"Guess it's up to you, Niss."

Hearing that from Barry cemented it. She took a deep breath and swallowed down the knot trying to form in her throat. Then she looked at him, and smiled.

"Just like in Eterna," she said. "Now it's my turn to win this for the both of us."

Barry didn't kiss her or hold her hand, but the smile he shone back at her filled her with a burst of determination, as though her body had been enveloped by invisible flames.

"I'm counting on you."

He returned Pedri to his Pokeball and walked out of the arena. She took another deep breath, then returned Shadi as well and took her final Pokeball from her belt with shaking fingers.

" I think I have an idea of who you'll pick," said Maylene, trying to hide her excitement. "Ready to end this, Dawn?"

She smiled back at her. "I was born ready."

Enma burst into the stadium, the flare of his flames brighter than the Pokeball's light. Water boiled and evaporated at his feet. The crown of fire atop his head moved in a wild, erratic dance, burning a deep shade of red. Just like…

Inyssa swallowed, feeling a sudden chill. Memories of that horrible night came to her in flashes; the fight, the rain, Enma losing control and attacking them, only to run away…

It took her a moment to realize her hand was shaking. She held it strongly with the other, swallowed, then looked up at Enma. He wasn't the same Pokemon anymore. And besides, deep down in her chest, there was a feeling that burned much stronger than her fear.

"Enma."

He perked up at the sound of her voice, looking over his shoulder. Hesitant. Still nervous of her.

"I'm trusting you," she said. "At any other time, I'd tell you to do your best and accept the result either way. But today is different. You want to prove yourself and I…" She pursed her lips, hands curling into fists. The green of her eyes was more vibrant than ever. "…I want to fucking win. Got that?"

No more words were needed. Enma nodded, then flashed her a confident grin before turning to his opponent once more.

"Good," she whispered, raising her hand slowly. "Then we fight."

"Force Palm!"

"Punch him!"

There was an actual explosion at Enma's feet, and then he was gone. In a flash he fell upon his foe with his hand wound back for a punch, but Lucario saw the arc the attack would make and ducked his head just in time for it to pass over him. The punch sent a gust that exploded behind him. Now under Enma's arm, Lucario raised one palm and pointed it at his chest as he coated it with aura.

"Up!"

Aura exploded in a cone in front of him, but by then Enma was gone, scorch marks where his feet had been. He vaulted over his foe and spun in mid air, readying a kick. Lucario smirked. That previous punch had been way too slow. He was more than confident he could dodge every one of his–

"Now!" bellowed Inyssa.

Bursts of fire exploded off the Infernape's calf, and suddenly the kick wasn't quite as slow. Lucario gasped. Before he could even raise his hands to shield himself the full brunt of the blow hit him on the side of the head and his vision went blank.

"Wh–Lucario!

He came to himself just in time to catch his fall with one of his paws. His vision swam. From above he felt the heat of his opponent's flames. With another burst of aura he pushed himself to his feet and high above, barely dodging a punch that would've connected with the back of his head. He landed a few feet back and took a wobbly step back, cheek stinging with pain.

Back at her spot, Inyssa smiled to herself.

"Lucario, use Bone Rush!" Maylene yelled out. "Keep him at bay!"

"Keep attacking; don't let him zone you out!"

Lucario clapped his hands together and between them formed a long, shining blue staff in the form of a bone. He swung it upwards in an arc, but there was another flash of light. Enma let out a burst of flame from his hand to spin himself quickly toward Lucario's side, then used the momentum of his body to kick at his back. There was a quick blur of movement, and a sound like metal being struck.

Grunting, clenching his teeth, Lucario held his shining staff against the force of the kick, having been barely fast enough to block it. Enma sneered, then used his other leg to jump a few feet. Flames burst from his calf and he spun in mid-air again, throwing another kick.

If it was hard to follow their movements for their own trainers, then Lucario must have had one hell of a hard time himself. His opponent didn't let up for a second. There was something oddly beautiful about the way he chained his attacks together, a kick morphing into a jump which then became an overhead punch, only to land and spin on his palm to deliver a sweeping kick. It wasn't just that the flame bursts gave him a boost in speed. Maylene and her Pokemon knew speed. Knew how to counter it.

But, just as it was hard to fight a flame, Lucario found it grueling to keep up with the fluid and erratic movements of his opponent. It was a difficult task. The kind which he hadn't had to tackle in a while, which is exactly why he enjoyed it so much. Before he knew it, a smile had begun to form on his lips.

It was a shame, then, that Maylene gave her next order.

"We're getting nowhere with this. Lucario, stop screwing around!" She threw her hand forward, voice booming. "Force Palm; get some distance!"

"Don't let h–!"

But he acted quick. Just after ducking under one of his opponent's kicks, he took a step back and pressed both palms against the ground. Aura traveled from his chest throughout his arms, then down. A blue sheen covered the entire battlefield in an instant, and then the shockwave came.

Aura exploded in a hurricane around him, raising such a potent gust of wind that Enma's next punch was stopped on its tracks. He was thrown back a few feet, letting out a surprised grunt. By the time he landed, Lucario was gone. A thick cloud of dust and dirt obscured the entire arena.

"Now, finish him with Close Combat!"

"No!" The scream left Inyssa's mouth before she realized. "Double Team! Dodg–"

Lucario flew like an arrow cutting through the dust clouds, striking with the middle knuckles of his paw, just above the stomach. A choked gasp left Enma's mouth, but there wasn't time to react. Three more blows followed, aimed at his neck, forehead and kidney next, and that time he felt it. The blows themselves weren't very strong. However, with each one Lucario was sending out a small shock-wave of aura which rippled throughout his body like an electric current, paralyzing him.

The rest was a quick, painful blur. Four, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two; Lucario's whole body glowed with a powerful coat of aura as he delivered blow after blow with the speed of an automatic hammer. By the time he was finished, the dust cloud had settled. The two Pokemon stood still before the other, a tense silence falling over the arena.

Enma fell, all control over his muscles lost. He was barely able to stop his head from colliding from the ground, holding his chin above the floor by pushing himself up with one arm, but that was as much as he could do. Every cell in his body hurt. But more than that, a terrible numbness had begun spreading throughout his limbs. The mere act of keeping his eyes opened was a struggle.

"W-what…?"

Inyssa felt her mouth dry, the weight of what had just happened bearing down on her at full force. Her hands began to shake.

"Fancy, ain't it?"

The sound of Maylene's voice was like rubbing salt on the wound, especially since she sounded so damn satisfied with herself.

"Now I'm not as melodramatic as you, Dawn, so I don't have a name for that one," she said, "but let's just say it's a variation of Close Combat we came up with ourselves. Instead of striking haphazardly, why not focus on the opponent's vital points? Add a little aura to that thought and the result is… well, this."

Cheers filled the stadium. Inyssa cringed at them, the sound that a few minutes ago had been music to her ears now only filling her chest with cold and dread. They'd been so close. Just a little more and she'd have won them the badge.

"Inyssa…" For the first time during the match, Uxie's voice resonated in her head. "There will be more opportunities to earn this victory."

She shook her head. No. I don't know why but… I feel like if I don't win here, I'll…

A subtle movement. Inyssa blinked, surprised, then looked up at Enma. His body still shook, but this time it looked as though it was due to effort, like he was trying to get up. The flame atop his head had begun changing color. Its pale red was getting brighter and brighter by the second. Curls of smoke rose from the spots where his body touched the ground.

Her eyes went wide. This was…

"I admit, that was a much closer fight than I expected."

Maylene's voice boomed through the arena once more, an air of finality to her voice.

"You two did well," she said, smiling. "But I'm afraid there will always be someone stronger."

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Enma struggled to raise his head, then as fast as he could, he looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with his trainer. His teeth were clenched with effort. He was trying his best to keep the storm at bay, and if his expression was any indication, he was also asking her for permission to unleash it.

Inyssa only hesitated for a moment. Her nod was all he needed.

"You're right."

Now the steam rising off Enma's body was much more visible, enough for Maylene and her Lucario to notice. The smile dropped off the Gym leader's face.

"There's always someone stronger," Inyssa declared, eyes flaring gold. "Let us show you."

Enma pushed himself to his feet, steam exuding off every pore in his body like gusts of wind. Lucario took a step back and covered his face, squinting at the powerful heat.

In the midst of it all, a beep was heard from Inyssa's pocket. She took out the Pokedex almost by reflex, pointing it forward as its electronic voice resounded.

"Blaze: Activated."

Had Inyssa not known to close her eyes, she would've been blinded by the flare. It sounded and felt as though a jet engine had been turned on; Enma was gone in the blink of an eye, red and yellow and white flares trailing behind his burning body as he flew like a bullet. His fist connected with Lucario's chest, and an explosion tore through the room. Thick, black smoke rose from his chest as he was thrown back, limbs hunched forward, shock and pain all over his face.

There was a second flare. Inyssa saw Enma's trajectory in the trail of fire he left behind as he jumped high into the air, and then boosted himself down with the sheer power of the flames exploding off his feet. In an instant he landed behind the falling Lucario, reading a flaming kick.

"Behind you!" Maylene bellowed, panic in her voice. "Aura Sphere!"

Despite the searing pain coursing through his chest, he raised his right hand to the side and released a gust of aura, spinning himself out of the way of the kick. Landing with one foot, he raised his other hand toward Enma. A swirling, pulsing ball of energy was shot almost point-blank a second after.

But all it met was empty flames.

Wind whirled around the column of flame Enma left behind with his jump, following him high above, almost toward the ceiling. He hung there for a second, then flared his flames once more. His body formed a shining arc through the air. It almost looked as though he were flying, boosted by the power of his flames alone.

Lucario's eyes couldn't follow him, but he felt his presence and the scorching heat radiating off his body as he landed behind him. And yet, his limbs didn't move fast enough. The flaming punch caught him just between his shoulder blades, evoking a choked gasp that was barely heard over the rushing of the flames. His vision went blank, but he felt himself flying through the air.

He yelled at his muscles to move. At his eyes to start working again. But just as he came back to himself an instant later, the front of his body slammed hard against one of the Gym walls. Gasps and screams were heard above, in the stands. He'd been partly embedded into the wall itself, cracks spreading from the outline of the crash outwards toward the stands.

"Lucario, get a hold of yourself!" Maylene's voice was more pleading than angry. He felt it resonate through his bones. "Get up!"

His body obeyed more due to willpower than anything else, every inch of him either numb or flaring with pain. Various patches of his fur were smoking hot. Bruises dotted him like dark polka dots. Blood ran down his arms and face, feeling almost as hot as the flames coating his opponent.

His opponent… Lucario squinted as he took a shaking step forward, facing him once more. Every inch of him was caught ablaze. Bright, almost white flames danced erratically around his body as though it were an ethereal suit of armor, its crown being the flame at the top of his head, so bright it hurt to look at.

Lucario had never seen something so beautiful. Nor someone he wanted to beat so badly.

"This is Enma's ultimate fighting style," Inyssa declared, breaking the silence. Her voice reverberated through the gym. "A perfect combination of Flare Blitz and Close Combat; this is…"

"Please tell me you didn't give it a stupid n–"

"Infernal Consecration!"

"Dear Synn above." Maylene sighed into her mic. "Well, you can name it whatever you want, it's not going to stop us! Blaze is a dangerous ability; there's no way that Infernape of yours can keep up those flames for much longer."

It was true. Behind the flames and bravado, Enma's face shook with the gargantuan effort of exuding and keeping up such insane amounts of rage and energy from his body. His eyes were narrowed, tinted red like blood.

"Let's finish this, Lucario!" The raw energy and emotion behind his trainer's voice lit a fire behind his eyes. He curled his paws into fists. "Close Combat!"

"You too, Enma!"

That was the last the two trainers got to see of the fight for a while. The impact that followed sent a shock-wave of heat and wind so powerful that it expelled clouds of dust high into the air, forcing everyone in the stadium to squint and cover their faces. More and more hits followed, booming with the rhythm of their fight. It sounded as though someone were playing drums at frenetic, inhuman speeds.

But even though Inyssa couldn't see what was happening, she felt it. The impacts rippled through the ground. Along with dust, small stones and bursts of flame flew in all directions, shocking and terrifying the people in the audience. Even she caught herself almost taking a step back. The heat was so intense…

"Come on, Enma!" she bellowed into the storm of blows. "Beat him!"

"Kick his ass!" Maylene followed.

One last clash echoed, fire and aura clashing fist to fist, sending a wave of force powerful enough to instantly dispel the clouds of dust, almost toppling Inyssa back. Red on blue, they shone like beacons, the last remnant of their power overflowing from them.

Lucario made the first mistake. Taking a step back, he threw an overhead punch with his over hand, giving Enma the space he needed to duck under it and counter-attack. His fist buried into Lucario's gut. There was an instant of nothing, and then the Pokemon was thrown up as though he weighed nothing, his body spinning uncontrollably in mid-air as he reached past the open ceiling.

"NOW!" Inyssa screamed, seeing victory in front of her. "Flamethrower!"

"Aura Sphere! Full power!"

Their screams were lost in that of their partners and the following explosion. Curls and ribbons of white hot fire rose from Enma's body, converting into a single column, a beam which shot up with the speed of a bullet, scorching air and dust in its search of its target. Lucario looked down from above, time slowing as he hovered in place, paws drawn together. From between them, light shone. A gleaming, blue vortex of energy in the form of a ball, sucking in and spitting out air in powerful, erratic waves all around it.

"Freeeaar!"

"Brreeaaaaw!"

They met in the middle between them, and for a moment the world slowed to a crawl. Enma's flames continued to rise. Lucario continually shot aura from his hands, pushing his attack down and keeping himself afloat. For a long, insufferably crawling second, both attacks held in place.

Then came the friction. The swirling nature of Lucario's attack began to unravel Enma's flames, sucking them in and spitting them out in dozens of thin ribbons which climbed past the sphere, rising up with incredible speed, disappearing into the sky as they spun around Lucario. The sphere of energy began to advance. Slowly, inch by inch, it ate through the column of endless flames and got ever closer to its target.

Inyssa's eyes flew open, but she couldn't speak, couldn't scream a warning. Her throat was burning from the heat. Her eyes watered. For a second, past the impossible brightness of the flames and her own tears, she could have sworn she saw Enma's body shimmer and flicker like a heat haze.

Wh–

It happened quickly, like a candle's flame being snuffed out. Enma ran out. The fire engulfing him vanished, followed a second after by the rest of his attack.

No…

His arms fell to his side, limp. Eyes fell closed.

"Enma!"

She didn't see the Aura Sphere connect, but felt the explosion in her bones. The impact traveled through the ground and up throughout her bones, knocking off her balance and almost throwing her to the ground. The gust of wind followed, hitting her like a punch to the face.

Once it was over, all that remained was the scene in front of her. Laying atop a circular crater of crushed, smoking rock was Enma, limbs sprawled about, a peaceful expression on his unconscious face. Lucario fell in front of him, landing on one knee. He barely had the strength to look up. Every muscle in his body shook violently.

Yet he was still standing.

"N-no…" Inyssa's voice was thin, weak. "Enma…"

She felt the tension in the air dissipate, like the calm before the storm. The audience was realizing what had happened; in a second the cheers would start, sealing what Inyssa desperately didn't want to be true. Sealing their defe–

Enma's body vanished in a poof of smoke. The world fell still. Frozen.

The smoke and dust behind Lucario shifted, and from within it rose a single, shaking hand, flames licking at the fingers. Above, two crimson eyes shone like rubies.

D-double Team? Realization hit Inyssa like a bolt of lightning. Oh my god…

One last flame burst from Enma's hand, swallowing his opponent whole. It was weak, but it was enough. As the heat and fire dissipated, everyone in the stadium saw Lucario laying face down against the ground, curls of smoke rising from his charred back.

The air exploded with screams, laughs and cheers. Inyssa let out a breath she'd been holding, and almost all of her energy went out with it so that she almost passed out from relief and happiness alone. A warm shiver ran through her arms and legs. Everything felt bright and vibrant, but for once that didn't bother her one bit.

"I…" She swallowed, feeling her throat dry. "Enma…"

She walked to his side and knelt before him as Maylene recalled Lucario. He was still standing, though it looked as though a stiff breeze could knock him out cold, judging by the way his body shook and the pale, yellow flame atop his head. She placed a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the hot pain.

"When were you planning to tell me you'd do that?" she asked, smirking. "Oh well… as long as we won..."

They locked eyes, and no more words were necessary. Mutual pride bloomed between them.

"Welcome back to the team, Enma." She gave him one last pat on the shoulder, then produced his Pokeball. "Take your rest. I'll make sure to wake you up to a tasty meal."

He disappeared into the red beam of light, returning to the Pokeball. She closed her eyes, breathing in. The sound of her and Barry's name echoed through the stadium, coming from the mouth of multiple audience members. Never had she imagined a simple sound could fill her with so much pride. She could almost imagine Selena in between all of them, frowning. That, also, was pleasant.

"Niss… that was incredible."

Barry, Candice and Maylene converged to her spot, each wearing a different kind of smile, though none was forced or fake. She returned the gesture. A kiss, a court nod and a pat on the back later, the time was right for their reward to be given to them.

"That was one hell of a fight," said Maylene, grabbing something from her pocket. "It's been a while since someone pressed us so hard."

"I'm not much of a trainer, but for today at least, that flame of competitiveness burned within me once again," exclaimed Candice. "I can't wait to see how far you two will go. You've earned this."

The Cobble and Icicle badge fell on their palms, welcoming their new masters with their gleams. Red and blue. Tourmaline and Diamond. Inyssa's lips quirked up into an unconscious smile.

Just one more…

Candice waited for them to save the badges in their cases before speaking again.

"And now, as stinging as that defeat was, I think it's time for congratulations and a good celebratory meal."

Inyssa noticed that the corner of her eyes twitched slightly as she said that, her smile a bit rougher than the last. She figured it was just the adrenaline messing with her. Candice gave Barry a firm handshake, then turned to her.

"Maybe we could even leave town; look for a nice place to–"

Their fingers met, and everything went white. Inyssa felt as though a live wire had been hooked into her veins, sending a pulsing shockwave through her muscles, flaring her eyes a bright gold.

The stadium disappeared. Barry, Maylene, the audience, it all evaporated into smoke, which then swirled and reformed into a new, different scene before her eyes.

"You two have fought admirably… but I'm afraid this is over."

She was in a dark, wide room of rough, mossy stone. A single opening could be seen on the wall, opening up to an almost moonless night, the northern part of Snowpoint resting far below. A faint light filtered into the room, framing the silhouette of the two other people in the room.

A glimpse of cold blue caught her eye. The sound that left Inyssa's mouth was a sharp, heavy one, mirroring her sudden breath intake.

"You… You're going to pay for this."

Shadi stood over a bruised and panting Candice, curls and tendrils of darkness outlining her body, licking hungrily at the air around her. A cold, lightless blue replaced the usual green of her eyes. The same Inyssa had seen back then. However, that wasn't the only thing that caught her attention.

Candice's eyes were different too. A bright, vibrant pink. The same color as the light emanating from her body.

"Keep your mouth shut, and I'll keep my end of the bargain," Shadi said matter of factly. "Darkrai, Cresselia, this town, I promise I won't lay a finger on any of them."

A pale, ghostly hand emerged from the folds of her cloak, fingers extended toward the young, frightened Gym leader.

"Is it a deal?"

Cold fury emanated from Candice's eyes as she looked up, locking gazes with her. And yet she was shaking. Her breathing was slow and shallow, all strength gone from her.

When Candice spoke, her voice was sharp and cold like a shattered piece of ice.

"It's a deal."