I was not born weak. Even amongst my brethren, I was special. My sight was sharper than a Staraptor's and my arms were as strong as a stampede of Tauros. At six years of age, I beat an adult in combat. By the time I turned ten I could paralyze a hardened soldier with nothing more than a glare. I was accepted into the University and graduated at a younger age than most people are allowed in. A month later, I became the leader of the royal guard. Two months after that, Azelf chose me as its companion.
But even all that is a downplay of my prowess. I could sit here and write about every one of my thousands of accomplishments, painting a clear picture of exactly how powerful I was, yet that would be a waste of time. In order to illustrate the very height of my power to anyone reading these words, this is all I need to say:
Look upon the sky as the sun sets in the east, past the horizon. There, rising toward the sky, you will see my two greatest creations.
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Rain began pouring the day after that shadow figure had appeared in front of Inyssa, making it impossible to walk out into the bow of the ship unless she wanted to come back soaked to the bones. And honestly, she was fine with that. After the events of last night, she had no desire to go there again and risk yet another encounter.
Not that she felt safe inside. Huddled in her bed, hugging her knees and pressed tightly against the spot where two walls met, Inyssa kept glancing out the window every few seconds, looking out for any odd sign. A dark figure, an weirdly shaped shadow, a pale arm or a pair of green eyes. But no; even if she could see past the endless sheets of rain she doubted anything other than shifting waves and dark sky would meet her gaze.
The ship shook, and Inyssa felt her stomach turn. The room grew colder with each minute that passed, to the point where she was seriously starting to consider wrapping herself in blankets. Unfortunately, that would have to wait. She'd promised Barry to meet him for dinner in a few minutes, and figured he wouldn't take it well if she fell asleep on him.
Not that she was worried about such things at the moment, of course.
"As I said, I can only imagine that… thing being a simple figment," said Uxie, its weightless voice reverberating inside her mind. "It is not unheard of. Those I've chosen to partner with usually have this problem early on in our companionship. The line between reality and illusion might as well not exist sometimes when dealing with a powerful Shockeye."
"Not that I'm such a thing, mind you," Inyssa muttered, bitterly, under her breath.
"Yes, well, it depends," said Uxie. "Your powers are generally tied to your state of mind, and their efficacy to your ingenuity regarding how to use them. At that moment you seemed quite happ–"
"What I don't get," she interrupted, not wishing to discuss that particular topic, "is why that specific… thing appeared. What's it mean?"
"That, I do not know."
Inyssa glared, irritation sparking in her chest.
"Well thank goodness for your boundless wisdom!" she cried out, voice thick with sarcasm. "A Scyther trying to knit would be better at their job than you, I'm sure!"
She felt a bit of shame coming from Uxie, mixed with a hint of pride.
"I do not know…" it continued, as though she hadn't interrupted. "…Because demons of the mind are precisely that; of the mind. Each one is different, befit to more successfully haunt the specific mind they reside in. So no, Inyssa, I do not know why your own head chose to torment you in that specific way. In fact, I believe you should be the one to tell me that. Assuming you can, of course."
Inyssa looked down, unconsciously shrinking herself. "Sorry. Didn't mean to upset you."
"It's quite all right."
The last she needed was to anger the only being that might be able to help her with this, so as she spoke again she tried to imbue at least some gentleness into her voice.
"Is there anything I can do?" she asked. "So it doesn't happen again?"
"Perhaps," said Uxie. "Though I fail to see the urgency. That… shade didn't seem intent to hurt you or Barry, did it?"
"I don't care," snapped Inyssa, perhaps too strongly. "I don't like it and I don't wanna see it again."
Uxie said nothing for what felt like an entire minute, yet its presence remained inside the room and Inyssa could feel it thinking, deliberating, almost humming in concentration as it mulled something over. It reminded Inyssa, uncomfortably, of herself.
"May I pull you into your mind for a moment?"
Inyssa gave the empty air a quizzical look. "Uh… sure. But why'd…?"
That familiar feeling of being siphoned away overtook her, and a moment after she felt herself weightless and free of the usual bothers of her own body. She was back in that empty and endless white room, thick mist covering every inch she could see with the exception of those mirrors floating and flying overhead, as though they were planets orbiting the sun that was her.
Nice to see the place hasn't changed much, thought Inyssa, looking around. Are the mists thicker than before?
"So it seems," said Uxie, floating beside her as a shining golden sprite. "It had gotten somewhat clearer recently, at least until you saw that thing."
Inyssa froze, the implication of Uxie's statement washing over her like a punch to the nose. Out of the corner of her… well, not eye technically, she noticed that the pearly white of the mist around her changed into a very slight and soft red, perhaps mirroring her own emotions. If what it was saying was true, then did that mean…?
The mist's not supposed to be here, is it? It's not… normal.
Once again, Uxie said nothing. Yet it didn't bother her, because she knew that its silences often spoke volumes higher than its words.
Why didn't you tell me?
"No mind is perfect," Uxie said, the barest hint of regret in its voice. "Yet they have to pretend to be, in order to work properly. Those spots that threaten the well-being of the rest, those memories that are too painful to recall, any sliver of the mind that does not work as it is supposed to, they are often, and unfortunately, purposely hidden by the mind itself. It's a defense mechanism, of sorts."
Kind of like a city, muttered Inyssa. The good neighborhoods try to hide the bad ones and pretend they don't exist. 'Course, that never works.
"Right you are. It is not the most reliable way of dealing with the problem." Uxie's sprite hovered in a circle around her, as though observing the mist carefully. "However, it is an unfortunate truth that not many treat their mind as carefully as they treat their body."
The wisps around them glowed slightly red again, and Inyssa knew that if they were back in the real world her cheeks would have flushed. Uxie's tone wasn't accusatory. Still, she couldn't help but feel called out, considering how little effort she had put into caring for her well-being -mental or physical- before.
Then that's what this all is? She asked, trying to change the subject. The mist is just my mind throwing a blanket over all my problems and calling it a day? There was a pause, and another gleam of red around her. Not much different than how I do it, huh.
"Well… it is your mind," said Uxie, a smile in its voice. "But yes, it is, in my opinion, a rather crude way of hiding the parts of yourself that it does not want to show you. For example; you've mentioned before that you sometimes find it difficult to recall parts of your past, did you not?"
An uncomfortable feeling, like a sudden emptiness in her currently nonexistent chest, made her choke on her words before she could get them out. That was quite right, yes. Not that she had ever wanted to call attention to it, unless it was for some self-deprecating humor, but it had been rather alarming to her that she remembered so little of certain parts of her life. Especially after…
The memory of that night on the S.S Anne came to her, and she saw her sister's cold smile as vividly as she were right in front of her. Her entire being shuddered.
But… She tried to collect herself, with a bit of difficulty. But I can… I can part the mists if I want. Shouldn't that solve the problem?
"Can you really?" asked Uxie, its tone that of an excited teacher. "Go ahead; give it a try."
Inyssa shot Uxie a heated glare, or at least she thought she did; these things were rather hard to identify when she lacked a proper body. Still, she wasn't one to decline a challenge. Facing forward, she stared at the thick mists in front of her and, with every ounce of her will, gave out a command that reverberated like a loud gong.
Move!
Just as it had happened before, the fog retreated in a circle as though it were a reverse waterfall. The empty room was now crystal clear, almost painfully so. Inyssa could make out the vague, blurry shape of the room her body was in, though it shifted in an out of focus to the point where it was barely there as an after-image.
There, she said. I got rid of it.
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"Did you really?"
If she'd had eyebrows, she would have raised them at once. What did that mean? Of course she'd gotten rid of the mists, couldn't it see? They were nowhere to be s–
Her train of thought derailed as she took a closer look at the horizon. Far away, almost enough for it to be impossible to see, the circle of fog stood, impassible, as though patiently waiting for its chance to rush back and flood her mind once again.
Move! She repeated, more forcefully this time. Go away!
Yet the mists moved no more. Inyssa fret for a few seconds, wondering if there was any command she could give it in order to fully disappear.
"It's no use," said Uxie. "You might be able to clear your head for a bit, but I'm afraid those mists aren't going anywhere until you figure out the reason they're there. Until you find what they're trying to conceal."
And how am I supposed to do that, exactly? You just said it was concealed!
"You're a Shockeye, aren't you?." Uxie's tone was smug and knowing. "Under your light even the heaviest stones are upturned, and even the deepest darkness burns to a crisp. Find a way to remember, and this mist shall be no more."
Inyssa sighed. She wanted to be mad, she really did, but something about the fervent, blind faith filling Uxie's tone made it difficult. It wasn't easy, she thought, saying no to those who believed in you.
I guess I'll just… wing it. That's what I always do.
"A good strategy as any, I'm sure," said Uxie. "I expect great things, Inyssa."
Yeah, doesn't everyone? she said, bitterly. Whatever. Just send me back alr–
Just then, Inyssa felt a vacuum behind her and Uxie's presence disappeared entirely. It was a familiar feeling. Like a sudden burst of silence and darkness where previously light had been; the exact opposite of thunder bellowing against the night. Slowly, tentatively, free of the burden of physical fear, she turned around.
The shadowed figure stood before her, its green eyes digging into hers. The shadowy tendrils that coiled around its nonexistent body faded into mist at the tips, filling the white room once again, clouding it in its entirety. Its one pale arm hung lifeless at its right, fingers only half coiled. Inyssa tried to move back, but she felt herself frozen and cold and strangely drowsy all of a sudden.
U-Uxie…
The figure moved closer, at no point taking its eyes off her.
Uxie, pull me out!
Its hand shot forward like a snake jumping on its prey, and a voice that did not belong to her flooded her mind like frozen water.
"Come…"
U-UXIE!
Her scream broke the world in half. It all went black for a second, and then Inyssa came back to herself with a sudden, painful jolt, her fist breath entering her lungs sharply. Darkness had swallowed the room in the few minutes she'd been away. The pitter-patter of the rain outside seemed even harsher now, pelting her window with tremendous strength, as though the rain desperately wished to get inside. She blinked a few times, extending her legs over the bed, and breathed deeply, her muscles cold and stiff.
"W-what was that?" she asked, her voice so frail it seemed about to break.
"Hm?" Uxie's voice came to her, high and clear. "What do you mean?"
"Huh? T-the thing! The shadow! It appeared just now!"
There was a moment of silence. Concern and confusion exuded off Uxie toward her.
"Inyssa, I pulled you out the moment you asked me to. Are you… feeling all right?"
She said nothing, simply staring forward at the darkness of her room, the least logical –and more easily terrified– part of her mind making tall figures out of nothing, putting eyes and pale arms where there were none.
Her lips parted, but only during the third try did any words come out.
"I-I'm fine," she whispered, jumping to her feet as though pushed by a spring. "Hungry. I better go get dinner."
And without another word she crossed the darkness of the room and threw the door open, her heart booming in her ears as she rushed through the corridors toward the dining room.
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The rain did not let up at any point during the following days. Inyssa wished she could get at least one more clear skied night to share with Barry before arriving to their destination, but instead the storm kept getting worse and worse as the days went by. Tonight, their last before disembarking, the endless rapport of droplets was replaced by a slower, yet just as persistent hail which made going out to the bow of the ship downright suicidal, instead of simply inadvisable.
Sitting across Barry in the dining room, slowly and robotically putting food in her mouth, Inyssa felt trapped. Everything was cold and muddy; even the friendliness of the other passengers toward each other and themselves seemed a bit more forced, as though the mere act of keeping up niceties was an ordeal they could hardly stomach. They had stopped the tournaments the day before, after two of the contestants got into a heated debate, followed by an even more heated fistfight. Anxiety and bitterness clogged the air, though perhaps that was just the ship's thermostat making the room feel stuffy and stale; not the greatest replacement to the sharp cold outside, yet it was the only one available.
"Just a few more hours!" Barry kept saying, that golden aura of optimism making him impervious to the to the current mood. "A few more hours and we'll be on our way to Snowpoint!"
"Right," she said, forcing herself to smile. "Can't wait to stretch my legs again."
She took another bite off her shepherd's pie, the amazing flavor of the dish being the only thing keeping her eating. Which, honestly, she kinda needed to. Should she get any skinnier, she was pretty sure she'd have no insulation left in her body for the extreme cold they would have to face on their way to Snowpoint. That and it probably wouldn't be advisable anyway, health-wise.
Through the noise of the hail and Barry's voice she heard hushed whispers, and felt eyes on her back. Somewhat distracted, she made no effort to turn around subtly. As she did, she noticed a married couple a couple tables away sharply turning away, making it very clear they had been looking at her.
Irritation pulsed in her stomach, heating up her insides. For a moment she considered shooting them an angry glare and asking if they needed anything, but she somehow kept her cool and turned around, sighing. It wouldn't do her any favors; not after she'd promised the entire region to be a more understanding and diplomatic person from now on.
"Don't give them the time of day," Barry advised, frowning at the couple. "They're probably just curious or something."
"I know," she said, taking a deep breath. "Still weirded out from that day I almost went overboard. You'd think they would have something more interesting to talk about by now."
Yet, as she said that, Inyssa felt that something wasn't right. The curious stares and hushed whispers had stopped merely a day after that incident, yet today they had resumed in full, even harsher than before. It was probably just a coincidence. Just the result of being stuck in this damn boat for so long. She hadn't done anything else stupid since, she was pretty sure.
"Anyway, I'm already planning out what I'll use against Snowpoint's Gym Leader." Barry interrupted her train of thought, an excitement on his face like that of a Pachirisu on a sugar rush. "Obviously Wrathia, but I was also thinking on Pedri, right?"
"I wouldn't count your Exeggcute before they hatch," she said, absentmindedly playing with her fork. "But yeah, those two are the obvious choices. Who else are you thinking of?"
Barry scrunched up his face, looking deep in thought and utterly adorable. Inyssa made no attempt to interrupt him, happy with simply looking at him until he found his answer, the silence between them just as comfortable as any friendly chat.
"Maybe… I mean Auri is kinda weak to ice but then…"
But he was interrupted as someone got up from her table and walked toward theirs. Inyssa and Barry stared, surprised, as Mikan strolled through the dining room with an incensed and determined look, not quite directed at them.
"Good day, Inyssa," said the woman once she finally reached them. "Could I have a moment of your time?"
Both kids exchanged a puzzled look. They had only seen this side of Mikan during their battles, and only in those rare moments when defeating her had seemed almost possible. It was not an easy glare to meet.
"I… Yeah, sure," Inyssa finally said. "How's it going, Mikan?"
"Congrats on being undefeated!" Barry chimed in, forming a chipper smile. "I mean there was no tournament today but I'm sure you would've won that one anyway."
Inyssa glared, but Mikan simply curled her lips up and gave a courteous bow to both of them.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure," she said with an air of dignity. "You were both getting ever closer to beating me with every day that passed. It is a shame…" For a moment she looked at nothing, then she came back to herself. "Anyway, I'm quite fine, thank you. I… simply wanted to tell you something, if you'd be willing to hear it."
Another exchanged look, another sudden sense of dread stretching through Inyssa's body. She had a bad feeling about this. Which was strange, seeing as Mikan looked as friendly as ever, even more so than before if that was possible, so it wasn't likely she was planning on being awful to her.
"Sure thing," she said, trying to control her tone. "What is it?"
Mikan's shoulders stiffened, and as she took a deep breath her whole frame seemed to become harsh and pronounced.
"I wanted to make it clear that, despite whatever baseless accusations have been thrown around, I stay firmly on your side, Inyssa." Her dark eyes seemed to gleam with pride. "You're not the first trainer to have been scorned by the media, bothered by their incompetent attempts to discredit you, but you must hold your head high! I know you can, as I've seen what you are made of, even though we've only shortly met." With that last sentence she flashed her a quick smile. "Don't let your core be shaken by those… idiotic claims, okay?"
No one said anything for a few seconds. Behind her, Inyssa felt the conversation of near tables come to a halt as they dropped all pretenses and simply stared.
"What… do you mean?" she asked, frowning.
"I understand your need to want to ignore it, trust me," replied Mikan, sighing. "But you mustn't lower your head and simply take it, or they'll make it even more…"
"No, I mean…" Inyssa raised a hand, interrupting her. "What… claims? What are you talking about?"
Mikan seemed taken aback, and for a moment lost the firmness of her posture as she swayed back slightly and opened her mouth, looking confused.
"T-the… The article which has…" Her eyes went wide. "Have you not seen it?"
Inyssa felt her stomach drop, and even as Barry opened his mouth to ask the question, she felt like she knew exactly what this was about.
"Article? What article?"
Mikan shifted uncomfortably. Clearly, she had not intended to be the one to break these news to them.
"I see… Well, if I must…" She swallowed. "There has been an article written about you, Inyssa, by that horrible Selena Viper." She spat out the name like it was a mouthful of poison. "It is nothing but garbage and baseless babble, but still… I did not want you to assume I bought into it as I'm sure many have. Though it seems you haven't read it yet…" She furrowed her brow, looking concerned. "I'm… sorry for bringing it into your attention, but I assume you would have run into it nonetheless…"
But Inyssa hadn't listened to the last part. She shot up from her chair, maybe a little too abruptly, and stood still for a moment as that horrible sense of dread spread even further, making the hair on her arms stand up on end. Barry soon followed, eyes fixed on her.
"I haven't read it," she said, her voice so toneless it didn't sound like hers. "I think I'll go do that right now."
"Niss…"
Mikan gaped for a moment. "O-oh. Of course, I just urge you not to take such trash seriously or…"
But Inyssa was already off. She was deeply aware of every pair of eyes on her as she walked across the dining room toward the hallway leading to her room. Barry did not wait to follow. She heard his hurried steps as he struggled to keep up, and she did not need to glance over her shoulder to know exactly what his expression looked like.
The door creaked like a snapping branch as she entered her room, though the sound was drowned by the incessant hail pelting the window. It was dark enough that it took her a few seconds to make out where everything was.
"Niss, hey…" Barry finally caught up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go back. We don't have to…"
"I just want to read it," she said curtly. "It's fine."
She sat in front of the room's computer, Barry standing awkwardly behind her, and searched for the Sword and Pen website. If there was any place for an outlandish note regarding an up and coming trainer, it was there. She began scrolling, passing over a few interesting if irrelevant articles like League Scandal: Did Lucian Really Wear that Outfit to His Recent Interview? and New Single from Unova's Famous Punk Star Roxie! Presenting: 'What is this feeling pulsing through my veins? (It's venom, ya' fucking muppet!)'.
After a couple more notes, she found it. Hard not to, as the header was a picture of her face during her last Gym match, defiantly staring at what at the moment must have been Byron. Above the image, the article was titled The Child of Thorns: A Most Appropriate Name – The Truth About Sinnoh's Most Controversial Rising Star.
Inyssa swallowed with difficulty, feeling a cold tingle in her stomach. Trying to keep her hands as steady as she could, she scrolled down to the actual note while Barry glanced over her shoulder, a worried look on his face.
She began to read...