Percy couldn't quite believe it, but Argenta was laughing as she slowly bled out.

"Ah… Haha… Now that's what I'm talking about," she spluttered, her voice barely hearable over the blood pouring from her mouth. "Took your sweet time, eh, Chaos? Finally decided you wanted me at your s–?"

She broke down into a coughing fit, limbs spasming, blood spurting from her lips at an alarming quantity. Her face was red with pain and effort, thin veins crawling at the edges of her eyes, their vibrant purple slowly losing their glow with every second that passed. The gauze Percy was pressing against the wound on her chest was quickly being dyed a dark red.

Reiko drove a fist onto the ground, teeth grit in anger. "Dammit! We have to do something! That thing's still up there!"

"It… it won't attack us, th–"

"It won't let us leave either!" Reiko protested. "We have to take her and Barry to the hospital right now!"

"I know, I know! But for that s-she needs to stay still! And stop talking!" Percy bellowed, voice high and shaking. "I… I'll…"

"Ha… Haha…"

With tremendous difficulty, Argenta tilted her head to the side, looking up at Percy with an expression that made his blood run cold. A feral, bloodied smile formed on her lips. Madness and glee formed a horrifying mask over the pale skin of her face.

"And t-tell me, child, why would I ever d-do that?" she asked. "So that I can slowly slip into shock, t-then unconsciousness, then death?"

Neither of them had a reply to that. Argenta seemed to expect that.

"I'm not a blithering idiot," she said. "This… is not… the kind of injury you walk away from. You know that."

"I…" Percy swallowed, fingers curling over the fabric of the gauze. He could feel his arms shaking. "I'm sorry…"

Argenta laughed. A wild, strident laugh full of the kind of strength a dying woman shouldn't have had. It was a harrowing sound. Like a Pokemon's roar as it threw itself against an opponent it couldn't win against. It was pain, glee and defiance all rolled into a single sound.

"I… I was getting so worried!" She screamed out, looking up at the sky. "I'd thought I'd grown so old and frail that no one would even bother trying to kill me anymore, but I was wrong! Oh, thank you, Shadi Dawn, thank you! May Chaos smile down on you, as he will soon smile down on me!"

Percy and Reiko looked at the woman with a mix of shock and apprehension. Had they not thought of her as already somewhat mad, they might have wondered if she'd finally lost her marbles.

"Percy told you to stop talking!" Reiko told her, frowning. "You're delirious–!"

"Delirious!? Oh ho, n-nothing like that!" She turned to look at Reiko, laughter bubbling in her chest. "You should understand better than anyone, Flame of Cinnabar. When your time comes, do you intend to fizzle out and disappear, or to explode in a blaze of glory!?"

Reiko bit her lip, unable to answer. They both knew the answer to that, but admitting it would be accepting the reality before them. It would mean accepting that Argenta…

"You can't fight in your condition," Percy muttered.

"R-right now? No, I can't," she admitted, then glanced toward Reiko. "Not unless she helps me."

"M-me?"

"…You can close the wound, can't you?" There was a silent plea in the woman's eyes. Suddenly, she wasn't smiling anymore. "Cauterize it shut." Reiko opened her mouth to protest, but she stopped her. "Don't take me for an idiot, child. We both know very well what you're capable of."

Wetness began to form on Reiko's eyes. Her lips trembled.

"It won't stop the internal bleeding," she argued.

"No… But it'll allow me to die on my own two feet," said Argenta. For the first time since the attack, Percy could see fear behind her eyes. "… Reiko. Percy… Please. Do not let me die like this."

Percy closed his eyes tight, tears falling down his cheeks, and as he did so a familiar face flashed before his eyes. A woman not unlike Argenta, in many ways. A woman who, had she been in her shoes, would have probably wanted a similar end. She'd been the one to teach him, after all. Both to play chess, and to keep fighting until all options had been taken from him.

The board never lies.

He opened his eyes and met gazes with Reiko. His fear and uncertainty were reflected on her face. And yet they both nodded in unison. Below them, a smile spread across Argenta's pale face.

"I knew you had it in you, child."

"I… We'll do what we can." He stood up, leaving room for his girlfriend. "Reiko… Get Argenta back in fighting condition!"

"On it!"

Kneeling beside the wounded woman, Reiko placed both hands over the now uncovered wound and took a deep breath. Immediately, the air around her changed. A heat haze distorted the outline of her body. Flames sprouted from her hands, licking at the edges of her fingers, and the shallow gash on her arm was closed instantly, until it looked as though it had never been there to begin with.

"You might wanna bite down on something," she said, her voice echoing. "This is gonna sting a bit."

"Oh, but that's the best part," smiled Argenta.

Her flaming hands came into contact with the woman's skin, and a scream of agony broke through the night.

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

Inyssa stood in the middle of the tower's roof, a small, almost unidentifiable red spot amidst the vast and raging blizzard.

She could barely see the town below. Trees and houses were severed into unrecognizable flakes of color by the endless flurry of white. Candice and Maylene were somewhere down there. With barely a thought she flared her eyes gold and enhanced her eyesight to its limits. The world became bright and painful. She could see every individual flake of snow, its changing shape, its trajectory as it flew through the air, surrounded by millions just alike. And far below, in the open space surrounding the base of the tower, the two girls stood next to each other.

They held hands. It was as clear as though they were standing next to her. Inyssa felt a pang of… something in the depth of her stomach, but she chose not to give it much thought. Not that she could have, as Uxie spoke in her mind not long after.

"Incredible… I was going to advise against doing that, in fear of the sudden spike of cold, but… You managed to enhance only one of your senses."

Her eyes turned back to normal. The focus disappeared from her sight.

"Oh. Yeah, I didn't even think about it," she muttered. "Lucky break, I guess."

Not that it would have made much of a difference. She was well-dressed for the harsh winter, but standing in the middle of a blizzard wasn't the kind of thing one usually sought to do.

And yet Inyssa didn't feel the cold. She didn't feel the pain. She didn't feel anything except a vast, crushing weight on every cell of her body. Tired. She was so tired.

"… Enma."

The Infernape looked up at her, still on his knees, his breathing difficult. The crown of flames atop his head burned weakly.

"I'm sorry I didn't have her Audino heal you," she said. "But you won't need more than the energy you have left for what I need you for."

With difficulty, Enma flashed her a smile that seemed to say 'Do you really think that still bothers me?

Inyssa shone back a smile that didn't extend to her eyes. He really had grown so much.

"Thank you. And get ready." She squinted up at the barely visible moon. "It's on her side now."

A second after she said that, every light in the sky was snuffed out.

The clouds above her were parted as a wide, massive mass of black began to descend through the sky, like a shadow made corporeal. But… no, it wasn't a single shape. Hundreds, maybe thousands of thorny tendrils of darkness curled around each other, slowly spreading out from the center, where Shadi was. Even from so far away, she could see her. The tendrils coiled around her arms and torso, slowly lowering her, making it look as though she had wings made of shadowy vines.

Inyssa couldn't help but scoff at the sight. Even in situations like these, she had time to make an impressive entrance.

The flakes of snow that came into contact with the mass of shadows turned a deep black, and very soon the sky above Snowpoint was filled with them. It looked like the night itself were raining down upon them.

Fucking drama queen.

"Enma," she said, raising her hand.

The Infernape stood to his full height, gaze set on Shadi.

"Flamethrower."

Red and yellow burned the black and white night away. Letting out an air-shaking roar, Enma threw his hands to the sky and sent forth every ounce of power he had left into a massive pillar of swirling flames. Every snowflake melted away. A wave of heat cleared the hailstorm away, swallowing the mass of shadows whole.

The attack roared through the night for a couple more seconds, then dissipated. Enma fell, all strength gone from him, but Inyssa returned him to his ball before he could hit the ground, whispering a Thank you into the ball.

High above, wind and snow danced around in a pillar that rose toward the sky, breaking even through the clouds above. The result of Enma's attack. Soon the storm would fill that empty space again, but…

I just hope the heat was enough, she thought, biting her lip.

Neither Shadi nor the mass of shadows were anywhere to be seen, but then again she expected that. Now that her entrance had been ruined, the next spot she'd appear in probably was…

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

"Well. That was a dud."

Maylene and Candice turned on their spot, heart rising to their throats at the cold, dry sound of Shadi's voice.

An aura of darkness hemmed her body, dark, erratic tendrils of black curling around the edges of her cloak. The falling snow seemed to slide off her, like water on glass. Maylene had heard her girlfriend describe this woman, but no amount of words could capture the sheer panic she felt at the sight of those icy blue eyes of hers.

"Talk about a wasted entrance," she said, lightly extending her hand to the side. "Family, am I righ–?"

Maylene's arm moved on its own. Shadi's eyes went wide as a streak of silver flew through the air, and cussing under her breath she ducked to the side as the knife whistled past her ear.

Candice gasped. "Wait, M–!"

But she wasn't there anymore. Kicking off the snow-covered dirt beneath her, Maylene threw herself forward as fast as she could. Shadi noticed her a moment after and raised her hand. Her shadow began to shift.

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"Agh!"

Another knife scratched the side of her face, and the sudden pain was enough to throw her concentration off. Maylene stopped in front of her and curled her fingers into a fist.

"Ghk!"

The punch's impact reverberated through the air. Shadi took a sudden step back, head leaned back, a thin sliver of blood running down the left edge of her lips. Maylene didn't let up. She jumped forward and turned on the ball of her feet, throwing the force of her momentum on a rolling kick, aimed straight at the back of the woman's head.

One strike to the back of the head, that's all I need! If I can knock her out th–

She froze mid-kick. It was as though an invisible force were pressing down on every muscle in her body, paralyzing her completely. Her gaze veered down, and her eyes went wide with horror. Shadi's shadow had stretched to touch hers. Boiling darkness was quickly rising up her right shoe toward her leg.

"L-Lucario!"

A shining blue arc fell between them, the shadow connecting both girls being severed as the aura staff hit the ground. In an instant, Lucario grabbed his trainer by the torso and jumped back to gain some distance, landing next to Candice.

"A-ah… Damn it." Maylene grit her teeth, feeling a cold numbness in her foot. "Should've paid more attention to the ground…"

"You idiot," whispered Candice, letting out a sigh of relief. "Don't rush ahead like that again."

"Got it. Sorry, babe."

A few yards from them, Shadi pressed a hand against the bruise on her cheek and winced.

"You know," she said, "believe it or not, you're not the first buff pink-haired woman who's punched me in the face this year. If this keeps happening, I might just start developing a taste for it."

"Ugh," muttered Maylene, making a face. "As if, creep."

"I believe I made it plenty clear with my previous message," said Candice, "but you are not welcome here, Shadi. So kindly get out of my city before I make you."

"Heh. Pretty rotten hospitality coming from a girl as sweet as you, Gym leader," Shadi replied. "I didn't come here for you, though. I'm here for my sister." As she said that, all semblance of humor left her expression. "Move, and I'll be on my way before you know it. Trust me. Neither of us wants any harm to come to the people of Snowpoint."

Candice's nose flared, lips parting to show grit teeth. "Y-you…"

She threw her hand to the side, seemingly halting the storm around her with that gesture alone. Her eyes flashed a bright pink.

"Cresselia, to me!"

The shifting silhouette of the legendary Pokemon from behind Candice, and next to her both Maylene and her Lucario knelt slightly into identical battle stances, the former holding a long aura staff and the latter a pair of short wooden bokken. Their determination was written all over their faces.

Shadi, however, did not look impressed.

"Well. If that's how you want to do this…" She sighed, the raised her hand in front of her face, thumb pressed against middle finger. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

She snapped her fingers. At first nothing happened, but as Maylene squinted and looked past the near-blinding flurry of snow falling around them, she noticed something strange. The back of Shadi's shadow was expanding. Tendrils of darkness slithered through the ground until they connected with the shadow of a nearby tree, and it continued to spread from there.

"T-the hell?"

Before they could process what had happened, her shadow had grown immensely, connecting itself with every other shadow leading toward the house district behind her. The Gym leader's eyes went wide. It was an uncanny sight, like a parasite spreading through the veins of Snowpoint's night.

Then came the first scream.

"What's happening!?" Candice blurted out. "Cresselia…!"

"I… I don't know," the Pokemon's voice resounded in their minds. "This doesn't…"

The door to one of the houses flew open. Then another one, then a few more. In the span of a few seconds all the doors from the streets behind Shadi had opened, and from behind them, people emerged. Old, young, children, even a couple Pokemon. They walked toward them with a lazy, slouched posture, arms hanging at their sides, the white of their eyes dyed black.

Every one of their shadows was connected to Shadi's.

"Shadi! What... what do you think you're doing!?" bellowed Candice, her tone more scared than angry.

"Funny thing, really. Mandatory curfews usually result in people going to sleep earlier than usual," the woman replied with a smug smile. "Lucky me."

Neither of them could find their words. They saw with horror as a small army of citizens were pulled toward them like puppets on a string, more and more of them following from the streets behind. And they weren't alone. Normal people, a small few who didn't seem possessed, had followed their family or neighbors outside and were fruitlessly trying to drag them back toward their house in a confused panic.

"Mom! M-mom, please, what are you…!?"

"Dear!? Synn above, what is happening to you?"

"Please, someone! What's… what's happening!?"

Contrary to all that they had learned before, Maylene and Lucario slowly lowered their weapons, similar looks of shock horror pasted onto their faces.

"H-how…?"

"Cresselia, what is this?" whispered Candice in disbelief. "Can Darkrai control those who are asleep?"

"N-no! Of course not!" the legendary Pokemon hurried to answer. "We… He would never… Dear Arceus, how is she doing this!?"

Shadi smiled as her small army manifested behind her, said gesture seemingly making the air around her colder, if that were possible.

"I've instructed them to attack you. Now, I'm sure you can defend yourselves more than well enough but… do try to be gentle, yes? Civilians are known for being rather fragile."

Maylene's eyes flew open, a burning, seething rage exploding from her chest outwards. The skin around her fingers turned marble white as she grabbed her bokken strongly enough for the wood to creak.

"How… How dare you!?" demanded Candice, cold rage coating her voice.

"YOU BITCH!" followed Maylene. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Heh. Sounds fun. Feel free to give it a try once you're done with this," said Shadi. "I, in the meantime, have an appointment to get to. Cheers."

And with that, her distraction deployed, Shadi directed a court bow toward the two Gym leaders and took a step back into her own shadow, darkness swallowing her whole.

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

Shadi had barely stepped out of the shadows and onto the roof of the ruined tower when she heard her sister's voice.

"Now."

Light blinded her. The air boomed with the sound of several attacks being fired at once. Vines, electricity, wind and boiling water were shot straight at her, and were it not because she was expecting it, they might have connected.

"Tch."

The attacks vanished into the night, and Shadi stepped out of the darkness once more, this time on the opposite side of the circular platform. She raised an eyebrow at her sister. Had she had both arms, she would have folded them in a gesture of 'Really?'.

Inyssa stood in the middle, waiting for her with the entirety of her team sans her starter. Each of them stared at Shadi with a similar fury gleaming in their eyes. And speaking of eyes, she noticed, pursing her lips, her dear sister's were shining an impossibly bright gold. Exactly the thing she didn't want to see.

So… She got rid of the piece of Darkrai, huh? she thought, forming a nervous smile. That could prove problematic.

"Nice to see you're taking this seriously this time. I also noticed that you aimed all of those attacks at the same spot; the hidden pocket inside my cloak," she said. "I assume you've put all the pieces together?"

Inyssa didn't frown or snarl or react with any kind of anger at her comment. Despite the brightness behind her eyes, she herself looked rather glum and dull.

"Yeah. I did," she replied. "It wasn't all that difficult, once I finally stopped looking away from the truth." She raised her hand toward Shadi, her scars crackling with lightning. "Let me show you."

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

By the time Reiko headed over to where Barry and Palmer were, the latter had risen to his feet, though it didn't look as though he'd be able to stay that way for long.

"W-whoa! Careful…"

She grabbed him as he tumbled to the side. Sweat dotted the man's face and hands, and his breathing was so shallow it was a miracle he could even breathe at all. Even with her help, he struggled to stay on his feet.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… Haha… I did it." He managed to lift his head a little bit, a shaking, relieved smile on his lips. "I was able to… close Barry's wound. Thank goodness…"

Reiko looked down at the boy, still unconscious, face pale as a ghost. However, Palmer was right; the wound on his stomach had stopped bleeding. And more importantly, he seemed to be breathing somewhat evenly now.

She swallowed, and the knot of fear in her stomach got a little less tight.

"Is he gonna be okay?" she asked.

Palmer pursed his lips, eyes narrowing weakly. "H-he'll live… But he's pretty s-short of critical condition. We need to get him to a hospital ASAP."

"Right…" Reiko looked up, the flame of the Charizard's tail trailing in circles through the sky. "I can see a problem or two with that."

"Heh… That's why we gotta fight," smiled Palmer. "How are Percy and Argenta? Are they–?

"Right behind you!"

They jumped at the strength of that voice. Turning around, they were met with the sight of a standing Argenta being helped up by Percy, trails of blood dripping down her lips and a hand pressed over the patch of burnt skin on her chest. Her expression was nothing short of madness. Red veins clawed at the edges of her eyes. Her teeth and every muscle in her body seemed clenched against what must have been an indescribable pain. Reiko couldn't help but cringe at the sight. Palmer let out a gasp.

"A-Argenta…"

"You said it best yourself, Palmer! Now is the time to fight!" The woman looked up at the sky, her lips forming the hook of a crazed smile. "We'll need all the help we can get if we are to take that beast down! Do you think you can handle it, Tower Tyccon!?"

A multitude of emotions crossed Palmer's expression as he noticed the fatal wound on the woman's chest. Shock, fear, realization, and finally… Well, it was hard to tell, at least to Reiko. Whatever that last emotion was, it was probably something only reserved for Argenta. An understanding between old friends. A silent agreement.

Finally, he closed his eyes and gave a small, firm nod, unhooking his arm from around Reiko's shoulder and standing on his own two feet.

"H-hey! Are you sure you can do this?" asked Percy, concerned. "No offense but you don't even look like you can stand up by yourself."

"He's right," nodded Reiko. "We can take care of this ourselves. I don't know what you did to close Barry's wound but it looks like it took a lot out of you."

"Heh… More than you know."

Palmer pressed a shaking hand against his chest and tried to take a deep breath. It really did look like he would collapse on the spot.

"Mesprit… is telling me that this is a terrible idea. That I m-might very well die if I keep using its powers without any e-energy of my own to back them up."

Percy blinked. "M-Mesprit? What are you–?"

The man's eyes shot open, a powerful golden light coming to life behind them. The wind stilled. The same wisps of energy that had a few minutes before covered Barry from head to toe now did the same with him, though the light they emitted was a lot stronger. Reiko's mouth gaped.

Seriously, what the fuck did we miss!?

"B-but… Like hell I'm gonna stand around and do nothing when my son needs me," Palmer spat out, frowning. "I've risked my life plenty of times for his sake during the war… What's one more?"

"Ha! Now that's the spirit!"

A broken, jagged laugh left Argenta's mouth as she dug both hands into the pockets of her jacket and pulled out a pair of thick, heavy-caliber pistols, one a deep blue and the other a bright red. She wielded them with ease, despite her injury.

"W-WH–!?" Percy took a step back, mouth gaping. "Where the hell did you get those from!?"

"What a preposterously idiotic question! I've told you before that I used to hunt miscreants, did I not!?" She flashed the boy a blood-thirsty smile, cutting an X in the air with her pistols. "Any fool that relies only on their Pokemon to fight is but dead meat. Now come! Let's get this started!"

Without prompting, she threw one hand toward the sky and pulled the trigger. The shot boomed through the air like an explosion, making everyone around her wince and getting the attention of the Charizard flying above them.

"Rise, our Pokemon companions! If you are still conscious, if you still have legs to stand on, then what is your excuse!? Stand up and fight to your last breath, lest it is taken from you!"

At first nothing happened. Then, one by one, Reiko saw the barest hints of movement around them. First it was Priscilla; driving her wand into the ground, she pushed herself to her knees with shaking effort, flames licking at the fur in her chest. Then came Pedri and Gamatetsu. As massive as they were, them forcing themselves to stand up was hard to miss. Denki, her Raichu, was next, crackles of electricity dancing around his body as he rose, blood and grime and dirt covering his fur in enormous patches.

And then, Makura began to shake. A laugh of disbelief left Palmer's mouth.

"Ha… Synn above, I really should learn not to underestimate you, Argenta. You really have no equal when it comes to handling Pokemon."

"T-that doesn't even need to be said!" muttered Argenta, lips shaking. "Though I'm afraid I might have attracted some unwanted attention w-with that."

They knew what that meant as soon as the flapping of wings was heard. A powerful gust of wind fell on them, but Palmer acted fast and raised a hand toward the sky, an invisible barrier materializing above them. The sound of wind crashing against it sounded like gunfire. Above them, Shadi's Charizard was slowly descending, gnashing her teeth at them.

The rest of the trainers and the few Pokemon who had managed to stand up got into battle position, but Reiko didn't. She bit her lip, a hint of indecision stopping her in her tracks.

"H-ha…Haha… This is it!" yelled Argenta, brandishing her pistols. "I can almost smell the fire and brimstone! Very well then! If Chaos is waiting for me then he better get those iron gates wide open, because I'm bringing one hell of a beast down with me!"

"Mesprit, Makura, everyone… I'm counting on you!" Palmer bellowed. "Ready!?"

Reiko opened her mouth, but no words came out. Percy noticed first. Brow furrowing, he turned to her and reached for her hand almost by instinct, offering her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, are you…?"

She pursed her lips, and nodded. There really was no other option… Were it only Argenta… Were Barry not in critical condition… Maybe then she could convince herself that using everything wasn't necessary, but now…

She closed her eyes, and concentrated within herself, tugging at the flame within her chest. Immediately, it tugged back. Pain flared all throughout her body, the temperature around her spiking. She grit her teeth. Just like back then, during her fight with Nico. Except this time she was trying to use it deliberately, and the flame was not happy with that.

I don't care what you think! She yelled inside her mind. No, this isn't Charon, it's not even someone from Team Galactic. And no, this isn't getting us any closer to our objective, but…!

She looked down toward Barry. His breathing was getting less and less regular by the minute, and the intense cold of the night certainly wouldn't help his condition. She had to do this. If she didn't…

You… You can burn me alive after this, if it'll make you feel better, she thought. But I am NOT going to stand by and be useless again as a friend slowly dies before me! If I have the power and I don't use it… Then this was all for nothing. The spirit of Cinnabar… It's undying flame… It will all mean nothing! Is that what you want!?

The other side stopped tugging. The pain vanished, and Reiko was again able to draw a breath without it burning her throat.

From within the depths of her chest, she felt a begrudging acceptance.

A smile formed on her lips. Good enough.

The ground shook as Charizard landed at the lake's shore, and the air soon did the same as a powerful roar exploded from her mouth, forcing the rest to take a step back.

Reiko turned around and frowned at the beast. She took a deep breath, and the air around her began to distort by the sudden heat emanating from her body. The ground crystallized under her feet. Fire licked at every inch of her body, the red of her hair flaring up to the point where it looked as though she'd donned a mane of flames.

Her gaze met Percy's, and the sight of her seemed to burn away any hint of fear left in his expression. Lips curling into a smile, he raised a hand toward the beast.

"Special Ops Team!" he yelled out. "Our mission is to defeat that Charizard and then transport all wounded straight to Pastoria's hospital! On your guard!"

"Right!" Palmer and Argenta replied in unison.

Reiko extended her left hand, and Flicker materialized upon it. Then she grabbed a Pokeball with the other one. It was a strange ball. The only one she hadn't opened ever since setting foot in Sinnoh. But now...

She raised her hand toward the sky and let out a scream that echoed through the night.

"Heed my call! Moltres; Flame of Cinnabar!"

The ball opened, and a blinding flash of light engulfed Reiko whole.