Winters in Twinleaf were never particularly pleasant –hard for them to be, considering everything but the humans in town thrived in the cold– but the stabbing cold wind in combination with the two small lacerations on Inyssa's face were making this very uncomfortable.

She and Barry's footsteps dug into the blanket of snow covering the streets as they walked their way home. Okay. She wasn't technically walking. Limping would be a more appropriate way to describe it. Thankfully the sunset lay just behind them, which meant very few people would see her in this state before she made it to her house.

There was little noise or life in the streets. The air stood still and quiet, save for the sound of their feet on snow-covered concrete. It felt like the whole world was holding its breath.

"You could've seriously hurt them." Barry finally broke the silence. His voice sounded strangely muffled. "That kid, the tallest one… if you'd hit him a bit more to the left he could've lost his eye."

Inyssa shrugged. "So? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."

"I know they were jerks but…"

"They were beating that kid up," she snapped back. "Was I supposed to just stay back and do nothing?"

"You could have gone to tell a teacher. Or I don't know… maybe stop punching and kicking them after they started crying and apologizing?" She couldn't see his face, but it was clear by the tone of his voice that he was frowning. "They're awful but they don't deserve to get mauled like that. I seriously thought you went crazy there for a moment."

Inyssa let out a bitter chuckle. "Yeah well, that poor kid didn't deserve to be bullied either. Life's unfair. I might as well make it unfair for everyone, right?"

There was a sudden crunch as Barry stepped forward, away from her, and stopped. She couldn't see his face anymore, but she suddenly felt as though the temperature had dropped a few degrees more.

"Is that it?" he asked, voice almost a whisper. "Are you sure you weren't just worried for that poor kid? Bitter, unlikable Inyssa, helping someone in need… I guess it does sound pretty far-fetched, huh?"

"W-what?" She blinked a few times, confused, then let out a tiny laugh. "Come on, you know me better than that. Like I care about…"

"…weaklings like them." He finished her sentence. "Why are you lying, Niss?"

A sharp shiver ran down her spine, and it had nothing to do with the cold.

"Hey, what the hell?" She sneered and took a step forward. "I already had enough of a shitty day for you to snap at me and call me a liar." She huffed. "Must be easy for you. What do you know about…?"

Barry turned around sharply, the sound of his feet shuffling on the snow like that of the crack of a whip. A thin, cold smile stretched across his face. Every inch of it exuded such uncanny wrongness that Inyssa couldn't help but freeze, a breath getting caught up in her throat.

"I have it easy. Is that how you see me?" He tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing. "You think I'll let that stand, Niss? You think you can go through life saying whatever the hell you want all the time and face no consequences for it?"

"W-what's going on?" She tried to take a sudden step back but her legs refused to move. "This isn't how… This conversation wasn't supposed to go like this…"

Barry took a step toward her and the world blurred as though a sudden mist had set on the town. When he spoke, his voice was sharp and cold like an icicle.

"What's going on? I should be the one asking that." His gaze went down to her arms. "Are you okay? Haven't you been pushing yourself too much lately? I mean, just look at you."

"I-I'm fine," she stammered, starting to shiver from the sudden drop in temperature. "I'm…"

"You're lying," he cut her off. "You've been skipping meals, haven't you? Even though you promised me you'd cook something for yourself once you made it home. Even though Sarah's offered to have you eat at her place so many times…"

"I… that's not…"

"And what about your arms? I noticed how strongly you flinched when that boy grabbed them earlier today. That was just before you jumped on him, wasn't it?" Barry raised an inquisitive eyebrow, a gesture that looked completely out of place in the usual softness of his face. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no!" She swiped her arm back at the immediate sight of Barry reaching for it. "I'm fine, it's fine! I just… the other day I tripped and…"

"You're lying."

He moved too fast for her to react. A sharp pain shot up her arm as his fingers closed around her wrist with strength that Barry would have never dared use on her. She yelped and tried to step back, but he did not let go.

"You want to do everything yourself? You want to overcome the unfairness that's been placed upon you and rise above? Then stop hiding behind such empty lies."

"L-let go of me! It hurts!"

Barry laughed. "Oh come on. We both know you're more than accustomed to pain." He looked down, frowning. "But this is the one medicine that's too bitter for you to endure? Is the image of yourself you're chasing after this weak against the truth?"

"Please… Stop it…"

"Of course it is. You've never been strong. You've never valued your life. Why else would you…?"

And, letting the sentence hang in the air, Barry reached for his own pocket and took something out of it, showing it to Inyssa. Her eyes went wide with terror, a yelp getting caught in her throat. A multitude of white pills clanked against each other and the walls of their container with a sound that made her shiver.

She didn't recognize the pills. So why was she so afraid all of a sudden?

"Giving up is easy. Facing the truth, on the other hand…"

And with that he took the container to his mouth and downed all of the pills in one go.

"B-BARRY!"

The boy licked his lips as he swallowed them, and then the entire world changed. The houses, trees and snow around them began to melt into what seemed like mist until there was nothing but pearly white around them, as far as the eye could see. Inyssa stared, horrified, the previous pain in her arm now minuscule in comparison to the terror she was feeling.

Barry smiled, and then he melted away as well. However, unlike everything else, something emerged from under the mist of his vanishing body. A tall figure, engulfed in shadows. All that could be seen from them was a single, pale green eye and a thin arm of marble-white skin.

The being locked eyes with Inyssa and its weightless voice resounded all around them.

"You've never been strong. But you could be, if you learn to face the truth."

----------------------------------------

Inyssa woke up with a jolt, breathing in as though she'd just emerged from underwater.

Her forehead was covered in cold sweat. The weight of the two thick blankets they'd brought with them to bed seemed suffocating now, though the debilitating cold in the room made a good argument for not taking them off.

Next to her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, Barry slept as soundly as a Snorlax. The sound of his breathing, slow and deep, eased the knot in her stomach with every second she spent focusing on it. Then, once she'd stayed still for long enough that her heartbeat had gone back to normal, she steeled herself and looked to the other side of the room.

It was empty. Only discarded clothes and belts with Pokeballs could be seen littering the floor and chairs of the small room. Inyssa swallowed, trying to find any odd shape or flash of pale green in the darkness of the room, but the more she looked the more she realized how stupid she was being.

It was just a dream. Just… a dream.

She tried to convince herself of that even as she rolled over and rested her head against Barry once more, trying her best to fall asleep.

----------------------------------------

Getting out of bed next morning proved difficult for a number of reasons, not the least of which being that the cold outside physically hurt unless they were fully clothed, and the blankets were so cozy and warm and tempting. However, they wouldn't get anywhere by sleeping in all day. So after at least half an hour of trying to get Barry out of bed, they made it down to the lobby where the two receptionists were waiting for them.

"Oh, hey! Made it down pretty early, huh?" one of them said with a smile. He was a pudgy bearded man.. "Been a while since we had trainers willing to do the trip this early."

"That determination will help you plenty, in this case at least." The green-haired, lanky girl on the other side of the room nodded to herself, arms crossed. "Get some coffee, both of you. We'll need you wide awake before you leave this place."

Inyssa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. We'll take care of ourselves, you don't have to worry so much."

It had taken them a few hours of walking to get to the end of route 216. Hours filled with freezing their asses off, eating canned soup and battling as many wild Pokemon and trainers as they could on the way, knowing that there wouldn't be much of chance to do so once they reached this place.

The W.P.R.P. was the last stop before the infamous White Pillar Path, Sinnoh's longest and most grueling route, especially during the winter. While they could technically arrive to Snowpoint by boat or through the paved path, going through route 217 with nothing but their determination –facing blizzards, wild Pokemon and natural hazards of all kinds– was a rite of passage too tempting to ignore.

It'll be a piece of cake, she'd told the receptionists when they'd expressed worry over their decision. We've dealt with much worse before. How hard could this be?

"Argh. Here it is."

Zeke, the bearded guy, dropped two heavy tote bags atop the table, full to the brim with gloves, shoes, scarves, hats and a couple of thick winter coats each. Inyssa made a face.

"Ugh. Orange?" She stuck her tongue out. "That's the worst color. Don't you have something else?"

Barry turned to her, frowning. "Hey! I wear orange all the time."

"Yeah well… we all have flaws."

"Pipe down you two!" Vanessa slammed the table with her hand, startling her partner. "You don't leave until you put every one of these on, got it?"

Zeke nodded. "The coats are bright orange so they're visible from a distance, in case you send a distress signal our way and you need us to rescue you."

"That's not going to be necessary," said Inyssa.

"Yeah! It can't be that bad," said Barry. "And if it gets a bit too chilly then I'll just have my fire Pokemon…"

Vanessa raised her hand, her expression deathly serious. "Absolutely not."

"Huh?"

"I would recommend against it," said Zeke. "Look, fire Pokemon might be great against ice types but they don't do great with cold itself. Same with water types." His expression grew serious. "Optimally, you'd want to have at least one Pokemon out that's neither of those types and who can also resist the cold to have as scout. Other than that, you should try to get through the route as fast as humanly possible."

"The snowstorm you'll be facing is nothing to scoff at," added Vanessa. "If you're careless you could freeze to death in only a few hours. Or lose fingers to frostbite in less than that."

That was certainly enough to silence both trainers.The thought of frostbite made them shiver even more.

"F-freeze to death?" asked Barry.

Vanessa nodded. "You'll stop feeling the cold, then get sleepy, then never wake up again. It's not a pleasant way to die."

"Which is why..." said Zeke, tone nervous, probably trying to change the topic. "You have to make sure you get to the next rest stop as soon as possible. It's not nearly as big as this one but it has food, a room and a fireplace so you can rest for a little bit."

"With enough determination and the help of those snow boots, you should be able to walk ten miles before the sun goes down, which is the distance from here to the first stop," said Vanessa. "The second one is ten miles from there, and then another fifteen until Snowpoint. You should expect to make it there in two days and a half at the earliest."

Inyssa gulped. That was… quite the walk, to be honest. And on top of snow nonetheless, which she knew well was a bitch to walk on. Still, not like some discomfort and tired legs would be enough to stop her. The cold, however…

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"We'll make it through," she assured them. "It'll be a cinch, I promise."

"I certainly hope so!" said Zeke, patting her on the shoulder. "And hey, you might make some friends on the way. A girl just came through here, you know."

Both of them raised their eyebrow at that. "Another trainer?" asked Inyssa.

"Sure looked like it," said Vanessa. "Real fierce-looking gal, that's for sure. Didn't seem to fear the cold or… well, anything much, to be honest." She took a pause to yawn, eyes half-closed. "Anyway, you'll notice her right away even in the blizzard."

"Ha! Hard not to with that bright pink hair of hers."

Inyssa had to contain a gasp. Barry didn't have the decency to, because of course he didn't. She could perfectly imagine two shining light-bulbs appearing atop their heads as realization dawned on them. They glanced at each other.

Metchi! his eyes seemed to say.

Probably, she thought, frowning. Fierce-looking and with pink hair? How many trainers like that could there be?

Zeke, oblivious, continued his lecture. "Remember to contact us if you need any help, and if you need any emergency heat it's okay to summon a fire Pokemon for a couple minutes, but no more than that."

"Try not to get yourselves killed. It'd mean a ton of paperwork for us," whispered Vanessa. "In any case, I guess you're ready. Put these on and you can get going."

It took them a couple of minutes since every item of clothing was so padded and heavy and difficult to put on, but by the end Inyssa understood why it was needed. Despite the chilliness of the room, her body now felt as though it could start sweating at any moment. She took a few steps to get used to the boots. They were heavy, adorned with spiked chains on the soles, so they clinked rather loudly with every step she took. The gloves, on the other hand, were a lot thinner than she had expected. Probably to avoid obstructing the dexterity of her hands in case she needed to use her Pokeballs. Whatever the reason, it was very appreciated.

"Hey Niss! Look!" Barry spread his hands, smiling. "I look like that giant marshmallow guy from that one movie!"

She laughed. "Yeah, no kidding. These clothes probably weigh more than I do."

They headed for the door once they were done, where Zeke and Vanessa were waiting for them. However, just when they were about to leave, the latter raised her hand to stop her.

"One last warning," she said. "You might not know this, but the White Pillar Path was carved a long time ago from a rather extensive patch of forest. In fact, you can still see the rest of that forest at your right and left as you walk through it."

She took in a deep breath, then looked up at them with an expression completely devoid of a smile.

"Do not, under any circumstances, go into the forest. It stretches endlessly, it's full of extremely dangerous Pokemon that prey on humans and… there have been rumors, recently." She swallowed, looking to the side. "So even if you hear something, or see something… stay clear. I can assure you of this, at the very least. If something happens to you while you're in there… no one will ever find your bodies."

----------------------------------------

As overdressed as Inyssa admitted to herself that she usually was, she still couldn't recall a previous moment in her life where literally zero percent of her body was exposed. Whoever designed this outfit knew what they were doing. The shades fit perfectly between the edge of her hat and scarf so that no skin would be exposed and while the coat was quite stuffy, it was also flexible enough that her mobility wasn't as impaired as she thought it would be.

Still, that was just comfort. Didn't help much with the route being completely barren of life or people.

"So…" she said, her voice muffled by the scarf. "You come here often?"

Barry chuckled, or at least she thought he did. They held hands as they walked, the hard, chained soles of their shoes crunching loudly against the packed snow beneath them, making them sink a few inches with every step they took. Pedri and Kuro walked beside them, looking around with their sharp eyes, their bodies tense and hesitant.

The wind howled, riling up a blanket of snow and pelting them with a barrage of hail that made it impossible to see past a few feet ahead. Sometimes the blizzard would stop for a moment. When it happened, they could almost make out the shapes of trees and rocks in the distance, along with some others they couldn't quite identify, but looked like neither nonetheless. However, that would last for only a second before the wind picked up again and it would all be swallowed by white once more, blurring the world around them.

Inyssa gulped, the sight making her skin itch. The way it swallowed the whole route without a care, the way its flakes shone and gleamed once in a while in the distance, making it look like someone was shining a light on them, the pearly white falling upon them, ceaseless… it reminded her too much of what Uxie had showed her. It reminded her too much of her own mind.

She looked over her shoulder, half expecting to see that sinister dark figure standing at the edge of her vision. Endless white was the only thing that met her gaze. She scrunched up her nose, breathed in, then looked ahead once more.

Speaking of which…

"We should be able to see Lake Verity from afar once we get close to Snowpoint," she said. "At first I was planning to stop there but…"

"Yeah. Not the best weather for a date by the lakeside," said Barry, a smile in his voice.

"I still want to visit, though. Maybe after we unpack in the Pokemon Center." She frowned. "I wanted to find some kind of clue on how to control my powers."

Barry tilted his head to the side. "Won't the lake be frozen though? Sounds like it'd be difficult to get inside the cave in the middle if that's the case."

A voice sprouted from the depths of Inyssa's mind, ringing around them.

"On that, my friend, you are fortunately mistaken." There was a hint of pride in Uxie's voice. "The water in our lakes stays the same temperature regardless of the weather."

"That's how it normally works, at least." Mesprit joined the conversation. "It might not be the case at this point in time."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh yeah! Back when we started our journey!" Barry brought his fist down on his open palm. "The lake was kinda…"

"Dead?" offered Inyssa. "Like, all the sand and vegetation around it were freezing and wilting. The lake itself wasn't frozen, but…"

"It wasn't too far from that," said Barry. "Kiiiiiind of creepy, honestly."

"Hmph. Not like I could do anything about it." As Mesprit said that, Inyssa could perfectly imagine it crossing its arms and looking away. "Not without my body, at least."

"I see…" Uxie's voice sounded disappointed. "Then I suppose there's no point in visiting until I get my body back. A shame…"

Inyssa unconsciously raised her hand to pat Uxie on the shoulder, right until she remembered it didn't have a body and from the outside she would look as though she were petting the air. Feeling heat in her cheeks, she decided to change the topic.

"Not to judge or anything, I like the cold too but… why'd you decide to set shop west of Snowpoint?"

Barry nodded. "It's freezing all the time, even in summer!"

"And it doesn't seem like many people would come visit," she added. "Which is weird since you seem like the… least unbearable member of your family to be around?"

"I heard that," said Mesprit.

"Uh… yeah. That's how sound works, dumbass."

"Hmph."

"We do not get to choose the path our heart leads us toward," said Uxie. "That is something you once said, wasn't it, my dear sibling?"

"Perhaps. I've said lots of incredible things. You can't expect me to keep track of every one."

"Indeed. I am not one to follow my heart in spite of my mind, but I must admit it… felt right." She could feel the shrug in its voice. "The cold, the calm, the stillness… I suppose I simply felt at home there."

Inyssa let out a chuckle, barely heard over the fabric covering her mouth. "Fucking dork."

It didn't take long for the conversation to die again. Understandable, seeing as their voices were difficult to hear now as the snowstorm intensified and every step they took felt as though they were slugging through water. Still, that didn't bother her. As chatty and energetic as Barry could be, he too could appreciate the beauty of a silence shared between them, one of the many reasons why she loved him. At no point did they let go of each other's hands, staring ahead with fierce determination.

After a couple hours they took a small break to drink some water and rest, and after another hour and a half Inyssa felt the muscles in her legs start to throb painfully. The little sweat leaving her body cooled almost immediately on her skin, making her feel colder and even more tired than before. This was an endurance test, she realized. Deadly for her, who got tired after walking up a flight of stairs. Not so much for Barry who had so much stamina that he didn't know what to do with it, something she'd learned very well.

She sighed into the fabric of her scarf. This wasn't as fun as she had expected. The flakes of snow stuck to the front of her body and the density and speed with which they came down made it impossible to see past a few feet ahead. There was nothing. Only white, cold and an uncomfortable sharpn–

"Huh?"

Barry looked ahead, and even through the dark plastic of his shades she noticed the golden gleam in his eyes. He stopped. A moment after, both Kuro and Pedri did the same.

"Eoon!" bellowed Pedri, raising his fin to the side to stop them.

"What is it?" asked Inyssa.

"I think there's something…"

Inyssa raised a hand to shut him up. Past the roaring wind, she could almost make out the sound of shuffling snow, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming fr–

A dark shape emerged from the snow a few feet at her right. It jumped at her like a bullet and all she could see before the impact was the gleam of white and the whistling of something sharp cutting through the air. There was a crinkling sound and her shades went flying in the opposite direction, a sliver of blood bursting just under her right eye.

"AGH! Shit!"

"Niss! Are you…!?"

Kuro jumped toward the creature, leaving a trail of electricity behind him, but even his speed wasn't enough as it jumped back and dived into the snow, disappearing once more. Two more shapes emerged at their left and right. Pedri slashed at the air, missing one of them by an inch, while Kuro shot a beam of electricity that tore through the snow and caught one of them in the foot, sending it crashing into the nearest snowbank.

Inyssa rubbed the skin under her eye, gaze set on the shades lying on the ground. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

If I hadn't been wearing them… I could've lost my eye.

"What are these!?" yelled Barry stepping closer to her. "I can't see…"

"Leave it to me."

Opening her eyes wide, she called forth Uxie's power. An electric current ran all throughout her body as her eyes flashed gold, dispelling all the fear and panic in her mind, all the while enhancing her physical senses to their limits. The pain under her eye and the cold surrounding her hit her like a punch to the face, so intense that she could barely focus on anything else, but she forced herself to grit her teeth and endure it. Focusing her sight, she looked up toward the snowstorm and noticed them instantly.

"Three Sneasel!" she cried out, her voice intertwined with Uxie's. "And there's two more in the back. I think… they're Snover?"

"Crap, that explains why they're so fast." He threw his hand forward and yelled. "Aqua Jet at the first one you see! Stun them with that and then go for a Metal Claw!"

She opened her mouth to give an order, but then realization hit her. She couldn't have Kuro use Electric Terrain to locate them, not with Pedri right next to him. He'd have to attack blind, then. Rely on his own speed.

"Thunder Fang!" she bellowed. "Follow them with your eyes!"

Both Pokemon jumped at their opponents, eyes moving frenetically as they tried to follow their insanely fast movements. Kuro closed his maw around air that a second before had been a Sneasel. An instant later, a spray of blood burst from his hide, the gleam of white claws trailing past him.

"Kghaaa!" The Luxray's fur glowed white with electricity as he roared. "Khaaaa!"

Another beam of electricity cut through the air, missing the fastest Sneasel by an inch and almost hitting Pedri in the back of the head.

"Careful!" she yelled. "Don't lose your cool, that's what they want!"

Beside her, Barry gulped. "Is it just me or is one of them…?"

"A lot faster than the others?" she finished. "Yeah, I noticed. It's attacking first, drawing our attention while letting the other two get in a couple slashes while we're distracted."

"An unevolved Pokemon shouldn't be this fast though!" Barry protested. "And what's up with those Snover? They're not doing anyth-"

Inyssa saw the two Snover place their hands against the ground, then felt the snow shake under her, but wasn't fast enough to jump back in time. Half a dozen vines broke shot up around them, climbing up their legs. They spiraled up until they were around their torsos, then closed with such strength that she felt the air being squeezed from her lungs, a pain that was increased tenfold by her enhanced senses.

"A-AGH!"

That's when they saw it. Slashing up a wall of snow, the fastest Sneasel distracted Pedri and Kuro for just enough time to slip past them. There was an explosion of snow, and then a blur. She saw it as though in slow motion, claw wound back, a blood-thirsty gleam in its eyes as it headed straight for her.

A gust of warm wind enveloped them. Barry threw his hand forward and yelled something she couldn't make out, eyes a gleaming gold. There was a shimmer in the air and the Sneasel crashed against an invisible wall with a sound like a hammer hitting a gong. In that moment, just before it dove into the snow again, Inyssa saw something white and claw-shaped tied around its neck.

"N-nice one," she said, grabbing the vines and ripping them off her body. "Fucking… that was close."

"Thanks. I've been practicing." The gold vanished off his eyes. He placed a hand over his stomach, breathing heavily. "K-kinda taxing, though."

She nodded and looked ahead, toward the fight. Kuro was keeping the two other Sneasel busy, chasing them around while they waited desperately for their leader to help them. Pedri, on the other hand, sprinted ahead and was now slashing with his fins at the wall of frozen vines the Snover had put up to defend themselves.

"I don't get why they're trying to attack us," said Barry, frowning. "Though… don't they look wounded?"

"So am I and I don't go around trying to slash people's eyeballs." Inyssa scoffed, wiping the blood under her eye. "Also listen, I know why that one's so fast. It's got a Quick Claw tied around its neck."

"Really!? Darn, those are pretty rare." He nibbled on his finger, brows furrowed. "And Sneasel are already so fast… might be hard to keep up with it."

She drew a confident smile, taking a step forward. "Let me deal with that."

"What are you…?"

The world turned white around her. Cold, pain, sounds, colors, they all vanished as she let herself float away from her own body, the endless fog and mirrors of her own mind now surrounding her weightless body.

"Nice to see you again, Inyssa." Uxie's voice boomed around her. "I assume there's a reason for your visit?"

I'm just here for a moment. Need a breather, she thought, looking around. Even here I can't keep up with its speed, but there's one moment in which I'll know exactly where and how it'll move…

It happened then. In the distance she saw the nebulous shape of Kuro, his electrified fangs ready to close on one of the weakest Sneasel. So focused he was on his attack that he didn't notice the one wearing the Quick Claw jump above him, claws unsheathed, ready to slash his back.

Inyssa moved like lightning, one moment where her body was and the next a few inches from the Sneasel. Her shapeless hand closed around its necklace.

Release.

She was siphoned back into her body with such force that she almost tumbled back into the snow. Pain and cold overtook her once more, but despite it she smiled to herself. Feeling the weight on her palm, she uncurled her fingers and saw the bone-white of the Quick Claw resting in her hand. Barry gasped.

"You're not the only one who's been practicing," she said, lips quirking up into a smug smile. "Kuro, Discharge!"

"Protect!"

Kuro's smile broadened. One Sneasel in his mouth, he turned around to meet the one behind him whose eyes widened at his sudden drop in speed. Its eyes went down toward where his item should have been, but by then it was too late. Black fur turning golden, Kuro spat out his prey and let out a howl that shook the air, hundreds of strands of electricity exploding off every inch of his body.

Pedri reached their side just in time. Raising both his fins, he called forth a thick, semi-transparent barrier around them. The strands of lightning flew in all directions, catching every Pokemon in its path and crashing against the barrier with a sound like a hail of bullets being fired against a metal sheet.

By the time all the electricity vanished and Pedri lowered his shield, the Sneasel and Snover all lay unconscious in the now thawed ground, steam coming off their fur. Kuro stood proud amidst them, the dirt under his feet charred black. Both Barry and Inyssa let out a sigh of relief. The latter knelt and grabbed her broken shades, glaring at them as though they'd been responsible for what had just happened.

"Nice work you two!" Barry raised his hand and Pedri reluctantly high-fived him, rolling his eyes. "That was a close one… I still don't get why they were trying to attack us instead of our Pokemon."

"You said it yourself; they were wounded." She saved the shades in her pocket, frowning. "They might have been running away from something dangerous and felt threatened by us… Sneasel do have a three-star danger rating for a reason."

Barry held his chin. "Why the Snover though? And what's with that one Sneasel carrying an item?"

"It's not unheard of for wild Pokemon to carry man-made items," she said. "Though it does seem suspicious. Still, probably nothing to worry ab-"

She almost jumped as Barry reached for her and wiped a smudge of blood off her cheek. It felt as though the temperature of her face had gone up.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"Barry… I've been hit with a fucking lightning bolt," she reminded him. "A little cut in the cheek isn't gonna take me out."

"I know… I just worry is all."

She rolled her eyes. "You're impossible… and cute."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" She turned around, facing the path ahead. "Let's get going. The rest stop can't be too far and I'd like to rest a bit after what just happened."

"Mmm… should we leave them behind though?" He looked around toward all the unconscious Pokemon, frowning. "What if something happens to them?"

"We shouldn't interfere with these things. You gotta let nature run its course." She shrugged. "Though if there's something Sneasel are good at is surviving, so I wouldn't be too worried."

And, without saying another word, she took Barry's hand and started dragging him forward, Kuro and Pedri following behind them. All the while, she tried her best to keep her breathing stable.

She didn't want Barry to realize just how lightheaded she felt all of a sudden.