Child of Thorns - A Pokemon Sinnoh Reimagining

Reiko stumbled back into reality with a dizzying headache, the world around her looking quite different from a moment ago.

"Wha– How…!?"

She moved by instinct alone, materializing her sword into her right hand and producing a Pokeball on the other. Spinning on the ball of her feet, she got into a fighting posture and faced…

Nothing. The boat, the gigantic Pokemon and its owner, they were all gone. The only people next to her were Cynthia and Percy, the former accompanied by her glowing Espeon, and the latter hunched over on the ground, breathing heavily.

"…The hell?"

It took her eyes a moment to get used to the sudden darkness. They seemed to be in some sort of clearing amidst a forest of crooked, dark trees, the only clearly visible feature being the moon's wavy reflection on the lake behind them.

"I… didn't have much time to think," said Cynthia, unevenly. "I needed Noria to teleport us out of there and… Lake Valor was the first place that came to mind."

Lake Valor? Reiko looked over her shoulder toward the still waters, eyes wide. She could see it in the distance. The small island which she'd heard held the cavern used in ancient times to worship one of the siblings of the Lake trio. She stared at it for a few moments, oddly allured by it. Something in her chest stirred, and just then she felt the seeping cold emanating from the lake, sharp and unnatural.

"What… happened here?" she whispered under her breath.

"Agh… What… What the hell!?"

Percy's scream snapped her out of it. Her boyfriend had managed to push himself to his feet, hands resting on his knees. The teleportation seemed to have taken a lot out of him.

"Who was that?" he asked in between breath intakes. "That… thing. I've never seen a Charizard that massive, not even…"

Cynthia looked back at them, and what they saw on her face terrified them more than what any Pokemon could. Shock and hesitance. Fear.

"I… I thought she was dead," she whispered, more to herself than to them. "If she's… If she's allied herself with Team Galactic, then…"

Darkness fell. At once, all three trainers locked shoulders and looked toward the sky, where the still-shining half of the moon had been completely swallowed by an enormous winged silhouette, its burning red eyes set on them.

"She's here!" bellowed Cynthia, the sudden strength in her voice making Reiko shiver. "In position!"

They barely had time to open a single Pokeball each before the beast fell upon them. She was above them in an instant, her maw opening up once more, hellish curls of white flame licking at her fangs. As their Pokemon materialized into light before them, the three trainers yelled out in unison.

"PROTECT!"

There was a flash, followed by four simultaneous domes of green light materializing around them. Then came the impact. The ground shook like a hundred cannons being fired at the barrier. Percy's feet gave out from under him. Reiko caught him just in time, and together they saw as the first barrier shattered against the might of the torrent of flames with a sound like a gunshot, closely followed by the second. The third lasted about a second more, and then…

The torrent stopped. Shimmering, cracks spreading across its surface, the final barrier created by Cynthia's Espeon stood strong, only to vanish as well a moment after. At that moment, Reiko saw her surroundings, and couldn't help but gasp.

Fire spread in circles around them, swallowing most of the clearing in huge patches. Smoke and ash rose from the ground up in curls, slowly obscuring their surroundings and forming grotesque shapes in the air, framing the circle of flames currently trapping them.

High above, the woman atop the Charizard grinned, looking down on them. Three trainers. An Espeon, a Garchomp, a Delphox and a Golduck. Something in her expression told Reiko the girl wasn't worried in the slightest about the opponents before her, and it immediately made her blood boil. Something about that grin of hers… It was terribly familiar.

"Quick thinking as always, Champion."

The woman's voice seemed to seep all heat from around them. A sudden wave of tiredness fell over them. Reiko grit her teeth and closed her fingers more strongly around Percy's arm, stopping him from falling. Cynthia seemed unaffected.

"I admit, I would've been disappointed if that's all it took to finish you off," she said, her tone brimming with fake courteousness. "But I can always count on you to be the persistent, annoying Durant that you are, can't I?"

Cynthia let out a scoff. "I could say the same about you. What are you doing here, Shadi?"

Percy gasped, and it only took Reiko a second more for realization to dawn on her as well.

"S-Shadi?" whispered Percy, tone full of disbelief. "Shadi Dawn? The…"

"Inyssa's sister," said Reiko, voice barely audible.

At least now she knew what the woman reminded her of. Barry had told them about her the night of the bonfire party, right after a very drunk Inyssa had mentioned her by accident. The famous trainer who'd vanished off the surface of the planet three years ago, leaving no traces behind.

And now she was trying to kill them.

"I am here to finally make my first move," said Shadi, extending her arm to the side, a wicked grin on her face. "And you, dear Champion, should too, unless you want your prey to escape."

Cynthia blinked. "What?"

"I'm talking about Team Galactic. That helpful little Rotom of yours managed to snag those coordinates before I attacked, didn't he?" She tilted her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you going after them?"

Reiko had never seen Cynthia falter, but something about this woman's sudden appearance had clearly thrown her footing off. She stared up wordlessly, lower lip shaking.

"I…"

"You're more than free to stay and fight me, of course. It wouldn't' take you long to defeat me, I'm sure," said Shadi. "But by then, Cyrus will be long gone. He knows about this little infiltration of yours, and is hoping I can keep you at bay for long enough."

"I don't…" Cynthia gulped, then looked back toward Reiko and Percy. "You two…"

"Go."

It was Percy who spoke first, voice shaking, yet not a hint of hesitation in his voice. At his side, Priscilla raised her wand toward the gigantic Charizard, eyes burning just as strongly.

"We can hold them off until Palmer and Argenta get here," he said. "Hao, jump to her Poketch!"

"You got it, boss!"

Cynthia seemed surprised as she looked down at the device in her wrist, a smiling Hao looking up at her, grinning.

"But… You don't understand," she said, looking up at them, pleading. "She's not…"

"Take a fucking hike already, would you?"

Reiko grasped her sword with both hands, kneeling down into a fighting stance. Nakuru smiled and followed her example, the gem atop his forehead sparkling with psychic energy.

"If you seriously jeopardize the mission because you don't think we can win a two versus one… soon to be a four versus one, then I'll never fucking forgive you." She shot Cynthia a furious glare. "You're the Champion. It's about time you act like one."

Their eyes met, and it seemed to Reiko that it was the first time in Cynthia's life she'd actually drawn encouragement from someone else. Luckily, it worked. The Champion steeled herself and took in a deep breath, placing a hand on her Garchomp's shoulder.

"I'll notify Palmer, Argenta and the rest of the Association," she said. "I leave this in your hands."

There was a burst of air as both trainer and Pokemon rose high into the night, sending gusts of wind in a circle around them, putting out some of the flames. For a moment, Cynthia and Lorencia hovered in front of Shadi and her Charizard, eyes locked.

"I don't know what you're planning, but I'll make you regret coming out of the hole you've been hiding in," said Cynthia, her voice like a storm. "I'll stop both you and Cyrus."

Shadi simply smiled, the soft blue of her eyes gleaming maliciously.

"I look forward to it."

They were gone in an instant, the explosion of a sonic boom trailing behind them as they disappeared into the night, wind bursting around them and putting out all the flames below them. Reiko and Percy lowered their hands from their faces and looked around. The ground was still scorching and smoking, but at least they didn't have to worry about suffocating or burning alive anymore.

High above, Shadi looked over her shoulder and watched Cynthia go with a smile on her face. Once she'd disappeared past the horizon, she sighed and shook her head.

"Oh well…"

The Charizard extended her wingspan, causing a gust of wind potent enough to make Pokemon and trainers alike lose their balance. Her silhouette cast a shadow large enough to cover the clearing and most of the lake, which Reiko found more than a little unfair.

Then again, this was a grave they'd just dug themselves.

"I don't have much time to spare," said Shadi, saving her hand in her pocket. "But do try to entertain me, yes?"

As soon as Niss had spoken, Barry felt a pit in his stomach.

"Oh boy," whispered Mesprit. "This cannot bode well."

The edges of Niss' smile were waving the more time that passed in silence. She looked at each one of them in order, lines of nervousness forming in the crease above her forehead, a somewhat pleading look in her eyes. Barry bit his lip. He wanted to look away, to stop picking up on what she was feeling thanks to his powers, but he couldn't. This was…

"What?" she finally asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

She smiled and did a little shake of the head in what she must have thought was a casual way, but her wide eyes, pursed lips and hands shaking in her pockets told a different story.

Maylene looked down, unable to face her, but Candice managed to get some words out after taking a deep breath.

"Inyssa… you understand it was Shadi who did all this, yes?"

A shake of the lips. A flutter of the eyes. Niss nodded weakly, still keeping up that smile.

"Well… yeah, 'course I know that," she said. "But she was clearly influenced or controlled by Darkrai. I thought you'd all been smart enough to arrive at that conclusion."

"Inyssa…"

Barry perked up at the sound of Uxie's voice, now resounding all throughout the room instead of just in Niss' head. She didn't seem to notice it. Or if she did, she ignored it.

"I mean, it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. If you just–"

"Inyssa."

"SHUT UP!"

Her scream boomed like an explosion, and Barry felt it for the first time since that bonfire party back in Pastoria. That anger; heavy and thick like poison, hitting him in the face with such strength that he visibly winced, teeth clenching in pain. It poured out for just a second, but it was enough to steal his breath away.

Maylene and Candice hadn't felt it, but they didn't look much better than him. The sudden shout had clearly alarmed them just as much.

Closing her eyes tightly, Inyssa inhaled air through her nose strongly enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Uxie… please, don't talk. Just… shut up. Please."

There was no need to be an empath to guess what Uxie must have felt hearing that.

Barry swallowed and raised a hand toward her, hesitantly, though he lowered it a moment after, unsure of what to do. He was thrown back to that night, back in Canalave. The night after their battle, the night they'd both confessed their feelings for each other. But before that… she'd talked about this. About her theory that it had to be Darkrai who was controlling Shadi, that it couldn't be the other way around because Shadi clearly wasn't that kind of person.

That night, Barry had swallowed his doubts and smiled as best he could, telling Niss that he would support her and her theory, no matter what.

He was starting to regret that.

"Dawn…" Maylene spoke first, tone apprehensive. "I don't think you're understanding…"

"Oh, I do," Niss interrupted her, lips pursed into a thin white line. "I think you two are the ones who aren't grasping the concept. Right, Barry?"

The weight of her glare froze him, making him feel like a Deerling caught in headlights. It was a plea. A warning. It wouldn't have been any different if she'd grabbed him by the arm with all her strength.

"I…"

"Inyssa, please."

Barry thanked all the deities he could think of that Candice spoke just then. Niss changed her focus to her, eyes wide and golden and dangerous.

"I know how hard this must be for you," said Candice. "But Shadi…"

Niss let out a dry chuckle. "Oh, you know, don't you? Yeah, of course! You always know everything, or at least you act like you do. So of fucking course you'd think you know how I feel." There was something desperate about the way her voice went up and down in pitch, shaking much like her hands. "I'd ask you to stop being so condescending but that'd be like asking a Snorlax to stop eating, wouldn't it!?"

"Watch it, Dawn." Maylene raised a finger toward her, brow furrowing. "Just because you're in denial…"

"You… I…" Inyssa's expression shook from anger to amusement to shock, a cold smile stuck on her lips. "I'm not in denial, I just…"

"Darkrai is not controlling your sister."

Shivers. Once again, the sweet sound of Cresselia's voice stole everyone's breath. All eyes fell back on her. The legendary Pokemon had opened her eyes slightly, their pink-ish light as warm as a hearth.

Inyssa swallowed. She looked as though she wanted to say something back, but no words came out of her tightly pressed lips.

"I am truly sorry, but sometimes bluntness is the best way to deal with these kinds of situations," she said, matter of factly. "All blame for this predicament we're in fall squarely on your sister's shoulders, dear. She is not being controlled, manipulated nor influenced by anyone or anything. All she has done, all the harm she has caused, has been of her own volition. As such, I would appreciate it if you stopped blaming my partner for said actions."

Barry felt it again. Sharp, sudden anger like crackles of lighting sprouting off Niss.

Literal crackles, actually. Niss' eyes glowed so bright he could see it even when she showed her back to him, bathing Cresselia with their light. The air around them tensed. Became thinner, like it did during a storm just before the fall of thunder.

"You don't know what you're talking about," she whispered.

"My, my. You're remarkably blind for a Shockeyes, aren't you?"

Niss took that about as well as a slap across the face. It had been a long, long time since Barry had seen that expression on her. The wide, disbelieving eyes and tightly pressed lips, the red slowly rising to her cheeks and ears, that was all common for her. What wasn't was the deranged, terrifying anger behind her eyes, like that of a feral Rattata about to throw itself at its predator. It also didn't help that, for the first time, he could experience what that expression felt like, first-hand.

It was nauseating, like swallowing a mouthful of poison. He couldn't bring himself to speak.

"I know I'm not going to trust anything you said after you called that thing your partner," Niss replied, tone venomous. "You two might be in this together."

"That… thing?" Cresselia's tone didn't change, but there was a noticeable edge to her voice all of a sudden. "You do not know Darkrai, child."

"And you don't know my sister."

"That makes two of us, then."

Niss exhaled quickly, nostrils flaring. "You… You seriously expect me to doubt my sister and trust a… demon of fucking nightmares instead? How stupid do you think I am?"

"Demon? Is that what you see him as?"

"Well he's clearly not a damn angel, is he?"

"Darkrai is not what you believe him t–"

"He's a monster!" bellowed Inyssa, hands curled into fists. "Everyone knows that!"

"DO NOT SPEAK OF HIM LIKE THAT!"

It was like a bomb had been set off in the room. The sudden, monstrous strength of Cresselia's voice echoed through the room, hitting them like a storm. There was no more warmth, no more sweetness. All that remained in her scream was broken, jagged. Exhausted.

Niss took a step back, her boiling anger momentarily blown out of her.

"You humans never change, do you?" asked Cresselia, seething. "Always projecting. Always judging others for the sins you yourselves have committed. And, without fail, always seeing things as either black or white, with no in between."

Candice stepped forward, brow furred. "Cresselia…"

"You call Darkrai evil, yet his method of feeding himself is quite more 'humane' than yours, dear girl." she continued, ignoring her bonded human. "You call my partner a monster, but would you do the same with a storm? Of course not. Your species respects storms, despite knowing their penchant for destruction. My partner, on the other hand, only feeds when necessary, and only kills when it is unavoidable. Let me assure you; between the two, only one is capable of mercy."

Niss looked taken aback, yet somehow she managed to retort. "B-but… in the stories, he… he never stops chasing you."

"And neither do I, when his turn to run comes," said Cresselia. "You said it yourself; it's a dance. A game. And yet you humans decided upon yourselves to give us idiotic and straight-forward personalities based on our appearance and powers alone." She let out a dry, forced laugh. "I am graceful and luminous, and I bless those in my presence with sweet dreams, therefore I must be the embodiment of kindness and purity. And of course, the opposite should be assumed of my partner. Nothing good could come from fraternizing with a being hemmed in shadows, could it!?"

Neither him nor Niss could stop themselves from taking a step back. Cresselia was beaten, weakened and chained up, and still the force behind her voice was enough to instantly paralyze the two.

T-this is the strength of a legendary Pokemon, thought Barry, eyes wide.

"…Let me make one thing very clear, girl. Candice and Darkrai are both much, much kinder than I am." The pink of her eyes flashed maliciously, eyes narrowing. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't hesitate to exchange your safety for that of my partner. Not for a single second."

Contrary to what Barry had expected, Niss didn't blow up or start yelling back after Cresselia's outburst. She reeled back, mouth slightly agape, arms hanging loose at her sides. The poison that had been burning inside her had been snuffed out like the flame of a candle, and what little remained behind felt hollow and desperate.

"I…" She swallowed, eyes starting to flutter. "Shadi's… a good person. She'd never do all these things… just because."

"…So you believe." Cresselia closed her eyes, taking a moment to collect herself. "I am sorry for my outburst. But my point still remains, dear. The harder you run from the truth, the more painful it will be once it catches up to you."

Niss bit her lower lip. "She was always good to me… and everyone else. She couldn't have…"

But whatever she'd meant to say was lost as she choked on something that sounded like a mix of a sob and a hiccup. Her shoulders began to shake.

"Iny…"

"Niss, hey..."

Candice leaned forward but Barry was faster, approaching Niss and placing a hand on her shoulder softly. Her entire body tensed at the touch. For a second it felt like she'd push him away, but then she simply closed her eyes and eased up, hands curling into fists.

"We'll figure this out," he whispered sweetly. "Whoever's responsible for all this, we'll stop them."

She looked up at him with a face that made his heart drop to his stomach. It was short of disgust by a hair's width, the sheer sadness and disappointment in her eyes making it look more like betrayal. It was the kind of look he'd only gotten a couple times from his mother. One that, each time, without fail, managed to freeze him on the spot, guilt rising from his stomach like bile.

"You never believed me." It wasn't a question. Her tone sounded as sure as it did broken up. "Back in Canalave, when I said I'd find my sister and save her from Darkrai, when you told me you'd help me no matter what… it was all a lie, huh?"

To Barry it felt like choosing the wrong dialogue option in a game, only a thousand times worse. A knot formed in his throat. He tried to say something, but by the time his brain convinced his mouth to work, it was too late. Niss shook her shoulder strongly, knocking his hand off it.

As she did so, he felt something in the air change. As though a part of the world had been severed in between the few inches separating them.

"Thread lightly," he heard Mesprit's voice in his head. "She seems… unstable."

"N-Niss… come on, that's not…" He swallowed, feeling his throat dry. "That's not fair."

He could feel everyone's eyes on him, including Inyssa's. Hers had gone back to that vibrant green, which only made it worse because he could more easily tell just how much hurt hid behind them.

"Not fair… Yeah. I'm sure it isn't," she whispered. "I guess you… all of you forcing me to… making me admit that my sister is a…" She bit her lip strongly for a second, eyes fluttering. "Is that fair? Is it what I deserve?"

Barry shook his head. "What? That's– Of course not! But… I mean…" He struggled to think of the words for a moment, until he remembered something. The topic he'd always wanted to bring up, but never could. Not in fear of upsetting her. He guessed it was a bit too late for that. "Niss, your memories… almost all your missing memories are from the time Shadi came back to Twinleaf, right? What if…?"

Inyssa inhaled sharply, eyes shooting wide open in panic. Immediately, Barry regretted opening his stupid mouth, as tended to happen.

Luckily, someone spoke before Inyssa could start to scream at him.

"Missing memories?" asked Maylene, frowning. "What's that about?"

"I…" Inyssa looked over her shoulder, panicked. "It's…"

"Wait a moment. Could it be…?" Candice absentmindedly nibbled at her finger, brow furrowed. "Cresselia…"

"Quite plausible. It would explain both her reaction to all of this as well as why her bond with Uxie has been damaged."

Inyssa snapped toward Cresselia so fast her neck clicked. Whether because she'd been taken off guard or because she really wanted to change the topic, she questioned her at once about what she'd just said.

"Did I not tell you before? You carry a small piece of my partner's essence within you," explained Cresselia. "I needn't even strain my eyes to see it. It's like a small hole in your spirit, blocking the transference of power between you two and clouding your mind like mist."

She gasped at that last part. Suddenly, her eyes changed, flickering between green and gold.

"I assume I hit the nail in the head," said Cresselia, a hint of smugness in her voice. "Back when you came into contact with Darkrai and your sister, did you allow her hand to touch you?"

Inyssa nodded weakly. Behind her, Candice let out a tired sigh and slapped her palm against her face in irritation.

"That's it," she said. "That explains it."

Maylene opened her mouth to ask, but Inyssa got ahead of her.

"What'd you mean?"

"That's how she spreads her influence," muttered Candice. "With Darkrai under her thumb, just looking at her eyes is enough to put a normal person to sleep, but if she touches you with her hand or links her shadow with yours…" She shook her head, frowning. "It's much worse."

"She can infect you," explained Cresselia. "Seal a piece of Darkrai's essence within you. Not only will it disrupt the natural flow of your spirit, but it will allow her to see through your eyes at her leisure… unless you're in my presence when the moon is on my side, of course." They could hear the smile in her voice. "I assume that's how Team Galactic tracked you as you were reaching this town. Your sister probably told them your location."

"Is that…?" Barry gulped, feeling a shiver at the thought. "How can she do that?"

Candice and Cresselia exchanged a look, a resigned expression on the former's face.

"I don't know," she said. "It's not… exactly normal."

"And neither is the fact that she was able to control Darkrai against his will or create these… horrid shadow chains, capable of holding even a being of my power," complained Cresselia, huffing. "We are unaware of how she's done it, but she's pushed my partner's power far beyond its normal limits."

Now it was their time to exchange a glance. Judging by the look on her face, Inyssa seemed to have come to the same conclusion as him.

"We… might have a way to find out," he said.

Inyssa closed her eyes and nodded, everyone's eyes on them. "I…" She stuttered for a moment, clearly not wanting to speak, but managed to get the words out in the end. "That's… part of the reason I've been trying to unlock those memories and get better with my powers."

Slowly, stuttering, she told them about the book the Champion had pointed them towards and the priceless information that seemed to have been ripped out of it by no other than Shadi herself. She explained that said book was where she'd gotten the information necessary to figure out Team Galactic's plan, and that it had only been thanks to a sudden breakthrough in learning to control her powers.

It was a bit of a butchered explanation. Inyssa clearly wasn't in her best state of mind, pale like snow and shaking as though she were covered in it, but she managed to get the point across nonetheless. And Barry, meanwhile, simply looked, unable to move, to reach over and grab his girlfriend's hand. Give some comfort. Anything he could in order to help.

And yet, he had the cold, terrifying feeling that it was too late.

"Then if you can master those powers of yours, you can find out how to beat that bastard from that book?" Maylene asked at the end of the explanation, clearly eager.

"I… I don't know," muttered Inyssa, lowering her shoulders. "Maybe."

"It's worth a shot," said Candice.

"We don't have time to be experimenting or… anything else. Besides I don't even know where I'd start to…"

"I can help you."

Cresselia's voice brought the room to silence once again, though this time she didn't wait for someone to react.

"If this… damage to your spirit has been caused by my partner's powers, then I believe I can dispel it permanently. As long as the moon remains on my side, of course."

Everyone except Candice looked as though they'd been doused with icy water. Inyssa was the first to speak.

"Are… are you serious?" she muttered. "But…"

"It's dangerous." Candice immediately cut her off, shooting Cresselia a warning look. "If you're not careful…"

"I always am, dear."

"Regardless!" snapped the girl, shoulders tensing up. "Even if you succeed in destroying that piece of Darkrai inside of her… It's impossible to know how that'll affect her!" She turned to Inyssa. "It won't be like ripping off a band aid. To meddle with the spirit is bad enough, but to force repressed memories back to the surface…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence. Only Barry's expression was more fearful than Inyssa's after hearing that, and that was saying something.

"…The choice is yours," said Cresselia. "Having you work on slowly unlocking your memories one by one would be the safer and preferable option, but we do not have time for that, do we? And like I said, it never pays to run from the truth."

That seemed to have struck a chord in Inyssa. From within the crushing waves of fear and apprehension exuding from her, Barry noticed something else, something small yet incredibly powerful, growing with every second that passed.

Inyssa parted her lips, a sudden resolve overtaking her. "I'll do it."

Candice made a face. Maylene pursed her lips and looked at her with something akin to pity.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I?" she shrugged. "I'll get my memories back, and I'll finally prove that Shadi is innocent. What more could I ask?"

The atmosphere became suddenly uncomfortable, Inyssa's declaration making the Gym leaders look away from her, lips pursed. Barry could probably guess what they were thinking.

"Niss…"

He was about to reach out to her when the silence was broken by a sudden ring.

Everyone jumped. The ringing was loud and high-pitched, emanating twofold from the Poketch attached to the Gym leaders' wrists.

"What the…?"

"It's from the Association." Candice's voice became thin, eyes going wide. "Emergency broadcast."

"What is it?" Barry asked nervously.

Candice pressed the screen, and a voice boomed throughout the room. A woman's voice, not electronic, judging by the clear urgency in which she spoke.

"This is a relayed message from Champion Cynthia to all high-ranked Association members: The location of Team Galactic's base of operations has been discovered!"

A collective gasp was heard. Even Inyssa, as out of it as she'd been in the past few minutes, took a sudden step forward with eyes wide like saucers.

"The Elite Four has already been dispatched to the designated location, but we will be transmitting the coordinates to all Association members regardless!" The woman took a quick, deep breath before continuing. "Additionally, we've been informed that the task force led by Champion Cynthia has been attacked somewhere on the outskirts of Pastoria City! The Champion herself has flown ahead to lead an attack on Galactic HQ, but the rest of her team, including Frontier Brains Palmer and Argenta, as well as two unidentified trainers, have stayed behind to deal with the attacker."

Light burst behind Barry's eyes. Fear and shock exploded in a gale around him, sending Inyssa and the Gym leaders tumbling back.

"D-Dad!?" He took a step toward Candice, mouth agape. "What…?"

"It is possible that the attacker has ties to Team Galactic itself," the woman continued. "She's been described as a tall, pale girl in her twenties, riding atop a gigantic Charizard, the rest of her Pokemon currently unknown."

It felt like an invisible crack in the air. Barry snapped toward Inyssa with wide, golden eyes, and the girl seemed to shiver at the look on his face.

"Assistance is required immediately from all Association members close to Lake Valor! We will send out more updates as we receive information, so stay vigilant!"

The voice disappeared, leaving the room in complete silence. Barry and Inyssa continued to stare at each other, a silent, wordless conversation occurring between them. One whose content seemed to terrify her.

He was the first to look away. Turning on the ball of his feet, he produced a Pokeball on his right hand and took a step toward the gate.

"I'm going," he said.

"Wh– Hey, wait a second!" Maylene cut him off.

"Barry, please, calm down," Candice advised him. "You heard the message, right? They're in Lake Valor. You won't be able to get there in time."

Barry shot her an angry look, small outbursts of wind bursting off him, his eyes burning a powerful gold.

"Paulette is fast. She can get me there."

Candice bit her lower lip. "Even if that were the case, she can't cross the White Pillar Path without…"

"I'll teleport us past that," assured Barry. "It's a long way, but it'll cut the travel time in half. I can do it."

"Barry, that's not… Listen, you have to breathe and–"

His patience broke. He opened his mouth, and what came out was more a storm than a scream, gales of wind exploding off the sound of his voice.

"My dad's being attacked by… by the one who's responsible for all this!" He threw his hand back, pointing at Darkrai and Cresselia. "And you want me to just stay here and wait!? Just… hope!?"

The outburst caught Maylene and Candice off guard. They both leaned back slightly, shoulders locked against each other and eyes wide in surprise. Inyssa was the only one unaffected.

"I'll go with you," she said, a hint of fear in her voice.

Barry shook his head. "You gotta stay here and get those memories back."

"But…"

"Shadi's not gonna stay in Lake Valor forever!" He snapped, his voice booming through the room. "Hell, she might already be on her way here! She'll probably leave her Charizard to deal with my dad and the rest and come here for you, so you gotta get your powers to work and find a way to stop her!"

It looked as though Inyssa wanted to protest, but that defiance was short lived against the look Barry shot her. Her eyes went gold for a second. Judging by the way she looked up, Uxie had probably said something to her. Lip quivering, hands shaking, she finally lowered her head in defeat.

"…Fine," she said, sounding utterly exhausted. "I'll stay and… do that."

"A wise decision," said Cresselia. "I promise I will make it as quick and painless as possible."

"Good," nodded Barry.

Then he turned toward the Gym leaders, and though he said nothing, they picked up on the question in his expression.

"We can't go," said Candice, apologetic. "We have to protect this town no matter what."

Maylene lowered her head. "I'm… sorry, man."

He shone them a smile that didn't extend to his eyes. He'd expected that.

"It's fine," he said. "Take care, okay?"

However, before he could make his way past the room's gate, someone else spoke.

"Barry, wait!"

He looked over his shoulder, finding a wide-eyed, shaking Inyssa staring up at him. There was something fearful and desperate about her expression. They locked eyes for a few moments, until finally she managed to pry her lips open.

"I…"

Barry could've felt the knot of emotions inside of her even without Mesprit's power, as they were written all over her face. It looked like she was trying to force herself to say something. He thought he had an idea of what it was.

In the end, however, she wasn't able to. Inyssa pursed her lips and lowered her head, shadows falling over her eyes.

"Be careful."

Barry's shoulders dropped. In that moment, if he wanted to, he felt like he could've taken the words locked behind her lips and speak them himself without trouble.

But he didn't.

"Yeah. You too."

Then he was off. An explosion of light followed him as he pushed the gates open, the growing blizzard outside receiving both him and his Pokemon with open arms. In a second he jumped atop the Staraptor's back, eyes fixed ahead.

"…You should have told her, boy."

He grit his teeth, feeling something solid form in his stomach.

Yeah. I know.

There was a burst of air and snow as they took off, sonic booms trailing behind them as they disappeared into the massive storm.

Inyssa watched as the blizzard swallowed Barry and Paulette, somehow feeling like she'd lost her chance to…

To…

She swallowed hard, using every ounce of willpower in her to keep her face steady and her limbs from shaking, and turned toward Candice and Maylene.

"I'll get started," she said. "One of you, please get that book from my room. I'll need it once this is done."

Candice nodded, her expression unreadable. "I'll do it. Love, you stay here and watch over her, alright?"

"…Yeah. Gotcha."

With that taken out of the way, Inyssa walked toward an expectant Cresselia and sat in front of her, legs crossed, fingers digging into the fabric of her jeans.

"Are you ready, child?"

"That… is a good question," said Uxie. "Are you sure about this, Inyssa?"

She simply shrugged.

"Of course not. But hey, I already fucked up enough today," she said, letting out a dry chuckle. "What's a little more?"

Her comment didn't cause any laughs, but that was okay. This wasn't really the time for that, anyway.

"…Very well, then. Let's begin."

"What should I d–?"

She didn't have time to finish the question. Looking down at her, Cresselia opened her eyes wide, their light exploding all around her, swallowing Inyssa whole.

Everything went white.