We ultimately are what we are remembered for. In that, if nothing else, Noh was right.
He will be remembered for his stalwart stoicism, most likely. His legends will involve grand decisions and even grander stakes, for he never acted unless said action caused ripples in the fabric of the world. Noh never took three steps when only two were necessary. Despite his quiet nature, I can see his memory being preserved by stories in years to come.
My brother will be the most famous of us, I'm sure. Even disregarding his natural charisma, the very way he conducted himself –which I always found so irritating– ensured that his personality and his stories would ring louder than anyone's accomplishments ever would.
And, despite how much I wish my entire existence would be erased by time, I am unfortunately just as certain that my name will be known centuries from now, if not because of the curse I placed on myself then due to the atrocities I've committed. Some will praise me, yes. Fools whose thirst of power will blind them to, perhaps, the most important truth of all:
Power means nothing, not even in the right hands. I had all the power in the world and only once did I use it to create instead of destroy. I'm certain that any Caterpie out there has done more good for this world than I have.
And now, here, trapped in the most recondite of all places, hope is all that remains for me.
Hope that no fool ever follows in my footsteps. Hope that my one and only creation will continue to shine forevermore in the sky, bathing my dear Sinnoh with its light.
Otherwise, all will be lost.
----------------------------------------
Inyssa's body felt weightless.
She ran straight for Pyxis, her skin burning feverishly. Staying focused on a task as simple as running forward was already taking up most of her conscious mind, the rest feeling as though it was floating away like the steam she could have sworn was coming off her pores.
"Inyssa…" Uxie's voice rang in her mind, worried. "I'm glad you're back but I'm not sure this is…"
It'll be fine! Just run with it!
Ahead, Pyxis finally reacted. She took a step back, her hand unconsciously going to the holster in her hip. Inyssa frowned. She was too far away; reaching her would take a few seconds that she might not have. That meant…
Her feet slowed briefly, the loss of momentum blurring her vision and numbing the feeling in her muscles. She grit her teeth and flashed her eyes once more. Crackles of energy surged throughout her entire body, dispelling the numbness and exhaustion with a clarity so powerful it felt as though she'd been hit with yet another lightning bolt.
Her scars burned. She knelt down and grabbed a rock from under the snow the size of a golf ball. By the time she began running again, Pyxis had already taken her gun out and was in the process of pointing it at her.
"Stop!" she yelped. "S-stay there or I'll shoot!"
Inyssa kept going. It might have simply been the delirium, but something in Pyxis' eyes, tone and posture told her that she wouldn't dare pull the trigger. Or maybe she would. Panic made beasts out of even the most determined of people and attacking an already scared Pokemon almost always resulted in them fighting back, despite their fear.
What the hell? she thought. Where did that come from? Why am I thinking about that?
Time slowed to a crawl, each step taking an eternity. It felt as though her body and mind were tied together by a silk string and even the barest breeze could send her tumbling into unconsciousness. Despite the fact that Honchkrow was no longer interfering with her and Uxie's psychic bond –he was too busy fighting an enraged Vi, after all– she still heard its voice muffled, as though at the end of a long and narrow tunnel.
All the more reason to end this quickly, she thought, grasping the pebble in her hand.
"I t-told you to fucking stay put!" Pyxis stammered, taking a sudden step back. "I'm serious! I'll shoot!"
"Inyssa, what are you thinking!? That girl will…"
She stopped suddenly, her heels dragging on the snow beneath, unearthing it. Winding back her arm, she breathed in deep and then tossed the stone forward with every ounce of strength she had left. Pyxis, seeing it fly at her, panicked and seemingly forgot she was carrying a pistol as she shrank into herself. The projectile flew above her head, not actually aimed at her.
Inyssa allowed herself a tiny smile before she let her mind rise free of her body. Not wasting a moment, she flew like lightning toward the stone, the mist-filled world around her a pale approximation of reality. Her formless fingers closed around the rock as it passed over Pyxis' head.
Release.
The air shook, parting as Inyssa materialized a couple feet above Pyxis. She hung in the air for an instant, then dropped. Originally, her plan had been to grab Pyxis' arm and twist it behind her as she fell, thus immobilizing her, but she had underestimated how fast she would fall. She barely had time to move a couple fingers before she came crashing down on the girl, both of them falling to the ground with a deaf thump.
There was a scream of pain. Inyssa felt her scars flare, vision blurring, but she forced herself to move nonetheless. Pushing herself against the snow with the hand carrying the rope, she grabbed Pyxis' sleeve with the other one and pulled her right arm behind her back, forcing a gasp out of her. Confusion seemed to last for only a moment before she realized what was happening.
"A-Agh! Let…" She squirmed, trying to push herself up with her free hand. "Let go of me!"
Inyssa drove her knee into the back of her leg, making her scream and stop struggling for a moment. With her free hand she grabbed Pyxis' remaining arm, bringing both of her hands together, the rope resting on top of them along with the weight of her own hands. She had to tie her up fast.
"Sorry," she whispered. "But I have to…"
Just then, as she slid her hand against Pyxis' wrist, the bottom of the girl's glove slid up and their skin touched ever so slightly.
Her eyes flared golden, and a sound like thunder rang in her mind.
And then, she wasn't in the forest anymore. She wasn't even outside, nor was she herself.
----------------------------------------
Inyssa looked around, finding herself in an unfamiliar room, her own self as formless and semi-transparent as it usually was inside her own mind. The room was small, with a single window resting on the right wall. A couple of ceramic flowerpots sat at either extreme, framing the large wooden desk in the middle, behind which sat a grey-haired woman wearing a suit and half-moon spectacles. A young girl sat opposite to her, short and thin, yet with eyes full of determination.
The woman sighed, rubbing her thumbs against her temples, eyes closed. Pyxis bit her lower lip, eyes wide in surprise. Neither seemed to notice Inyssa's presence.
"B-but… I finished first in all the tests!" Pyxis protested. "And I aced the practical too! And, a-and… you told my mom and I that I'd be skipping a year, not him!"
She spoke that last word with a contempt that reminded Inyssa too much of how the girl had said her name.
"I understand your frustration," said the woman, attempting to sound compassionate. "But… you have to understand. The school is barely keeping itself open as it is; a year or two more of things staying this way and we might be forced to close our doors. On the other hand…" She steepled her hands, unable to look at Pyxis. "Young Kolin's family is one of the wealthiest in the whole city. His parents… well, his father, specifically, offered us a substantial amount of money in exchange for giving him this opportunity, and–"
"He… bribed you." Pyxis' face was aghast with shock and disgust, eyes so wide they looked like plates. "Bribed you so he could take my scholarship."
The woman pursed her lips in what might have been a smile. "Now, this isn't technically a scholarship or a grant, simply a rare opportunity for one of our sophomore students to take the trainer exam a year earlier than usual. An opportunity like that…"
"Is mine," Pyxis cut her off, almost snarling. "I earned it and that rich asshole wants to take it from me! Like hell I'll accept that!"
For a moment the woman seemed taken aback by the young girl's outburst, despite the fact that she most likely weighed half as much as she did. Still, the fury behind her eyes would have been enough to paralyze anyone.
"I… p-please, I'm asking you to remain calm," she said, smiling nervously. "I understand you're in a very… delicate situation, but so is our school."
"So you chose the school instead of me," snapped Pyxis. "Needs of the many, am I right?"
"That…" She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finding her words. "Please understand. By giving this boy your scholarship…"
"I thought it wasn't a scholarship."
"By giving him your opportunity," the woman corrected herself, brow furrowing. "You'd be giving that same opportunity to countless future students who might otherwise find themselves out of a school." She leaned ahead a bit, locking gazes with Pyxis. "We are the only trainer school this side of the city. If we close our doors, how many thousands of kids like you will lose their one and only opportunity to become trainers? Everyone here relies on the Association's grants. We are the only choice they have."
That gave the girl pause. A few times she parted her lips to complain, but merely stammered as the fury in her eyes was slowly replaced by worry and something else Inyssa couldn't identify. After a few seconds she lowered her head, looking as though someone had slapped her across the face.
"Isn't a trainer someone who helps others above all else?" asked the woman, sadness clear in her voice. "Think of how many kids your choice might benefit."
"I…"
"Besides, it's not like you'll lose your chance to become a trainer," said the woman, trying to sound enthusiastic. "It's only a year more of school, no different than what your other classmates will have to go through."
Pyxis shook her head. "N-no. I can't keep doing this another year." She looked up at the woman, pleading. "Even with the grant from the Association, we're barely getting by. Mom can't afford paying for another year."
"Ah… I see." The woman leaned back onto her chair, pressing her thumbs as she looked to the side. Then, suddenly, her face brightened. "Well, how about this? You're in the same class as young Kolin, aren't you? I'm sure you've spoken to him on occasion."
"Not anymore."
"I…I'm afraid you might have to, for this to work." She took a deep breath. "Seeing… well, how deep the pockets of the boy's father are, I'm sure if we explain the situation to him and young Kolin they'll understand the importance of the opportunity they're… being given by you."
Pyxis frowned, tilting her head. Then, a second after, her eyes flew open. "Wait, you're saying…"
"Young Kolin's father is a generous man," said the woman. "Along with his donation, I'm sure he'd be more than happy to include a sum of money sufficient enough to pay for your last year of education. As a–"
"WHAT!?"
The whole room shook. Or at least it seemed so to Inyssa, who still watched from afar. Only now did she notice that the edges of the memory were starting to dissolve into fog.
The woman almost jumped by the sudden scream. Pyxis shot up from her seat, her face a terrible thing to behold.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"First he takes the future from under me and then I'm supposed to crawl on my stomach like a fucking Caterpie and beg for his charity!?" She spat out those words like they were venom, the boom of her voice echoing off the walls. "Fuck that! The only thing that asshole's getting from me is a broken nose!"
"N-n-now, let's be reasonable here…" The woman stood up as well, though despite being a head taller she didn't look nearly as intimidating. "Being greedy isn't a good trait for a lady, y-you see. I… there's a saying where I'm from: You can't have the Spoink, the Grumpig and also the Spoink-making machine, so…"
"Greedy?" Pyxis whispered that one word, perhaps too shocked by the audacity of the woman to call her that. "Me, greedy? Are you fucking mental!?"
The woman gasped. "Y-young lady, do not speak to me like that. If you continue… you can be assured that your mother will hear about t–"
Pyxis swiped her hand, causing the woman to gasp. The lonely flower vase resting at the right of the table flew, crashing against the wall with a sound sharp enough to make even Inyssa wince. A wet stain was left at the impact point, slowly bleeding water on the puddle of flowers and glass fragments.
The woman froze, one hand clutching her chest. Pyxis said nothing, arm still extended, eyes hidden by the shadow of her hair.
"I doubt my mom will care much about what she hears from you," she finally said, voice cold as ice. "Because… this is the last time I set foot on this place."
She turned toward the door, facing the invisible Inyssa. Her expression was like jagged pieces of broken glass.
"I'm about to get myself expelled," said Pyxis. "Call the nurse and tell her to go to our classroom in five minutes."
"What!? Y-young lady, you can't…!"
"He wants my spot? Fine." She spat out that last word, lips curving into something almost like a smile. "But it's gonna cost him."
The memory exploded into mist and Inyssa felt herself being pulled backwards as though by a powerful cyclone.
She came back into her body with a jolt; pain, dizziness and exhaustion hitting her like a hammer to the face. Pyxis still struggled under her, so no time had passed. Inyssa breathed in deep, the inside of her throat burning against the freezing air, but she barely felt that, or anything else for that matter. She stared ahead with wide eyes.
I did it! I did the Memory thing aga–!
Pyxis threw herself up with a grunt, the back of her head connecting with Inyssa's chin. She let out a scream, vision swimming, and unconsciously stopped applying pressure on the girl's hands. Pyxis' wrist freed themselves from the rope and she placed a hand against the ground as she rolled to the side, throwing Inyssa off of her, then immediately climbed on top of her, locking her knees in place with the weight of her body.
Their eyes met. Inyssa felt a shiver, her muscles stiff and frozen by the terrible expression on the girl's face.
"W-wai–"
Pyxis punched her. The impact felt like it made Inyssa's brain shake around in her skull as her cheek crashed with the snow beneath her, a dark bruise appearing on the left corner of her lip. Through the pain and dizziness, however, she also heard Pyxis yelp in pain. The girl grit her teeth, looking down at the now bruised knuckles on her right hand.
Inyssa had no qualms about taking advantage of that. She twisted with all her strength, momentarily lifting Pyxis up and freeing one of her legs from under the rest of her body. Then, winding back, she kicked up with all her strength before the girl had time to react. Her heel dug into Pyxis' stomach. She was lifted up a few inches, shoulders stiffening and a gulp of air escaping her mouth, but was not thrown backwards as Inyssa had intended. She simply didn't have enough strength in her legs or anywhere else in her body. The fever and exhaustion had sapped all of it.
There wasn't enough time to crawl away from under her. Gasping in a gulp of air, Pyxis looked up and gnashed her teeth in fury, raising her other fist and putting all of her weight into bringing it down on Inyssa's nose.
She heard a crack, followed by the familiar warmth of blood running down her nose and into her mouth. Everything went black for a few seconds. She instinctively tried to breathe, instead inhaling a bit of blood and being forced to desperately cough it out, every inch of her body screaming in pain.
Pyxis' weight on top of her felt like it changed and a moment after she heard a shuffling in the snow beside her. It took her a couple seconds to be able to breathe again. Once she did, she slowly opened her eyes, vision still incredibly blurry.
Her body froze like that of a frightened Glameow.
The barrel of a gun was pointed straight at her forehead. Pyxis held it with both hands, one finger hovering over the trigger, the tip of it shaking like the rest of her body. Her face was scrunched up in anger and pain.
"Sit. Still." Her voice was barely audible over the blizzard. "If I see your eyes flash gold again, I'll shoot."
They stared at each other, not moving, breathing hard, for what felt like a minute. Blood kept running down Inyssa's nose. A few drops had already splashed against her scarf, dying its white a dark crimson.
"Inyssa… do not try anything foolish."
She would have scoffed if she could. Easy for Uxie to say; it didn't have a gun pointed at its face and a fever that seemed to be slowly consuming her every conscious thought.
And still, Pyxis didn't move. She looked doubtful, wondering what she should do. Maybe she was thinking of a way to get up from on top of Inyssa without giving her a chance to attack her, or maybe…
Something happened then. For just a moment, the strand of consciousness connecting her mind and body felt like it severed, and the sound of the blizzard dimmed all around her. Her mouth moved on its own.
"Y'… you're not gonna shoot," she said.
Pyxis froze. "W-what?"
"Before… when I ran at you. You had plenty of time to shoot." She inhaled in between every sentence, her chest feeling like it was on fire. "In the leg, or the arm, or somewhere non-lethal. But you didn't, 'cause you realized. In… the state I'm in, even a non-lethal shot could kill me."
The barrel of the gun stiffened, Pyxis' eyes going slightly wider, lips pursing until they were as pale as the rest of her face.
"You think I care whether you live or die?"
She let out a sound that might have been a chuckle, but was more likely a splutter of blood.
"Cyrus does. And you respect him a lot, don't you?"
Pyxis inhaled sharply, nostrils flaring. "Don't say his name!"
"See? You care so much about him, about his plans…" She swallowed, her throat so dry it felt like it was full of broken glass. "He's the only adult who gave you a chance, wasn't he? The chance you were robbed of."
A stutter was the only response she got. Pyxis' mouth opened and closed a few times, but whatever she tried to say didn't seem to want to come out.
"You're loyal. Even if your anger sometimes gets the better of you," she continued. "Cyrus wants me alive, so you'd never dare kill me. You believe in his ideals and his plans, and I… I believe in the strength of your loyalty to him. So I know that you won't pull the trigger." Her bloodied lips spread into a cold smile. "You wouldn't disappoint the one who gave you everything, would you?"
Inyssa herself was barely aware of what she was saying, her consciousness so thin that it almost felt as though someone –or something– else were speaking through her mouth. The gold in her eyes seemed to dim for just a moment. As she was, head resting against the snow, looking up, she could have almost sworn that she saw a glimpse of moonlight past the thick branches above.
The gun shook. Pyxis hesitated, lowering it ever so slightly, a hint of wetness in her eyes.
A lot of things happened at once. Inyssa returned to herself, gasping for air as every horrible sensation assaulting her body came back all at once. Pyxis blinked, looking down at her. The roaring of the blizzard came back, deafening. So loud, in fact, that neither of them heard the scream, nor the whistle of a feathered body flying through the air.
They both jumped as Honchkrow crashed a few feet from them, snow exploding all around him with the force of the impact. Most of his body –wings especially– were covered in a thin layer of frost and the feathers that formed what looked to be a hat on top of his head were ruffled and covered with splotches of blood. He was clearly unconscious.
Pyxis shook her head. "Wh–?"
A transparent figure crashed against her, slapping the gun out of her hands and sending it flying into the frozen shrubbery beside them. Pyxis screamed, her hand now covered in frost. She didn't have much time to do anything, however, seeing as she was then carried off by invisible hands and dropped face first on the ground with enough strength to severely stun her.
Inyssa stared in shock as Vi made the rope laying next to her fly to her hands and tied Pyxis' wrists together, immobilizing her. The ghost retained her human form, barely. Every third blink or so, her appearance shifted back into that of her Pokemon body, though only for a moment, before changing back.
"I… did it," Vi said to herself, floating away. "Holy shit… I did it!"
It was only with grueling, excruciating difficulty that Inyssa pushed herself to her feet, one sleeve pressed against her still bleeding nose.
"Y-yeah. Congrats, but uh…" She looked toward the Honchkrow. "How the hell…?"
"I don't know!" yelled Vi, a huge grin on her face. "I just… concentrated really hard and then I started shooting icy beams from my hand! And that feathery asshole… he couldn't touch me! It was like… like all his attacks went straight through me or something!"
Inyssa blinked twice, tilting her head. In the state she was in, it took her a few moments to remember that odd ability Cynthia's Vulpix had shown during their fight, making him almost impervious to attacks during a hail. Could this be the same thing?
"Well… I'm glad you're seeing the upsides of your new body," she said, voice muffled by the sleeve pressed against her nose. "And thanks. I–"
"Agh! Let me! Go!"
Pyxis squirmed and tossed around in the snow, fruitlessly trying to untie her wrists as she glared at them with a look no one would have wanted to be on the receiving end of. Vi frowned, the white energy outlining her body glowing stronger.
"What do we do with her?" asked Vi, a hint of anger in her voice. "I'm not like… eager to hurt her or anything like that but if you want me to…"
"No," she said, raising a hand to cut her off. "We… have to find Barry and escape. Can't waste time."
Pyxis' eyes went wide. "No! You're not… Agh!" She tried to rise to her knees, but slipped on the snow and fell on her chin. "You... think you got me good, huh!? You bitch! Saying all that goody-goody stuff just to distract me!"
"Oh go to hell," Vi snapped, rolling her eyes. "Let's leave her here, Inyssa. Have her toil in the snow like a Caterpie for a little bit, see how she likes it."
Pyxis shouted something back, but just then a wave of dizziness overcame Inyssa, so intense that she had to take a step back and hold her hand between her hands to re-focus herself. This was taking too long.
"I'm… sorry," she said, looking down at Pyxis. "For everything that happened to you. But… you did kidnap me and my boyfriend, so you really leave me with no choice." She closed her eyes, sighing. "Some other time… I'd be up for a talk, assuming you don't try to kill me. But for now, I'll settle with having you tell me where my Pokeballs are."
The girl spat some air, offended. She looked somewhat funny, face down with her chin against the snow.
"L-like hell. I'm not gonna tell you shit even if you torture me for it!"
Inyssa frowned. That was most likely not true, though she wasn't in any way interested to prove that. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm… not your enemy, Pyxis."
Pyxis laughed. "Now that's fucking priceless."
"I'm not the person you think I am," said Inyssa, a part of her desperately wanting that to be true. "I want... things to be better too. That's why..."
"You're… agh, so fucking full of yourself." The girl kept struggling, face scrunched up in effort. "It's that easy, then? Yeah, go ahead and tell all the people like me to believe the words of a rich spoiled brat when she says she'll fix everything! I'm sure they'll believe you right away!"
Inyssa frowned. "Someone has to do something."
"Yeah, way ahead of you on that one."
"You're terrorists," Inyssa spat out. "You're the problem."
"We are the solution. The only one…"
"Justice can't come from hurting innocent people like you've all been doing!"
"Justice is dead," Pyxis said, her expression growing dark. "We're all that's left."
That gave Inyssa pause. She opened her mouth to speak, unable to find the right words, the right argument.
"I…"
"Say whatever you want," Pyxis interrupted her, lifting her chin slightly, teeth gnashed. "I'm never going to believe anything you say. I don't care if you pretend to be nice or if you really are! In the end, you're still the one who killed Auriga!"
Inyssa's eyes flashed gold. "I don't have time for this," she said, tone full of impatience. "Tell me where my Pokeballs are or…"
She trailed off, her words swallowed by the blizzard. There was a pause in the air in which she frowned and almost felt like she could hear something in the distance.
Then came the scream.
"PYXIS!"
Inyssa jumped, turning on the ball of her feet fast enough for her head to swim and for her vision to blur. Vi tried to do the same, but neither of them were fast enough.
"Thunderbolt!"
The air cracked with a sound like a whip, a single line of white breaking through in an infinitesimal fraction of a second, hitting Vi straight in the chest. Her scream was swallowed by the roar of lightning. The glow momentarily blinded Inyssa, but even without her vision she felt the air heat up and expand from where Vi was, sending her tumbling back a few steps, almost throwing her to the ground.
Vi collapsed without another sound, completely unconscious. Steam rose from every inch of her gaseous body, along with intangible bits of the body itself, dissipating like mist.
Inyssa saw them after blinking a few times, though to her they were mostly shapes. Unmistakable shapes, but shapes nonetheless. Every remaining member of Team Galactic ran toward them, three of them accompanied by a Pokemon and possibly all of them carrying guns with them. The one in the center –Orion, maybe– seemed to also be carrying another person by the scruff of the neck.
Inyssa gasped; that blonde hair was impossible to miss. Barry trudged along, eyes half open and a few small trails of blood running down his forehead. She opened her mouth to scream something, eyes flashing with anger, but once again she was too slow to do anything.
"Thunder Punch!"
The Pokemon in the front, almost as tall as her and covered in yellow fur, jumped forward with a speed she'd only ever seen on Kuro, arm wound back and covered in a coat of electricity.
Dazed as she was, Inyssa barely had time to realize that was an Electabuzz before his fist connected with her gut.
She didn't feel the pain, only that disgusting contraction of her muscles from the last time she'd been hit by a powerful electric attack, followed by her body momentarily shutting down. Only barely conscious, she was somewhat aware that she was flying through the air. The frigid wind caressed her as she moved, weightless, eyes wide open yet seeing nothing but pure white.
Then she fell. The impact, unfortunately, brought her back to reality with an excruciatingly painful jolt. Her stomach felt numb. The nerves around it, however, were probably on fire judging by how much they seemed to cry in agony.
Inyssa opened her mouth to breathe in, but only managed to splutter blood. Its warmth under her lips contrasted with the cold under it. That… yes, that's right, she was laying down on the snow. The realization came to her way too late. Then again, it's not like she could do much with it.
Uxie was saying something inside her head. Something about how she should breathe and remain still while it tried to dull her pain by dimming her senses. Its voice sounded distant, muffled. The color of her eyes flickered from gold to green as she partially sank in and out of consciousness, her body completely paralyzed.
After what felt like an eternity, she breathed in. That was the worst part. Staying perfectly still had been painful enough but now even the small movement of her chest rising up and down with her breathing felt like her body was made of ice and she was slowly cracking and coming apart.
I… have to move. Do something. She scrunched up her face and tried to move her legs, but they were too numb. Barry's hurt. I have to…
"Stay still!" Uxie screamed inside her head. "You're in a terrible state, Inyssa! If you keep moving…"
I have to, she thought, gritting her teeth. Uxie's voice dimmed. I have to save Barry and Vi. I have to stop Pyxis and the others… I have to…
Take them out.
Inyssa froze. The voice was neither hers nor Uxie's, yet she had heard it come from inside her head. It sounded familiar. Cold. Sharp. Gentle. In the state she was in, that's as much as she could realize.
Y-yeah… you're right. I have to take them out.
Inyssa's body moved on its own, her hand pressing against the snow and lifting her up to her knees with incredible effort, her pale face completely covered in sweat and blood. Her eyes flashed, a powerful shiver running through the length of her scars.
The air crackled around her.