinn walked past them to the stairs, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Alain leaned down toward Korrina.

"What's going on?"

"You mean besides you basically announcing to my seventy-eight-year-old grandfather that we're sleeping together?"

"Hey, you're not embarrassed, are you?"

She glared up at him. "Is that a trick question?"

"Um, no?"

Korrina's gaze softened and she reached up to push his damp bangs out of his eyes. "You need a haircut. Remind me tomorrow. Now come on. I think I know what Grandpa wants you to see."

She headed up the stairs after Gurkinn, and Alain followed.

"You didn't answer my question," he called to her as they passed the third floor and kept climbing.

She smirked at him over her shoulder. "The only thing that embarrasses me is you falling on your ass all the time. People will think I'm a two-bit Bellatrix by association."

"Oh gee, sorry I don't have superhuman fighting abilities like you. It's not like I can do anything extremely useful like mind control rampaging Dragons or whatever."

Korrina laughed. "Quit complaining, Titan. You have your moments."

---

Gurkinn was waiting on the roof of the Tower of Mastery. Alain had never been up here, but the first thing he noticed was Korrina's gaze on a spot at the railing opposite the door, and he thought about her mother. She'd jumped from this very tower, perhaps from that very spot Korrina was staring at. Alain had the urge to take Korrina's hand then, but Gurkinn beckoned them both farther out onto the rooftop.

The roof was stone and guarded by a metal railing all around the perimeter. It was dark out, and there were enough clouds in the sky to cast moon shadows on the beach and over the tower. But in between the streaks of fog overhead, the stars twinkled brilliantly so far from the artificial light of the city to the south. The moon was full tonight, and its light on the frothing waves made the ocean look like a sea of liquid silver.

In the center of the roof, a metal podium extended another twenty feet above. Bars that tethered it to the floor and held a stone pedestal at the confluence suspended it. In the moonlight, something cradled in the pedestal sparkled like a gem.

"Come, stand here, please." Gurkinn beckoned him to opposite edge of the roof.

Alain did as he was asked, and Korrina remained to the side a ways.

"You came to us some months ago," Gurkinn said, "and since then, you have spent almost every day training hard to sharpen your mind and body. Did you find what you were searching for?"

Alain faltered at the sudden and direct question. "Well..."

Gurkinn watched him patiently, his long mustachios billowing gently in the light breeze, and Alain once again felt the urge to go to Korrina. He turned to look at her standing there with her hands on her hips, oversized T-shirt that hung low in the collar, shapely legs in black leggings. She caught him looking at her and frowned in question. Alain ran a hand through his hair.

"You know, I think I'm getting there," he said, smiling a little.

Korrina let her arms fall and she held his gaze, those bright, green eyes wide and searching.

"Good, that's very good to hear. Korrina has told me you've made excellent progress in training, too. You've kept your word to us when you first arrived here, after all."

"I'll do whatever it takes," he'd vowed that first night here in the Tower of Mastery.

"I confess that we've been keeping something from you," Gurkinn went on. "You came here looking for answers about Mega Evolution, and the only answer there is has been here the entire time without you knowing it."

"What?"

Gurkinn raised a hand toward the sky. "What do you see?"

Alain looked up, but all he could see were the stars above. "I guess I see the sky."

"Yes, the sky," Gurkinn said. "We stand here at the top of the tallest tower in Shalour City. And yet, the sky looms far above us." Gurkinn waved a hand across the nightscape. "No matter how high you climb, you'll always have a place to look up to and realize your own insignificance. Just as no matter how strong you and Charizard become, there will always be someone just as strong.

"But you cannot fly higher alone. Alain, you have left behind years and people and memories coming here searching for a way to move forward. But to go forward, you must extend a hand to others. Until you stop running from the world, you won't appreciate what it truly means to be alone." Gurkinn paused and put a hand on Alain's shoulder. "I think perhaps you understand that now, yes?"

Alain nodded.

"Then there is nothing more anyone can teach you. Mega Evolution... There is no secret to mastering it that you do not already know. Mega Evolution is merely the manifestation of a deep bond between Tamer and Pokémon. It is proof that we are stronger together than alone. To master it, it isn't enough to expect your Pokémon to fight. You, too, must extend a hand and fight alongside it. No relationship can survive attack if it is one-sided. As long as you embrace your bond, you can do extraordinary things."

Alain rubbed his thumb over the palm of his hand, where he'd sliced open his skin many times to transfer his Titan blood to Charizard and activate its Mega Evolution. Was it possible that all this time they were running on fumes? All those battles, all that training to perfect Charizard's technique... It was all one-sided?

As soon as he had the thought, he banished it from his mind. Of course it wasn't enough. And somewhere deep down, the part of him that remembered what it was like to care about another living creature had compelled him to come here before he burned out completely. All this time, and Charizard had been doing all the work for him.

Not anymore.

"That's why I feel Charizard's pain when he fights," Alain said, still staring at his hand. "And Charizard can feel mine. So if either of us dies..."

"Then you both perish, yes. But if just one of you can slay your foe, you both win. Bonds can be a source of pain when they are severed, but they make us stronger than we can ever be alone. A true master of Mega Evolution embraces both sides. But before he can do so, he must embrace himself first. And I believe," he looked pointedly at Alain, then at Korrina, "that you have both come to understand that a bit better since you began working together."

Alain looked to Korrina and smirked. "Yeah, can't argue with that."

"Grandpa," Korrina said. "Don't tell me that's why you wanted me to train Alain personally? You never said a word!"

Gurkinn chuckled. "If I had, you never would have agreed, my dear. I know you have been searching for a way to master Mega Evolution with Lucario, but you must have known in your heart that your methods were flawed. You were so focused on your own development, on flaws you imagined were weighing you down, that you lost sight of the point of Mega Evolution entirely. And you," he turned back to Alain, "were so focused on Charizard that you lost yourself and every other connection you have ever made."

An image of Mairin's face, tear-strewn and red with grief and anger, appeared in Alain's mind just then, and his stomach churned uncomfortably.

I lost you, didn't I?

"You did this!" Mairin screamed at him, her cute and carefree expression warped with betrayal.

But before he could slip back into those tortured memories, Korrina's voice pulled him back to the present. She sighed and pulled her fingers through her hair. "Wow, thanks for letting me down easy, Grandpa. Some Mega Evolution master I turned out to be."

Alain gaped at her. "Seriously? Korrina, have you even seen me lately? I'm like a totally different guy from the one who landed on your beach back then." He took her by the shoulders. "Everything I accomplished is because of you. If that doesn't make you a master, then there's no such thing."

Gurkinn smiled. "Alain is right. Even a master may lose sight of her goal at times, but you've found exactly what you needed to get back on track. And if you want proof, then see for yourself."

He returned to the doorway and accessed a control pad next to the door, where he keyed in a number code. All of a sudden, the pedestal above began to lower on a series of thick cords and pulleys until it was at waist height in the center of the tower roof. Alain and Korrina stepped back, and he could not help but gawk. Atop the pedestal was a grapefruit-sized gemstone that shimmered in every color imaginable under the moonlight.

"This is..." Alain stammered. "The light I saw when I came here. This was it?"

"That's right," Gurkinn said. "But it's no ordinary stone. In fact, this is what some call—"

"A Mega Stone," Alain interrupted. "That's a Mega Stone."

"How did you know?" Korrina asked, genuinely surprised.

Alain shook his head. "Because I saw one in Hoenn. Except that one was about four stories tall."

"Goodness, is that so?" Gurkinn said. "Incredible. They are quite rare. This one was discovered by my own grandfather, the man who discovered Mega Evolution."

Alain could not believe what he was seeing. All this time and it was right here, this stone that Lysandre had sent him halfway across the world to hunt down, pitting him against Champion Steven Stone and endangering both his life and Mairin's in the process. All this time, and there was one right here in Kalos. If Lysandre only knew...

Korrina reached for the stone, and when she touched it, all the colors blended together and fused into a rich, chestnut glow. It burst from the Mega Stone, and it coiled around her body, concentrated around her hands and feet like small cyclones. "Grandpa..."

"The Mega Stone recognizes those who have the capacity to master Mega Evolution," Gurkinn said, the pride evident in his tone. "Look how rich the color is compared to last year when you touched it. You have truly become strong, Korrina."

Korrina stared at the glowing crystal, mesmerized by its coppery glow. But after another moment, she withdrew. Her smile was subdued but genuine as she turned to Alain. "Go on. Try it."

The Mega Stone had reverted to its multicolored state as soon as Korrina broke her contact. Alain touched his scarred hand to it, and suddenly the colors swirled once more. But this time, instead of combining into earthy chestnut, they pulsed a bloody crimson.

"There, you see?" Gurkinn said. "The Mega Stone recognizes you."

The lurid light reflected in Korrina's eyes. "So Titans are red. Kinda creepy."

Alain said nothing as he focused all his attention on the stone. It heated up under his fingers, and as soon as he made contact with it, the red light it emitted swept up his arm and coated his body. Phantom wings grew from his shoulders, half as long as he was tall and flickering like fire. Red wings.

But as soon as he saw them, he knew they'd been there all along. Like a memory he'd forgotten until just now. Red wings... Why did it seem so familiar?

"Oh, wow," Korrina said. "Are those...wings?"

"That's your Aura," Gurkinn said. "One of the Mega Stone's powers. You saw Korrina's Bellatrix Aura just a moment ago through the power of the Mega Stone. Normally, most people cannot see Auras, but the Mega Stone makes them visible to all."

"My...Aura..."

Alain let his hand drop, and the red mist around him instantly dissipated, taking his wings with it.

"It's always there," Gurkinn went on. "Some Tamers can see it without a Mega Stone, like the Mediums. Curious, isn't it?"

"How does it do that? Why?"

"Hm, that's a good question. My grandfather devoted his life to studying Mega Evolution and this stone when he discovered it. He theorized that the Mega Stone itself was crafted from the Auras of many Tamers, which might explain its reaction to us."

"Crafted? How?"

Korrina crossed her arms. "How do you think? Something like this... I'm sure Tamers and Pokémon died because of it. It lures people here, people who want to steal the secrets of Mega Evolution. Grandpa and I keep it hidden, but people still come."

"You think...it ate their Auras?"

Korrina watched the Mega Stone with a grim expression, deep in thought. "I don't know. All I know is that anyone who's ever come here looking for it always had a shady agenda. Anything that attracts that kind of attention can't be harmless. You're one of the only people who's ever come here and didn't try to get ahold of it."

"Why not just get rid of it if it's so much trouble? You could bury it."

Gurkinn sighed. "This Mega Stone is my grandfather's legacy to Mega Evolution. I cannot abide discarding it when there is a chance another will come upon it and use it inappropriately."

"Wait, hold on." Alain crossed his arms. "You make it sound like this thing can do some real damage. It's just a rock."

Korrina and Gurkinn looked between each other.

"You don't know?" Korrina asked.

"Know what?"

"The Mega Stone's what made my ancestor's Lucario Mega Evolve for the first time. It can force Mega Evolution on a Pokémon. That's the rumor some people come here looking to prove. We do what we can to deter them, but if anyone ever found out it was true, well, you can probably fill in the blanks."

Alain's mind was transported back to Hoenn in a split second. He was at a dig site where a team of a hundred archeologists and diggers had come together under Steven Stone's direction to excavate what was known to some as a Mega Stone. But just when they'd managed to dig it up and bring in the cranes to transport it back to a laboratory, the skies turned black and the winds picked up to hurricane speeds, killing some and wounding many, Alain included. And through the black clouds, Alain had seen it. A legendary Dragon, the Keeper of the Heavens, the fabled Rayquaza he'd heard stories about growing up as a clan Titan. Its body seemed to take up the entire sky, endless and serpentine, and it had tried to gobble up the Mega Stone.

"Alain? You look like you've seen a Ghost." Korrina was shaking him by the shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

He blinked, and the memories faded again. "Uh, sorry, I'm okay."

"Alain, I'm sure this goes without saying," Gurkinn said. "I'm trusting you with this secret. It is our duty to keep the Mega Stone hidden and guarded. It is for this reason my grandfather built this tower and named himself Gym Leader, so that our family could carry on the responsibility for generations to come. We protect Shalour City by keeping the Mega Stone hidden away."

Alain swallowed hard, suddenly cold. He'd betrayed the last person who'd trusted him. As though sensing his doubt, Korrina took his hand lightly in hers and squeezed.

"I trust you with it, too," she said. "There's no one I'd rather ask."

Alain tried to say something—thanks, you can count on me, I won't tell anyone—anything at all, but the words lodged in his throat and would have been redundant, anyway. She had said everything already.

"Korrina..." He touched his fingers to her hair, gentle.

She grinned, reading his unspoken thoughts and feelings.

"Now then," Gurkinn said. "Let's eat. I've taken the liberty of ordering something special. Consider it a feast in honor of everything you both have accomplished these past months."

Korrina laughed. "Grandpa, you're so sentimental."

"Well, once in a while it's all right, don't you think?"

Korrina linked her arm with Gurkinn's and headed for the roof access doorway. He keyed in the code for the Mega Stone, and the pedestal rose back up to its former position far out of reach. Alain gazed up at it, the beacon of light that had guided him here. If not for that Mega Stone, he never would have come here. He never would have met Korrina and Gurkinn. He never would have seen the smoky wings growing out of his shoulders.

Wings, huh?

A girl's shy smile, one he hadn't thought of in a very long time, popped into his head like an old photograph rediscovered by coincidence. Serena would be a grown woman by now. He wondered what had become of her, if she still spent her time at Sycamore's lab. If she'd learned more about her Magus abilities. Alain put a hand over his shoulder where the crimson wings rose off him, invisible to all.

"You always find me so fast."

"'Cause your wings stick out. There!" Don't you see them?

He laughed to himself.

"Hey Titan, you coming or what? I'll eat your portion if you don't hurry up," Korrina called from the doorway.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Korrina gave him a weird look. "Don't think too hard. You're more of an action guy."

"Oh, yeah? Does that mean you take back what you said about being embarrassed about me ruining your tough Bellatrix image?"

"Don't push it."

"Admit it, you think I'm awesome."

"I think I'm seriously gonna eat your portion if you keep that up."

"You got the hots for me so bad, Korrina, don't lie."

"Please, your ass is so flat from falling on it all the time. I need a little substance, you know?"

Alain bit back a smirk and casually slipped his hand over her butt. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean."

Korrina gasped and jumped a good foot in the air. Alain didn't even have time to burst out laughing when she grabbed his wandering hand and twisted the wrist hard enough to hurt. "You shithead! You scared me!"

It hurt, but Alain could not help but laugh. "That's why you're upset? So you do have the hots for me, huh?"

She let him go and marched down the stairs ahead of him, grumbling curses. Gurkinn had long headed downstairs before them. Alain shook out his hand. It was a little sore, but she hadn't done any real damage.

"It's not like it's one-sided!" he called after her, still laughing.

---

Calem had another day to recover after Grace had gone with Sycamore to meet Lysandre, but he was so wound up and anxious about Serena and the leads they had that he hardly got the rest he really needed. He was going with Grace and Sycamore to Shalour City, and that was that. He was an adult, and he could make his own choices.

Now, with his arms still bandaged for protection as the muscles continued to heal, Calem touched down in Shalour on his Staraptor next to Grace and Sycamore, who had already recalled their Flyers—a pair of Pidgeot Sycamore usually kept at the lab for such purposes. Grace watched Calem silently, unsure what to make of this scrawny young man with atrophied limbs and a sword more than half his height strapped to his back who was risking everything to help her only daughter. Fletchling tweeted on Grace's shoulder, perhaps sensing her unease about the situation.

"So, where's this Tower of Mastery, Professor?" Calem asked.

Klefki jingled next to his head, fired up as ever now that Calem seemed to be feeling better.

"It's across the bay to the north," Sycamore said. "It's not far."

"Good."

Calem started toward town, not waiting for them. Sycamore and Grace walked a little ways behind him, and Sycamore sighed.

"I wish his parents had made it back in time to see him before we left. Maybe they could have talked him down. I don't think he's quite ready to jump into whatever awaits us."

"Most children do what their parents ask of them," Grace said. "But the ones who don't won't budge no matter what you tell them. Believe me, Augustine. There's no way Calem would have changed his mind even if his parents had seen him before we left."

Shalour was a city, but it was miniscule compared to Lumiose. The streets were clean and people, including families with young children, happily meandered the sidewalks and stopped in restaurants or shopped together. The sky was clear, the sun was high, and the air was pleasantly warm. It was like Grace had touched down on a different planet after the past few days in Lumiose.

Sycamore smiled. "Hm, I suppose you would know. Still, it worked out for the best."

"What do you mean?"

"There's nothing like love to motivate people into doing extraordinary things. I wonder what Serena would say if she knew what you and Calem have already done for her?"

"I'll be sure to ask her when we've found her and brought her home."

Sycamore smiled wider. "That's the spirit. Okay! Let's not let Calem show us up. Hey, Calem! Slow down, will you? I'm an old man back here!"

Fletchling tweeted and cocked its little head.

"He better be right about his acquaintance," Grace said to herself.

She didn't know what she would do if this didn't pan out, if they weren't able to locate Serena. Worse, she didn't know what Calem would do.

"Hurry up, Professor," Calem said up ahead. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can figure out how to find Serena."

"I agree, but you should also try to take it easy while you can. Don't overexert yourself, please."

"I'm fine."

Grace caught up to them and eyed Calem's bandaged arms. "No, you're not. Can you even lift your sword?"

Calem looked a little surprised and hurt to hear such words from Grace, but he recovered quickly and stared resolutely ahead. "Aegislash's a Ghost. She's not as heavy as she looks."

"Still, Grace makes an excellent point. I know how much you favor Aegislash in battle, but you may have to rethink your usual strategies now," Sycamore said.

"Of course I'm thinking about that."

Klefki sensed Calem's dour mood and jingled angrily up at Sycamore as if to reprimand him for his common sense.

"Well, as long as you understand your own limitations, then you'll figure out how to get around them," Grace said.

Calem's frown deepened, but he said nothing further. Grace could not forget the sight of him wielding Aegislash against Malva's Pyroar, and how his other Pokémon leaped to his aid despite their disadvantage. She was sure that if he faced Malva again as he was, he could lose more than the use of his arms. But still...

"I'm sure you can do it," she added softly, staring straight ahead. "Serena would say so, too."

She could feel Calem's eyes on her face, but if she looked now she was sure she would lose her nerve right there. How ridiculous. Calem was not her son, and she barely knew him outside of what Serena told her. And yet, she believed her words. Anyone who could stand up to a terror like Malva, knowing he would likely die and yet still fighting to help the person he loved, could find a way.

"Thanks," Calem muttered. "That...means a lot."

Sycamore pointed straight ahead. "There it is, the Tower of Mastery. It's just over the bridge on the other side of the bay."

Grace held up a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. The tower was built of stone and wood and taller than the buildings in Shalour City. At the top, the roof ended in a conical point, almost like a lighthouse, but there was no beacon she could see. Fletchling hopped onto her head to get a better look.

"Finally. Let's get over there." Calem took off again.

The rest of the walk to the Tower of Mastery was short as Calem led the charge at a jog. His Cyclops sword opened its eye to look back at Grace and Sycamore, and she was sure she could see some kind of faint violet haze rising off it. Fletchling chirped noisily after Calem and Aegislash, perhaps just as agitated as Grace about the sword's peeping.

There were some people outside in the grass and on the sandy beach when Grace arrived on the small island where the Tower of Mastery stood. Some were sparring using some kind of martial arts, though Grace was not familiar with the sport and could not identify the style. Pokémon were with them, all Fighters, she noticed. Perhaps this Gym specialized in the Fighting type. All the trainers stopped what they were doing when they noticed the three strangers approach.

"Who's in charge here?" Calem demanded of the nearest person, a young blonde woman in sweat-stained workout clothes.

She gave Calem a once-over, and her eyes lingered on Klefki and finally Aegislash on his back. Her expression turned from mild surprise to suspicion, and she went for a Pokéball at her hip. "Who's asking?"

Sycamore and Grace caught up with Calem just as the other trainers gathered behind the blonde woman. "Wait just a moment, please. My name is Augustine Sycamore. We're here to see the Gym Leader. It's quite the emergency."

The woman did not look convinced. "The Gym Leader, you say?"

"Yes, that's right. See, we're old acquaintances and we really need some help."

The woman popped open her Pokéball, and a Lucario materialized within the light. It crouched next to her, its large ears erect and twitching. Grace took a step back. She had never seen a Lucario in person, but they were lauded as very tough Fighters, among the strongest of their type. Her eyes fell to the wicked spikes on its paws, and she swallowed.

"Oh, really? But I don't know you," the woman went on.

Lucario sniffed the air and rose up on its hind legs. Its red eyes were trained on Calem, and its bushy tail swished. Klefki jingled worriedly, and Calem shushed the little Fairy.

"Hm?" The blonde looked between Lucario and Calem and back again. "Oh, I get it. You're a Steel Adamantine."

Aegislash floated off Calem's back of its own accord and hovered in a striking position next to him. Its tattered ribbon feelers wrapped around his right arm over his bandages, and its lone eye swiveled to focus on Lucario.

"Careful," the woman said. "I'm a Bellatrix. I'm the last person you wanna pick a fight with."

More Tamers, Grace thought.

"No one is fighting anyone." Sycamore came in between Calem and Lucario and spread his arms. "Please, we just need to speak with the Gym Leader, that's all."

The woman laid a hand on Lucario's shoulder. "You're looking at her."

Grace's jaw went slack. This woman was the Gym Leader? She looked so young! She could not have been more than a few years older than Serena and Calem. And yet now that she had said it aloud, Grace knew it to be true. The other trainers and their Pokémon remained behind her, deferring to her leadership. Even the way she held herself, poised but not ostentatious, confident but careful with her Pokémon close by, spoke of someone who was used to leading and confronting adversity.

A Bellatrix... She must be something incredible.

"What? But what happened to Master Gurkinn?" Sycamore prattled on.

"Grandpa? He's still here, of course. But I took over his duties almost five years ago."

Five years ago?!

Grace had half a mind yank Calem to the ground to apologize for potentially having offended this Gym Leader. Surely, he would not stand a chance if she chose to engage him.

"Huh? Wait a minute, does that mean... You couldn't be Korrina, could you?"

Korrina crossed her arms. "That's me. Sorry, but who were you again?"

"Oh my god, you've really grown up! I can't even believe it! Why, the last time I saw you, I was still a college student, and you were just a little girl. You were still missing some teeth!" Sycamore gushed.

Korrina gave him a weird look. "Um..."

Grace sighed and stepped forward. "Listen, we weren't kidding about this being an emergency. This Gurkinn, your grandfather, we need to speak with him immediately. It's about my daughter. Please."

Korrina's expression fell, and she assessed them all once more. "All right. Grandpa's having his afternoon tea right now. You can wait inside while I get him. But you." She turned to Calem. "Get that Aegislash under control. I don't like it."

Calem looked about ready to protest, and Aegislash hummed as it reached for Korrina and Lucario, only its ribbons connecting it to Calem's sword arm.

"Excellent," Sycamore said. "I appreciate you being so accommodating."

Korrina led them inside the Gym and up to the second floor, where she had them all sit in the living room to wait. Lucario remained out of its Pokéball and quietly eyed Calem in a way that reminded Grace a little of Sylveon. Perhaps it was curious. Perhaps it was plotting Calem's murder by disembowelment. It was anyone's guess.

Calem had not recalled Aegislash. Ghosts could not be confined to Pokéballs, she had learned. All the more reason to remain vigilant around them. The sentient sword and shield hovered just beyond Calem in its defensive stance, while Klefki buzzed about the living room drinking in its new and unfamiliar surroundings. Fletchling tweeted and hopped off Grace's shoulder to follow it, but whenever it got too close to Lucario, Fletchling hopped back to put some distance between them. Klefki seemed to feel no such hesitation and happily jingled in Lucario's face, only to be swatted away.

"But I'll be darned," Sycamore said while the three of them sat around a coffee table in the living room. "I'm shocked that Korrina's been the Gym Leader for years. I always assumed she would take over, but not so soon. Time sure flies."

"This Gurkinn person," Calem said. "How can he help us find Serena?"

"Ah, well you see, Master Gurkinn is a veteran of Mega Evolution. In fact, did you know that his ancestor was the person who discovered Mega Evolution? Their family has a long history with the phenomenon. So if anyone can shed some light on the connection between Mega Evolution and Serena, Master Gurkinn can."

Something shattered from the kitchen behind Grace and the others, and they all got up to look.

"That was an antique!" Korrina blurted out. "Alain, what the hell's wrong with you?"

Korrina bent down to scoop up the remains of a shattered teacup on the kitchen floor where she had returned with a very old man with the longest mustachios Grace had ever seen and a young guy who looked like he'd just donated half his blood supply. The spark of recognition flickered in the back of Grace's mind, but in the split second that passed, Sycamore beat her to it.

"Oh my god," he said, sounding out of breath. "Alain? Is that really you?"

"P-Professor Sycamore?" Alain said, white as a sheet but slowly recovering. His hand remained out in front of him as though he were still holding the cup he'd dropped.

Gurkinn walked around Korrina as she stood up and headed into the living room. "Professor, welcome. It is good to see you. From the look on Alain's face, I take it I am not the only one who feels this way."

"You know them?" Korrina asked Alain.

Alain, that's right, Grace thought. His name had popped up more than a couple times lately, and not in an entirely innocuous context.

"Yeah," Alain said. "Remember I told you I used to work for a professor in Lumiose City?"

"Wait, that guy's a professor?"

"I suppose we've all learned our lesson today about books and covers, Gym Leader Korrina," Sycamore said not unkindly. His prayer beads tinkled pleasantly as he clasped his hands in front of him.

"You're Gurkinn? The one who knows about Mega Evolution?" Grace said suddenly.

Gurkinn nodded. He was old with a gentle voice, but there was nothing kind about his eyes. They were the eyes of a soldier, someone who had seen death and even dealt it. "That's correct. And may I ask who you are and what your interest is in Mega Evolution?"

"I'm Grace Gabena. I'm here about my daughter. Augustine said you would know about Mega Evolution, and we were hoping whatever you know will help."

"Serena?" Alain said. "Right, you're Serena's mother, Grace. Did something happen to her? Where is she?"

Grace was about to answer him when all of a sudden, Calem marched across the living room with Aegislash secured to his right arm and aimed the sword directly at Alain.

"You," he snarled. "Don't you dare speak her name!"

A few things happened in the next two and a half seconds. First, Aegislash changed stance to its offensive position. At almost the same time, Korrina shoved Alain out of the way and into the kitchen counter, where he bumped his hip and spun back out of her way just as she tossed out a new Pokéball. A Blaziken roared to life in the light, feathers standing on end as it caught Aegislash's scent and killer intent, and squawked menacingly. Lucario bounded up behind Calem but did not get too close, ready to move on Korrina's command. Sycamore made an incoherent gasping sound and reached for the nexus of hostility, but didn't get more than a step or two before Gurkinn blocked his way. Grace watched it all unfold with Fletchling.

"...Calem," Alain said. "I didn't even recognize you."

"Shut up! I'm not a kid anymore, and my sword's more than a match for you, Titan."

"Calem, what are you doing?!" Sycamore cried out.

"I thought I told you to put that sword away," Korrina hissed. "You've got five seconds, then Blaziken melts it."

Blaziken flexed its talon fists and filled the short silence with an awful clicking, like metal on stone, that nearly sent Grace collapsing back into her chair. Calem ignored the Fighter parrot entirely.

"What happened to Serena?" Alain said, attempting to remain calm.

"Like you don't know," Calem spat. "You're one of the only people who knew her secret, and now I'm supposed to believe it's a coincidence you're here? Fuck that."

Calem's sword arm was shaking, and his knuckles were white as he gripped Aegislash's hilt with all his might. Korrina was eyeing the floating sword, calculating. Any moment now, and someone's fuse would reach its end.

"Korrina, please withdraw. There has clearly been a misunderstanding," Gurkinn said.

"That's for damn sure," Korrina said, though she did not call off Blaziken or Lucario.

Klefki buzzed around Calem and chose to jangle angrily at Alain from behind the safety of Aegislash's blade.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Alain tried again. "Listen, just call off your Aegislash and tell me what's wrong."

Calem glared daggers at Alain, but he said nothing. Grace finally recovered from the horror of Korrina's Blaziken and, careless of both Sycamore and Gurkinn in her way, pushed past them and Lucario until she arrived at Calem's side. Gently, she laid a hand on his sword arm, careful not to touch Aegislash's feeler ribbons. He was quaking badly.

"Calem," she said softly but forcefully, "you're bleeding."

As though the spell had been broken, Calem looked down at his arm. His bandages were soaked through with red in patches, and his blood was beginning to seep into Aegislash's ribbons. Klefki zoomed toward his face and jingled its keys as the scent of blood reached its keen nose. Blaziken clicked its curved beak, also affected by the stench, but it remained still under Korrina's order.

Calem's fingers slipped, no longer able to hold up the sword in his weakened state. Aegislash floated on its own and backed off, resuming its defensive stance with the golden shield over its blade. Only then did Korrina wave off Blaziken and Lucario.

"Calem!" Sycamore came rushing forward to get a look at him. "Damnit, the burn boils are discharging. I'll need to disinfect the wounds and change your dressings. Gym Leader Korrina, do you have an infirmary here at the Gym?"

"Yeah," Korrina said. "I'll take you there myself."

Calem was staring at his ruined arms with a vacant look, like he wasn't really seeing them, and Grace was overcome with the sudden urge to hold him the way she used to hold Serena when something was wrong but Serena chose to keep her silence.

"Perhaps we can get the young man patched up, and then we'll resume this conversation without the Pokémon," Gurkinn said.

"Yes, I agree. Come on, Calem, before the bandages soak through completely," Sycamore said.

Korrina and Alain shared a few whispered words that Grace could not make out, and then she gestured for Calem and Sycamore to follow her back downstairs. Lucario followed Korrina, but Blaziken remained and stalked toward Gurkinn, where it sat down cross-legged on the floor near him and began to primp its feathers. Fletchling tweeted at it experimentally, but the little bird only received a cursory glance for its efforts and was promptly ignored.

"That was excellent foresight," Gurkinn commented. "You said exactly the right thing to calm him down."

Grace pursed her lips. "We didn't come here to start a fight. He needs to rest."

Gurkinn ran a wrinkled hand through Blaziken's feathered headdress, much to Grace's horror, but the Fighter parrot didn't seem to mind. In fact, the rumbling coo it emitted sounded almost pleasant.

"Now, I would like to sit down with the professor and that young man, but while we wait, I would very much appreciate it if you could tell me what the problem is." Gurkinn gestured to the couches and took a seat himself. "You mentioned that your coming here has something to do with your daughter?"

Alain wandered into the living room but gave Blaziken a healthy berth to take a seat on Gurkinn's other side across from Grace. She spared him a glance, wondering at the uncanny coincidence that the only other person who knew Serena's secret could be here, of all places.

"Yes," Grace said, fighting to keep her voice steady. "My daughter, Serena. She's been kidnapped."

"What?" Alain gasped.

Gurkinn shook his head. "That is terrible. The pain of losing a child... Sadly, I am not ignorant of it."

Alain shot Gurkinn a look, but Grace didn't bother reading into it too much. "We're here because we found out that the woman responsible has some interest in Mega Evolution. I don't know the details, Augustine can explain it better. But he was convinced that you might be able to help me find Serena if you can tell us why Malva's interested in Mega Evolution."

"Malva?"

Alain had gone deathly pale again, and this time Grace did turn her attention to him.

"Yes, the Ignifera who abducted Serena in the middle of the night." The tears were becoming too hard to hold back as the traumatic memories of that night revisited her as clearly as though they were happening all over again. "Calem fought her off, but it wasn't enough. That's why he's injured. She burned his arms all the way down to the bone with her bare hands. I've never seen anything like it."

Without warning, Alain snatched Grace's hand across the table and held it firm. His sparkling blue eyes were wide with fear and something dark, something primal beyond fear and beyond hunger. In that moment, Grace had the most unsettling thought that he was no longer human with his cold touch, sharp incisors, and a face with angles so sharp it could only be described as a mask of skin stretched over the skull of a beast.

"Malva," he said again. "I know her. I fought her."

The room seemed to blend together in a time suck as all Grace could focus on were those words and the feeling of his hand on her wrist, like a snake coiling around her, its scales pinching her skin.

"You know her?"

"I know her," Alain repeated. "And I can help you. I'll help you find Serena."

---

Korrina sat on an empty gurney across from Calem as Sycamore cleaned and rewrapped his arms. Calem's Aegislash hovered in her defensive stance just behind him, and Klefki looked on worriedly at Sycamore's work. When Korrina saw for herself the extent of the damage in Calem's arms, she had to look away in shock. His burns were tremendous, having left deep craters in his skin and muscles down to the bone that now filled with awful boils, many of which had burst and leaked a yellow curdled discharge.

Sycamore, wearing a mask and gloves, dutifully cleaned the raw burns with disinfectant and applied a sticky blue paste from a tube he'd pulled out of his bag. "Rawst berry salve," he explained, more to fill the silence than to inform. "It's much more effective as a topical treatment than Burn Heal."

Korrina was no medic, but even she could tell those burns were no ordinary wounds. A little Rawst berry paste wouldn't heal Calem's arms back to normal. Despite his earlier behavior, she felt sorry for him. No one deserved to suffer like that.

"Just wrap them up again, Professor," Calem said, gritting his teeth to the pain. His forehead was clammy and dark circles began to form under his eyes as he did his best to stay calm. "I'll be fine."

Klefki jingled frantically as if to say, 'No, you're not fine, silly human!' Lucario stayed by Korrina's side, silent and watchful, but he wrinkled his nose at the stench of the pus oozing from Calem's burn blisters.

"Hey, Professor," Korrina said. "Would a Full Restore do him any good?"

Sycamore gaped at her like a fish. "Would it! Full Restore would stimulate cellular regeneration and bolster the Rawst berry salve to mitigate the effects of the burns. But they're very expensive and in short supply. Even the Lumiose Hospital only keeps a few on hand for the truly hopeless emergencies."

Korrina slid off the stretcher and went to the cabinet over the sink. The infirmary was nothing more than a single room attached to the Gym on the main floor divided up with hanging curtains for privacy. Its walls were painted a pale blue, supposedly soothing, and a medic served on call from Shalour General Hospital. The medic was not here now, but Korrina had spent enough time in here to know her way around.

"We've had this for a long time, but we've never had a reason to use it. Most injuries that happen here at the Gym are surface wounds or broken bones, nothing a regular Super Potion can't handle with time." She found what she was looking for and held it out to Sycamore. "I'm pretty sure they don't expire, so it should work fine."

Sycamore made a muffled gasping sound and accepted the round glass bottle with shaking hands. The lime green liquid emitted a faintly neon glow. "I-Incredible! This is an honest to goodness Full Restore! Gym Leader Korrina!"

Korrina frowned and put up a hand. "Just Korrina is fine, you know."

Sycamore clutched the Full Restore to his chest and nearly burst into tears right there. "Korrina, of course. I don't know if you realize just how much this will help Calem. There's no better healing potion than a Full Restore. Thank you so much."

When he bent over at the waist in a bow, Korrina backed up. "Hey, cut that out! It's no big deal. No one else was using it."

"Ah! An IV drip. I need an IV drip to attach this."

Sycamore completely forgot about Korrina and looked around the small infirmary. In a matter of minutes, he'd found an IV stand and a fresh bag, into which he emptied the Full Restore. He then hooked up the bag to a feeding tube.

"This medicine is very potent," he prattled on. "It can work miracles if it's used correctly. Brilliant, just brilliant."

With everything hooked up, he attached the feeding tube to the back of Calem's hand with a sterilized needle. With fresh bandages and the Full Restore drip, Calem slipped off the edge of his stretcher and tested his feet.

"Well?" Korrina said. "Is it working?"

Sycamore smiled. "It will take some time, but I think we should begin to see the effects by tonight as long as you don't start any more sword fights."

Calem looked up at the full bag of neon green liquid slowly emptying into his bloodstream. Then he looked at Korrina. "...Thanks," he managed. "He only gets like this when it's something really big."

"Yes, thank you, Korrina. You could have sold this Full Restore and financed a full remodeling of your Gym, so thank you for holding onto it."

Korrina froze. Just how much was that stupid potion worth? She crossed her arms. "Be happy you told me that after I already handed it over. I've been meaning to update the Gym's interior for months now."

Calem approached her, dragging the IV stand behind him. Lucario perked up, alert but cautious, and Korrina laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen, Korrina," he began. "I'm... I was out of line upstairs. I'm not usually like that."

"Coulda fooled me."

He didn't flinch at her flippancy, and yet again she wondered what the hell this kid had been through.

"I take it you know Alain," she went on. "He's never said a word about you."

Calem's expression warped into a sneer at the mention of Alain. "No, he wouldn't remember me. He never had time for anyone but himself."

"Oh, really? It looked like he remembered you just fine once you started picking a fight. Wanna tell me what that's about? Does it have something to do with those freakish burns on your arms?"

"Actually, yes," Sycamore interrupted. "But let me suggest we head back upstairs. This is a conversation I'd like your grandfather and Grace to be a part of, too."

What the hell did these people get mixed up in?

But she was eager to get back to Alain and Gurkinn and get to the bottom of whatever this was, so she led Calem and Sycamore back upstairs. Calem's Aegislash floated behind him, and Korrina could not shake the crawling sensation on her back like the Ghost sword was peering into her soul. How could he stand having that thing around?

Grace, Alain, and Gurkinn were seated on the sofas and chairs in the living room deep in conversation, but they stopped when Korrina came back with the others. Alain stood up.

"Calem, you're okay," he said.

Calem glared back at Alain, but before he could say anything, Grace beat him to it.

"Calem, Augustine. Alain just told me that he knows Malva personally and he'll help us find Serena."

"Malva?" Korrina said.

"I knew it," Calem said, his previous anger returning. "You are involved!"

"Wait a minute, it's not what you think," Alain said.

Sycamore joined them on the couches. "Alain, what's this about? How could you know Malva?"

"Because I fought her as part of one of Lysandre's Mega Evolution experiments. She had a Mega Houndoom at the time. I thought for sure she must've died after Mega Charizard killed Mega Houndoom."

"Hold on, what? This woman survived the death of her Mega Pokémon? That's impossible," Korrina said.

"Not exactly," Gurkinn said. "If either the Tamer or the Pokémon has the strength to break the Mega Evolution bond in time, the one who was not fatally wounded may survive, in theory. But then, one of them must watch as the other takes in the pain of two deaths instead of one. It's an abominable trade-off."

Korrina tensed as a shiver of dread ran down her spine just thinking about such a fate. Lucario remained next to her, steady as ever, and felt her gaze. Just the thought of doing something so gruesome to Lucario made her sick. How could this Malva, whoever she was, justify such cruelty?

"Alain," Sycamore said. "Does this mean you're still working with Team Flare after all?"

Alain bared his teeth. "No, I'm through with Lysandre. I'm never going back."

"Not even for Mairin?"

The room fell silent as Alain and Sycamore faced off. Korrina had never seen Alain look so unsure of himself. Mairin... That was the little girl he'd told her about, the one he felt he'd betrayed when he left Lumiose City.

"Mairin," Grace said, frowning. "That little girl we met at Lysandre's?"

"So she stayed with him," Alain said more to himself than to the other people in the room. He clenched his fists and let his head fall. "Damnit."

"Hey, not to spoil what looks to me like a really shitty reunion," Korrina said, "but how about you tell us why you're all here and what you want."

"Yes, an excellent idea," Gurkinn said. "Grace, perhaps you could start with what happened to you daughter. I would like Korrina to hear the story from the beginning."

Grace nodded and wrung her hands in her lap. Korrina sat down, and Sycamore pulled over a chair for Calem to sit next to his IV stand as far from Alain as possible. For the next twenty minutes, Korrina listened as first Grace then Sycamore relayed the events leading up to their appearance at the Tower of Mastery. By the end of it, she regretted the way she'd greeted them when they arrived earlier.

"So Serena, your daughter, was kidnapped by Malva, who's with Team Flare," Korrina said, putting it all together. "And Alain, you used to work for Team Flare but not anymore, and you once fought against Malva and killed her Mega Houndom, but she miraculously survived. Okay, I get all that. But why come here? Alain already told you he thought Malva was dead, so how're we supposed to help?"

Sycamore leaned forward over his knees and clasped his hands. The many prayer beads and bracelets he wore tinkled softly and drew Klefki's attention, who had been mostly sticking close to Calem and Aegislash this entire time. Alain eyed the Keychain Pokémon suspiciously.

"When we learned about Malva potentially conducting some kind of study on Mega Evolution, I decided the best person to ask would be Master Gurkinn."

"Sure, okay, but I still don't see what that has to do with Serena," Korrina said.

"It's got everything to do with her." Calem spoke for the first time since Sycamore and Grace brought everyone up to speed on the situation. He was staring at the coffee table as though he were sleepwalking. "Malva wanted Serena because of what she is. Serena's a Magus." He looked up at Alain. "But you already knew that."

Korrina quickly put the pieces together. "Wait, seriously? A living Magus? You knew about this?"

"I promised to keep the secret when Serena first showed up at the lab, and I did," Alain bit out. "Besides, didn't you guys say it was Dexio who talked to Malva? Shouldn't you be grilling him about where Serena might be?"

"I already did," Calem said. "Plenty."

"I left Dexio in Gym Leader Clemont's custody," Sycamore said. "But he didn't know anything about Serena's whereabouts or Malva's plans."

"You said you knew Malva even though you thought she died," Grace said suddenly. "Alain, don't you remember anything that might be helpful? You're the only one with ties to Team Flare. There must be something."

Alain rubbed his eyes and hung his head in his hands to think. After a moment, he looked up again. "Malva could use Mega Evolution, that's why Lysandre valued her. And Lysandre's always been interested in Mega Evolution. That's... It's why he sent me to Hoenn to find the Mega Stone."

"Yeah, you told us about that," Korrina said.

"I didn't tell you that Lysandre had the thing shipped back to Lumiose City."

"What?" Sycamore said, aghast. "Lysandre did what?"

"He transported the monolith, a huge Mega Stone, to Kalos and put it in the lab in Lumiose for further study. He said he wanted to harness the energy that catalyzes Mega Evolution in Pokémon. And I helped him do it."

Sycamore got up abruptly and towered over Alain. "What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you be a part of something like that? We know next to nothing about these so-called Mega Stones, and you thought it was just fine to bring an enormous one to the most populous city in Kalos? Alain, what were you thinking?!"

Korrina was taken aback at Sycamore's angry paroxysm. He did not seem the type to ever raise his voice, must less become vocally angry.

Alain didn't even try to fight him. "I wasn't thinking."

"You're damn right you weren't! My god, is this who you really are? Is this who you left my lab to become?"

"Professor..."

"Alain, I am so disappointed in you."

"Don't be," Calem said softly. "He's a Titan, and Titans always lie."

Korrina got up and confronted Calem. "You shut the fuck up. I don't care if you're injured or what, but you don't get to come into my Gym and say shit you know nothing about, you got that?"

Calem leaned back in his chair, caught off guard.

"And you," Korrina turned on Sycamore. "Whatever you think Alain did or didn't do, it's in the past. He's been here with me for the past several months getting the crap beat outta him to make up for whatever he was involved in before, and you're not gonna stand there and take that away from him. He's worked way too hard for you all to come in here all of a sudden and accuse him of things he hasn't done. You obviously don't know him at all."

Blaziken, who had been sitting next to Gurkinn, got up while Korrina went on a tirade and had begun to smoke from his feathered mane in warning.

"Alain," Korrina said. "Don't look at me like that, idiot." His eyes were wide like she'd just knocked him on his ass on the mat again. "Quit catching flies and tell them if there's anything else you know about Malva or whatever."

Alain swallowed hard, but she glared down at him in challenge, daring him to chicken out. Whatever he'd done in the past, Alain was too hard on himself, that much Korrina knew. And she trusted him. If he said he had nothing to do with what had happened to Serena, then she believed him. Titans might be liars, but Alain was not.

Something in his look changed just then. "Wait, there is something. Grace, you mentioned that Malva was interested in studying Mega Evolution?"

Grace, who did not seem to share her two companions' lingering shock over Korrina's outburst, leaned forward. "Yes, that's what Dexio said. Why?"

"Malva's not a scientist. She was more of a personal bodyguard to Lysandre. She wouldn't be interested in studying Mega Evolution so much as using it."

Grace nodded. "Yes, Augustine said the same thing before."

"But Malva's got a brother, Laevus," Alain went on. "I never met many of the scientists when I was working for Lysandre, but I met Laevus personally when we got back from Hoenn with the monolith. He was the lead scientist on the team that was supposed to study it. Lysandre introduced us..."

Alain made a face, like he'd gotten a whiff of something rancid. Grace paled.

"And this Laevus, her brother, you think he's the person behind the kidnapping?"

"I think if anyone's got an interest in Mega Evolution, it's that guy. He asked me so many questions about Hoenn and the condition of the monolith, where we found it, that sort of thing. It was like he was hungry to know. That's a weird way to describe it, but that's what it seemed like. Since he's Malva's brother, I bet he's involved somehow."

"So Laevus is the brains and Malva's the brawn. He could have sent her to retrieve Serena," Sycamore said.

Gurkinn cleared his throat. "Alain, would you happen to know if Laevus is an Ignifer like his sister?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Please, humor me. Do you know?"

Alain shook his head. "No, he's a skuff. All the Tamers who work for Lysandre are field agents. The scientists are all plebs and skuffs. Why?"

"A skuff obsessed with Mega Stones... And now he's abducted a Magus..."

"Grandpa?" Korrina said. "What're you thinking?"

"Professor, you must forgive me. I know you've been studying Mega Evolution with good intentions, and yet I confess I have not been as forthcoming with you as I could have been. I was only doing what I believed was right. Korrina, my dear, would you please retrieve the Mega Stone and bring it here?"

"Grandpa... Are you sure?" Korrina said.

"Yes. Go, please."

Korrina nodded and headed upstairs to do just that. She was gone just a few minutes, and by the time she got back to the living room with the Mega Stone in hand, everyone was seated again and not talking.

"Grandpa, here you go."

Korrina held out the stone for Gurkinn, and Sycamore hovered near her.

"Incredible," he said. "A true Mega Stone. You had one here this entire time?"

Gurkinn accepted the stone in his spindly hands and balanced it on his lap. "Yes. This Mega Stone has been in my family for generations."

The Mega Stone glowed an earthy chestnut and illuminated Gurkinn's Bellator Aura, as it had done for Korrina and Alain the other day. Lucario yipped and hopped up onto the couch next to Gurkinn, drawn by the Mega Stone. Blaziken also walked around the couch past Korrina to get a better look at the stone. Sycamore watched their behavior with rapt attention.

"Ah, I see! Only Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution are lured by the stone. Klefki and Aegislash don't seem to be affected at all," Sycamore said.

"What's that?" Calem asked, indicating the tornadoes of color swirling around Gurkinn's hands and feet.

"Aura," Alain answered. "Apparently, the Mega Stone can reveal a Tamer's Aura if he or she touches it."

"Yes, precisely. Every Tamer has a different Aura of a different color," Gurkinn said.

"You mean like heartstrings?" Calem said.

"Heartstrings?"

"Yeah. Serena, she sees heartstrings. She says they're all different colors depending on the person."

Gurkinn smiled tiredly. "How interesting. The Magi have been extinct for many hundreds of years. To think of what young Serena must be capable of without even realizing it." He turned to Grace and nodded to her. "I sensed a great courage in you when we met. Now I see it's much more than that. It must have been very hard to trust Professor Sycamore to help your only daughter with such a precious secret."

Grace pressed her lips together and wrung her hands, but she held her head high. "I just want what's best for Serena."

"Yes, I can see that very clearly. Professor, I think you will be able to find Serena now."

"What? How?" Calem demanded.

"This Mega Stone... It only reacts to Tamers, just as only Tamers can access Mega Evolution. Grace, if you would be so kind?"

Gurkinn handed her the Mega Stone, and when she accepted it, it returned to its usual crystalline hue with all the colors of the spectrum swimming faintly inside it. Grace gasped.

"Fascinating," Sycamore said. "So plebs like Grace and myself are not affected by the Mega Stone."

"Precisely," Gurkinn said. "The same is true for skuffs, incidentally."

"Laevus," Alain said.

"Mm. And therein lies your answer."

"Oh my god," Alain said. "Of course, why didn't I see it before? It makes so much sense."

"What?" Calem said, exasperated.

"Laevus is a skuff who can't use Mega Evolution, and Malva already mastered it. Why would they have anything else to do with it? Unless—"

"Unless Laevus is trying to find out a way for non-Tamers to use it," Sycamore interrupted, his eyes shifty as his thoughts raced faster than his mind could process them. "He's trying to use Mega Evolution, and somehow Serena is a part of that."

"The Mega Stone can induce Mega Evolution," Korrina said. "That's the secret we've been guarding for generations. You're telling me some random skuff figured it out?"

Alain shook his head. "Why not? He had that huge monolith to work with."

"Ah, but the Mega Stone only works on a Pokémon, not on a person," Gurkinn said. "Even if you were to induce Mega Evolution, the bond necessary to sustain it would not be present. The Pokémon would be driven mad and no skuff could possibly control it."

"So, you're saying this Laevus person wants to find a way to make the stone work for himself, too?" Grace said. "How can he do that?"

"Serena," Sycamore said. "She's a Magus." He rubbed his mouth and began to pace. "No, that can't be it. It's not probable... But yes, that's... Ah, there's no other explanation!"

"Professor," Calem said. "You're not making any sense."

Sycamore stopped his pacing and clapped his hands together. "Serena wasn't always a Magus! That's why!"

"Is he always like this?" Korrina said.

"Yeah," Alain and Calem said at the same time.

Calem made a face and looked away.

"Oh Grace!" Sycamore got down on his knees and took Grace's hands in his. "Serena is most definitely alive and well. She has to be if Laevus is thinking what I'm thinking."

Grace snatched her hands away. "Augustine, get to the point."

"Laevus is trying to become a Mega Evolution master, right? But only Tamers can use Mega Evolution. QED, he needs to become a Tamer, just like Serena did as a child."

"Holy shit, is that even possible?" Korrina said.

"I have no idea!" Sycamore was beside himself at this point. "It's not a question I would have even thought to ask, which speaks to Laevus's brilliance. Bellators, Titans, and Adamantines like Korrina, Alain, and Calem here were born with their abilities. Only Magi, Mediums, and Reapers are made. They can make more of their kind, but they can only turn plebs, not skuffs. Skuffs already have Tamer blood even if it hasn't fully manifested, so you see the problem. However, in theory, if Laevus could replicate whatever happened to Serena to make her a Magus, he could potentially gain her Tamer abilities and access Mega Evolution.

"Ah!" Sycamore put up a hand to stave off any questions, but none came and he rambled on. "But he'd want to do extensive trial and error with many test subjects. Yes, he'd need a very large but secluded space, somewhere a number of Mega Evolved Pokémon could be present, somewhere no one would look for him... Perhaps an undersea lab, or somewhere in the mountains. And he would be using Team Flare resources, no doubt. It's the most readily available and familiar source for someone like him."

"Wait, Team Flare has plenty of spaces like that in the White Mountains. Aside from Snowbelle City, there's no settlements that high up," Alain said. "I've been to a few of them. They used to use them for storage and offsite labs, but the lab in Lumiose is where the most important projects're kept."

"Hm. All the more reason to go off the grid on Team Flare's dime. Laevus wouldn't leave a unique paper trail, and who would think to look for him in plain sight at one of their bases?" Korrina said. "If it were me, that's what I'd do."

Calem got up, disturbing Klefki who had been hovering just over his shoulder. "Then that's it. Snowbelle City. That's where we'll start looking."

Grace still held the Mega Stone and was peering into it like a fortuneteller would a crystal ball. "These people took my daughter for some science experiment. I won't rest until they're behind bars."

"I'm coming with you," Alain announced. "I can help, and I know Malva. If she's really still alive, then we have a score to settle."

"Good, I would have expected you to," Sycamore said. "Perhaps Korrina has a point. We should leave the past in the past, at least for now while Serena needs our help."

"Well, if you're going, then count me in," Korrina said.

"What? Korrina, you're the Gym Leader," Alain protested. "You can't just leave."

"I can do whatever the hell I want, Titan. And besides, Grandpa's more than capable of watching the Gym."

"Korrina and Alain will be a great asset to you," Gurkinn addressed Grace. "They are both masters of Mega Evolution and very skilled in battle. There is no one I would trust more to carry out such an important task."

"They'll need a team," Sycamore said. "I don't know how many men Malva has at her disposal."

"I'm going," Calem said. "That's three Tamers."

"I know there's no discouraging you," Sycamore said. "But even so, you need to rest first. Properly, this time. Your arms won't recover by magic, even with that Full Restore."

"A four-man team would be best," Gurkinn said. "Not too many, but enough to pair off if necessary."

"I'm the fourth," Grace said.

"No way," Calem said. "Grace, you're a pleb with no battling experience. I promise I'll bring Serena back, so wait here."

"Absolutely not. Serena is my daughter, and I'll be there to get her if it's the last thing I do."

"Grace, I understand very well where you're coming from," Sycamore said. "But you and I would only get in their way. I'm sure Serena wouldn't want you to put yourself at unnecessary risk."

Grace stood up, and Fletchling nearly lost his balance on her shoulder. "I'm going, Augustine. And I won't be in the way. I'm the one who brought Dexio in. It was me who saved Calem's life after Malva attacked. You will not tell me what I can and cannot do when it comes to my daughter. I'm going, and that's final."

"...Well then, I guess that's settled. You need to get some sleep," Korrina said to Calem. "I'll show you to a room upstairs. All of you."

"We're leaving tomorrow," Calem said.

Korrina rolled her eyes. "We'll leave when your arms aren't about to fall off, dumbass. That's the last I wanna hear about it. You got that?"

Calem shot her a withering look, but Korrina ignored him. Grace handed the Mega Stone back to Gurkinn.

"Do not worry," he said. "You will see your daughter again. I'm sure of it."

"I'll be sure when we find her," Grace said.

Korrina led Calem and Grace upstairs, but it took a promise to let Sycamore examine the Mega Stone in detail later to get him to follow. When they had all retreated to their separate rooms on the same floor Korrina and Alain lived on, Korrina let out a tired breath and sank to a squat against the wall. Lucario had followed her upstairs, and he kneeled down in front of her, curious.

"No wonder Alain ran away from his past," she muttered.

Lucario yipped and licked her cheek. Korrina laughed and scratched him behind the ears.

"A Magus, huh? I wonder if she knows what her mom's going through to get her back."

Must be nice.

Korrina resolved to make sure Serena knew it when they found her.

---

Malva hated this place. She hated the cold that seeped in through the zipper in her jacket, between the folds of her scarf, under her gloves no matter how many layers she wore. She hated the artificial light ubiquitous in a subterranean laboratory. She hated the seclusion, the lack of people and restaurants and bars and parks and other places where she would go to get lost in a crowd. Most of all, she hated the noise.

That pleb boy cried out in agony, and like a fucking knee jerk reaction, the Magus girl protested on his behalf, beseeching Laevus to let the boy go. Malva threw down her spoon and splashed canned soup on the table. She ripped off her pink sunglasses, useless in this underground shithole, and abruptly got up. Pyroar, who had been snoozing next to her chair, was instantly awake and stretched out with a yawn. Darumaka fell off Malva's lap, where he had been dozing, and rolled into the leg of the table, bumping his little head.

"Come on," Malva said to the two Pokémon.

Pyroar slinked after her as she marched to the lab proper, each step another spike in her blood pressure, and Darumaka rolled along behind Pyroar, careful to keep his distance from the lioness but unwilling to be left behind.

The lab itself was an enormous cavern the equivalent of about four stories tall with ramps overhead and access to the outside via tunnels. This room was subdivided into separate workstations meant for a full team of a hundred scientists and lab techs, but now only Laevus and the few Flare Agents Malva had brought with her occupied the space. In the vast emptiness, Serena's entreaties echoed as though there were multiples of her chained to the wall instead of just the one.

When Malva found Laevus, he was excitedly typing something into a laptop next to an examination table where Trevor was strapped to the surface on his stomach. His back was bare and prickled with gooseflesh, but most striking of all were the engorged veins crisscrossing his back. They were a deep violet, nearly black, as though filled with poison instead of blood, and they converged at a point between his shoulder blades. Serena was shackled to the wall not far away, her knees weak from standing and the IV that slowly siphoned her blood.

"Laevus, is it beyond your genius to keep a couple kids silent?" Malva groused.

"Sister, I'm so close I can taste it! Come and see!"

Darumaka rolled toward Laevus and tugged on his pant leg. Malva rolled her eyes and peered over his shoulder at the computer screen.

"Okay..." she said. All the numbers and medical monitors on the screen blurred together.

"He's responding to her blood, see that spike there? It's identical to the radiation wavelength coming from the Mega Stone shards."

"And I should care because...?"

Laevus was so excited that he completely brushed off her disinterest. Maybe he really was on to something.

"Because it's that exact type of radiation that induces Mega Evolution, obviously! It's within my grasp, just a little more. Ah, would you like to see? Of course you would. I'll show you."

Laevus was already waddling back to the table where Trevor lay, and he picked up a thin tube with a nozzle at the end. Trevor, only half conscious and glassy-eyed, noticed Laevus's movements and tried to struggle, but it was a futile attempt. Malva walked around the other side of the table. This close up, she finally noticed the thing embedded in his back. It was one of the seven Mega Stones Laevus had stolen from Lysandre's labs, each shaved off from the monolith Lysandre had retrieved from Hoenn. Only part of it was visible, and the skin around where it protruded was swollen and purple with bruising and infection, but the gem itself was crystal clear and swimming with veins of color.

"The Magus's blood works just as I suspected it would. Better, even. It's as if it breathes life into the Mega Stone, it's truly astounding. But it has to be fresh and hot. Watch closely."

Darumaka had climbed up Laevus's pants and parka to cling to his shoulder and watch, grunting softly. Laevus held the nozzle tube up over Trevor's back.

"Stop," Serena rasped, her voice tired from her vociferous protesting. "Leave Trevor alone!"

"Quiet!" Laevus snapped. "You'll speak when spoken to."

"Why not just gag her?" Malva suggested.

"Hm? Ah, good idea. But never mind the brat. Watch now."

He released the nozzle on the tube, and Serena hissed as the IV pump Laevus had hooked her up to pierced her vein and trickled a stream of fresh, hot blood through the tube. It came out the other end where Laevus held it over Trevor's back, and a thin stream of red trickled onto the Mega Stone. As soon as the blood splashed over it, it disappeared as though evaporated on contact. Malva narrowed her eyes, trying to believe what she was seeing. The stone began to glow pale pink as though transformed, and the veins in Trevor's back began to pulse.

Serena choked and struggled in her restraints as though a trivial blood draw amounted to a sword through her gut. She tossed her head, gritted her teeth, and hissed in pain. Trevor began to seize, and the veins in his back fattened to the point of bursting. The laptop measuring Trevor's vitals beeped excitedly, and Malva saw the spike Laevus had talked about. More than that, she felt the waves radiating from the Mega Stone embedded in the boy's body. It was the same feeling as when she activated Mega Evolution the old fashioned way. But this...

It's drinking her blood, Malva realized as she stared in horror at the Mega Stone.

Serena's blood wasn't evaporating—it was being devoured. And the Mega Stone continued to take and take even as Trevor began to foam at the mouth and his seizing grew more violent. Darumaka grunted and jumped from Laevus's shoulder back to the ground, where he curled up in a tight ball. Pyroar snarled at nothing in particular.

"Stop it!" Serena wailed. "You're hurting him!"

"That's it!" Laevus said, practically giddy as he fed the stone more and more of Serena's blood and ignored her pleas.

Trevor's shaking became so violent that he slammed his head on the table and split open his temple. Blood smeared the table and dripped off the edge, but it was black instead of red. Something stirred in Malva, something instinctual and primal, and she snatched the tube from Laevus's hand, cutting off the blood flow from Serena. Immediately, the Mega Stone's pink aura began to diffuse, and the veins in Trevor's back receded somewhat. His shaking grew less erratic as he wound down from the attack.

Laevus blinked as he took a second to realize that Malva had interrupted the experiment, but he recovered quickly and jutted out his wormy lower lip in petulant defiance. "Malva! Give that back, how dare you interrupt the experiment! I wasn't finished!"

Malva threw the tube back at him and let out a sharp breath. "The kid was going to die. Then where would your experiment be?"

Laevus's jowls shook and spittle leaped from his mouth so violently that Malva wondered if he would become as rabid Trevor had been a moment ago. He slammed a hand on the table. "This is my study, and it's been very successful. Don't undermine me."

She shot him a venomous look and raised a hand toward him. Laevus lost some of his anger and leaned away from her touch, a touch he knew all too well could melt the skin off his bones. Malva let him wallow in that moment another couple seconds to let it sink in, but she backed off.

"Whatever. From here it looks like you're succeeding until you're not. That kid couldn't take it. I doubt he'll survive another attempt."

Laevus had calmed down to a controlled simmer and was sweating profusely. His limp, brown hair was plastered to his head like a rubber swim cap in spite of the chill in the room. "Not that you would understand the nuances of my work, but no, he won't survive future attempts. But that doesn't change the discovery I've made."

"What the fuck does it matter if you can't achieve your end goal? Maybe it's impossible. Maybe a non-Tamer can't use Mega Evolution, and that's that. Just look at this poor kid."

Laevus waddled back around the table while Trevor groaned pathetically and tried to move. Malva eyed his injured head. The blood on his temple shone black in the light, and she wrinkled her nose at the stench, like rotten meat and wet metal rust.

"That's where you're wrong, dear Sister. This right here is proof. It's possible, I just have to find a way to sustain the reaction without causing death."

Malva didn't even bother looking at his laptop. "That's a big 'but', dear Brother. Besides, you'll need a new test subject. That pleb kid's wasted."

"I've had enough of your—"

Laevus cut himself off abruptly and stared into space. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to finish his sentence, Malva tapped his shoulder.

"You've had enough of my what, exactly?" she said.

"The pleb won't survive," Laevus muttered. "The pleb..." He turned back to Trevor and looked him over.

"Laevus?"

He snapped to attention as though he'd only just remembered she was there. "I have work to do. Get that kid cleaned up before he dies all over my operating table."

Laevus was so absorbed in whatever thoughts had clouded his mind that he didn't even notice Malva's boiling resentment. How dare he order her around? She was not his lackey, and he was not Lysandre. Those days were over, besides. If Laevus could make a real breakthrough, she would never have to go back to Team Flare. They could start new lives, be other people, do other things. She could leave it all behind...but only if he succeeded. Only once she knew he would get the recognition he'd worked for so hard all his life.

Pyroar rubbed against her leg and jostled her from her thoughts. Malva ran her hand through her orange crest, smoking with embers that tingled her bare fingers but didn't burn her. Pyroar purred at the sensation and gently nudged her belly with her muzzle. Trevor groaned again, and Malva rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

She walked around the table and unlatched his leather bindings. His wrists were bruised and raw where they'd rubbed against the manacles and chafed. More repulsive was his back. It was like his body was in the process of swallowing the Mega Stone.

"Please," Serena called out, struggling to keep her head up. "Help him."

Malva froze, a grey woolen blanket in hand that she'd planned to wrap Trevor in. "Worry more about yourself, Magus."

"Serena." The metal shackles clanged as Serena worked to stand up straighter and hold up her head. "I'm a person, and I have a name: Serena. And you're Malva, right?"

Trevor coughed all of a sudden and clutched his face where he'd cut open the skin. Malva spared him a glance. She was no medic, but his temple looked bad enough to be broken. His eye was fast turning red from bloodshot.

"Please," Serena said again. "You said it yourself, Trevor won't survive another experiment. He's useless to you now. Please, just help him."

Malva walked around the table to face Serena, Pyroar at her heels. Darumaka rolled over the floor under the table and popped open at Serena's feet. Malva eyed the little monkey Pokémon, an earlier instinct to keep him away from Serena flaring up anew. She couldn't explain it, but something about Serena radiated a danger unlike any Malva had ever felt. Hers was not the aura of the violent killer or the brutal soldier, but something much subtler, insidious almost. It was in those blue eyes that remained bright and lucid even after the wear on her body from the constant chill, entrapment, and forced blood draws.

"I'd help him myself, but I'm stuck here," Serena went on. "Please, just help—"

"What makes you think you're in any position to make demands of me?" Malva interrupted.

"Because you don't want this, either."

Malva frowned, but said nothing.

"I saw it, your disgust. When Laevus gave the Mega Stone my blood and hurt Trevor. You were disgusted."

What the fuck is this girl on?

"Is that supposed to move me? Let me stop you while you're ahead, hon. I'm not your friend or your savior. Empathy will get you nowhere with me or in the real world, for that matter."

"Understanding, then," Serena said.

Malva laughed. "Understanding? What does some kid like you understand about anything?"

"I know you love your brother."

Malva hesitated. It was not a particularly outlandish observation—a sister would love her brother, there was nothing odd about that. But the look in Serena's eyes, like she knew it was true without a doubt, like she'd seen it for herself, disturbed Malva more than she could say.

"That's why you're helping him, right? Because you love him. You feel obligated."

Malva closed the distance between them in three strides and gripped Serena's chin hard in her fingers, but she refrained from burning her. Her nails bit into the girl's cheeks and drew blood, but Serena didn't cry out.

"Keep talking," Malva dared her.

Serena returned her glare with what little strength she had. "You hate him, too. You wish you could leave him behind."

Something about Serena inflamed a poisonous fury in Malva, and not for any reason she could concretely pinpoint. Who the hell did this kid think she was?

"Why would you say that?" Malva said.

"I told you, I can see them. Your emotions."

Malva followed Serena's eyes as they drifted across her face and over her head, as though following the path of something flying about her head.

"Your heartstrings," Serena said.

Useless bullshit.

"How quaint."

Malva forcefully shoved her away, scratching her cheeks roughly and smearing a bit of blood over Serena's chin. Behind her, Trevor moved on the table as he tried to sit up, but his wounds pained him and he hissed in agony before slipping on his own blood and crashing down on the table again.

Malva whirled and caught him before he could tumble onto the floor. She nearly recoiled upon contact; his skin was ice cold, but his back where the Mega Stone was still embedded was burning up. Pyroar snarled, revealing her fangs and backing up from Trevor as though he were diseased.

This Mega Stone...

Trevor coughed again and crumpled over. Malva had gotten him sitting on the table with his legs dangling over the edge. He was so frail and shivering from the cold as he clutched his battered face.

"S-Serena," he rasped. "I...I'm okay."

"Trevor!" Serena gasped. "I'll get you out of here, I promise. Just hold on!"

Malva snorted. "What the hell do you think you can do? You can't even get yourself out of here."

Trevor wheezed as he clutched Malva's arm for support.

"So this is what you really are," Serena said. "You're a Tamer like me, but all you do is hurt people who're weaker than you. You're just a coward who learned how to fight."

"It's okay to be weak sometimes. You're human, too, you know."

Malva tensed at the sudden memory, unbidden and unwelcome. This girl...

Trevor coughed again, and tears streamed down his face. Some of his blood got on Malva's white parka, and she swore.

"Goddamnit."

Manhandling Trevor to sit up straight, she walked around to stand behind him and eyed the Mega Stone in his back with thinly veiled repulsion.

I'm no coward.

Malva pulled up the sleeve of her parka and, with her bare hand, she grabbed the Mega Stone embedded in Trevor's back and yanked on it with all her strength. Trevor gasped and his body shook with lancing pain, but in one solid tug, the stone came free and left a bloody but shallow hole in Trevor's back. Instantly, the engorged purple veins in his back receded into his body, their color fading until it was hardly visible at all, like a diluted tattoo.

"Trevor!" Serena screamed.

Malva let him lean on his knees and stepped back. The Mega Stone she'd pulled out of him was no more than a shard that fit nicely in her palm. It glowed bright orange in her hand, and the Aura it emitted illuminated her body in glowing mist that rose off her like flames. Trevor looked back at her, wide-eyed as he followed the paths of the orange flames from her body.

Malva curled her upper lip and tossed the bloody Mega Stone onto Laevus's desk, where it soiled a few papers and notes he kept. She shook out her hand and wiped the excess blood off on the woolen blanket she'd set down earlier.

"Here, cover up."

She tossed the blanket to Trevor, who shakily picked it up and draped it around his shoulders.

"Th-Thank you," he said, bewildered.

His eyes drooped and he slumped back on the table. He would probably fall again if she left him there.

I have to do everything around here.

"Hey, you there!" Malva barked at one of the Flare Agents in the hall. "Get over here."

The Flare Agent jogged to the lab, dark eyes alert as he checked Malva, then Trevor, then Serena. "Ma'am?"

"Get that kid patched up. And throw him in some hot water before he dies of hypothermia, for fuck's sake. It's colder than a Piloswine's ball sack in this place."

The Flare Agent flinched at her language, but he nodded his understanding. "Of course. Leave it to me."

"Maru, Pyroar," Malva called to the two Pokémon as she turned to leave.

"Malva!" Serena called out. "Thank you."

Malva didn't even dignify her with a reply and marched out of the lab. Damn kids. She hated kids, for the record. Not any kid specifically, but the general idea of them. Underdeveloped people too weak and needy and fearful to survive on their own. These two had gone through some shit and were still holding on, but they would break, too, if they didn't get out of here soon. Everyone was weak in the end. All it took was to find out what made them weak and exploit that.

"It's okay to be weak sometimes. You're human, too, you know."

Malva bit her cheek as that infernal memory returned to her once again. She stormed into the shared bathroom to wash her bloody hand and caught her reflection in the faded mirror.

"Such a pretty face, and there's fire in your blood. You'll be a strong one."

Her father had been so proud when she was old enough for her face to promise a handsome woman one day. Beautiful and strong. What more could a parent ask for in a child? Her mother forced her to bathe in boiling water every night since she was five years old. It would keep her blood hot and quick, and her skin youthful and lively. She was Ignifera. She could handle the heat.

"You'll be the greatest Tamer our family's ever produced," her father had promised her.

The pride and joy. The heir to the name. The greatest Ignifera Kalos had ever seen. Malva had been born to it, all of it, while her older brother, the firstborn son, may as well have not been born at all. Their parents certainly acted as though he hadn't been.

But Laevus had always been strong growing up. He was the one with the dreams, with the big picture, with the plan for both of them. And he had always been the big brother who reminded Malva that even she could be a child, that it was okay to be weak and needy and scared sometimes.

"It's just one hour, they'll never know. Don't you wanna learn how to play kick the can? All kids know that game," he'd whispered on their walk to school one morning. "One hour, right after school. You won't be late for training with Dad."

One hour to do something so trivial as run around the playground with some other kids their age, all with the utterly stupid goal of kicking a can before the kid who was 'it' tagged you. Pointless, baseless, and the most fun Malva ever had growing up.

Until their father found out and gave Laevus a beating they wouldn't soon forget. Malva, just seven at the time, had been so afraid and unable to stop their father, even with her Litleo and Houndour around. Her father was an adult, a big man, an Ignifer in his own right. Laevus was just a skuff, a failed attempt. And when she'd cried, their father had called her weak. If she kept crying like that over some skuff, some defective unit that was the greatest disappointment to their family that had ever lived, she'd always be weak.

"It's okay to be weak sometimes," Laevus had told her that night as he lay in bed, wrapped up in bandages with an eye swollen shut. "You're human, too, you know."

"Am I?" Malva said aloud.

She studied her reflection in the mirror as the memories flooded her consciousness. Her face was indeed beautiful. Her touch was deadly hot. Daddy's little soldier had become everything he'd hoped she would be.

Darumaka hopped up onto the sink and grabbed his toes with his hands as he looked up at her and grunted softly. Malva gave the little Pokémon a withering look.

"What, you have an opinion on the matter?"

Darumaka blinked up at her and smiled his derpy smile. Malva rolled her eyes and finished washing up. Her stomach growled softly. She'd never finished her soup, and her last full meal had been yesterday. The fact that the food here was shitty was the icing on the goddamned cake.

What she wouldn't have given for Siebold's cooking.

Malva rubbed her eyes, overcome with a wave of exhaustion just then, and scooped up Darumaka. "Soon," she said. "Really soon."

Perhaps he would know the answer better than her, being the best human she'd ever known. Surely he would know. Maybe he could even teach her.

Malva placed Darumaka on her shoulder and headed out the bathroom in search of something hot to eat.