Cirque du Madness
The volatile rain poured over the abandoned circus site, pattering against the caravans and soaking the performance stage. Fires raged out over the buildings, setting the city aglow in a mix of oranges and reds. If one were to listen closely, they could hear the many fights breaking out from the individual streets.
Benvenuto watched the rain with a relaxed smile, shielded by an invisible barrier hovering over his head. Basil and Lucient watched the carnage unfold with disgust, though still trapped within their transparent prison.
"I always knew you were a sick man, Benvenuto," Basil muttered. "Always working the crowd while hiding your disgust for every single one of them. No wonder Itzy took a liking to you."
Benvenuto sighed. "Talk, talk, talk. You never knew when to shut your mouth, Basil. Frankly, it's annoying. The world would be especially better off without your nonsense interjecting into the lives of others."
Basil chuckled. "I just live for what I do. Is that so wrong? Then again, taking advice from a sadistic nihilist doesn't warrant a response. Everyone's a little crazy in your clownish family, but you're so crazy that it makes you appear sane."
"Do you ever think before you speak? You're just speaking more nonsense."
Lucient observed the rainfall with increasing concern. "Basil, we need to get out of here. Those flames are growing out of control, and the city is still caged in. If not the flames, the smoke inhalation will kill everyone."
"Settle down, Lucient," Basil assured. "We're going to be just fine." He mockingly pointed at Benvenuto and smirked. "In fact, once I get out of here, I'm going to personally light you on fire with your family's own rain shower. Won't that be fun?"
Benvenuto smirked. He pulled the notebook out from his coat and waved it over his shoulder, taunting the Salandit. "My clothes have already been treated for this stuff. You'll have a hard time burning me. Unfortunately, you're not quite as fireproof."
"So, this stuff can even cause harm to a Fire-Type."
"It can do so much more than that, but it's the Scarlet Flames that'll feast upon the fuel. Flames so hot that they'll burn bone to ash. They may even reach temperatures greater than what a pesky Salandit like you can handle." Benvenuto tucked the notebook away and chuckled. "Won't that be a delight to witness? Not that you'll get to see it yourself. You will at least feel the pain of everyone."
"You hated me that much, didn't you?"
The master of ceremonies glared. "Itzal tasked me with being his second-in-command. Someone like him must remain in the shadows, lest his identity as the Lord of Shadows be revealed. His whole operation would be shattered, and he'd have to find a new means to conduct his rituals."
Lucient glared. "Your boss' boss will have words, I'm sure. Is Itzal even remotely concerned about what will happen to him after the city burns?"
Benvenuto shrugged. "It's his decision. Besides, he says he already has way to discourage Terrowin from killing him."
"…" Basil clenched his fist. Melissa…
"Whatever he does will be his own fault." The clown turned and tapped their transparent prison with his cane. "Though, despite his orders, it's all too tempting to step in there and execute you myself. I absolutely hate you, Basil, and would love nothing more than to snuff the life out of you myself."
The Salandit smirked. "Aww, I'm touched. I can already feel the sword impaling my chest. Like…this." He jabbed his finger against his chest.
Before Benvenuto could retort, he suddenly recoiled as a shock of sorts went through his body. He staggered back, gasping as a broadsword had appeared out of nowhere and speared him through the chest. Blood splattered out from the wound, and he could feel it digging out through his spine.
"W-Wha—"
Benvenuto reached for the sword, but received a second, yet different kind of shock. The sword faded as soon as he wrapped it in his grip, bursting into a puff of purple smoke. He clutched his chest, gasping as the pain he perceived disappeared, yet perpetually lingered in his mind.
"Th-That felt…!" His eyes widened as he started to see the purple smoke filling the air around him.
Basil, arms crossed confidently, snickered as purple smoke showed seeping out from under his clothes. It entered burnt cracks in the ground and found their way outside the box, completely surrounding the clown.
"Aww, you remember this little prank I used to pull on you, Benvenuto?" The Salandit flashed a sadistic grin. "I've really improved on my hypnosis, you know, and my tricks. That little fire show I set off earlier wasn't just to show me the dimensions of the box you trapped us in. I used the flames to break open the ground just enough to create those cracks. You really should know better than to turn your back on me."
Benvenuto growled. "You—"
"Bombs away." Basil snapped his fingers, lighting up a trail of smoke.
"Shit!" Benvenuto immediately bounced back as a powerful explosion went off under his feet, quickly filling the circus in a tightknit inferno. He conjured a barrier to stave off the approaching flames.
With his concentration wavering, his prison faded. Lucient unleashed a blast of Psychic, pushing away the flames and molding a path straight for the clown. "Good thinking, Basil!"
"Let's go punch a clown!" he exclaimed. They bolt down the tunnel of fire straight for Benvenuto.
He growled at the pair and leapt into the air. "Air Walk!" The air rippled under his feet. He landed upon a transparent space that could only be discerned by the rain falling on it. It bent under his weight before snapping back and launching him into the sky like a trampoline.
Basil growled. "Seriously?"
Benvenuto tipped his hat to them. "You're not getting these notes, Dawnblite! Not while I can help it!" He turned away from them and continued hopping away on the air, gaining more and more distance from them.
"We got to get topside!" Basil yelled.
"I can make light constructs to get us up there!" Lucient suggested.
"Best do that before he gets away!"
Castle Visconti
Itzal's laughter boomed through the archives as his shadow body peeled itself from the wall, taking on a three-dimensional form looming over Melissa and Monica. He reared his fist and swiped it across the floor.
"Dodge!" Melissa pushed Monica away and jumped back as the fist sailed between them, crashing into the shelves.
Monica gasped. "The scrolls!"
Itzal cackled. "Embrace the glory of the Scarlet Flame! Scarlet Rain!" He summoned hundreds of flaming wisps from his hands, raining them down on the girls.
Melissa kicked up the table and shielded herself and Monica under it as the flames struck down. Fire broke out around them, spreading towards the shelves and cabinets, setting them ablaze. Seeing this, Monica gasped and jumped out from under cover.
Melissa gasped. "Monica!"
"I can't let the scrolls be destroyed!" She fired pressurized cream from her hands, dousing the flames before they could eat through the wood.
Itzal raised his hand back. "You're making this too easy!" He swiped his hand forward, sweeping it toward the unguarded Alcremie.
"Dang it!" Melissa kicked the table away and leapt to Monica's side. She twisted her battle baton from its sheathe and braced herself. "Endure!"
The shadow hand slammed into her guard. Wirth her body reinforced in an orange aura, she stopped most of the attack's momentum, though was thrown back into Monica. They collapsed and slid across the pile of cream, slamming into the far shelves.
Itzal stomped his hands down and cackled as his shadow form took up most of the limited space. He towered over the girls with scarlet flame flaring from within his gaping grin. Embers rained down over the floor, starting up miniature fires that traveled toward the girls.
"This is supposed to be the great Skill Hunter everyone's been talking about?" Itzal smirked. "I don't know what the hell Terrowin thought was so special about you, but what else did I expect from that delusional bag of withered mulch?"
Melissa picked herself up, raising her baton in a defensive stance. "And who are you to look down on me? Do you even care that one of your men was killed the other night?"
"Paride knew the risks. They all do." Itzal smirked. "The price of happiness is burning everything to ash. But even if death, he'll still serve my will. That is the true beauty of the Scarlet Flame. A flame born of rebellion! It's the ultimate symbol of pursuing true joy!"
Melissa growled. "You call that happiness?"
Itzal cackled. "I don't expect a little rat like you to understand the complexities of the Scarlet Flame."
"Complexities? Is that what you call killing innocent people?!" Melissa fired forward with Quick Attack, rearing his baton back. "For every life you take tonight, you'll pay for each of them a thousandfold!"
Itzal didn't dodge as Melissa stabbed her baton through his shadowy body. Upon striking him, the Buneary immediately realized something was wrong. Aside from some resistance, she didn't feel anything underneath the shadow body. She pulled her baton out and leapt into the air, slashing across Itzal's face instead. It briefly distorted his eyes, but it soon shifted itself back to normal.
Her eyes widened. "Oh no—"
The shadow pumpkin suddenly brought his hand down and slammed Melissa into the floor. "Pathetic!" He raised his hand against and swung it down into a fist.
Melissa immediately recovered and backflipped out of the way before it could crush her. She slid back toward Monica and staggered as she caught her breath. It…hurt me?
"Scarlet Moon!"
Her eyes widened as Itzal called upon a sphere of scarlet light that produced a light aura of flames. He fired it at the girls, forcing Melissa to grab Monica and dodge the attack as it obliterated an entire wall of the archives.
"NNNOOO!" Monica screamed. "My favorite anecdote about the king's great-great uncle was in that shelf!"
"Less mourning, more running!" Carrying the Alcremie by the waist, Melissa raced up the stairs as Itzal's shadow started flooding the entirety of the archives.
"Where are you running, Skill Hunter?!" His laughter boomed after them as a legion of hands raced along the walls of the stairwell with flames burning off the knuckles.
Melissa burst out of the archive entrance and bolted down the hallway as shadow hands crashed into the walls behind her. She dared to look back as the villainous shadow pulled himself out from the archives, his monstrous size reaching the ceiling, and slithering after her with fireballs raining from his wide, maniacal grin.
"WHOA!" Melissa felt a fireball nearly hitting her heel, but she managed to skip ahead of it and pick up the pace. "Jason! JASON! Of course, the one time I want to do things on my own, this happens!"
Monica did her best to stave off the flames, firing streams of pressurized cream at the raining fireballs. She shrieked as one flew past the girls, melting her right hair bun. "Where are the knights?! Asterio?! ANYONE! HELP!"
Melissa turned a corner and narrowly avoided a stream of flames barreling down behind them. Right as Itzal turned in the same hallway, she chucked a couple smoke pellets that exploded across his eyes. It didn't do much to disorient him, but she managed to duck around him before it cleared. She hurried away before he noticed her escaping.
That technique. It's almost definitely an enhanced move composed of Ghost-Type moves. It allows him to project his shadow and maintain its form. Melissa gritted her teeth. If so, then how was he able to attack me? It should've passed right through me. Actually, I should've passed through it, too. I touched him, and it felt like I was standing on water. What's with this guy?
"Skill Hunter Harlow~!"
She looked back. Itzal had noticed the deception and locked onto her position. His shadowy form flooded the hallway like rushing water, dozens of his cackling faces laughing at her in the distorted waves.
"Don't you want to experience true happiness?!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Monica screamed.
Melissa activated Quick Attack and put more distance between herself and the shadow pumpkin. The fifth most wanted man in Virdis, the Lord of Shadow. If I don't figure a way out of this soon, I'm toast!
Meanwhile…
Asterio rifled through the medicine cabinet of his family physician's private office until he found what he was looking for. He produced a glass bottle containing a purple serum inside. After giving it a quick shake, he popped the cork off and down half the bottle's contents.
He wiped his lips and set the bottle aside before collapsing back into a chair to catch his breath. He peeled the bandages wrapped around his head off and gently massaged his temples. "It should take twenty minutes for the serum to take effect. After that, I'm killing every last clown I see…"
He closed his eyes, focusing on the rumbling piercing through the castle walls from the outside. Every little second of noise fueled his hatred just a little more, visions of his scythe cutting down the scum of the earth alleviating a minute blight of frustration infesting his mind. It worsened his headache thinking about it.
To quell his frustrations, he thought back to his family, who were no doubt already in the safehouse to wait out the attack. He feared for what awaited them in the morning, but he would make sure the city stayed standing by the time sunrise comes.
He wondered where Evangelina was. He knew his sister well, and she wouldn't be waiting around in the safehouse like their family. He could hear her exact response to this devastation.
"This is precisely why I'm the only one fit to take Father's place as ruler. Someone needs to correct the lackadaisical state of our kingdom."
Asterio sighed, feeling a sting from his headache. She always said stuff like that. Are we even doing anything? Grim Deadlock has cracked down on crime, but it only brought more lunatics seeking a challenge. And now this? What good have we actually done, Evangelina? Are we doing the right thing anymore?
"Asterio, can I ask you a question? Do you ever think that…free will was a mistake?"
He opened his eyes, staring wearily at the floor. He recalled when she first asked him that. The night Grim Deadlock was born was the same night he and Evangelina fell into darkness. He never did give a response to her question. He had too many thoughts racing about in his mind at the time. Though, he'd be lying if he said he never considered the freedom of their people.
Laws were a necessary evil, she called them. They kept people in check. They kept the people from acting on their worst impulses. Consequences and discipline made a better Pokémon out of everyone. To act like savages brought untold shame to any community. Those impulses had to be kept in check, lest the beast would run loose.
But to limit a person's ability to choose was an act of suppression. All Pokémon deserved the right to choose. It's what separated them from the Savage Era. To reason is to live, and to live is to reason. Without logic, there is no order. A Pokémon who couldn't choose went against their rights as a member of society.
To ask if free will was a mistake was…a difficult question for the young prince. The fact he couldn't produce a clear answer showed the internal conflict it brought him. All he was good for was killing.
He hated that he was so good at killing.
Was that even his choice anymore?
Asterio covered his face and sighed. "Who even am I anymore?"
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
His eyes widened. "H-Huh?" He shot up from his chair, eyes hurriedly shooting around the office. "That can't be…! That sounded just like…!"
"Y-Your Highness…I-I'm sorry. I just…"
"I wish it didn't have to end like this."
"Her last words still haunt me…"
No, NO! Never again!
Asterio burst out from the office, fighting through the biting pain, and barreled through the hallway with determination and panic flooding his face.
That sounded just like Monica. What's she doing here?! Is she insane?! Asterio shook his head and growled. None of that matters. I have to save her! Nothing else matters but keeping her safe! I'll kill myself before I let that happen!
"I'm coming, Monica! Hold on!"
Using her environment to her advantage, Melissa hopped along the walls of the castle, bouncing back and forth to dodge the array of shadow hands crashing behind her. She sailed over the hallway as more hands surged along the surfaces, projecting themselves outward to crush her in an omnidirectional grip.
"Althalos Style: Abyss Clouds!" Melissa shielded herself and Monica within a shell of dark clouds. The shadow hands crashed down around them, but the barrier kept them at bay. She kicked off the inside of the barrier and rocketed herself through the hallway.
Itzal retracted the shadow arms and continued slithering after her, stomping his hands down as he pursued. "They weren't exaggerating your abilities. Skill Hunter Harlow, the thief who can steal techniques. I heard you got your hands on Althalos and Hobs' brat. Too bad for you, there's only one Scarlet Flame in existence! That's something you can't steal! Scarlet Moon: Embers of Jubilation!"
Melissa looked back as Itzal exhaled a volley of scarlet-colored spheres, each one cloaked in an intense flame. They rained down around the girls, exploding one after the other with flames spreading rapidly. She hastened her Quick Attack and found her way to the main foyer just before the flames erupted out of the hallway behind her.
Itzal burst out from the flaming hallway and fired another Scarlet Moon. Melissa ducked behind a column and shielded Monica from the blast. Before a second attack could be fired, she jumped out from behind cover and chucked another smoke pellet into the monster's face.
"Got to get to higher ground." She picked Monica up again and raced for the stairs.
"C-Can you slow down a bit?" Monica groaned, covering her mouth.
Itzal fanned the smoke away and fired a Scarlet Moon above the stairs. It ripped apart the ceiling and sent flaming debris raining down over them. Melissa reacted and backflipped off the stairs before it crashed down on her. However, with her briefly airborne, it left her open for Itzal to backhand her toward the front wall.
Monica quickly fired cream from her hands, creating a soft cushion for the girls to crash against before falling to the floor. They picked themselves up and looked to the stairs, which have been completely blocked off. The flames were also growing as they spread across the walls and railings.
Melissa glared up at the shadow Gourgeist as he loomed over them, cackling with delight. "Absolutely fantastic. You're not as incompetent as I thought. I rarely have to chase my quarry in this form."
Monica gripped the back of Melissa's uniform and quivered. "W-What are we going to do?"
The Buneary grabbed her mechanical scabbard and swung it around herself. Twisting the dial, she shifted it into its crossbow form. "I don't think we have a choice but to fight."
Itzal grinned. "And so the bunny shows her claws. Go ahead, Skill Hunter, make my night~!"
"Get behind cover!" Melissa ordered Monica before dashing off.
"EEP!" Monica leapt back behind a column and cradled into a ball.
Itzal laughed and raised his fist. "No, no, I'm not playing this game. You want to fight? You better protect the little cream ball, too!" He swung his fist toward the column, aiming to crush Monica.
Melissa, however, wasn't having it. She aimed her crossbow and fired a bullet streaking with orange and blue light. It pierced through the shadow's fist, blowing it to smithereens. The impact also caused Itzal to stagger and tip over, though his amorphous form didn't abide to gravity and kept him from crashing down.
He lifted himself up and smirked. "Oh right, I forgot you could do that."
Melissa reloaded the crossbow. "You were spying on us from the shadows the other night, weren't you?"
"Hehehe. Ever since you comforted Paride in his final moments. I've been keeping a particular eye on you, Harlow." His grin curled. "After all, you are something of a royal pain."
Her eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean…!"
"I meant what I said. You're going to be my little bargaining chip to win back Terrowin's favor should he react poorly to tonight's ritual. If only to get him off my back."
Melissa shook off the brief scare and growled. "That's just more incentive to shut you down for good!" She aimed the crossbow and fired another enhanced bullet.
Itzal twisted his lengthy body and dodged it. "Scarlet Moon!" He whipped his arm and threw down the red light sphere.
"Bounce!" Melissa kicked off the floor, dodged the attack, and landed on a nearby column. She dug her dagger into the side to keep herself stationary, then raised her crossbow to fire another bullet.
Itzal dodged the next shot and expelled scarlet flames from his mouth. Melissa kicked off the column and flipped over the flames. As she flew, she loaded another bullet into the chamber and aimed once she flew directly over the shadow's head.
"Assisted Destruction!" She fired the enhanced bullet, blasting the shadow Gourgeist's head apart. She caught the wall with her dagger and slid to the ground.
Itzal's body recovered, his laughter unending as two jets of flames erupted from his hands. "Scarlet Seekers!" He clutched the flames within his fists, then threw down a volley of miniature fireballs with faces that mirrored his. The fireballs released high-pitched cackles as they neared the Buneary.
Melissa shifted her crossbow back to its normal state and extended her arms. "Frediano Style: Dark Frostbite Claws!" Shadow erupted from her arms and froze over, creating the malleable black ice claws. She rushed forward, slicing through the fireballs and cloaking herself in steam with each hit.
"Ice? You're joking, right?" Itzal slammed his fist down on the mist cloak, presumably crushing the Buneary. However, when he lifted his fist, the thief was nowhere to be seen. "Eh? Where'd you—"
"Did somebody say the Great Harlow~!"
Looking to his left, he saw Melissa launching off a nearby column. Before he could retaliate, she slashed him across the face, ripping into his shadow body with far more effective damage. Tatters of shadow flowed off his face like flayed skin, though Melissa chose to think of them as ribbons to spare herself the horrifying image.
She landed smoothly and performed a little twirl as she did. "A Ghost and Grass-Type like you will find these claws to be extra painful. I don't know how I'm interacting with that shadow body of yours, but at least I have a way of leaving lasting damage on you."
Itzal grabbed his face and pulled on it until he forcibly mended it back to normal. He flashed an irritated glare at the Buneary before smirking. "You are the most annoying little thief. Though, I'm just here to apprehend you. You called out to Stormbreaker earlier, didn't you?"
Her eyes widened. "Oh no…"
"He's the one I need to kill most of all. Getting rid of one of the Three Deadly Storms will grant me a boon. I'll just make sure you can't bother me while I'm at it."
Melissa growled and raced toward him, brandishing her ice claws. "You're not laying a hand on Jason!"
"I tire of this game, Skill Hunter." Itzal suddenly threw something from his shadow hand, smashing it across the floor.
Melissa gasped as a purple mist exploded out from a breakable vial. She staggered and coughed, accidentally inhaling some of the mist. What is this? Knockout gas?
"Harlow!" Monica cried, racing toward the staggering thief.
Itzal smirked. "I suppose I should keep you quiet, too." He clapped his hands together. "Binding Shadow Ritual!"
Itzal's entire shadow body sunk back into the floor, then stretched out two shadow arms toward the girls, marching with their shadows. The girls tensed up as they felt something off about their bodies the moment the tether connected.
"W-Wha…?" Monica gasped.
"What did he…!" Melissa looked down at their shadows before gasping.
Both their shadows peeled themselves out from the floor, taking on three-dimensional forms. With no warning, they wrapped their arms around their physical counterparts and started fusing themselves to their skin.
"H-Hey! Get off!" Melissa yelled, trying to struggle out of her own shadow's hold.
"This feels weird!" Monica shrieked.
Both of them soon became completely encased in their shadows, not a shred of their bodies visible from within. Their feet started sinking into the floor, some invisible force dragging them down. Their screams muffled as they became completely submerged below the floor.
Itzal retracted his arms and appeared along the walls, laughing to himself. "There. That'll keep you out of my way until it's time to go. You both have fun in my world. If you need me, I'm going to go slaughter an electric rat. Ciao!" His laughter boomed through the foyer as he slithered up the blocked-off stairwell.
Left to their own devices and with no idea where they were, the shadows of a Buneary and Alcremie lay across the floor, their screams quiet and barely audible as they banged on the barriers separating them from the world of light.
Echo Bell Streets
Spinning atop his Magnemite crew, Ansaldo observed and bathed in the glow of flames overtaking the city, laughing like a drunken clown. He let the rain hit his skin, absorbing the water while letting the potion slide down. The rain pattered against the Magnemite and Big Boss, who had their metal shells coated to protect them from the volatile components.
"Hoo-hoo-hoo! Iris certainly knows how to put on a show! I knew she had it in her." He grinned. "Still, this stellar performance wouldn't be possible without an opening act like me. A star must shine brightly to captivate the attention of their audience!"
Big Boss beeped something to the Heliolisk, who frowned.
"Oh please, as if any of those pitiful knights have a chance of shooting me down. Even if they sent their best flyers, I'll just send them packing with one, big ol' blast of lightning." He mockingly shot the air with his fingers. "Bang, bang. Just like that."
Big Boss motioned to say something else until its eyes lit up. It beeped in alarm, startling Ansaldo as he never heard the Magneton react so frantically.
"What do you mean there's a—"
Shooting across the rain-filled sky was a ball of blue plasma rocketing toward them. Acting fast, Ansaldo shot electric webbing from his hand and molded it into a barrier. It stopped the energy attack's attacks, fizzling both it and the barrier out. Ansaldo waved the smoke side and hurriedly skimmed the rooftops for the source of the attack.
"Someone's acting awfully brave," he grumbled. "They dare step upon my stage?"
One of his Magnemite pointed down the row of rooftops. Following its direction, Ansaldo spotted a lone figure standing on the flooded rooftop with flames burning from under their feet. The flames curled around the figure, resembling bat wings…or the wings of a demon.
It was a Raboot adorning armor pieces over his arms, legs, and chest over a thick black tunic and pants. His hands rested within his front pocket as he stared up at the performer with a cool, even glare.
"Ansaldo Serpico, was it?" the Raboot called. "I'm gonna have to ask you to come with me. You're under arrest."
Ansaldo narrowed his eyes. "You're that knight that's been snooping around. Sir Angelo, was it?" he replied back in a mocking, knightly tone. He scoffed, flicking his hand coolly across his hat. "I don't need an amateur like you cramping my style. Step off from my stage and watch with the rest of the audience. You wouldn't be able to handle my beautiful performance."
Angelo sighed. "Pa always told me the circus attracted the weirdest sinners. Can't say I agreed with him, but…guess every fallacy has its origins and exceptions."
"Sinner? Me?" Ansaldo threw his head back and laughed. "You're a fool leading fools! You dare call my performance sin? This is art and talent brought to life!"
"You are literally aiding in terrorism and arson."
"Art is subjective. How one sees art can be interpreted differently by another. You have no authority to disregard my performance!"
Angelo shook his head. "I'm something of an artist myself. I sculpted for a living."
"Oh joy, you crush stone for a living. While I spend every waking moment of my life getting my performance down perfect, you strike at stone like a savage and call the rubble you produce art."
That managed to tick the Raboot off slightly. He lifted his glare, digging his flaming soles into the volatile water. "I've decided I hate you."
Ansaldo smirked. "Did I touch a nerve?"
"I'm only giving you one last chance to come down quietly and accept your arrest with the overinflated dignity you still have left. Otherwise, I'm going to open up a lesson in divine punishment for you."
Ansaldo pulled on the brim of his hat and laughed. "Divine punishment? Who do you think you are? Arceus' errand boy?"
Angelo's glare narrowed deeper. "Do you want to know what the people used to call me before I became a knight? What they still call me to this day? My father always said I had something of a righteous spirit inside me, but he never could've predicted what I did next."
Ansaldo groaned. "I'm not in the mood for your backstory. This is my show, stone crusher." He snapped his fingers. "Shooting Star Cannon."
All the Magnemite widened their eyes, charging electrified flashes of light from them, and fired a combined total of six beams down on the Raboot's position. It reacted with the rainwater, setting it off in a grand explosion. The flames twisted into an inferno that erupted into the sky.
Ansaldo threw his head back and laughed. "What an anticlimax! He's not getting an encore any time soon, ladies and gentlemen, but let's give him a hand anyway!"
However, his laughter ended abruptly as Big Boss relayed some concerning beeps to him.
"Missed? What do you mean they—" Ansaldo straightened up and peered down at the rooftops. His eyes widened. "—missed?"
From where the explosion went off, something trailed out from the flames. Burning footprints that seared into the stone of the roofs traveled across, their distance apart indicating Angelo had sprinted out before the explosion occurred. Ansaldo then realized just how far the Raboot moved, seeing a spiral of burning footprints wrapping around the roof he was flying directly over, coiling closer and closer to the center until they just…
Stopped.
"They say I would descend from the sky on a moonlit night, flames rising from my feet with a halo of light shining above me."
Ansaldo and the Magento Crew froze, feeling the knight's voice flowing behind them, as well as a great heat flaring above them. Turning around, they came face-to-face with the Raboot cloaked in flames erupting from his feet.
"And they would call me…the Heavenly Devil."
Benvenuto kept pace ahead of Basil and Lucient as they chased him across the rooftops. Basil snapped his fingers, releasing explosions of Flame Burst to catch the clown off guard, but he would bounce further ahead before the blast could reach him. Lucient would send a barrage of psychically constructed knives only to have them reflected by the lingering Air Walk platforms left in the clown's wake.
Benvenuto bounced off one of his platforms and flew upside-down, mockingly sticking his tongue out at the duo. "You need to work on your aim, Basil. This rain's interfering with the smoke trails you're shooting out. I think I'll keep my distance for a while."
Basil grunted. "Lousy bastard always has to make things complicated."
"His Air Walk technique," Lucient mentioned. "Maybe we can use the platforms to chase him down."
"Not a half bad idea, but he'll have a distinct advantage over us in the air. We'll have to approach this cautiously." Basil produced flames from his fingertips. "If we can at least limit his movement, we'll—" His eyes widened as something entered his peripherals. "Lucient!"
"Huh—" Before the Espeon could respond, Basil grabbed him by the hood and pulled him aside, narrowly avoiding a rising ice wall that cut through their path. It gave Benvenuto time to widen the distance between them, his laughter echoing over the heavy rain.
The Forester duo staggered and looked to the source of the ice wall, spotting a familiar Froslass sending waves of ice through the city, startling stray bystanders trying to find shelter. Some got caught in the wave and lay suspended in a cold prison of ice mixed with the volatile rain.
"Yukimura!" Lucient gasped. "She escaped!"
Basil winced. "Well, that complicates matters." He glared into the distance as Benvenuto got farther away from them. "Change of plans. I'm going after Benvenuto alone. You take care of the ice witch."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
A crafty grin found its way onto the Salandit's snout. "Benny Boy just made this personal, and it's been so long since I've had my fun with him. Besides, if Harlow's two wild cards can hold their own against Junko, this'll be a walk in the park for you."
Lucient grunted. "I do not have your boundless confidence." He sighed and glared at the rampaging Froslass. "Still, I suppose you have more experience dealing with your friend. Very well, I'll handle her myself."
"Atta lad! Try not to lose a limb or two!" With that, Basil leapt over the ice wall with two compressed explosions bursting from his hands and chased down the fleeing Mr. Mime.
Lucient formed a psychic platform under his paws and rose up to meet at Junko's level. "[You should have stayed out of this, Yukimura. I won't go easy on you.]"
The Froslass turned and scowled at the scholarly Espeon. "[I don't give a damn for Itzal's religion personally, but nothing will make me happier than watching the west being burned alive. Your inferior blood will fall to the majesty that is the Great Gate Empire's superior breeding!]"
Lucient glared. "[Scum exists wherever in this world you may go. Fortunately for me, I'm quite experienced in washing it out of the picture, and I'm more than happy to extend knowledge to others.]" He adjusted his spectacles and summoned a myriad of psychic knives to his side. "[Let the lesson commence. I, Professor De Solus, will be your instructor for our one and only lecture together. Be sure to take thorough notes.]"
Castle Visconti
"Monica! Monica!"
Asterio rushed through the castle, searching high and low for the archivist with fear twisting at his heart. He ripped through closed doors, tore apart the hallway, and sent dark winds rushing ahead in vain to find his friend. The number of scenarios playing out in his mind multiplied tens of times with each new paranoid thought entering.
Whatever the reason Monica was back at the castle so late at night, especially during a raid, he now considered the possibility of raiders invading the castle. Perhaps Monica had to flee here because it was the only safe haven she had left, but ended up being followed. Raiders in his home chasing his friend down, and with her life in probable danger…
"MONICA!"
Asterio flew around a corner and spotted something up ahead. The stairway leading to the main foyer was blocked off by debris cloaked in an unusually red flame. He ignored the implications of the color and realized this had to be the source of the conflict.
He tore through the debris with his Psychic and floated down into the foyer, scanning the remnants of a battle that took place some time ago. He didn't see anyone among the damage, only smoke and flame. Panic took hold once again. He clutched at the tattered cloak laying limply over his shoulders as tears welled up in his eyes.
"M-Monica…" He clenched his eyes shut and shuddered. "N-No, I can't be too late. I…I p-promised Rubina I-I'd keep you s-safe…" He covered his face and fell to the floor. "M-Monica! I'm so sorry!"
"…A…Asterio?"
He lifted his head in shock, the delicate voice dancing along his ear canals. "Monica? Arceus, no! I'm starting to hear voices again!"
"Asterio? W-Where are you? Asterio?"
"Why do you keep haunting me?!" he screamed.
"Your Highness! Prince Visconti!"
His eyes widened. "Th…That voice…" He blinked twice, then glared. "Skill Hunter…?"
"Asterio!"
Hearing Monica's voice again, Asterio picked himself up and looked around. "I'm not hearing things. That's really her voice? Monica, where are you?"
"I…don't know how to explain that."
"What do you mean you—wait, why do you sound like you're below me?" He finally turned his eyes down, and his face paled. "What…the?!"
He jumped back in shock. Laying across the ground, defying the basic laws of physics and light itself, were two shadows in the shape of a Buneary and an Alcremie. They had their hands pressed into the floor as if they were trapped beneath it.
"A…Am I going crazy?" he mumbled. He lowered himself to the floor. "Monica? Is that you?"
"Star Prince! Yes, it's me!"
"Star Prince? Monica, that is you! I…!" He glared. "How the hell did this happen? Why are you a shadow? Where's your body? And…why is Skill Hunter Harlow with you?!"
"How did you know this was Harlow?" Monica asked innocently.
His eyes widened. "Uh, um…royal instincts?"
"…Wow, you are amazing."
Harlow shook her head and groaned. "Look, Prince Asterio, this is a very long story, but I'm not here to cause trouble. I saved Monica from that rain coming down outside. Haven't you see what it can do?"
"I…haven't gotten a good look outside, but…" He shook his head and growled. "Forget that. What the hell is going on?"
"I…wish I had a better explanation for that."
Melissa and Monica, true to Itzal's world, found themselves floating in some kind of shadow realm. An infinite void of darkness and purple light shimmered around them, swirling and flowing like water all around. The girls had their hands pressed up to the vaguely gray glass presiding within the realm, resembling that of the floor. They could see the smoky gray outline of the Frillish on the other side.
"The Lord of Shadow attacked us," Melissa explained. "He splashed me with something and ended up dragging the both of us into this void. We can't make out anything but vague shapes. Whatever he did, it's bypassing my immunity to Ghost-Type moves."
"The Lord of Shadow," Asterio repeated. "That's the freak who started all of this? I'm going to—"
"Star Prince, you have to get us out of here!" Monica pleaded.
That seemed to make the Frillish jump based from what they could see. "H-Help? Monica, I don't even know where to begin with this."
She pouted. "Aww…"
Melissa crossed her arms and reclined on the zero gravity darkness. "He used an enhanced move of some kind to keep us locked down here. He said he wanted to keep me trapped down here. It's…possible whatever he splashed me with prolongs the effects of this move as well as makes it so he can interact with me."
"…What kind of Pokémon is he?" Asterio asked.
"A Gourgeist."
"Hmm. They do have a unique Ghost-Type move that can make any Pokémon part Ghost. That may be one half of the reason you two are trapped in the shadows."
Melissa glared. "I didn't even know such a move existed. But, if I can observe him using it, I might be able to steal his technique and get the two of us out of here."
Monica grinned. "You think you can?"
"However, he knows I can steal techniques. He would have to be fighting someone else, and I'd still need to find his real body to observe." She grimaced. "He's going after Jason, so that's unfortunately our only chance to break the secret."
Asterio floated up and glared. "You really think you can get Monica out of there?"
The shadow bunny nodded. "It's better than nothing. However…"
"However?"
"We have no idea where to go from here. Everything's so dark and hazy that we can barely tell what part of the castle we're in. We just know we're in the foyer. Your Highness, this is a big ask, but we need a guide to lead us to Itzal."
"You want me…to lead you?" Asterio clenched his teeth. By all rights, I should have you killed on the spot. Worthless criminal scum deserve nothing less than—
"Star Prince, please!" His eyes widened as Monica's shadow pressed its face against the separate plane. "You got to help us! You're our only hope!"
The prince narrowed his eyes, feeling his rising anger being quenched by the Alcremie's plea. He hated Harlow and the Foresters more than anything, but was it really worth putting Monica's life in danger? He went mad thinking something happened to her, and he was quite possibly their only chance to get out of the shadows.
Grim Deadlock told him to kill Harlow.
…But Asterio Visconti wanted to save Monica.
"…" He took a deep breath and sighed. "Alright. I'll help you two through the castle. Let's find the Lord of Shadow."
Monica laughed and spun around. "You're the best, Star Prince!"
Asterio frowned. Since Monica couldn't likely see his facial expressions, she wouldn't be able to see the tears dripping down his face. She couldn't see just how much pain her words brought him, something he struggled to maintain whenever they hung out together. It almost felt relieving, even if it still hurt a thousand times over.
"Just…don't mention it. Let's get going."