Tearing the Heavens

by Cepel

A young soldier from a once great family is thrust into the future and ends up in an unfamiliar and bizarre world, where his presence can cause complications both ancient and modern. He inadvertently becomes a trainer through mere misunderstanding and sets off in a journey to discover his own self and where he stands in a world that isn't his own.

60. Frostfire

The finding and or locating of Will Ethne had proven to be as big of a pain in the ass as he was.

While finding someone off the grid was irritating enough, finding a trainer who was off the grid was downright maddening.

Granted, Riven fully expected that finding that human lighter would take strenuous effort and immense mental fortitude to not claw his eyes out. Which didn't even get into the mental strength it would take to do the same from just hearing the crap that came out of Will's mouth. He teased even more than Gale did, and that was already bad enough.

The problem with finding a trainer that had gone off in seclusion or into the wild to train was that trainers didn't really have any records, per se. Nor did they have any permanent lodgings or real need for them. The only time they actually checked in for things and left some sort of traceable waypoint was in the city or even towns with inns on occasion. All payments were made with cash too. Otherwise trainers could head into the wild for months and not be heard of or seen.

Honestly, you could pick a town or a city randomly and have about the same chance of finding them there as you did if you picked anywhere else.

Some disappeared permanently like that. Either they got killed somehow, kidnapped or something else entirely. Missing reports of trainers could fill a hundred billboards. If they wanted to drop off the map, they very much could.

There was also the fact that trainers were so commonplace along routes and crowded city areas that people hardly noticed them individually, interacting and then hardly ever seeing their faces again. They came and went like the wind. As such, it was almost impossible to get anyone to identify Will, even if they had seen him. Lucia had given Gale his trainer ID number to see if he'd checked into a center recently but the last record of that was a little less than half a year ago. He also had eight badges so guessing his training path along the traditional gym circuit was shot too.

And so the part Riven dreaded began: running around like fucking Combuskens with their heads cut off.

Going around asking for him yielded about as much results as throwing a pencil at a charging Tauros. Even Lucia hadn't had much luck finding him. Well, obviously not. She was in Unova at the moment training to be a Unovan Field Operative. Didn't answer his phone either. Since that incident he'd apparently grown a little more distant. While understandable, it was a fair bit worrying seeing as how that cult of batshit insane trainer's was growing again.

People could do very stupid things. Teenagers even more so.

I would know.

Like the thing he was about to do now.

Gale and Riven stood outside a dilapidated house in the less than impressive southeast side of Lilycove City. While the city was large and beautiful, Riven wasn't completely shocked by it. Probably as a result of being in Lumiose but even the most beautiful cities had ugly sides. Lumiose definitely did.

"So, this is the guy that'll help us find Will?" Gale asked, wrinkling her nose at the sorry state of the house. "We've been going around for three weeks with nothing to show for it."

"I believe this is the guy. He's rumored to have psychometric abilities. Give him a person's things or some kind of picture and he can sort of figure out where they are. He uses an Alakazam to bolster his senses. Supposedly," Riven stated, mimicking quotations with his two front fingers on each hand. "Before you ask, I learned about him when we were asking around in Slateport. Not from some underhanded source."

"Oh, good. See, you don't always have to break peoples' legs to get information."

Riven shrugged, sizing the place up. "I'll go in, you stay out here. And watch yourself, this side of Lilycove looks suspicious."

"Okay then, my knight of shining armor." She giggled as he gave her a sour look. "Everything looks suspicious to you." Perched on her shoulder, Vizi chattered at him as well.

"You, shut it." Vizi snorted fire from her nostrils. "Having one girl reprimanding me is enough. Tsk. Just because you're not an annoying Fletchling anymore doesn't mean you can take everything by yourself," he frowned. "If a water type sneezes on you, that's it."

Vizi puffed up and shot some embers at him.

"I'll be fine," Gale said, before grinning. "Wait… Are you actually worried about me?"

Riven rolled his eyes, instead attempting to open the door. And it did, only the knob broke off and the door wasn't locked. Going inside, Riven muttered something about shoddy worksmanship and Pinsir shit.

With nothing to do, Gale peered at the streets around the house, noting the lack of income and funds in the area. The concrete was cracked and broken, with Skitty and all manner of pokemon rummaging around through the trash bins in search of food.

They don't show this in the Lilycove brochures…

She stroked Vizi's soft feathers with a hand. She wondered how long he'd take in there, there were already some people leering at her with hungry eyes. She shook the feeling and guessed the screaming would be an indication of progress. This was Riven. True to word, no more than two minutes later she heard a gasp followed by shouting and fear filled shrieks.

And there it-

A table blew right through the second floor window of the house and most of the wall with Riven along with it, spraying shards of glass and wood over the concrete below.

Gale lay on the floor, eyes wide as saucers as she saw her traveling companion turn in place and drop under the table, shifting his knees to land and roll on the ground, glass shards shaking loose out of his hair as he growled coming up. Taking out a pokeball, he summoned Haona, to which he hissed out a command, pointing towards the door. Hands reaching behind his back for Efrain, both trainer and pokemon disappeared back into the house.

Bewildered, the female trainer who'd just witnessed Riven get flung through a window at a height that would break a normal person's legs, ordered Vizi to fly up and prepare for anything. Placing her ear to the door, she heard a deluge of expletives, sword slashing, hissing, and an odd humming sound.

"AH! ALAKAZA-"

"NOT AGAIN, DARK PULSE!"

Gale flinched as a serrated shockwave of ghostly energy cleaved through what little remained of the wall, while a blackish purple beam of darkness simultaneously punted the Alakazam out of the building and into a truck… two streets away.

What followed were more shrieks and very feminine yelps.

"GET AWAY FROM ME DEMON!"

"Shut. Up."

"SPAWN OF EVIL! YOU AND YOUR ABSOL!"

"I said-" Riven kicked the door open, sending it flying out into the street past Gale before dumping the psychometric in front of the porch. "-Shut the fuck up. All I wanted to do was ask for a favor, but no, you had to send me through a fucking window first. Do you know how much that hurts?"

Gale turned her attention to the man on the ground. He was middle-aged and looked out of the ordinary for the area, dressing rather formally, with slicked back hair that was beginning to grey at the sides. Living here seemed to be a choice, possibly to hide from someone.

The tip of the Doublade's sword rested near the man's throat, cold steel against skin.

Yeah, people like Mr. Soldier here.

Gale gripped Riven's forearm and pushed down, lowering the blade. "I know you don't like getting launched through windows but… Just look at him, he's terrified. Put it down. We'll get nowhere like this." The man was shaking uncontrollably, an utter look of terror on his face. He was entirely focused on Riven, frozen in place.

The male trainer conceded and sheathed the blade, eyeing the psychic with scrutiny and an incendiary glare. He flinched at the sight, forgetting to breath. Then relaxed as Gale pushed Riven out of the way and tried coercing him instead. "G-g-get him away. That demon. So much negativity… hatred… What is he?" The psychic muttered, shuddering again. "What do you want from me? Leave me alone! You already destroyed my house!"

It was about to fall down at any moment really… "We were told you had psychometric abilities," Gale said, holding out a photo of Will. "We want you to find him for us, we've been looking pretty desperately."

"I can't!" the man refused. "I need my Alakazam, and you!" A finger jabbed in Riven's direction. "You sent him into a truck! I'll never help you!"

Riven almost gave him a toothy grin before Gale shot him a look. No limbs were to be disfigured in her presence if she could help it.

"Argh, fine. I'll go get the Alakazam, you get mystic here to talk. My chest still hurts from getting hit with the table."

He returned several minutes later with Aine, who carried the unconscious pokemon over a shoulder with a fighter's ease. By that time the man had calmed considerably but grew nervous as Riven approached again, whispering something to Gale. She nodded.

"Riven, you mind staying outside while I talk to him? He says he doesn't want you to be around him."

He responded with a grunt and a wave of the hand, preferring to wait and get this over with. Gale was better with people regardless. Aine brought the Alakazam inside, also serving as a watchful eye in case the guy tried anything funny. Gale sat down in a rather odd smelling couch in the partially destroyed living room, looking up at the ceiling, which had been littered with slash marks—Riven's work, most likely.

Sitting down across from her, the man breathed out and blew on his tea. "Sorry. For this. I'm sure this is unappealing to a woman such as you. I don't live like this by choice and—no offense—but your brute of a travel companion ruined any semblance of comfort I had."

"None taken," Gale smiled. "He's… umm, forward."

She didn't want to specifically say violent, mostly because the guy in front of her looked like a Pidgey in a snowstorm. That Riven was somewhat aggressive in his methods was a huge understatement from what she'd heard. Never had the words, "I'm a licensed dentist," frightened her that badly before. The vicious smile he had on his face when he said it didn't make it any better.

Snapping his gaze up, the man swallowed a gulp of tea. "He… is not of this world. Just like all of the dark type. All of us are creatures of god. Arceus, the creator. Man. Pokemon. All of us. But not them. Those of the dark, they do not come from the father, but from elsewhere. We know… all psychics do. We are close to him, and he's close to us. That man… all I see from him is death, a world forsaken. And our Father's tears. Great sorrow and guilt. I know not what relationship you have with that demon, but be wary, he and all others like him upset the balance. Even more than it already has been. Father is troubled."

Gale nodded weakly, not quite sure what he meant by all that. Maybe this was why Riven disliked psychics in general. They always seemed to talk in half answered riddles. She'd ponder it later. "I will but my friend, I'm trying to find him. Can you help me?"

"Yes, yes, I am sorry."

He took the card and stood up, heading over to where his Alakazam lay. Gale had given him a revive and a few potions to speed up the recovery. It was the least she could do to apologize for Haona dark pulsing the psychic into a truck.

The man, Hugo, sat cross-legged beside the Alakazam, falling deep into a meditation. Placing the picture in front of them, both human and pokemon touched the picture with a finger. Eyes glowing a faint blue, the Alakazam's spoons rose into the air, spinning in an ellipse around the pair. An aura of psychic energy wrapped around them both and remained steady for a few seconds. Hugo then opened his eyes abruptly, disrupting the flow and ending the ritual.

"What have you done?" He asked her, eyes wide and fearful. "No… that boy. That demon! Uncovered treachery! If the Father finds out it will happen again. Oh no…"

Gale gripped the man by the shoulders, shaking him. "Do you know where he is then?"

Hugo nodded. "Yes, but please." He held Gale's hands in his own, holding on hard with fear. "Be careful, Gale Serna. Forces are moving, ancient and modern shadows. The beasts have returned, and we will all be caught in the clash. He is… indecisive. The others urge him to act, but he will wait."

Riven stared at the flowing white clouds in the sky as he noticed Gale coming out from inside, followed by Aine. The Blaziken was as chipper as always, but Gale looked like her brain had gone to pot. He should've known, psychics had a tendency to screw with peoples' minds, whether it was in the literal sense or in the confusing-as-shit sense. From how utterly lost she looked, he was pretty sure it was the latter option.

He pushed off the wall. "How bad were the riddles?"

"Just like you told me," Gale said, rubbing her forehead with a palm. "The guy is… I don't know. He kept talking about Arceus and he knew my name even though I didn't tell him anything. Then he went on about you and Will uncovering some kind of treachery."

A black brow arced upwards.

"I don't know what it means either," Gale admitted, feeling like her brain was getting squeezed.

"Told you, probably more of their exaggerated prophecies and warnings of doom and peril. I definitely lucked out with Baron. Did you at least get Will's whereabouts?" Riven winced. "Please tell me it isn't Victory Road."

Gale shook her head in response, bringing up her pokedex's holographic display of Hoenn. The device centered on them, zooming in on their current location then comparing it to the rest of the region. Riven's model wasn't quite as sophisticated and he'd grown a little attached to Charles, refusing to buy an updated version even if Gale's had a cool three dimensional map built in. Even the cities were interactive on it, showing descriptions and several points of interest. She rolled her eyes at his appreciation of the detail and tapped a location not too far away from them.

A view of a mountain range appeared on the display, surrounded by water along the southern edge.

"That's Mt. Pyre," Riven noted soberly. He glanced at Gale who gave him a uneasy smile.

Will was in mourning. Couldn't blame him either, many trainers did the same, not only living through their grief but training in the wild section of mountain. Ghosts and psychics were abundant there, which made Riven a little anxious about going there. If all of them reacted like Hugo, then they were bound to run into problems.

"Yeah," Gale said, dreading the trip. "It's a fairly large mountain and has naturally occurring fog just about everywhere. Finding Will from the air is going to be close to impossible. Flying in dense fog is dangerous. We'll have to search on foot."

"Should probably stock up on potions," Riven sighed, figuring mentally just how many trainers went there to battle out their grief; a coping mechanism that helped little for the pain but worked effectively to strengthen their teams. It was the only way they knew how to vent their feelings. As a result, many strong trainers gathered there, all recently having lost their pokemon on the Victory Road or in another trainer battle.

"Lots of trainers in that mountain. We should head downtown, Lilycove does have a large mall for trainers. Also, how did you get launched through the window back there? I couldn't really ask with all the craziness but I thought psychic doesn't affect you?"

"Dark types resist psychic attacks, not objects moved by them," he said simply. A fact he thoroughly experienced in Kalos after seeing a Scrafty get hit by a telekinetically thrown signpost. He thought it would conveniently and magically stop the moment it touched the dark type. It ending up face first in an adjacent wall because of said signpost proved that theory just a little incorrect. "That force doesn't go anywhere as soon as psychic influence is gone. Keeps going. Into you. First law of motion."

Gale crossed her arms, looking at him like she'd just discovered something new. "You? Physics? What?"

Riven caught the jab and scowled. "Books exist."

"And I thought all you knew how to do was insert bladed objects into peoples' limbs and brood," Gale snickered. "It's okay though, you do it pretty well."

He didn't even attempt to refute that. "Look, you can't blame me for not knowing modern science, I only traveled forward in time who-the-fuck-knows how many millennia and happened to grow up stabbing people. When I got here television was fascinating to me. Least now that you know I'm not from around here I don't have to listen to anymore 'did-you-grow-up-under-a-geodude' questions."

She grinned mischievously. "Did you grow up under a-"

"STOP." He groaned loudly, turning around to run his hands down his face. "And I'm going to have to deal with the male, less attractive version of you? Fantastic."

"You think I'm attractive?" She pounced, tilting her head.

Riven paled.

Oh shit.

Rather than answering, he bolted, leaving Gale laughing all the way to the mall.

---

Loaded up on potions and all manner of restorative items and supplies, the two trainers flew over route 122, glancing below at all the swimmers battling it out near the water. Even from a fair distance away the mountain was easily visible, surrounded by a dense fog that reduced visibility further and further as they approached. Even partially hidden by the clouds, the mountain was massive, stretching for miles in every direction.

Nearing the mountain, Gale signaled Emile and Kyne to slow down and fly cautiously through the fog. Some canoes could be seen in the water below them, a scary sight for trainers that were just visiting the area. The mystical fog was sometimes seen as a gateway to the other side, to the realm of the dead. In many ways, Mt. Pyre was exactly that.

They landed off the main route up the mountain, on the far eastern side. It would have been ideal to have arrived at the pier, but they had no way of knowing where that was in all the fog. They'd have to make due somehow, even if it meant hiking a considerable distance. Ghosts often roamed the woods of the mountain, with reports of Dusclops, Dusknoirs and the occasional Cofagrigus. Sableye were also common and curiously peered at them from behind trees and shrubs. Groups of Chimecho hung idly from tree branches, turning to face both trainers as they passed through.

Gale heard stories of the creepiness of Mt. Pyre, but didn't believe them until now. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and a cold shiver traveled down her spine. Glancing at Riven, he appeared relatively undisturbed by it all. He'd seen far worse from what she'd gathered. And well, having his pokemon out at the same time was a nice safety blanket too. The ghosts seemed to think messing with an Absol wasn't worth it, leaving them alone.

Definitely a relief.

It been midday out when they started walking and yet the forest remained at the same level of darkness, seemingly indistinguishable from noon to dusk on the inside. The rays of the sun were continuously blocked out by the thick fog. The temperature had dropped significantly, though it technically shouldn't have. Not at the current time anyway. It'd grow colder as night settled in, probably cold enough to form frost.

"Boagrius, try using sunny day to get rid of this fog," Riven commanded, squinting forward.

A ray of light came from the Castform's mouth, temporarily dissipating the fog within twenty feet but was quickly overcome by it once more.

Huh, that's odd. Sunny day doesn't work here? Must be the low levels of natural light, it's a glorified flashlight right now.

He waited for Gale, who approached out of the fog with Evie and Vizi behind her.

"Was that sunny day?" She asked, seeing the fog roll in again. "I saw a light but then it was gone. Guessing it didn't work."

"Yeah…" Riven replied, eyes narrowed. "I don't like this place. Efrain, keep a lookout. Overwatch blade. You can sense your own kind if they approach, right?"

That's not how it works, the ghost said flatly. I'm not Mewtwo.

"Fair enough, no need to give me sass. Just keep a look out. Can't see shit but it's best to try."

Bobbing in the air and waving with his sash, the Doublade split off, with one blade floating upwards. Riven held the other in his hand, motioning with his free hand to tell the group to keep moving.

"Should I release Yukiko?" Gale mentioned, hesitating. Her pokeball was being cradled between the female trainer's palms. "I'm not quite sure how she'll affect the fog here."

"She'd probably freeze it and us. If she tries to hug you again, I don't think I could get you to a hospital fast enough. Using fire on frostbitten flesh works rather poorly too. She's clingier than most pokemon I've seen and you didn't exactly anticipate her evolving in Steven's office. Knocking out that habit is going to be tough. Sucks for you."

Gale sighed softly. "Thanks for the tips, master Cerul."

He snorted. "And we have no rawst berries. They hardly even work on humans as it is. Who even buys ice heals in Hoenn?"

"Ice heals…" That gave Gale an idea. She tapped him on the shoulder. "Wait. If you're part pokemon, then shouldn't pokemon items work on you too? I mean, theoretically, hypothetically."

"Theoretically, hypothetically they-" Riven came to a halt, mouth hanging a little open. "Huh." His eyes lit up. "Only one way to test it, right?"

"Wait! No! Riven stop!"

Twirling Efrain's blade and completely ignoring Gale, he casually slashed into his forearm, not once wincing in pain. Blood seeped from the wound onto the floor as the girl behind him stared in shock. He peered at her, oblivious to the fact he'd just inflicted a cut on himself that would require numerous stitches and a strong-willed medical professional to close normally.

"Can you pass me a potion? It appears I'm bleeding," he said absently, pointing at the blood flowing downwards. It was starting to hurt.

"Pass you a-" Gale went through her pack like lightning, grabbed a hyper potion, ripped off the cap and dumped its entire contents all over his arm, then threw the empty canister at him. He grunted loudly at the sting, reactionary swears and curses coming out of his mouth. His eyes widened in pleasant surprise a few seconds afterwards as the wound mended completely, leaving healthy skin behind.

"Interesting," he chuckled darkly. Then he locked eyes with Gale, his lips curving upward in an enormous, shit-eating grin. "Gale. Do you know what this means?"

What have I done? She went milk white. Giving Riven an idea he actually liked never meant something good. Or sane, for that matter. "Oh, no."

"I can cheat like a fucking bastard," he cackled, thinking of all the bullshit strategies he could employ with this. Instantaneous healing items! Genius. "Next time an electric type paralyzes me, I'm going to take a paralyze heal then kick it in the balls. This is good. Very good. Thanks for the insight, Gale."

Her mouth hung open, not sure whether to be more horrified at his casual self-mutilation for the sake of testing things or that he intended to get paralyzed again. Possibly also that he seemed happy at the thought of fighting pokemon by himself. Given his newly revealed history… old habits did die hard. Regardless, he still made about as much sense as a Spinda, and that was pushing it vastly.

Gale smacked a palm against her forehead, almost unaware of it herself.

"What?" He cocked his head. "I thought you've gotten used to this already."

"NO ONE can get used to-" She waved her hands, gesturing madly at his entirety. "-THIS. You're the real lunatic here."

"Eh, I've acknowledged this already. I rather like myself with all the screws loose, and here you are following me. Ironic, isn't it," he pointed out chidingly. "So, where are we now? Bring out your fancy map."

She huffed in exasperation but did so, opening it with a tap and a ping.

Mt. Pyre's map wasn't quite as detailed due to the fog and strange electromagnetic field surrounding the area, so most of it was distorted, skipping over details that would have been otherwise crystal clear anywhere else. While rough, maps never needed to be that detailed anyway. At least not in Riven's time. Things were shit compared to the ones now, but they worked fantastically. You didn't always need complex, simple worked just as well.

Currently, there were several miles of terrain left to reach the main path; more than what they could cover in a day without developing god forsaken blisters. The sun hadn't gone down yet by looking at the time but the sky was darkening and the temperature had begun to drop, that much they could tell. Once it was sundown, the forests would likely be far more active. After spending the last two hours of sunlight gathering wood and other materials for a fire, they set their sleeping bags down, huddling close to the flames.

Gale lay on her back, head reclined against a curled up Evie, looking up at the star-filled sky as the fog cleared. Riven was in a similar position, using Haona as a headrest instead. She didn't seem to mind. Aine and Baron were perched up in the trees, along with Vizi, scouting for any threats.

Riven's expression was filled with pensive concern, mind no doubt occupied with Will.

"Worried about him?" Gale asked suddenly.

"Yes," he answered quickly.

"Mind if I ask why?"

"A lot of things. He lost a pokemon and came here. And those incinerated trainers…" Paused, then breathed. "His fire is getting stronger. Before, he couldn't even fire off a few embers before getting winded. Now he can char bodies?"

"That's not all is it?" Gale surmised. "You think he's going to do something drastic?"

"A lot of trainers in his position have been turning to that cult that originated in Sinnoh. It's gaining traction again and that's definitely not good. If he got mixed up with them…" He shook his head and held a finger up in the air. "One Victory Road tested trainer brought an entire region to its knees. And no one could stop him. What if it was a Victory Road tested trainer that also had the powers of a pokemon? The training world and the criminal one wouldn't survive it. Complete and utter shitstorm. League's walking on thin ice as it is."

"That is true, sadly. You think Will would really do that?"

"Can't afford ifs, Gale. I need to be sure he won't or knock some sense into him if he does."

"And if he doesn't then?"

The silence hung in the air, only broken by the crackling of the fire.

"His powers then," she redirected. "They're stronger than yours?"

He lifted a hand into the air, staring at it intently. "Probably. I wager they don't have the same drawbacks at least. The boost I get is amazing, but what comes afterwards… not good. Has a lot to do with typings and their patterns I guess. Go back further than training even. I can only handle this for a short amount of time, but it's enough to get in there and tear things to shreds. I'm assuming elemental types can battle out longer but can't quite achieve the strength types like mine can. They also don't have to deal with crazy bastards living in your head. Gets hard to live with. He's a serious asshole."

"Dark types are fragile but hit hard," Gale recited, drawing back from what Flannery told her. "Efficiency is king. Eliminate the enemy whichever way you can."

"Something like that," he agreed, adjusting his head in the midst of white fur. Haona opened an eye to look down at him, then went back to dozing off. "I neglect my powers because of their drawbacks, Will could practice it in secret without anyone knowing." He hmped. "I mean, he could just blame Quil for any forest f-"

And froze.

"Riven?"

"Forest fires!" Riven said, sitting upright instantly.

She blinked.

"We can track where he's been based off reports of fires in the area and pinpoint a general location. If he's been practicing his abilities in seclusion along with Quil and his pyromania, it shouldn't be difficult to find him, even here."

"I mean, that's a good idea but…" Gale exhaled in exhaustion, not looking forward to this at all. "We'd have to ask the rangers located near the top of the mountain. They got placed there after the Magma's and the Aqua's stole two important relics of some kind. They should have all the reports up there. Talking to the proprietress isn't a bad choice either."

"We leave at first light then."

They arose some time before dawn and headed out, fully rested and ready to go up the mountain. Several hours of hiking took them up to the main road, which would have been a good thing were it not for all the trainers now in the way. They got challenged left and right, with the majority of the challenges aimed at Gale, either because she was a girl or the challenging trainer was one of those people with mild psychic prowess.

Male trainers often fought female trainers for a chance to discuss "training tips". Riven had overheard the strategies for picking up female trainers in pokemon center lobbies multiple times. Heh, if they were as good at battling as they were at daydreaming perhaps they'd actually get somewhere. They didn't seem to get the message that beating girls then immediately hitting on them while offering tips was like punching someone in the face, giving them a massage and telling them not how to suck next time. Nobody wanted that crap.

They all gave Riven a damn wide berth though(thankfully), so he spent most of the time watching Gale. He hadn't seen her battle a trainer yet but she was a very intelligent battler, picking out the weaknesses in the opponent fairly easily. He also had to commend Vizi, he'd never expected that little food guzzling bird to be this ferocious in a fight. Yukiko finally saw some action and because of the mist surrounding the area, Gale used the ghost's body and color to hide amongst it, throwing sneak attacks from multiple angles. Although, Gale had to return Yukiko before her congratulatory praise triggered the over affectionate nature of the Froslass.

All in all, impressive. After getting awkwardly asked out by a psychic trainer and politely rejecting him, Gale returned to Riven's side, smiling widely at her battle money.

"Quite a lot of money." Riven noted. "That's what? Battle number nine? Ten? Twelve?"

"Thirteen," Gale grinned. "I'm practically out of potions. I used my hyper potion on your arm, ass. Give me one of yours."

He handed her one with a hesitant frown.

"What about you?" She asked, inverting her tone completely. "How many people challenged you?"

"Two. Well, they were twins so I guess that makes it one. Said I looked like their brother."

"Aww, that's sweet."

"He died five years ago," Riven deadpanned.

"…Oh."

"I'm used to it, I attract these people like flies. Anyway," Riven continued, "the espers avoided me like I was a disease. If you get to deal with them though, I'm fine with that. They're… odd-er than most of the people here," he said, drawing out the word.

Gale agreed to that with a nod. "Only two? There must have been dozens of trainers. Psychics really dislike you that much?"

"The stronger my abilities get, the worse off it is," Riven explained, not at all perturbed. Haona and Efrain could crush them fairly easily if they did muster the courage to battle him. "Only natural they would shy away from their natural predators, huh?"

"Calm down, Arcanine. Don't start thinking like a wild pokemon now."

Riven let a small smile crawl up his face before he stopped it in its tracks. "There's the ranger station there at the top. The proprietress should be up there somewhere too."

---

Arriving in the ranger station, Riven and Gale asked around for any strange or unexplained recurring fires that happened along the mountain recently. At first, the rangers figured they were just Vulpix and Ninetales setting things on fire on occasion, because the flames usually died out before they became a problem—the pokemon were known to control their fires so there were never any real problems. They did point out an oddity though. When inspecting the sites of the reported fires, tree trunks and grass were seared to the point of ash and the ground was cracked and morphed in a way that didn't seem at all consistent with Ninetales and its pre-evolution. In fact, one of the rangers drew up a comparison to a Camerupt.

Lava plume. Has to be Will.

Typhlosion were known to learn the move and he very much doubted it had been a Camerupt, it would have left identifiable prints for the rangers to track—especially that deep in the mountain. A wild Camerupt that was misusing its abilities could cause plenty of destruction to the natural habitat if left alone.

Most of the fires occurred near the western edge of the mountain, in a range of deep forests and secluded areas that were frequented by Ninetales and the like. The pokemon there seldom made contact with humans, and trainers never bothered to go to those parts despite a generous population of the pseudo-psychic foxes.

In essence, an Ideal place to train in perfect seclusion and peace.

Riven worried that his- well, self would rile up the Ninetales, using his past experiences with psychics as an indicator about how shit things went just getting near one that wasn't Baron. They weren't technically psychics, but they were pretty damn close. So close they actually were counted as psychics, even if the pokedex didn't agree.

It took another day to get even near the reported area and when they did, the fog intensified, impairing sight so much that they could barely see two feet in front of them.

Will-o-wisps weaved through the trees—faint colored balls of fire that acted as sentries and inflicted mystical burns on enemies if they tried to touch them. They shifted and darkened as Riven got near, expanding and minimizing rhythmically. Gale turned her head and squinted at one, figuring that the Ninetales likely used the fires as an early warning and messaging system, a code perhaps? Came as no surprise, really. Ninetales were incredibly intelligent.

Further in, they encountered large groups of Vulpix prancing around the misty forest. The fox pokemon got close to them, inspecting both of them with a curiosity that could rival a Skitty's. A smaller kit with ruffled fur came up to Riven, tugging on a shoe lace with its teeth, then sniffed his pants, pawing at them as tests. Gale smiled as she saw Riven's stone-faced demeanor struggling to hold together. He fed the fox a berry and sent it off with a pat on the head after spotting its golden-furred mother in the mist, keen red eyes watching him in turn.

Gale smiled as the baby pokemon eagerly returned to its mother with a pecha berry in its mouth. "Trying not to piss off its mother?"

Riven nodded. "That's one big reason. Ninetales are pretty vengeful, will-o-wisp burns hurt far more than normal ones. Seriously do not want." He looked around, pursing his lips. "Hmm. This is the place with the largest concentration of accidental fires, right?"

Gale brought up the map, where one of the rangers set up a marked display on the projected area. They were standing in the vicinity, but there were nothing but Vulpix kits and Ninetales here. That is until the wild pokemon began to leave with a flick of nine golden tails from the supervising fox. Soon the forest was empty, save for the mist and the two trainers. Eerily quiet, Riven and Gale searched for clues, finding scorch marks and several signs of fire pokemon among the perimeter, but nothing drastically different.

It wasn't until they headed further into the mist to find a section of the forest that had been partially turned into a clearing via incineration. The ground was uprooted and broken, with ashen remains of grass, trees, and ferns lying beside the scar in the earth. Inspecting it closely, Riven called Gale over.

"See this?" He said as she approached. "Lava Plume. We're close."

"Can't believe we're tracking Will." Gale shook her head. "I suddenly feel bad for the rangers who handle missing persons reports."

"Being a ranger isn't all the glamor-"

Efrain's disembodied voice reached both trainers simultaneously, a hushed whisper of warning. Prince, Ms. Gale, there is movement in the trees. I cannot see what it is, but it is moving quickly.

Riven and Gale exchanged looks of concern instantly, spreading out.

"Think he'll attack us?" She asked, swallowing.

"I'm not counting on him not to," Riven replied. "I'll try reasoning with him, stay back and cover me, he might use his pokemon too."

She listened, backing up to summon Emile and ordering him skyward. Riven shifted in place, holding Efrain's blade with both hands, rotating to try and anticipate any surprise attacks. All he could see was mist, the forest remaining as silent as the grave save for the crunching of grass and an occasional snapping of twigs from Gale.

Efrain, he called out mentally. Anything else?

No, the movement stopped.

Riven eased slightly, not quite lowering his guard. Eyes narrowed, he huffed. Couldn't have been a Vulpix… would have heard thumping. Which means- He looked up at the trees. They all had branches thick and strong enough to uphold a healthy human male, definitely strong enough for a teenager.

He's using the trees to move. It's what I would have done. But this is Will, he's one of the most unpredictable battlers I've ever seen. Who knows what he's going to do. Need to get ready.

A piercing cry then erupted from within the mist, breaking Riven's thoughts completely. The form of a winged creature flew up through the mist from inside the forest behind Gale, startling her. Riven turned quickly on a heel, only just making out the form of the pokemon. From the general outline and cry, he was able to discern that it was a Flygon. No doubt about it. That was Rika.

About to call out to Gale, Efrain rattled in his hands, yellow eye narrowing into a thin slit. Hostile, ready.

Prince! Behind you!

Fire roared at him from beyond the mist, clearing the fog as it passed. The flames spiraled towards him like the head of a dragon. Thinking quickly, Riven moved his right foot in an arc, turning his body in a sideways stance, right arm raising the sword high into the air. Purple energy flowed into a single crimson blade, then cleaved downwards in an overhead slash. A jagged shadow claw clashed with the stream of fire, splitting it into two smaller streams, each less powerful than the initial but still strong enough to kill or maim. They continued along the clearing, rendering what healthy grass was left into nothing but cinders as well as annihilating any trees unfortunate enough to be caught in the exchange.

Damn, that fire's hot. Riven grimaced, settling back into his one-handed stance. How am I supposed to fight fire types with Efrain? If I used him to block, he'd get destroyed. Got no water or rock types either. Not good. But it must be even worse for Emile.

He could hear the cries of a dragon and Emile fighting in the air from above, aerial aces and dragonbreaths illuminating the fog in flashes of white and blue. On the ground, Gale worriedly tried to make out anything, growing impatient on the ground. Riven made eye contact with her, nodding slowly, then directing his gaze upwards to the sky. She wasted no time in getting up there herself, summoning Kyne to take her up.

Once Gale was gone, Riven steadied himself, breathing in deep. He wasn't entirely certain why Will was attacking them but he couldn't just ignore it. Teenagers were a nice little messed up bundle of emotions, and when something traumatic happened… well, things went to pot fast."Will!" He called out into the forest. "I know it's you! That's Rika up there! Keep attacking us and I won't hesitate to kick your ass! It's me, Riven!"

The response came in the form of two flamethrowers from opposite directions. Riven grit his teeth and jumped backward to dodge before both fire blasts incinerated him. They intersected against one another, briefly halting in place then pushing past to form a parallel divide of fire, burning everything along their path. The heat was so strong that Riven could see steam instead of mist from the evaporated water in the air.

Already sweating from the heat, Riven had to rethink his approach to this. Efrain and most of his team were physical fighters. They needed to get close to do the most damage, and that presented a number of difficulties against opponents that could zone them out from a distance. It felt like the war all over again. You couldn't fight fireblasts the size of a house with a sword, you'd die uselessly and hilariously to end up a very stupid pile of ash. Shockwaves from psycho cut and other slash based attacks could work, but they took far more energy to execute, something that was taxing for pokemon. Wars of attrition were never really his forte anyway.

Will and presumably Quil pressed their attack, constantly changing their position along the clearing as they prodded Riven with more intense blasts of flame. Flipping, jumping, and sprinting, Riven was starting to get annoyed.

Trying to tire me out?

Rolling under another flame thrower, Riven sprang to his feet and into the air, spinning clockwise as Efrain prepared for another shadow claw. The following slash cut through the air and sliced into the mist as trees snapped and cracked at being cut to pieces. Riven repeated this pattern in the opposite direction, cleaving through more trees in a rotating slash, sending waves of ghostly energy claws into the thicket.

He'd draw him out, just like the Pangoro did back in Santalune. At least the fog had been evaporated or cleared away.

There was an odd silence, broken when Riven heard and saw an explosion of flames from within, orange light illuminating the thick fog. Fire then propelled outwards in two streams side-by-side, as if coming from two, similarly spaced sources.

Arms.

Efrain, I need your second blade, Riven commanded. The single crimson blade hanging in the sky emerged from his shadow, settling by his side. Picking it up, Riven charged up another shadow claw, using both blades instead of one. Combining into each other, the shadow claws formed a wicked scythe of ghostly energy, darkening the brightened atmosphere of the clearing. Crashing together, both attacks distorted each other to the point of instability, ending in an explosive wave of force. Whatever grass was left was completely annihilated with scars and fissures opening ominously up along the floor.

Riven's eyes widened in realization, scrambling.

Lava erupted out of the cracks in the ground, spraying upwards as they advanced towards him. The ground shook, throwing Riven off-balance and leaving him unable to gain his footing to dodge. In a split second decision, he crossed Efrain's blades together, setting steel on steel to create a guard. A protective shield of dark purple light extended in a crescent over and across both trainer and pokemon, holding back the searing lava as it pushed violently up from beneath. The force of the eruption launched them both into the air, high enough to break legs and other important parts of the human body coming down.

As he fell, Riven threw one of Efrain's blades down at the floor before gravity worked its magic, ordering the Doublade to use pursuit at the apex of his fall. He was back on the ground safely, avoiding the danger of teleporting while falling. Dislodging the sword from the ground, he hardly had time to react as a human figure emerged from the fog, fire flaring in his hands and behind his feet.

A fire punch slammed into the ground where Riven had just been, the shockwave of its strength igniting the oxygen in the air and turning whatever water existed in the area into hot gas. Will stood up, red eyes glowing orange as he sized Riven up. His hair had gotten longer and wasn't hidden behind a hat, spiking downwards towards his neck.

And he got taller, Riven thought, turning his body to evade a kick of flame. "Will, stop!"

Will didn't so much as bother replying by way of speech, punching and kicking fire at him in controlled, testing bursts. Riven dodged them, hesitating to retaliate. Obviously he didn't want to kill the guy, or cut off something he needed, like say… his legs.

Will's ability to fight had definitely improved though. Riven assumed that for the past few years, Will had been training himself and his abilities along with his pokemon. Back when he still knew him, the kid could hardly throw a punch, and now he was pushing him back. Granted it was with fire and not exactly his fists, but still.

Sometimes he really wished he had a water type or a rock type. It was like the Roses all over again. Riven grunted in irritation, swinging in retaliation at Will. Why do I always fight at disadvantages?

You're a sadomasochist, Efrain answered gruffly. And you're insane.

Rhetorical question, Efrain.

Sorry.

Shadow claws and crescents of energy leapt at Will, blocked by equally powerful bouts of fire. The guy almost didn't appear to be human; with spins, leaps, and spontaneous movements shaping the direction of his fire punches and blaze kicks, some arcing low with others coming in like a hammer of heat and light—flowing like a dance.

A sword's dance.

Riven changed up his tactics, doing something most would consider insane—he charged straight at Will, blade edge first. The younger trainer held a brief expression of surprise as he adjusted as well, attempting to back up. The sword's dance style had a glaring weakness—it was all about the attack. The style employed constant barrages of explosive energy and frenetic movements to confuse and disorient the enemy, leaving very little focus on defense.

He knew this down to his very bones, drilled into him after hours upon hours of getting shoved into the dirt by his instructor, each mistake critically pointed out in the form of another mouthful of mud. A more defensive style could match it, but sometimes something spontaneous was all you needed—breaking through the gaps, as it were.

And he did exactly that, using Will's own footing and position against him.

"Phantom blade!" Riven ordered.

Efrain's left sword split off, attacking in tandem as Riven delivered quick slashes with both hands on the other blade, pushing Will back. Phantom blade was what he'd named the style, and to be frank, it was quite unfair. Seeing how horribly outclassed he'd been in his fight against the Doublade, Riven figured that if he adapted a similar form by having the second sword attack from impossible angles, he could reap its benefits.

And reap he did.

The flurry of blinding slashes kept Will from attacking, where his lack of defense really showed itself. A diagonal cross slash aimed for the head and a second aimed low, forcing Will to duck and evade the second slash, giving Riven just enough time to sweep his legs out from under him with a forceful kick. On the floor and vulnerable, red eyes didn't look up at Riven, but into the thicket.

Riven spotted a flash of light and instantly ordered Efrain to dive into his shadow. He reappeared behind a tree a good distance away, watching as a five-pointed blast of fire incinerated where he'd just been standing.

Quil emerged at last, fire bristling from his back, steaming as he waded in from the mist. He was a Typhlosion now, with a fierce disposition and bulky yet agile body. Heat radiated off the pokemon, spreading cinders on the ground as he walked. The fire type helped Will up, who dusted himself off. Will then turned to where Riven was hiding, as if knowing he was there.

Then smiled viciously.

A will-o-wisp harmlessly passed near Riven's head, pulsing. Lips curling into a snarl, he cut it apart with a weak use of shadow claw.

Cheeky bastard, he cursed. He's using the Ninetale's will-o-wisps to spy on me. Learned a few new tricks and playing dirty? All right then.

Riven unclipped a pokeball, maximizing it with a click. It opened to reveal Aine, who looked momentarily stunned to see Will and Quil. Her trainer gave her a sideways glance, eyes still fiercely focused on Will, who matched that look.

"Aine. Will isn't seeing correctly right now and kind of wants to melt my face off. I need you to take his pyromaniac of a Typhlosion while I beat him into submission. He's a few years to early to defeat me in a fight. Bring Quil down."

Nodding once, the Blaziken's wrists and ankles flared to life as blue eyes narrowed in preparation. Riven spun Efrain's blades in his hands, grating steel against steel as he set the two swords against each other.

The two trainers and fire pokemon charged at each other, exchanging slashes and blows. Human and pokemon seemed to blend together as they fought, alternating opponents in the fluidity of combat. Aine and Riven stuck close, covering each other. The Blaziken used a style of fighting that preferred calculated strikes while reducing energy expenditure—effective and efficient. She'd mirrored the style after what Riven had taught her and perfected it after hours and hours of training with Baron, mixing in her own moves. Flannery called it, "Pointed Flame". Fancy name. Kind of nice.

In contrast, Quil was like a raging volcano, relentlessly trying to burn his opponents down. His fire was like the sun, turning the field around them into a burning, scorching mess.

Dripping sweat, Riven still kept pace with the fire types even with Efrain starting to heat up and grunt in protest.

Seeing they were getting nowhere, Will took things up a notch. A white light enveloped his legs and arms as he disappeared in a flash, appearing near Riven's side. Fire tore through cloth and burned skin as it hit, the force of the punch sending a wave of pain into Riven's ribs.

He hissed, just barely able to block the next fire punch with Efrain's blades. The ghost cried out in pain from the fire, metal turning red hot from contact. The handles were even getting hot. Riven hissed and charged up a stronger shadow claw in both swords, cleaving downwards as a shockwave of sharp, purple energy forced Will back.

Getting just another breath in, Emile and Rika came barreling down from the sky, with Emile crashing into several trees on his way down. Gale came down too, fearlessly riding Kyne as he fired air cutters at the dragon.

Riven took a moment to glance at Aine, paling when Will said something for the first time since he appeared.

"Casca, hydro pump."

A jet of highly-pressurized water blasted out from inside the forest, heading directly towards Aine, who was currently in the air, about to pummel Quil into the floor. She could only pull her body inwards as the attack sent her through several trees and tree trunks, where she ended up under a fallen log, barely able to pick herself up. She did manage to get up, albeit severely weakened and limping.

The attacker came into view, a fierce blue pokemon covered in armor like shells, displaying a wickedly sharp horn and what appeared to be long whiskers on its face.

Samurott?! Riven cursed under his breath. When the hell did he get a Samurott? Aine can't beat that.

Unclipping more pokeballs and returning Aine, Riven wasn't going to hold back anymore. Baron, Boagrius, and Haona came out, displaying the same level of confusion as Aine. One look from their trainer and the wound near his ribs told them all they needed to know.

"Take them down," Riven ground out.

Baron was the first to leave, teleporting in front of the Samurott, dropping into a stance—twin green elbow blades extended. The water type regarded him with a fierce glare, standing on its hind legs. It pulled its seamitar, which began to glow a pale blue.

Haona met Quil, standing her ground firmly. Typhlosion or not, no one attacked her trainer and walked away without a maiming. Darkness coated her horn as Quil flared again, setting the ground ablaze.

Boagrius found himself near Gale, where his trainer ordered him to support her. He stressed the dire importance of grounding the dragon, and the best chance to do that was with the female trainer's Froslass. Hail would work perfectly with the ghost's ability, even if it severely affected the flight maneuverability of her birds. But it would also do the same for the dragon.

Riven and Will faced each other as pokemon clashed and fought. Seamitars and blades scraped and screeched, fire and darkness roared, and hail fell from the sky, pelting the damaged landscape with ice.

"Assault blade," Riven said levelly. He reached into his shirt, gripping the Diancie stones.

Yellow eyes peered up at him, twin swords rattling. Prince, are you going to release that? Is that a wi-

Doesn't matter. No choice, he replied. I can't beat his quick attack with just this. You wouldn't be able to protect me and attack him effectively at once.

The ghost agreed with apprehension, leaving his trainer's hands to float freely in the air.

Riven pocketed the stone necklace, reaching inward and outward to find that negativity from which to draw from. A flooding of emotions came to him; guilt, shame, sadness, grief, resentment. The feelings of loss and pain were feeble, hardly worth tapping into. That made sense. They were the beginnings of the rest. The primary building blocks of anger and hatred. Grief turned to resentment, resentment turned to anger, and then, when it simmered and boiled ever so slowly… became hatred.

He found that hatred in the hearts of trainers who'd come here before, seeing the flourishing of light streams above his head like he'd seen in the Blade Graveyard—a rainbow of negative emotions and horrible memories, blaming the world and their own inadequacies as the result of their pokemons' deaths.

Will's brows narrowed as he saw Riven stop briefly, eyes closing. But when he reopened them, a heavy aura of dread made the air feel like it was coated in lead. His chest felt heavy and his skin crawled. Then he saw Riven's eye—a deep, blood red shining in the darkness and the hail.

But the most terrifying part of it all was the vicious, toothy smile the older trainer held.

Haona felt the wave and instantly grew angrier and stronger, feeling power swelling into her. In the forest, Gale looked towards the clearing, eyes wide. Baron focused on his fight, using his ki to keep the dark influence at bay.

Will subconsciously took a step back and was taken off guard when Riven easily closed the distance, forming out of dark afterimage behind him. Black blades of darkness extended outward from the tip of two knives, slicing into the dirt as Will narrowly dodged, even with his quick attack enhanced speed. The slashes didn't just cut into the ground, they continued to split into it, leaving a huge scar meters deep along the battered ground as they did.

Then the Doublade pressed its attack, complimenting its trainer's own. White swirls of energy weaved between the darkness revolving around Riven's legs, reaching up further into his arms. Quick attack enhancing. Recognizing the move, Will breathed, drawing more power from within.

Fire and darkness danced among trainer and pokemon, destroying the clearing further from the battle. Somewhere along the frenzy, Rika fell frozen in the air and taken down, crashing into the forest from iced over wings, unable to fly.

The Samurott and the Gallade weren't even remotely matched. The psychic fighter was just too practiced, easily blocking and countering the water type's moves with predicted attacks and reads, no doubt reading the Samurott's mind as well. Even Quil struggled against the Absol, weakened from his fight with Aine.

Riven and Efrain assaulted Will with combined attacks, tiring him out from dodging four simultaneous strikes with every passing second.

Managing to get away with a downwards blast of traveling fire that left Riven in the smoldering remains of a tree, Will brought both hands together and breathed deeply, taking in as much oxygen as he could. His core temperature began to rise, the flame within growing hotter and more pronounced to the point where his skin began to glow orange.

Limping lightly from the attack, Riven prepared, raising both swords.

A blinding vortex of flame exploded from Will's fists as he thrust them both outward, flames coiling around his arms and legs to feed the attack. Hail and water burned away instantly along its path, not even deterring it.

Darkness pooled into Riven's swords much like Will's flames did, feeding into their power. Their shape distorted, becoming unstable with energy. Letting out a predatory shout, Riven unleashed the night slash, robbing the Overheat of some of its light.

Riven didn't stop there, forming weaker slashes to add to the night slashes' power. However, instead of of forming a massive explosion, the two attacks slid past each other—the gigantic cut of darkness and stream of fire heading into the forest in opposed directions. Gale could only watch in horrified amazement at the level of power and destruction they displayed.

Humans, decimating the landscape. Not pokemon. Humans.

Will's fire waned from the effects of overheat and exhaustion began to take him over. Riven ran straight at him again, breathing strained with gritted teeth. Trapped between the Doublade and Riven, Will let himself fall to avoid being cut into eighths, unable to respond.

A single red eye pierced through him, freezing him with fear. Riven flipped a dark sword in reverse, aiming it down. His teeth were bared and a guttural growl came from him, low and feral.

"I yield!" Will said suddenly, raising his hands. The dark blade stopped an inch from his throat, sword wavering as its wielder's hand shook. Riven's expression settled into defensive wariness after a moment, a stark contrast from the absolute hostility he'd displayed a moment prior. He watched him closely, then gestured for the younger trainer to sit up.

Moving his body felt like lead, but Will listened, sitting up.

"So you yield?" Riven asked, voice gravelly. His right eye was shut closed and he looked as weary if not worse than Will.

A nod.

"That's good," Riven said with a pained wince, before turning around and hitting the floor face first.

Will followed soon after, giving in to exhaustion.

---

When both boys awoke, Gale examined them both, gray eyes wide and worried. There was a fire going and it was nighttime. Will and Riven blinked the sleep out of their eyes, watching as all their pokemon were eating together rather than tearing each other apart. Luckily, their brains were still on startup.

A forceful slap of a backhand could be heard as Gale's hand made contact with both boys' faces.

They startled awake, cheeks stinging.

"You idiots!" She reprimanded. "You nearly killed each other and me! And you!" She jabbed Will in the chest, who looked scared out of his wits. "I thought your Flygon was going to murder Emile! Why did you attack us?!"

Will sputtered but Gale didn't let him speak.

"And then both of you had to pass out, your pokemon had to explain everything before Riven's tore their throats out and I had to set up camp all by myself! The rangers also came to inspect just what the hell happened because they could see the fire and smoke from the top of the mountain. I had to get everyone away from the scene so we wouldn't get sent to jail for unnecessary collateral damage to a protected pokemon habitat!"

She huffed, fuming.

The younger male meekly apologized, to which she shook her head and declared she was going to bed. Settling in her sleeping bag with a stormy glare, she shifted away from them with a hmph.

"Does she always do that?" Will asked, shivering. "I feel like my mom just scolded me. That was kind of scary."

"Only if you piss her off. And she did make camp by herself." Riven groaned, holding his head. "To be honest, I should be burying my fist into your skull right now. Using the will-o-wisps, though. Nice trick. Still, if that was your idea of a prank, it was a poor one. I would have killed you."

"Sorry, I fucked up. Yeah, testing you probably wasn't the best idea." Will let out a self-depreciating chuckle. "You got really ferocious at the end. You fought like you did in Lavaridge, did you think I was going to kill you?"

"Those blasts of fire were very convincing," Riven said dryly. "That would have killed anyone."

"But it's you."

"Just because I don't take dying well doesn't mean you should try and accelerate the process," Riven shot back, tone even drier than the last.

"And you're like me!" Will piped up. "I really didn't expect that. Did you pick up a sphere and evolve too? Dark type I guess?"

"Mmm," Riven nodded. He eyed Will's Samurott making peace with Aine by offering her some meat. Strange alliance given it blasted her through several trees. "But I didn't need a sphere. I was born like this."

Will's eyebrows apparently decided to say hello to the clouds. "B-born?"

"Remember that story I told your sister in LaRousse?"

"Heh, the one that sounded like complete bullshit with some added Rhyhorn feces on top?"

Riven gave him a dirty glare. "Yeah, that one."

Will put a hand on his chin, making out what Riven was implying. "That was true then?"

"Yeah. Everyone from my time was like this. They all had powers, awakened or not, they were there. Mine just took a while to come out."

"I'd be mindfucked normally but I figured," Will mused, complete with a shrug of acceptance.

"You figured? Why's that?"

Red eyes stared blankly into the fire, entranced by it. Then a light grin climbed up Will's face. "Because it doesn't make sense. And whenever you're involved, things that don't make sense suddenly become perfectly reasonable. Shit's weird."

Riven scrunched his face and wrinkled his nose at that. "Gale told me the same thing."

"See?" Will raised a finger. "She knows it too. Only my sister doesn't, but she's a skeptic. She doesn't believe shit unless you show her."

"Hmmm." Riven gestured to the water type standing proudly by the fire. "Samurott is a Unovan starter. He's her doing?"

"Casca's a girl," Will corrected with a laugh. "Lucia gave me her as a present for my birthday the year after you left. She already evolved into a Dewott and my sister didn't want to raise another pokemon in her team, so she gave her to me. Casca puts out Quil's fires, so it works out. She also puts mine out, heh."

"Explains how the fires got under control before the rangers could deem them dangerous. You've gotten pretty adept at using fire," Riven pointed out. "Had me sweating back there. Sword's Dance style too. Powerful stuff."

"Not as strong as yours though."

"I technically cheated with my Doublade. You can handle your powers much better than I can. I haven't even tried using them fully. I really try not to. Why'd you suddenly start training yourself in them?"

Will's expression grew somber. His fist tightened, snuffing flames of anger in his palm. Steam hissed out of his mouth as he breathed. "I have to protect my pokemon too. Pokemon protect us, but who protects them? I can't swing swords like you, but I have this now."

Fire danced between his fingers.

Riven looked away, acknowledging the sensitivity of the topic. "It's because of Nez, right?"

Red eyes fell, filled with grief; they held the same reflection of pain as so many other trainers that frequented this mountain. "Yeah," he said softly. "I had all that potential and badges, that I was an experienced trainer. What crap. I couldn't do anything to stop it. All I could do was watch. After… I lost it."

"You let your flames go," Riven concluded gravely.

Will said nothing for a minute, staring into the crackling fire. "I didn't use my fire at first. Not for him."

Riven watched as Will reached into his bag, pulling out his knife—Yanine's knife. It was impeccably clean and polished, sharpened to perfection. In fact, the steel had been in better condition than before. Will handed it over to Riven, placing it on his lap.

"I stabbed him with it first and then moved to the other one." Will swallowed roughly, throat snagging in disgust. "The first one though… I just brought it down on him over and over until his blood stained the grass red. I was so angry he killed Nez. I-"

He stopped and forced himself to breathe, holding back tears.

"I burned the rest. It just… came out. And I didn't feel like making it stop."

Riven placed a reassuring hand on Will's shoulder. "So then how did it feel? Your first kill?"

"Like shit," Will replied honestly. "I've never experienced something so - I don't know. I can't really describe it. It's not like hunting at all. You respect pokemon when you eat them but him… I wanted him dead. And it felt horrible, but just… it makes me sick. I'm sorry but I'm not, it's like it's pulling you in two. Is that how it feels for you?"

Blue and brown held a melancholic dullness in them as they focused on the stars above. "At first, yeah. It means you're human." But it also means you have everything to lose. His jaw clenched and his fist turned white. "The more it happens… the emptier it gets. Life is there and then it's gone. Soon it becomes so easy to do it's scary and at that point…" He paused, deliberating. "Taking a life is hard. Taking many does things to you. No one in this world should have to go through that. But it's necessary. Cruel irony, isn't it?"

"Is that why your eyes are always like that?"

Riven didn't turn his attention away from the shining points of light in the sky, exhaling softly. His gaze came back down. "I know what it's like to lose someone important to you. I can understand that anger, that hate. I'm not going to tell you to discard it, because hell knows I never could. All you can do is just keep moving on." He tapped the hilt of the knife, then took Will's hand and wrapped it over the weapon. "Hold onto it."

"Why?"

"Because that's what Yanine would want me to do. And so should you."

"Yanine?"

"She was important to me when I was younger." Riven smiled, nodding. "I lost her too."

Will swallowed, taking the knife and storing it. "Think we can talk about something else now?"

"Fine with me. Pick the subject," Riven said. He began to rethink that decision greatly when a mischievous smirk crawled up the younger trainer's face.

"When are you and Gale going to get it on already? You know…" Will made obscene gestures, letting out a villainous chuckle while making sure the brunette was safely dead to the world in her sleeping bag. "She's really pretty now. Has bigger bo-"

Riven stared in complete and utter stoicism, effectively a living statue. An aura of death surrounded him. The muscles in his face were so restrained that he could probably subdue a Machamp with the control he was displaying. The only show of change visible in the older male was a raised hand, an order from him for Efrain not to lop Will's head off. Upon further observation, his wrist was shaking.

"I'm going to pretend you did not just ask that, then I will calmly and easily change the subject and you will never again repeat this question in my presence. If this is disobeyed, I will personally stick a sharp piece of metal up your rectum. Is this clear?"

"Uh…"

"So, you got taller huh?" Riven asked as if the previous exchange had indeed never happened.

"Yeah…" Will answered, shifting his eyes away. "Are you sure that I shouldn't-"

"Drop it or I'll kill you," Riven emphasized, burning holes into his head.

"I want to-"

"Kill. You."

"Okay… fine, jeez. Buzzkill…" Will frowned. "Why'd you come find me?"

"I thought you might've joined that stupid Sinnohan cult and did something idiotic with your abilities," Riven answered. "Losing a pokemon sometimes pushes people to do things that normal, sensible people don't do. Like join trainer cults that idolize a murderer."

"You mean that Sayre cult?"

"That's the one."

A mocking laugh came from Will. "Like I'd ever join that band of fucking idiots. I want to bust them, actually."

A black brow arched up. "Bust them?"

"I got eight badges, man. Can't just battle trainers forever, and beating the Elite Four is overrated. I'm going to be a special assignment ranger. At least I want to be."

"Special assignment ranger? That doesn't exist."

"That's why I'm going to create them." Will said matter-of-factly. "There's a lot of problems in this region, Riven. And no one's doing shit about them. I ain't going to let it slide. That cult is a problem, and so are a bunch of other douchecanoes running around. Rangers can't be everywhere."

"What did I tell you about being a hero?" Riven said with a tch of disapproval. "Chasing criminals is dangerous, believe me."

"You also taught me that doing crazy shit is standard procedure." A cocked eyebrow and a wide smirk destroyed whatever Riven was about to retort with.

"I'm not a good example!"

"Sure you are," Will said, bolting to his feet. "But you've got no style." He took off his jacket, revealing robe-like clothing with a cape that draped over his right arm and extended down past his waist. Riven blinked, having disregarded Will's clothing for the majority of the fight.

"Really? A fucking cape?" He asked, mouth hanging open. "Why?"

"It looks cool. Capes are cool," Will said seriously.

"Know what? I'm going back to sleep."

---

Flying high above in the rainy sky above Fortree, the trio could see the lush forests and treetops surrounding the city. The area was known for having extremely high amount of rainfall, attributing the diverse wildlife of the routes around it to this particular characteristic. The city itself was protected from flooding because of the tree coverage, which also made it very difficult to see from the sky.

Will complained about getting wet, groaning when he heard the mention of Fortree. Riven had explained the significance of the visit and everything that had happened in the interim, which was good. Less work for him. But fuck, why Fortree? Why not somewhere nice, like Slateport? Where it was nice and sunny?

Rain, argh.

They descended, entering the city through the gate fashioned out of the oldest and tallest of trees that could be found in Fortree. Riven was surprised at the homes inside the city. They all looked cozy, but he questioned their safety being built up like twenty feet inside trees. He could even see Spinarak nests in the trees! And there were no windows. No wonder they had a flying type gym, they needed protection and were insane.

"So where's this friend of yours?" Will asked.

"Pub," Riven answered curtly, giving Gale a look. Quiet you. She snickered lightly. "I'll meet my contact there first to make sure none of their friend's came. Then I'll call you after I speak to my contact. You can battle Winona, Gale."

"Yay efficiency," Gale said unenthusiastically. "Want to watch my battle, Will? Meanwhile Rivy deals with his criminal friends?"

"Pfft. Rivy, hee."

Riven scowled. "Yes, yes. Go now. Shoo."

Seeing them head off to the gym and out of sight, he entered the pub, preparing himself for the smell of drunkard and regret over poorly thought out life choices. He spotted the characteristic ice blue hair instantly. And if that wasn't an indicator, then the sudden drop in temperature near her was. Still didn't stop interested men from crowding all over her.

He sat in a barstool beside her, clearing his throat while telling the bartender to wait. "So you did come by yourself. Although Nera might be sitting outside for all I know."

Isole's icy glare could literally freeze him to that chair. "Quite some faith you have in your friends, don't you."

"Hmph. My definition of friend isn't that loose."

The bartender made a noise but was silenced by Riven again.

"Three years and you don't change. Still a massive dick, even if that haircut makes you look like a decent human being." She reached out to touch, but he moved, mostly to avoid her freezing it. "Spiked it up a little this time, huh?"

"You still look the same. Just like a glacier."

"Don't push it, dark boy." She shifted to fully face him, making sure no one cared enough to listen. "Now tell me-"

"Not yet," he interjected. "I need you to meet someone first. And before you tense up and start freezing every drop of alcohol within twenty feet, he won't harm you."

"Why isn't he here now then?" She asked, not quite taking that for an answer.

"Needed to make sure you were alone. Can't reveal my trump cards this early, you know?"

Isole scoffed and finished her drink. "Prime really doesn't take any chances does he? No wonder everyone hates you in the underworld. 'Demon-Eye.' Cute nickname. If only they knew that sugar is your weakness."

"And they never will," he smirked. "Pick the location, just make it out of city and away from anyone that can see us. This has to be private."

"Hmmm. Route 120 by the waterfall. It's relatively secluded there. Is it raining outside?"

"This is Fortree. What do you think?"

"Fine, asshole. I'll meet you there. Don't be late," she said, leaving the bar.

At last, the bartender spoke up in a tired voice. "Would you like a drink, sir?"

Riven apologetically put a bill on the table and left, dialing Gale's phone.

Will picked up instead, informing him that the line to fight Winona was long as all fuck, so they'd probably be there for quite some time, possibly into the next day. Riven told them to get some rest and meet him on route 120 the next afternoon, where Isole had described. The other two had birds and a dragon, they could cover the distance fairly easily. He figured he should get a headstart and head there before they arrived, mainly to scout the area in case Isole really wasn't as trustworthy as she claimed to be.

Also didn't hurt to account for any possible onlookers.

Using Aine as a method of quick transportation via jumps, Riven reached the section of route 120 Isole described, seeing the Waterfall from the air and hearing the crashing of water as Aine put him down. She wasn't happy at getting drenched, but a thanks and a pokeblock made of condensed berries was all she needed to forget about it.

He scouted the area, moving in the darkness to avoid ranger patrols. They'd have to have a lookout in case any rangers were in the area later. There was an overpass above the waterfall, with about four stories of height from the proposed meeting point and the main trainer route. The location Isole chose was relatively concealed though. Unless someone was in a certain position from the other side, they wouldn't be able to see much.

Then again fire had a tendency to draw attention.

After scouting, he found a suitable spot in between two trees and spent the night on their branches.

Waking up to annoying Taillow chirps, he stretched widely. A pebble hit him in the face.

Isole stood beneath the tree, arms crossed. She wore a low cut shirt and looked like she'd just gotten back from a long jog. Mind still partially asleep, he didn't notice he was staring until another rock brought him to his senses.

As he jumped down and cracked his back, Isole grinned. "Enough eye candy? Most men look away, you know. Staring for more than six seconds, how rude of you."

"Why are you wearing a shirt that open then?"

"Do you realize how hot Hoenn is? This route is humid and hot when it's not raining. I'm sticky everywhere," she pointed out. She actually had color in her face too. Miracle.

"What do you mean? It's fine outside." He stuck a hand out into the sun. "Only in the mid-eighties."

"Well in case you hadn't noticed, dark boy, the heat affects me more than most people. If this wasn't important, I'd have given your lower parts frostbite already." She fanned herself, trying to cooldown. "I'd have taken Sinnoh and Unova gladly, but no. You just had to choose the hottest region."

"And I thought I complained a lot," Riven said dryly. "Why are you here so early?"

"Me? You got here earlier than I did, since you were busy snoozing up there. And your 'friend' isn't here, so I assume you came to check the surroundings."

"That's what you assume?"

"That's what I know." Isole chuckled. "You're too prepared. Your aces in the hole are more holes with more aces. I heard you got to a guy that barricaded himself in an apartment complex in Kalos. Some ganglord. How'd you manage that?"

"I used a crane."

Isole accepted that instantly, which still surprised Riven. Lately anything outlandish he did was immediately accepted. Strange. "So," she began. "When is this friend of yours coming?"

"What time is it?"

"Little past noon?"

"Few hours then. You'll know when you see a dragon. Flygon, to be precise. I'm going to go call him and answer mother nature in a shrub. I'll be back. Eat something in the meanwhile."

Hours later, and perched on top of the highest climbable tree, Riven made out the faint forms of a Swellow and a green dragon, both carrying two passengers. Was about time too, Isole was getting ready to strip to stay cool and he wasn't sure what kind of message that would have sent. Or how he'd take it himself. Being an ice type in Hoenn's climate sucked, apparently. Ironic, considering one of the Elite Four was an ice specialist.

Back on the floor, Isole held a frozen pack of ice against her head. "There's two things flying up there. You didn't mention the second one," she said, glaring icicles at Riven.

"You know that girl I wouldn't talk about? That's her. She's practically glue. I couldn't get rid of her if I tried."

The glue that sticks to you, or the one that's holding your broken shell together? "Oh? I'll have to see how special she is if you let her tag along."

"I don't let her tag along. She lets herself tag along."

Isole laughed at him. "I forgot when it comes to women you're a doormat. I guess I can't blame you though. There weren't many women in your army or anywhere."

"Yeah, because the Rose soldiers captured and experimented on most of them," Riven spat, dripping acid. "The ones that didn't died just like the rest of us. And there weren't too many at that point either. They made it a policy of going for the women first. Men can't reproduce with each other."

"Far cry from today, isn't it?" Isole nodded. "Although, this world and the old one aren't so different, really. They've only switched horrors in places. It's just harder to see now."

Riven snapped his attention to her, but didn't press the matter when a Flygon's roar pierced the air. Gale and Will landed further away, as directed by Riven in case anything happened. When they got closer, Isole jabbed him in the side.

"Oooh. I can see why you like her. She's a pretty girl… Brown hair, nice figure…" Isole seemed a bit too happy about that. "I whole-heartily approve."

"You're looking at her like a Poochyena eyes a dogtreat. Didn't know you swing both ways," he said teasingly. His teasing was turned on its head when she gave him a knowing look.

"I don't discriminate," she said with a smile, drawing a choking noise from Riven.

Gale and Will blinked as they in turn saw Isole, a tall woman with the same color of ice blue hair and eyes, appearing like the personification of winter. Even her skin was a few shades lighter than most peoples', and the air seemed colder around her than normal. She waved at them, flashing a friendly smile.

Waving nervously back, Gale locked eyes with Riven, asking who she was. Riven gestured back by sliding his right hand slowly in the air. She's my contact. Relax. The flyer understood, ordering Kyne to ease up behind her.

Will, on the other hand, was completely entranced. Or dumbstruck, whatever one worked. His mouth wasn't quite hanging open, but Riven figured that if he attempted to dislodge it with a flick of his finger, it probably would come off.

Stepping in between the two parties, Riven introduced them to each other with stiff formality. "This is Gale Serna and William Ethne. Gale, Will, meet Isole Viyan. She's one of the dickweed mercenaries that blackmailed me, but she's an ally now. You don't have to turn her into dragon food, Rika. Maybe later."

The Flygon who'd been eyeing her with scrutiny looked slightly disappointed.

"Excellent introduction," Isole said sarcastically. "Hello to both of you, and friends. I'm not as bad a person as Riven makes me out to be. You know how he exaggerates."

"Hi," Gale waved. "Nice to meet you, I guess?"

"Y-you're gorgeous," Will stammered out suddenly. "I mean, uh, umm… hi." He was so red that he wondered if he was going to burst into flames from sheer embarrassment alone.

Isole reacted with a gasp, before reddening herself. He called me gorgeous? "T-thank you, Will. That's very nice of you."

Riven made a sound that was a mix of a snort and a cough.

Then Will's attention went lower and his eyes widened.

Covering herself up, Isole was further embarrassed by the fact that the veins in Riven's neck were bulging from the amount of laughter he was currently holding in. It got so unbearable he had to excuse himself and laugh like a madman behind a tree for a solid minute.

I'm going to give you so much shit for this, Will. Just wait.

He returned, considerably more composed.

"Had your fill?" Gale asked.

He fixed Will an evil smile. "Oh, yes."

"Okay, okay," Isole huffed. "Now that introductions are over, you can laugh at me later. We need to get down to business." She shot a finger at Will, breaking him out of his stupor. "What's his significance in all- Wait."

Her face filled with anger as she remembered just why he'd called her here. She pulled Riven aside with surprising strength, frost beginning to coat the edge of her fingers. "Did you tell them about us? What did we warn you about, idiot? Normal people can't know!"

"Relax," Riven assured, grasping her shoulder firmly. His hidden hand gripped a knife in his jacket. "Let's not turn this into a shitshow, Isole. You'll see exactly why I didn't need to tell them. They found out themselves."

She let him go, understandably angry. "This better be convincing."

They went back over to the other two, bringing with them tension thick enough you could almost cut it. Will and Gale shifted, uneasy. Isole might've been the prettiest girl Will had ever seen, but if Riven was this cautious around her, then it meant she wasn't just capable, she was dangerous.

Riven took a deep breath and nodded. "Will."

Red caught blue and brown in understanding. Taking a few steps back, Will swept an arm behind him, unleashing a trail of bright orange flames that rose upward and out, searing the grass for twenty feet along its path.

Isole held an expression of light surprise. "You found another Rose? I'm surprised you didn't kill him. You hate them with a passion. No red hair though, odd. Maybe a mix?"

Orange light flared again as Will aimed a kick high in the air, spouting a steady stream of fire from the sole of his foot.

Flamethrower already? He's young but has an impressively strong control of his fire already… Nera would have taken him under her wing if she saw him. Not that Riven would never allow it though.

"Isole."

"What?"

"His name is William Ethne." Riven's tone became severe, words holding a knife's edge. "He was born in Slateport City, seventeen years ago. That's his real name, nothing is fake."

Standing in stunned silence, Isole couldn't move, the reality of those statements shattering the rift between her kind and the others instantly. This boy… this trainer, just exhibited a wall of fire, created from his very fingertips. No tools, no tricks. Just like Nera, like a Rose clan member. Except he wasn't. He was born here—a normal. Humans born here didn't have any abilities. Of all the people with pokemon like abilities, they had all come from the old world. So why did he…?

"The spheres," she mentioned suddenly. "That's what they do, don't they? And this… this is how you found out."

"We got stuck in the desert," Riven stated, calling Will back over. "About to die from heat stroke and not enough water, some Claydol saved us. I had the sphere all of you were looking ever so insanely for in my bag. I honestly thought it was just some pretty orb and had no significance. When we awoke inside the ruins, the Claydols mostly just harassed me and told us to piss off now that we weren't half dead. While we were doing that, we saw a room with a picture of three beasts, with the one in the center probably being god."

He sneered.

"Regardless, the sphere reacted and the temple lit up in blue light. When it was done, a spear holding a red sphere like the one I had came out. Will touched it and well, this happened. He's exactly like Nera and the other fire assholes. Shit, I'd say identical."

Will growled at him.

"Really? Hmmmm. That's… amazing, actually. Human evolution…" Isole mused with extreme interest. That's why that psychic said it was important, this is- "Is she like this too?" She asked, gesturing to Gale. "Just in case you feel like surprising me too."

The brunette held up her hands. "No, no, I can't do any of that. I was just there when Will first showed it to Riven. He was in the hospital for getting impaled by a piece of rock and I was watching over him. Sorry if I witnessed something I shouldn't have."

Isole chuckled at the mention of Riven and hospital. "Fair enough, I won't hold you to being nosy if it was an accident—most people would have plenty of questions if they saw a person shooting fire out of their hands. So, I assume you were investigating this on your own, Riven? Know anything about how this works? Do you have the sphere on you, by any chance? I'd like to inspect it."

"I don't have the faintest idea how it works," he admitted truthfully. "And no, I don't have it on me. It disappeared opening another set of ruins to reveal something fairly disturbing. Which brings me to what I wanted to know in the first place. Can we mega evolve pokemon on our own, without the need of keystones and mega stones? Acting as both conduit and receiver?"

The Raksa considered that for moment, sighing in defeat. "Yes."

"How dangerous is the process, exactly?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"

"Answer the question."

"I heard stories of terrible things happening if you weren't adep-"

"Is. It. Dangerous?" He interrupted, surprising even her. "Could it overload your body? Kill you?"

Jaw clenched, Isole nodded. "It's not something anyone should just try, but we can do it. It requires precise control of your type and its source, or else the energy inside becomes too much and… bad things happen. They never told us what, but we refrain from doing it unless absolutely necessary. There's also limitations."

"Like?"

"You can only evolve pokemon of your same type, for one. Trying it with another type will kill you. You also can't use your abilities while your pokemon draws from you. If you pass out, their evolution goes too. And lastly-" She caught sight of a group of younger trainers walking along the overpass. "The danger it presents to others. Elemental types are particularly dangerous. Nature doesn't exactly agree with what we're doing. I don't know how it works with the mental types."

Riven, Will, and Gale absorbed the information readily, sending the eldest two into deep thought. Will had a different idea entirely. "Can you show us then?"

Isole blinked then pursed her lips. She hesitated before agreeing. "I can, but the effects of it won't be good. Riven and Gale, you'd need to stand at least thirty feet away from me, just to be safe. And even then, I'm not sure how it'll affect you, I don't do this often."

"What about me?" Will asked, concerned. "Is it dangerous to me?"

"You're a fire type. Your core temperature is enough to counter it."

"What exactly is it?" Riven inquired. "An object?"

"No. I told you that to do it you need to draw from your 'source' right? Well, cold isn't a thing, or an object. It's the absence of heat, and to do that I draw energy in and away from the surroundings. Which means things will get very, very cold. If you're not resistant to temperatures below freezing or aren't a fire, rock, or steel type, then you'd freeze and die. You might be hard to kill Riven, but I guarantee you that you wouldn't survive even this for very long."

So basically, Isole was a worse version of Froslass. That was all Riven and Gale needed to know to back off and observe comfortably from fifty feet away.

Once the other two backed off and the other pokemon were returned, Isole summoned her Glalie beside her. "Yuvir, we're going to evolve you, okay? I need to show these people something. Do you trust me?" She stroked the smooth, icy surface of its face.

The Glalie bobbed in the air, leaning into her touch.

"Good. Let's get ready then."

Isole and Yuvir stepped back ten feet, then spread out another five. The Raksa showed that she held absolutely no signs of a keystone, and Yuvir didn't have any megastone fixed to his body. Isole closed her eyes and fell into deep focus, feeling the surrounding heat and energy around her. Visualizing an inward pull, streams of heat visible only to her mind and her body came funneling out in spiraling streams and into her.

Riven and Gale noticed the change in temperature, with the air growing cold enough to frost their breath and make them shiver. Frost bloomed along the grass and trees for thirty feet in every direction, coated in icicles from the now frozen molecules of water in the air. The nearby stream had began to freeze too. Will stood just a few feet from Isole, raising his body temperature from his inner fire to protect himself. Steamy wisps rose from his body as ice formed on hers, seemingly forming hairpins on her head and icy tips on her eyelashes.

She didn't even look alive anymore, resembling an ice sculpture more than a living, breathing person.

Unbeknownst to the others, a surge of energy began to flow through Isole while she redirected it, sending it along and through her body in circuital motion. If she wasn't careful, it would destroy her nerves and organs and who knew what else. When she was a girl, the elders often warned what happened should they try it recklessly. Nera had also been very stern regarding the technique, warning everyone not to try it under any circumstances but the most dire.

She could feel both types of energy, human and pokemon, split off from the original, mixing together inside. Reaching the point of stabilization, she let go.

Pale blue light enveloped both human and pokemon, forming the characteristic link of mega evolution. The process seemed far more archaic, coating the Glalie in a cocoon of ice as energy transferred from Isole and into it, her own light waning as Yuvir's grew.

The cocoon shattered, and Yuvir evolved.

---

Riven has discovered instant healing items a la Skyrim. Oh no.

Anyway, made it extra long to make up for the delay. Havent had much time to write. Most of my days consist of going to class at 8am and coming back home at 10pm. Either I forgo sleep or wait until the weekend. Also, I had a midterm on week 3. Makes 0 sense to me but whatever. Hope you enjoy it.

Late reply, but in response to the question by the Pokemon Otaku, I didn't pick a novelty mon because I didn't want to give him a a team straight out of OU. I did it because I thought it was hilarious.