Capturing all three siblings proved a much less daunting task than I had anticipated.

Perhaps this, like many other events precluding my eventual and hubristic downfall, should have made me realize the severity of my actions.

Power, as they say, twists and corrupts. An epiphany that came at the cost of all that I loved, but one I'm happy to have received nonetheless.

I just wish it could have arrived to me sooner.

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

Metchi sat alongside Sanbica, trying her best not to glance her way every few seconds.

She was still here. Why was she still here? Not that she minded the company of a cute girl –that's what she was in the hunt for, after all– but she couldn't help but feel somewhat at edge at Sanbica's presence. She stuck out like a sore thumb, what with the goth getup and freaky purple eyes. And if that weren't enough, she'd used the lighter Metchi had provided for her to light up a stick of incense, which she now held with both hands over her lap. Hands which, at first, she thought had holes in the middle, though she later realized it was just a really weird tattoo.

But whatever.

Metchi kept chewing on the awful cheese and crackers they'd been given as dinner. Not the best of food, but at least it was free, and it gave her time to think about how to break the ice. This girl wouldn't have stayed at her side if she didn't want something from her, right? With any luck, they were both after the same thing.

"Such a portentous night, don't you think?"

She almost choked on the dusty crackers in an attempt to answer. Sanbica's eyes were now wide open, staring at the empty distance like an Espurr. A shiver ran down Metchi's spine.

"Er… Is that a good or bad thing?"

Sanbica turned to her, the pale corners of her lips quirking into a smile. "That depends, friend."

"D-depends on what?"

Her lips parted, showing the stark white of her teeth. It was the kind of smile Mars could only wish to replicate.

"On what side you're on, of course."

And that's about as far as Metchi's romantic interest in this girl went. As long as it had been since she'd been with someone and as much as she'd ignored her instincts in the past when it came to this stuff, even she knew there were some bets you just didn't take. So instead, she decided to drop the act.

"R…right," she whispered. "Look, no offense but… you're sketchy as fuck. And I was kinda looking for an opening to flirt with you and then see what happens but that suddenly doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore, so…"

She gave her a somewhat exaggerated shrug, still holding a cheese-covered cracker in her hand. Luckily, Sanbica didn't seem offended. Instead, she giggled to herself, though with her deep voice it sounded a lot more sinister than she probably intended it to.

"Oh, don't fret over it," she said. "You're not my type, anyway."

"Ah… yeowch."

"Still, isn't it funny? How two people can come together under their own expectations, only for them to be turned on their heads by the smallest force of will." Her gaze went down to the incense stick as she spoke, its smoke curling in unseen patterns around her. "I've always believed that humans are chaos theory incarnate. A whole universe, resting within each one. You never know what will happen once two collide; only that it will be quite the sight."

Metchi raised an eyebrow at that, though she refrained herself from saying what was in her mind. Being a bitch wouldn't win her anything. And sure, this girl was weird and uncanny as all fuck, but at least she was interesting to talk to, which was more than she could say about ninety percent of the people she'd ever met.

"You sure have a poetic way of looking at it," she finally said. "Almost makes me wanna believe we're not just a bunch of sweaty animals breaking shit and causing chaos forever until the universe explodes."

Sanbica turned to her and shrugged, tilting the incense stick her way. "Can't we be both?"

"Hah. Yeah, I guess." Thin ribbons of smoke continued to curl around them. There was a short, awkward silence. Sanbica didn't seem to mind. "So, like… what's your deal?"

"My… deal?"

"Yeah, you know… You kinda look like if Grimsley and Shauntal had a kid who then killed a Mismagius and wore it as an outfit." Another few seconds of silence. God, those eyes really felt like they were drilling into her. "Not… that I don't like it. It's a great aesthetic! But you don't really look like the kinda girl who'd travel in a shitty boat like this."

Sanbica nodded to herself, considering the question. "I… guess I do look out of place here, don't I?"

"Not… that that's a bad thing," said Metchi, smiling nervously. Dear Mew, what was she doing? She'd always been terrible at talking to girls but this was taking it to a new level. "I reckon no one here belongs anywhere, so you not belonging is… a good thing? Yeah."

"Hm." Sanbica looked down, frowning for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, she let out a tiny laugh. "You are a funny woman, Metchi."

"I am? I mean… sure, I am." She returned the laugh, though much less genuinely. "I'll be here all week, taste the veal and all that. I've got lots of terrible jokes."

"Oh, no. That's not what I meant."

Metchi stammered for a moment, tilting her head in confusion.

"Huh?"

"What struck me as funny was not your nervous attempt at humor, but your comment itself," explained Sanbica. "I'm sorry, but hearing you claim that you don't belong anywhere is like hearing a Starly complain about its lack of wings."

Metchi's smile dropped. "Ex…cuse me? You don't know me."

"Not in depth, no. But some things are obvious, even to the untrained eye."

"What…?" Metchi swallowed, feeling something form in her throat. "What are you doing here, in this boat?"

Finally, after minutes of burning, the incense stick went out, small clumps of ash staining the wooden floor before them. Sanbica stared at the last curl of smoke as it rose into the air. Her expression was unreadable.

"I wasn't sure, when I first arrived," she said. "But now I can say with some degree of confidence that I am here for you, Metchi."

Involuntarily, her hand moved to the outer part of her thigh where her knife was hidden, but she stopped just before her fingers touched it. What was she doing? That hadn't been a threat, had it? This girl was just uncanny by nature. And besides, what was she going to do? Threaten someone with a knife, inside a room full of people who probably also had a hidden one? And in the middle of a boat, no less. Yeah, that'd go well.

Clearing her throat, she pretended to scratch her leg instead, and forced herself to smile.

"I thought I wasn't your type?"

"Not quite. I'm into richer women… no offense."

Metchi cackled. "None taken. I'm right there with you." She swallowed nervously, then asked. "Seriously though, what are you doing here? You didn't come talk to me just because, did you?"

"In a way, I guess." Sanbica leaned back on the wall, pressing a thumb against her lower lip as she looked up. Her gaze was distant. "The path that led me to you is as aimless as it is predetermined. Neither, that is."

"Uh-huh. Well, that answers about… zero of my questions so far."

Still gazing at nothing, Sanbica's lips curled up slightly, around her thumb.

"Sorry. But if what you want is a straight answer, then a medium is not the right person to speak to."

Metchi let out a breath of surprise, feeling her previous anxiety suddenly evaporate.

"Ah… you're one of those," she said, almost laughing from relief. "Fucking 'ell, start with that next time. You actually had me spooked there for a sec."

"Are you saying that me being a medium means I can't spook you anymore? That'd be no fun."

"I mean, at least now I know what your deal is."

Metchi hadn't ever met an actual medium, or hex maniacs as they were called back in Hoenn, but she'd met a few aspiring ones back in her day. No matter the region, they always seemed to hang out in the same places. She figured there would never be a shortage of young idiots trying to forcefully gain some control over their lives by messing with dark forces that probably should have been left alone. Those who succeeded would probably join their kin at Mt. Pyre. The rest…

Well, there ought to be a reason why she'd never heard from some of them again.

Still, if Sanbica's look and that strange presence she exuded was anything to go by, she was the real deal. Such a fact should have made her even more nervous. Instead, she suddenly felt more comfortable around the girl.

She was no stranger to magic.

"So what are you doing here?" she asked. "Let me guess; Sinnoh wasn't as lucrative as you expected?"

Sanbica lowered her mouth, glancing at her without tilting her head. "Speaking from experience?"

"Hah… Yeah, you could say that."

"I guess I've been a bit luckier than you," she said. "You know, for all their distrust and stoicism, I found that Sinnohans are very inclined to believe in the supernatural. Especially the trainers. Making ends meet has been a lot easier than I thought."

Metchi raised an eyebrow at her. "Why are you leaving then? Not to say money is everything but…"

"Oh, I'm not."

"I… huh?"

"I am not leaving.," she said, as sure as though she were telling Metchi the sky was blue. "Something within tells me I still have a role to play in those lands."

"But… you're in a boat that's headed for Hoenn," argued Metchi. "Did you take the wrong one? Maybe those incense fumes are starting to get to you a little."

"Heh. That's funny." Sanbica turned to her, seemingly struggling not to laugh. "Yes, Metchi, I'm well aware of where I am. What I'm saying is that I came to this boat for what I assume was the purpose of meeting you, but nothing more. As soon as we're done here, I'll take my leave." Her stare lingered for a second longer than normal, the violet of her eyes digging right through her. "And something tells me it will be the same for you."

Metchi opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say. This girl was one hell of a roller coaster. She wanted to say something to prove her wrong, tell her that she knew exactly where she was going and there was no chance of changing that, but something prevented the words from coming out of her.

"…So what? You can see the future?"

Sanbica laughed. "Oh no, nothing like that. Despite having been born under the bright star of Master Jirachi, they do not share all of their gifts with my kind." She tapped her nose for a moment, deep in thought. "It's more of an… advanced form of instinct, you could say."

"Instinct?"

"Yes. Flashes of insight or inspiration will come to me occasionally. I will be compelled to be in a certain place at a certain time, knowing that my actions there will be of great importance, but never knowing what those actions will be." She spoke with a dreamy sigh in her voice, as though she found the prospect beautiful. "You could think of it as being pulled toward events of importance by the threads of fate. Whether I make things better or worse, that's on me. My powers simply point me in the right direction."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Metchi nodded slowly, trying to follow her explanation. It sounded absurd. Then again, so did having the power to erase a person's will or emotions or memories, and yet here she was. Although…

"That doesn't sound… very appealing," she said. "Isn't it like having your life already decided for you? What if you're just being strung along by Jirachi and you don't even realize it?"

Sanbica flashed her the kind of smile one used with someone they found cutely naïve.

"Oh no, I'm afraid Master Jirachi is still asleep, and will continue to be so for the next three-hundred years. They hold no power over me. But I am more than free to harness theirs."

"Still…" She struggled to find the words, parting and closing her lips a few times. "I get wanting to make things better by like… intervening and stuff, but not having a choice–"

"But I do have a choice."

Sanbica's lips tightened into a line, something that could have been considered a smile if one weren't paying much attention.

"You know… maybe I chose my words badly before."

"Huh?"

She nodded to herself. "Flash of inspiration might not be the best way to describe it. It's more of… a dark pocket in my vision, an absence more than a presence," she explained with a wave of the hand, her many bracelets making a tinkling noise. "The future is never certain, not even to Master Jirachi. When people talk about seeing the future, they imagine it like someone watching a movie, skipping ahead to know what happens before it does."

Metchi raised an eyebrow, straightening her back as she leaned a bit closer. "I'm guessing you're about to tell me how it actually works."

"The art of sensing the future… it's more statistics than it is mystical powers, to be honest." Sanbica leaned closer and whispered that last part, as though she were fearful of others hearing her. "The more… let's say ordinary a person is, the more they go through life traversing the same paths and clinging to the same habits, the easier it is for my powers to work on them."

"Right. Then the more unpredictable they are…"

"Exactly," smiled Sanbica. "They are the dark pockets in my vision I mentioned before. And just as a Venomoth is attracted to a flame, so do people like me flock toward that uncertain darkness. It's… addicting. And do you want to know something?" She leaned even closer, face inches from hers. There was hunger in her eyes. "You're the greatest absence I have ever encountered, Metchi."

They stared at each other for the length of a few breaths, until finally Metchi couldn't contain herself.

"That's… what she said?"

Something like a sigh left Sanbica's lips, almost deflating her expression, showing the lines on her face, under her eyes.

"Trust me, I can hardly believe it either," she said, leaning back, letting herself rest against the wall once more. She looked tired. "But it is what it is."

"Yeah. I've been told," she said. "So that's why you came? You sensed my unpredictability and wanted to check me out?"

"In simple terms, yes." Sanbica hiked one of her legs up, resting her arm on the knee. "But it's more than that. Before, the uncertainty emanating from you was so powerful that I couldn't even pinpoint where it originated from. Its reach was massive. Like a blanket of storm clouds hovering over the entirety of Sinnoh."

"Man, you sure know how to make a girl feel special."

"Not even the Champion herself cast a wider shadow than you did, and trust me, that woman is as unpredictable as it gets," she said, tone amused. "It was… comforting. Knowing there was someone out there even I couldn't influence. But then…"

Metchi's smirk dropped. Suddenly, she felt very cold.

"Let me guess," she said. "It was the day of the attack on Celestic. After that, I got a lot more predictable, didn't I?"

Sanbica didn't confirm it outright, though the look on her face was as much evidence as Metchi needed.

"…Yeah. Figured."

She slumped back into her corner of the wall, voice so bitter it could've passed for a Salac berry. Not much point in hiding that. Out of all the things she'd left behind when she joined Team Galactic, shame had been the first. However, Sanbica didn't seem to pity her, nor did she look disappointed. Her expression was as eerily blank as usual, the air around her tense and cold.

"I don't mean to butt in on your business. You've probably guessed this already but I get enough sob stories and whining from my clients as it is. But if I had to guess…" She glanced at her. "Whatever happened that day is related to why you're hurrying back to Hoenn, and why your eyes are that color."

Metchi replied with a tight, tired smile. "Got it in one. Ever thought of leaving this business and becoming a detective?"

Sanbica perked up, considering the idea for a moment.

"I've solved a few paranormal murder cases, if that counts," she said. "But I don't think the aesthetic would suit me. And I don't think the Institute would pay for the duster coats, fedoras and expensive cigars."

"Institute?" frowned Metchi.

"Never mind that. Slip of the tongue."

Metchi let out a chuckle. "Right. Anyway, that attire might make you about five percent less conspicuous than you are now."

"Even worse, then."

Another silence, longer and tenser than the previous one, followed. Sanbica stared ahead. Metchi grabbed another cheese-coated cracker and shoved it into her mouth.

"I guess I should apologize," Sanbica finally said. Her voice was devoid of its usual weight and pomp, stripped into what must have been her real tone. "To be honest, I came here thinking I would be happy with just getting to know the person responsible for that huge blackout in my vision. But you are… not what I expected."

"And that is also what she said," muttered Metchi. "Multiple shes, actually. For better or worse, I seem to have a knack for surprising the girls I meet."

A pretty weak deflection. But it wasn't like she cared to think of something better. It wouldn't stop this conversation anyway.

"Metchi…" Sanbica squinted, as though wanting to see right through her. With those eyes of hers, it wouldn't have surprised her. "You are Azelf's chosen human, are you not?"

She choked on the crackers. Which sucked incredibly, seeing as they were old and dusty and perfect for clogging up her throat. A few heads turned her way. Though thankfully a single angry glare from her made them turn right back around.

"F-fucking… what?" she managed to drag out of her throat, eyes squinted in pain. "How'd you…?"

"It's pretty obvious if you stop to think about it," said Sanbica. " Those eyes of yours are a dead giveaway."

Throat still sore, she forcefully swallowed and unconsciously took a hand to the bags under her right eye, squinting at the touch.

Should've bought those bitching' shades I saw last week.

"Well… sorry," she said. "But Azelf's not with me anymore." Saying those words felt like chewing through sand. "So if what you wanted was to meet one of the legendary heroes then you're out of luck."

Not that I was much of the sort when Azelf was with me, she thought bitterly.

"Is that so?" Sanbica tilted her head a bit, squinting. "But your eyes…"

"Yeah, thanks for pointing out. I hadn't noticed they haven't gone back to normal yet." A weak, tired retort. Barely worth the effort to get it out, but she was too sick of the subject to care. "Dunno why, but it doesn't matter, does it? Azelf's gone and it took with it… whatever uncertainty power you said you felt from me. So even if I wanted to humor your curiosity, I can't."

Sanbica didn't react in the slightest to the heated tone in her voice, nor the signs of danger in the way her cheeks and ears had started reddening. She simply stared, taking all of her in. Her eyes dug into her in a way few things could.

"I never said that power came from Azelf."

Metchi's words got caught up in her throat. She tried to swallow them down, but in the end the question got out anyway.

"Where from, then?"

No answer came at first. For a few, long seconds of silence, Metchi thought maybe Sanbica hadn't heard her, too busy staring. The girl's gaze was distant, but not lost. It was as though she were struggling to unearth something from her by the power of her eyes alone.

"Metchi, I want you to tell me something."

"W-what?"

"From the moment you were born, has there ever been a moment where you chose to fight instead of running away?"

Her words were like a bucket of icy water being dumped on her head. Metchi's mouth opened but no reply came, the sudden heat rising from her stomach choking her up worse than the crackers had a minute ago. Her hand twitched. It was a struggle, trying to keep it from rushing to the hidden knife in her thigh.

"I've been fighting all my life." Her voice was a hot, jagged whisper. "You don't fucking know me."

"Like I said before, I don't. But there's some things that even the untrained eye…"

"Fine! Tell me then; does your future sight tell you if I'm gonna punch you in the face right now, or is that another one of my uncertainties?"

Sanbica looked like she was seriously considering the question. "I wouldn't discount the possibility."

"You're so full of shit," Metchi spat out, tone bitter. "You know, I was willing to humor you before, but who the hell do you think you are to come out with something like that?"

"…Hm. Funny," whispered Sanbica. "You didn't seem like the type to be easily riled up by words. I'm guessing I pressed a very sensitive nerve."

Metchi barely noticed herself standing up, crumbs and plastic wrappers falling at her feet. Now people were definitely looking at her.

"Fucking blow me," she said. "Why would I want to throw myself to a fight I know I can't even win? And for what; the people of this region?" She let out a forced, bitter laugh. "Yeah right, 'cause Sinnoh cares a lot about people like me."

Sanbica didn't reply again. That pissed Metchi off even more.

"I've done nothing but fight tooth and fucking nail for myself and everyone else!" she screamed out. Control over her own voice was slipping from her. "A-and I… it didn't work out, anyway! I fucked it up, but it wasn't my fault! I didn't have anything to work with; I was fighting them all alone and… and no one else cared except me. And I…"

It was too late by the time she noticed her voice breaking, or the wetness forming in her eyes. In her moment of weakness, something she'd been trying to hold back was now flooding outward. Fucking pathetic. This was just what she needed to kick things off; to start crying in front of a boat full of strangers.

She swallowed, wiping the wetness with her sleeve. She was…

"I'm so fucking tired." The words came out barely as a whisper. "Everyone else had a reason to fight, but they didn't. They had a reason to care, but they ignored it. I didn't have either but I'm the only one who tried." She sniffled, feeling her throat dry. "Why does it have to be me?"

Sanbica shrugged nonchalantly. "We can't choose what we care about."

"But… I don't even know why I care." Metchi despised the way her voice sounded. She wanted nothing more than to tear her throat out and pull out the whiny and pathetic out of her vocal chords. "I've been beaten, robbed and taken advantage of time and time again ever since I set foot in Sinnoh, and the people I ended up fighting were the only ones who actually treated me like a person instead of… of a…" The word got stuck in her throat. She'd tried her best to force herself not to be bothered by these things, but certain words struck her in a way nothing else could. "I threw everything away to fight for people who don't care about me. Just 'cause I thought it was the right thing to do."

"I know," whispered Sanbica, a hint of tenderness in her voice. "Isn't it wonderful?"

She tried to think of a way to argue against that, but nothing came to her. It had been. As much as she hated to even think about it, whenever she closed her eyes and let her thoughts waver, she would go back to that one moment. Her body coated in weightless golden flames. Her eyes shining brighter than stars. A voice so heavy it could have commanded the moon out of the sky.

It had been the most wonderful moment of her life. And now… here she was.

"The fact that you're able of such a thing is why I can't predict you," she heard Sanbica said. "That power has nothing to do with Azelf. It belongs to you alone, and my heart flutters to think of what you could be capable of if you learned to harness it."

For a second, Metchi almost let herself be convinced. The aching behind her eyes was painful, a warmth that extended all throughout her body, making her feel almost weightless. It almost felt like it had back then.

But then she breathed out, and the cold closed in around her.

"…You shouldn't have come here," she said, shoulders dropping. "I can't do this again."

Instead of protesting or trying further to convince her otherwise, Sanbica gave her a court nod, then looked away.

"I understand. Sorry to have bothered you."

Metchi startled. She had expected more but… why? The conversation was done; no amount of buttering her up would convince her to turn around on this.

"…Right."

She turned around to leave. Or… well, to walk to the other side of the room and sit somewhere else, more precisely. She surveyed her surroundings for a second. Looked like everyone had lost interest in whatever was going on with her, thank god.

She delayed taking the first step. Then, realizing why, she shook her head, called herself an idiot inside her head and began walking away.

"Oh… by the way."

It was almost pathetic how fast Metchi looked over her shoulder, eyes slightly wide. Sanbica hadn't moved nor changed her expression.

"Earlier, you said I'd lost my opportunity to meet one of the legendary heroes," she said. "But that's not exactly true. I already met one, er… a couple months ago, if I'm remembering correctly."

Metchi tried to swallow, feeling her throat dry as sandpaper. "W-what did you say?"

"Yes. Ran into him twice, actually. Once in Veilstone and then at the annual Pastoria bonfire party." She pressed her thumb against her lip again, lost in thought. "Though I doubt he was aware of the bond back then. He didn't seem to notice when his eyes flashed gold."

Of course. The bitch had saved such a revelation for this; one last bait to entice her. Metchi would have called her out on it if it weren't for the fact her tongue felt tied into a knot in her throat.

Another hero... another one like her. The possibility had always been there –Mesprit hadn't been captured by the time she'd escaped with Azelf– but not for a second had she considered it. Even she wouldn't have wished such a daunting job on anyone else.

And yet a second ago you were complaining you were the only one who tried, she chastised herself.

"Who is it?" she finally asked, trying to keep emotion from her voice.

"Hm. I think his name was Barry, or something like that. Tall kid… kinda weird blonde hair and…"

But Metchi had stopped listening. Her throat felt like it twisted closed, every horrible feeling of invisible insects running under her skin exacerbating tenfold in an instant. She unconsciously grabbed her arms. Keeping herself steady. Nails dug into skin, and for a moment she wanted nothing more than to rip it out and all the disgusting stuff that hid under it.

"No…" It was a weak plight, barely above a whisper. "Why him? H-how… how did he even…?"

And of course that dumb-ass Inyssa had to be with him. Knowing those two, they would probably think being a legendary hero was something cool and flashy, and would immediately throw themselves at Team Galactic, thinking themselves invincible. They…

She let out a weak gasp.

"Celestic," she said. "That's why they were there! Cyrus targeted them!"

Sanbica raised an eyebrow at that, and the people around them turned to look again, but Metchi didn't care.

The attack on Celestic… the two had survived that, she'd seen it on the news. But how many weeks had it been since then? Cyrus wasn't an idle man, there was no way he would stop after only one attempt, and having bested him once already, Barry and Inyssa would only get more confident in their abilities. It was a recipe for disaster.

"What if Cyrus caught them already?" she thought aloud, feeling a shiver at the possibility. "They could be…"

"You haven't been watching the news, have you?"

Metchi paused, realizing how hard her nails were digging into the skin of her arms. She let go, then breathed in quick.

"What?" she asked, turning to Sanbica. "I… no, I've been avoiding them. Why?"

"Figured," she whispered. "Then you probably don't know that, a week ago, those two appeared on T.V. to challenge Snowpoint's Gym leader and also to reveal to the world what Team Galactic's true plan is."

If Metchi had been holding on to anything, it would have fallen to the ground then.

"They… what?"

"Oh, yes. Something about their leader wanting to harness the power of the lake trio to enslave the Pokemon of time and space… or something." Sanbica shrugged, apparently not very amused by that information. "Made for one hell of a headline. I haven't seen news explode that fast since that Rowan guy was kidnapped."

"WHAT!?"

The scream left her before she could stop it. For the first time since they'd met Sanbica jumped at the sound and pretty much every head in the room turned toward them, a general air of irritation filling the room.

"Ah… Right. Haven't been following the news," whispered Sanbica. "These past few weeks have been pretty wild."

Every muscle in Metchi's body felt hot and uncomfortable, the warmth behind her eyes itching so much it was hard not to squint. Her breathing was quick and jagged. In all honestly, she felt like throwing up, but somehow she managed to hold back the urge. Taking hold of the dozens of screams and panicked buzzes running through her mind, she pushed them as far back as she could and walked toward Sanbica, kneeling before her.

"Explain," she commanded, her voice heavy and brittle at the same time. "Now."