I hum happily to myself as I work on categorizing all of the spell components that I have in my pouches. The Witch and the Battlemaster have been completely silent the last few days which means that I've been on my own when it comes to procuring new components. Not being able to ask the Witch where her nearest burrow is to resupply has been a bit of a learning curve, but I've made do without any real issues. It's ultimately just meant that I have to be a bit more careful to keep track of what exactly I do and don't have.

"Let's see, this one looks like a Tangela vine," I say, then pause to concentrate. After a few seconds, I open my eyes and return the vine to its home. "Enchanted with Vine Whip. Probably should have expected that. Four more castings I think." One of Hana's blades bobs before both of them move to start digging what I had said into the dirt. I feel a tiny bit bad that I still don't know the name of her evolved form, but with her being non-verbal I don't have a way to find it out. I shrug off the feeling and move on to the next pouch to repeat the process.

After I've returned the components to the last patch I stand up and start to examine the list that Hana has been tracking for me. Unsurprisingly, components that create fire are what I'm lowest on, with my one remaining Chimchar paw only having enough charge for two more Embers. While I have no regret about what I'd used most of those charges on while in Jubilife Village, I still huff slightly in annoyance at the low stock. Sinnoh is infamous for its lack of fire types and Hisui isn't much better, which means that restocking will be a bit of a hassle. Thankfully, my stock of all the other essential spells is still in good shape, meaning that I only have one other issue.

My spells are too weak.

I don't know why I had only taken the weakest possible spells from the Witch's burrows but it's a decision I'm regretting now. Now that I know Cyrus is in Hisui, I can't justify sticking to less dangerous spells. The next time I meet him, I will kill him. And basic spells like Water Gun aren't going to cut it.

By now I have a strong idea of where strong Pokemon are in Hisui, so locating the components won't be a problem. The much larger issue is being able to incapacitate the Pokemon to get the materials I want. I scan the list scratched into the dirt and get a few ideas, but know that it'll mostly depend on what specific Pokemon I'm targeting. I give the list one final lookover, then use the heel of my foot to wipe away all of the writing. No reason to let anyone else know what I'm capable of.

As I finish, there's a sudden rustling in the long grass to my right. "Who's there?" I bark out and both of Hana's blades fly into my waiting hands. I'm about to move into the bushes myself to investigate when a Bidoof bursts out of the grass, only to pause when it sees me. I roll my eyes and relax, letting Hana return to floating by my side. For a brief moment, I consider harvesting materials from the small Pokemon, but according to the list that I just erased, Bidoof teeth are what I have the most of so I decide to not bother.

Looking up at the sky confirms my suspicions that it's almost time to meet with Volo. After a gesture of my hands, Hana's swords fly into her new sheath. While it still feels weird to have it on my back, keeping it on my waist wasn't an option after it had changed to house two swords. Before leaving, I glance back toward where the Bidoof was and snort derisively when I see that it's already gone.

Ten minutes later I arrive at the Ginko Guild meeting spot and find Volo already waiting for me. He stands up from his log and gives me a wide smile with his arms stretched out. "Madeline! I heard about your visit to Jubilife Village! In fact, it's all anyone from the Galaxy Team will talk about!"

I smile easily at the praise, then gesture up toward the clear night sky. "I see you succeeded as well."

"Oh yes, I was able to get that dealt with no problem," Volo says dismissively. "You know, the Galaxy Team wanted to throw a celebration afterward, but seeing their precious Galaxy Hall half-burned down put a damper on their spirits."

"Only half?"

Volo chuckles at my disappointed question. "Don't worry, it will be quite unusable for the near future. Which gives us the perfect opportunity to strike a decisive blow against them. I believe you said there were a few wisps you were unable to collect because of aggressive Pokemon nearby?" When I nod, Volo gives me a small smile. "Do you think you would be able to reach them now? Those wisps are the last thing we need to deal with the Galaxy Team."

I'm a bit disappointed that I won't get to go directly against the Galaxy Team again, but hearing that the wisps will help against them rids any objections I might have. I give Volo a mock salute. "Not a problem. I'll have them all within a few days."

Volo's smile grows. "Perfect. I have my own tasks to take care of for final preparations. Come back here when you're done and we'll go to the… final confrontation together."

I smile widely in anticipation. "Well, I'd better get to it then! Anything else before I head out?" While Volo considers his response, I take a second to try to remember what the closest wisp is that I hadn't been able to gather before. My already good mood brightens further when I remember the wisp near the alpha Rapidash. I had just been thinking that I needed components for both fire spells and ones from powerful Pokemon, so that'll kill two Starly with one Rock Throw.

After a moment, Volo shakes his head. "Nothing else. Simply bring yourself and the wisps to our next meeting."

I nod dutifully, though, at the same time, I can't help but wonder why he doesn't tell me to bring powerful spell components. Things click into place when it suddenly occurs to me that I never actually told Volo I could do magic. He knows that I found the Witch but he doesn't know what she taught me. I briefly consider telling him but decide not to.

It'll be a fun surprise for everyone when I fry Cyrus to a crisp with a Fire Blast.

Still, I can't help but give Volo a little teaser of what Hana and I are capable of. After I say goodbye to Volo, I tell Hana to use Shadow Sneak, and we sink into the ground to reappear on a nearby hill. I resist the urge to turn around to see his reaction and instead repeat the process to the next hilltop, making our way toward Obsidian Fieldlands.

I hesitate at the top of a hill to catch my breath and assess the area around me. Hana has a lot more energy after evolving but using a dozen Shadow Sneaks in a row is draining enough that she still needs to tap into my energy as well. Thankfully, I've also grown much stronger since we met, allowing me to give her what she needs without totally draining me. While it is still somewhat tiring, recovery comes quickly and it's the perfect opportunity to think.

My main goal in the Fieldlands is obviously to get the wisps that I couldn't collect the last time I was here, but getting the spell materials I want is almost as important. Unfortunately, the materials I have won't do the trick for either task so I need to build my way up. With the alpha Rapidash being my ultimate target, I want to get my hands on a powerful water or rock spell first. After a few seconds of thought, I recall there being several Buizel and Floatzel in the area, which should do the trick.

The moment Hana is feeling up for it, she uses Shadow Sneak to get us toward the river that runs through the Fieldlands. I consider waiting again when her jump is still short, but end up sheathing her instead. Leaving her with some energy remaining would be for the best and it won't kill me to go back to my old travel method for a few hundred feet. It also gives me an opportunity to consider how I want to approach getting the materials I need, though it doesn't take me long to settle on just using Thundershocks to defeat one of the water types. I wish that I had the materials for a Thunderbolt or Thunder spell, but I'm not about to hunt down a Raichu or Luxray to get them. I would probably have to beat a Graveler to get a Bulldoze spell and that all sounds like a massive waste of time.

With my luck, I'd probably end up with another Self-Destruct spell.

I spot several Buizel as soon as the river comes into view but decide to keep moving. Taking them down would be a lot easier than a Floatzel, but would almost certainly leave me underprepared for that massive Rapidash. Two tough fights sounds a lot better than an easy one followed by certain death by trampling. Thankfully, it only takes a few minutes for me to find my preferred target, but I still hesitate when I see that it's surrounded by three Buizel as well.

I move behind a large tree while I try to decide how to approach it, but only a few moments later the Floatzel stands up straight and looks around with its nose twitching. It takes me a few seconds to figure out how it noticed me so quickly, then bite back a curse when I realize that I'm upwind from them. I'm about to leave and find a different target when I realize that I can use this to my advantage. While the Floatzel is still looking around to pinpoint where I am, I retrieve a Paras mushroom from one of my pouches. Holding it directly in front of my face, I softly say, "Spore."

I gently blow on the created Spores to push them forward but stop paying attention to them when the mushroom in my hand dissolves into dust. I frown as I'd hoped to be able to get more use out of it, though I suppose it makes sense given that it was the very first thing that I enchanted. I make a mental note to find some Paras and do a better job of it the second time, then return my full attention to the Pokemon.

As I'd hoped, the Spores have wafted their way directly to the water types and the Floatzel is visibly struggling to stay awake. All three Buizel are already sound asleep, and amusingly, the one in the river is starting to slowly float downstream. The Floatzel turns to move toward the departing Buizel and I step out from behind my tree since I'm not going to get a better opportunity. My right hand draws one of Hana's blades while my left retrieves my Pichu ear. Pointing directly at the Pokemon's back, I cast again, much louder this time. "Thundershock!"

The Floatzel cries out in surprise and pain as the thin bolt of electricity hits it directly in the cream-colored oval on its back. It whirls around with a snarl on its face only to be met with another Thundershock to the stomach. I smile lightly as I can practically see the fight versus flight decision being made as it looks at me and then down at the sleeping Buizel at its feet. With a roar, it drops down to all fours and my smirk vanishes as its entire body becomes covered with water and rockets toward me. I barely have time to hit it with another Thundershock before it reaches me, and the slight hesitation that the electric spell causes is necessary for me to be able to move out of the way in time.

I feel like a bit of an idiot for not swiping Hana at the Floatzel as it passed by, especially now that I'm closer to the Buizel than it is. All of its previous hesitation is gone and it once again charges me immediately after turning around. Another Thundershock and some quick footwork is enough to dodge the second pass, and I shock it once more for good measure. This time when it turns back around to face me, the determination and anger in its eyes has taken on a hint of hesitation and fear. I smile at the sight, only for that elation to abruptly vanish as I feel the Pichu ear in my hand turn into dust.

While I'm swearing up a storm internally, I do my best to not visibly react. The last thing I want to do is give away that I've suddenly lost my best tool against it. While I'm unsure if the Floatzel noticed or not, it switches tactics either way, spraying a powerful stream of water at me. A quick swipe of Hana is enough to destabilize the water, breaking up its force, though it does have the annoying side-effect of leaving me completely drenched. The Floatzel seems momentarily surprised at the ease with which I dispatched its attacks before narrowing its eyes again and hissing at me.

I consider pulling out another spell component from my pouch but decide against it. I've already exhausted two of them and I'll be coming out behind if I waste anything else. Instead, I draw Hana's second blade, and with a growled word, we disappear into the void. The water covering me makes the chill feel more intense than usual, calming me down slightly. We pop back out of the void directly behind the Floatzel and my mood continues to improve when I'm able to slice Hana across its back before it can fully twist out of the way.

The wound isn't as deep as I'd hoped, as the Floatzel only hisses again in pain before turning and lunging at me with fangs bared. Unlike the other times, I'm not splitting my concentration on casting a spell and I bring up Hana's left blade to block its teeth. Before the Pokemon can pull away from the parry, I bring down my right, making another slice down its back. Hana manages to dig deeper the second time and the Floatzel's fur is starting to become stained with blood as it staggers back.

Despite my advantage, I don't chase after it. Between the Spores and all of the hits that the Floatzel has taken, I'm confident that it's on its last legs. It's fine with me if it wants to bleed out on the grass instead of attacking. When I don't make a move either, the Floatzel cautiously cranes its head around to look at the pair of sleeping Buizel, then glances at the river that carried away the third one. It turns back to stare at me with narrowed eyes and hisses again.

"I don't give a shit about them," I say with a roll of my eyes. "If you'd just fallen asleep like you were supposed to, I'd have taken one of your tails and been on my way."

The Floatzel's only answer is to stagger forward and I bring Hana up again with a frustrated huff. However, I relax again a few seconds later when I notice that the Pokemon's eyes have become unfocused and its head is beginning to droop. It only manages to cover half of the distance between us before falling unconscious, face first on the grass.

"Finally," I grumble as I sheath one of Hana's blades and walk up to the fallen Pokemon. I cleanly slice off one of the Floatzel's tails and quickly dip it into the river to wash off the blood. I don't so much as glance at the Pokemon before directing Hana to bring me to the nearest power point.

Twenty minutes later I'm the proud owner of a Floatzel tail that's newly enchanted with Water Pulse. I'd been hoping for Hydro Pump, but the weaker water move should still be enough for my purposes. Finally ready, I turn toward where I'd seen the remaining wisp the last time I had been in the Obsidian Fieldlands. There's no doubt in my mind that the wisp is still there since I can practically feel it pulling at me. I briefly consider gathering more materials but decide against it. I told Volo that I'd have the remaining wisps within a few days and I don't want to risk missing the deadline.

A few Shadow Sneak jumps later, we're practically on top of the wisp. I spot the mound that I'd hidden behind last time and have Hana bring us on top of it for an easy vantage point. As we slip into the void, I realize that might not have been the smartest decision, but when we come back out, the alpha Rapidash isn't anywhere to be seen. I'm so thrown off by it not being there that I stand there for several seconds unsure of what to do, until I finally start giggling at my own stupidity.

Why in the world did I think that a Rapidash of all Pokemon would stay in one spot?

When I've calmed down a minute later, I'm a bit surprised to find that I'm actually disappointed that it's not here. Yeah, it's a dangerous Pokemon that I probably shouldn't tangle with, but I was looking forward to getting a powerful fire spell from it. Plus, I have to admit that I was sort of looking forward to the fight itself. I'm more than a little tempted to stay in the area and look for it, but my promise to Volo unfortunately takes precedence.

I glumly jump down the small mound and jog over to the wisp waiting for me. Once I've finished absorbing the wisp, I take a moment to breathe a small sigh of relief, suddenly feeling a bit better about the situation. The incessant pull of a nearby wisp is almost like wearing a pair of mildly uncomfortable shoes. It fades into the background to where you don't notice it, but then feels so freeing once it's gone.

I pause as I think about the comparison. Why would I ever wear uncomfortable shoes? After thinking for a few seconds, the only answer I can come up with is to… look nice?

Huh.

Why would I ever need to do that?

When no answer comes to me, I shrug and have Hana Shadow Sneak west toward Cobalt Coastlands, the last area that still has any wisps that I haven't already gathered. As we move, I keep an eye out for any Pokemon that I could gather useful components from. I manage to snag a couple more Paras mushrooms but continue to be stymied by Hisui's lack of fire Pokemon.

My second trip to the ocean goes significantly faster than my first time traveling across Hisui. Traveling with Shadow Sneak is a convenience I don't think I'll ever be able to go without again. Now that I'm close by, I can tell that there's only three wisps in the area, making me grin. Only three to go before I can join back up with Volo and put an end to the Galaxy Team.

All three are in the northern section of the Coastlands, with the closest being at the end of a long outcropping that rises above the ocean. The last time I was here, I didn't dare go out onto it for fear of a lack of an escape route. That, and the Alpha Dustox that had been hovering staunchly in my way. This time I simply use Shadow Sneak to bypass any aggressive Pokemon and head straight toward the wisp. I feel that I'm only a single jump away from the wisp when I spot something red and halt in my tracks.

The lone Vulpix doesn't seem to notice me and I stay stock still, trying to keep it that way. Even though I'd been hoping to find a fire Pokemon, I don't immediately react to the one that's practically fallen into my lap. Instead, I'm trying to remember everything I can about Vulpix. I never knew they were native to Sinn– I mean Hisui, so I don't know all that much about them. I vaguely remember there being something about a curse with them, which is not something that I'm about to take lightly. However, the longer that I think, the more confident I am that the curse was related to their evolved form.

A Vulpix shouldn't be a problem.

Not wanting a repeat of the incident with Floatzel, I simply Shadow Sneak right next to the Vulpix and breathe, "Spore." The small fire type jolts up at my sudden presence, but the magic quickly does its work and it slumps back down. Despite looking around cautiously as I draw one of Hana's blades, I can't see any Pokemon upset by my actions, which certainly makes my job a bit easier. Two of the Vulpix's tails are lopped off, and after a moment of deliberation, I decide to take a third. Better safe than sorry after all.

Fascinatingly, the Pokemon's hot blood seems to cauterize its wound and the Pokemon stops bleeding after only a few seconds. I stare at it for a few more seconds and sheath Hana with a satisfied grunt. I got what I wanted without a fight and no one even really got hurt. Sure, the Vulpix is down a few tails, but it still has half of them and can always grow more.

I turn away from the Pokemon shivering in its sleep and toward the wisp that I can sense is only a single jump away. When I Shadow Sneak toward it, I once again halt in my tracks. Though this time, it's not because of something that I see, but rather that I feel. It's not like what I usually feel from wisps, but rather an almost oppressive sense of heat and power. It's so strong that I can barely even feel the pull of the wisp that's barely fifteen feet away from me. When my eyes dart around for the source, all I can find is a small cairn with an inscription.

"Here rests the spirit of the Lord of the Isles, the great and noble Arcanine."

I incline my head and give the marker a small bow as I finish reading the short sentence that doesn't do justice to the feeling that I'm getting from the grave. Whoever this Arcanine was, they deserve respect. I stand back up after a few seconds and I'm about to walk to the wisp, but hesitate when I get an idea. It's not quite the same as a power point, but there is an immense sense of power, specifically fire power. And I have some newly acquired Vulpix tails that need enchanting.

Besides, what better way to honor an ancient and powerful Pokemon than borrowing a small fragment of that power?

The process of enchanting materials is almost second nature to me at this point, but it happens even faster than I'm expecting. It's like the Vulpix tails are bone-dry sponges soaking up the ambient magic surrounding the grave. I stare at the tails in wonder for several seconds, stopping only when I realize that they're heating up and practically burning my hands. I shove the tails in one of my belt pouches, hoping that they won't spontaneously combust in there. I give the cairn another bow, then move to absorb the wisp.

When I've finished, I look around for the last two wisps, but the power coming off of the grave makes it difficult to feel for anything else. Not being able to sense the wisps puts me in a situation I haven't been in for a very long time: trying to spot the wisps in the gloom of the night. Luckily, I'm standing atop what has to be one of the best vantage points in all of Hisui.

My eyes are naturally drawn to the volcanic island in the distance, where I spot a wisp conveniently floating on the island's sandy beach. It's one of the longest jumps that Hana and I have done, but I know we can handle it. While I easily slip into the void as usual, it's another story entirely when I pop back out onto the sand.

I'd been expecting the island to be warm, but what I feel goes far beyond that. I immediately collapse into the sand, feeling like I'm melting under the pervasive heat surrounding me. But even the heat is overpowered by an overwhelming sense of fear. If the area around the grave had been surrounded with a palpable sense of power, the volcanic island is the same, only fifty levels of intensity higher. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that there's something nearby that could end me in an instant.

And it would leave nothing but ash behind.

Through the feelings of heat and fear, I can barely sense Hana vibrating rapidly on my back. My right hand suddenly feels like it's been dunked in ice and when I manage to turn my head, I see that it's disappeared into the shadows of the void. "No," I croak. "I need... wisp..."

The shadows slowly, almost reluctantly, retreat and my hand once again feels like it's being scorched. My body shakes with exertion as I haltingly crawl toward the wisp. It feels like my heart is about to burst out of my chest, but I somehow manage to press forward. The wisp is only a few feet away, but it feels like miles. I have no idea how long it's been since I landed on the beach when my fingertips finally manage to swipe at the wisp.

I gasp in relief as the familiar numbingly cold sensation of a wisp flows over me. The heat doesn't even get a chance to return since the moment that the wisp is absorbed, I drop straight into the void. I almost want to stay inside for a while to recover, but instead, I can once again feel sand beneath me after only a few seconds. I sit up with a start, momentarily afraid that I'm still on the island, only breathing easily when I realize that I'm lying on a sandbar far away from the volcano.

I slowly stagger to my feet and simply stare at the volcano for a while. A part of me wants to run away from here and never come back, but a growing feeling within me wants to do the exact opposite. I know that I'm obviously not capable of challenging whatever resides on the island.

But if I was? The thought of Jubilife Village falling to the conflagration that a spell of that magnitude puts a smile on my face that I can't quite banish. It's almost reluctantly that I turn away from the volcano and toward the wisp that I can feel pulling at me.

One more to go and then I can join Volo in confronting the Galaxy Team.

I can always finish the job of burning down their houses later.

A/N: Thanks to Star for betaing. Next up is Chapter 12: Spearing the Heavens