There was the sound of someone jumping high into the air, and a moment after Mars fell into the inside of the hangar from one of the broken windows at the top, a cloud of dust exploding at her feet. She stood up to her full height, dusted off her shirt and looked up at them with the most infuriating smile Inyssa had ever seen.

"Howdy, friends. How's this wonderful night treating you?"

Contrary to what she expected, it was Metchi who jumped to attack first. It was such a quick, fluid gesture that Inyssa only realized she'd moved when she saw a blur and a gleam as Metchi grabbed her knives. There was a sharp whistle of sharp metal on air, followed by Mars raising her hand forward. A deaf, metallic gong boomed through the hangar.

"Wow. Now that's a welcome I can get behind."

Metchi took a step back, her knife having bounced on the shield Mars had created on her right hand. She scoffed and spun the weapons on her hand, readying another blow.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say fuck this, and fuck you," she muttered. "Nothing against you, Mars, but I can't have you follow us."

"Metchi…"

"I know, I know. You can just use your Pokemon, right?" she glared over her shoulder at Inyssa. "Don't worry, I can take care of this. And besides, it'll be a good way to work out some of this frustration, you get me?"

"Actually, that's not what I was gonna say at all."

That certainly surprised Metchi. As she frowned at her, Inyssa raised a hand to the side as a gesture to her Pokemon, and immediately they relaxed their posture, although most of them, especially Steven and Shadi, still looked weary of Mars.

"I'll deal with her," she declared, a sudden, strange weight behind her voice. "Move aside."

Even Mars looked surprised by that statement, though it didn't last long, as a moment after she raised an eyebrow and let out a dry chuckle.

"Oh, are you now? Well go ahead, don't let me stop you."

For a moment Metchi looked as though she'd complain, but then she simply shrugged and tentatively took a few steps back, though at no point did she let go of her knives. She stood at Inyssa's side, expectant. Her Pokemon were the same way. She could see their readiness to fight in every inch of their faces, just like last time they'd faced the woman.

Just like last time…

Inyssa looked over her shoulder at her team, and smiled. Then she grabbed their Pokeballs from her belt, and immediately they startled in panic and tried to say something, but there was no need.

"I won't send you away without asking this time," she said. "You can stay if you want. But… I'm asking you to trust that I can handle this. That this is something I have to do, and no one else."

There was hesitation at first. Steven, Shadi and Kuro looked at each other knowingly, having before felt the betrayal of their right to fight being taken away from them. Enma looked the more averse to the idea. He still wanted to help, to prove himself. Fittingly enough, it was Bret and Johnny who first nodded. The former had seen how tenacious she was during the fight of Celestic, and the latter… well, she wasn't sure if he had no idea what was happening or if he simply knew, but it was good enough.

"Ku-kuri…" muttered Shadi after a few seconds, then shook her head in resignation. "Ku…"

Despite her doubts, she mirrored her trainer's smile, showing just as much confidence. Then, one by one, the rest followed. Even Enma relaxed his posture and nodded, although only after letting out an exaggerated sigh of 'Well, if you must'.

"…Thanks. I mean it."

There were multiple flashes of light, and then her team wasn't there anymore. As she strapped her Pokeballs to her belt again, she heard Mars speak behind her.

"Is she always this dramatic?"

Metchi scoffed. "Maybe. But I'll take an honest theater kid over a murderous bitch like you any day."

"Now, now, that's not fair, especially coming from you. Are you really in any position to judge me, Ursa?"

Metchi snarled and took a step forward, but Inyssa raised a hand to stop her. The full brunt of her gaze fell upon Mars.

"No," she said. "But I am."

Both women stared at her with a similar look, although the smile never dropped from Mars' face. There was a wet suction sound, and her arm returned to normal. She placed that hand on her hip, leaning slightly to the side.

"I thought we'd gone past the bitterness and the need for revenge, Inyssa. Did I not save your life that night? Did I not help you take Shadi down?"

"You did," said Inyssa. "I couldn't have stopped her if it weren't for you. But you didn't do it out of the goodness of your heart, did you? You would never extend such kindness to someone unless it were for your own benefit."

Mars shrugged. "So what? You got what you wanted. Shouldn't you be happy about that?"

"We both know Shadi didn't exactly… die." As hard as it was for her to get that word out, it seemed to have a similar effect on Mars. For the briefest of instants, her expression wavered. "Besides, what if you hadn't needed me? What of all the other people that had to die or get hurt because they just didn't matter to you? Do you really think I can overlook that and just let you join us because it'd be convenient for me?"

Metchi frowned, then turned to her. "Wait… join us?"

"… Interesting. How did you know that was my intention?" asked Mars.

I just… knew, was the truth, but it wasn't something Inyssa wanted to admit, so she decided t lie.

"It's obvious if you stop to think about it," she shrugged. "They never found Shadi's body. And by now you must've realized that no one but us and a very select group of people remember her." Mars nodded at that, a subtle frown forming on her face. "You won't rest until you see a body, and we just happen to be investigating the same thing, except unlike you, we have a lead."

"Very… succinctly summarized," whispered Mars after a moment. "Should I clap?"

"I'd rather you fuck off and leave us alone," spat Metchi.

"I don't think that's your decision to make," replied Mars, a hint of venom in her voice. "Well, Inyssa? You know how helpful I could be to your mission. And I'm the only person alive who knows the truth about Shadi. Are you really going to let that go to appease your conscience?"

"…Is that all?" asked Inyssa, giving a disapproving shake of her head. "That's all the defense you can muster for yourself?"

Mars scoffed. "Well what do you want me to say?"

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"I… don't know. I guess I was hoping you'd say something that would change my mind. Dunno what it would've been but…" She raised her arms to the side, then let them fall again. "Doesn't matter. You clearly don't want to change."

A frowned formed on Mars' face. "Sorry, but I already got my fill of other people trying to mold me to what they want me to be. I'm not going to let something like guilt or conscience stop me, and I suggest you start doing the same. We need each other. You know that."

Inyssa stared at her for what felt like an entire minute, and when she answered, her voice was unnaturally devoid of tone.

"You know… you have a point," she said. "I feel like we could come to an agreement."

"Yes, see? That wasn't so hard. Th–"

"Shut your mouth. I'm not done talking."

Mars froze mid-sentence, the look on her face like someone had slapped her across the face. Behind her, Metchi laughed and whispered a 'Holy shit'. Amidst the silence, Inyssa took a few steps toward the woman.

"Here's the deal. I'll let you join us… on one condition." She raised a single finger, her expression deathly serious. "I get one go at you. No weapons. No Pokemon. Just me. What do you say?"

A sudden force crackled behind her voice as she spoke that last sentence, and for a second her eyes flashed a bright golden. Mars' eyes widened ever so slightly at that, but she didn't flinch. It took a moment for her smile to return.

"That's fair, I suppose. A way to air your frustrations and set the record straight, yes?"

"Not exactly," muttered Inyssa. "But you're on the right track."

There was another crackle in her mind, followed by the worried voice of Uxie speaking to her.

"Inyssa… are you sure about this?"

… Yeah. Yes, I'm sure.

"…Very well, then. I will not attempt to stop you."

Mars shrugged. "Fine. You can have a go at me, though I hope you don't expect me to simply stand here and take i–"

"You will."

Inyssa's voice echoed like thunder, filling the room from wall to wall. She felt something stir inside of her. A storm of power so vast and powerful she knew she would never be able to fully wield, just as one couldn't drink an entire ocean with a straw. And yet, she tried anyway.

"To me, Guardian!"

Light burst from every inch of her body, blinding Mars and Metchi. However, it didn't behave like normal light. Instead of traveling outwards and illuminating the hangar, it pooled around Inyssa as though it were a physical substance, half solid and half gaseous, rapidly expanding. In an instant, the light took the shape of a round, gigantic torso, from which arms and a head formed soon after, leaving Inyssa standing within the chest of a glowing, translucent creature of light whose shape she knew very well.

Extract power from your memories, then manifest it into the real world. Just as Noh did when he fought against Nyss. Just as I did that night against Shadi.

The first haunting challenge she'd overcome. The first truly powerful foe she'd vanquished, alongside Barry, Reiko and Percy. Using every ounce of her power, Inyssa materialized a shade of that Golurk into the real world, which now surrounded her as an ethereal guardian of light.

"Holy shit!" Metchi screamed behind her, stumbling back a few feet.

"W-what is t–!"

Inyssa's eyes flashed a malicious gold, and the creature moved too fast for Mars to react. In an instant the shade's hand closed around the woman's torso like a vice, pushing the air from her lungs. She grunted and shook and tried to squirm out of its grip, but the hand did not budge an inch.

"A-AARGH! L-let go of–!"

"You said I get one go at you, right? No hard feelings?"

Once again, the mere sound of Inyssa's voice seemed to suck the air out of the room. Mars looked up at her, and felt her heart drop. Despite her body being enveloped by a creature of light, Inyssa herself was nothing but a dark, nebulous shadow in the shape of a girl. Her clothes moved and shifted on their own. Her hair flowed upwards behind her like tendrils of darkness. The only visible part of her were those paralyzing, impossibly bright golden eyes, drilling straight into Mars.

"You were right, you know," whispered Inyssa. "Sometimes, it doesn't matter if your intentions aren't noble, as long as your actions are. So no, this isn't about taking revenge for Bertha. Nor about justice for all those you killed. This is just for me. But as long as I make sure you get what you deserve… what's the difference?"

Mars let out a scream, and the skin of her forehead shifted and bubbled. A spike in the shape of a long horn shot out straight at Inyssa with the speed of a bullet, but it stopped and bounced as soon as it touched the light Golurk's body, as though it were made of titanium.

"That first time we met… then back in Veilstone… what you did to me… to my Pokemon…" Cold, sharp fury imbued Inyssa's voice as she spoke. "…you made me feel weak. Vulnerable. You stripped me of all the lies and delusions I wrapped myself in so I could protect myself from the truth. Now I'll return the favor."

A sound like the breaking of glass shook the room. Then, behind Inyssa, a third eye made of pure light opened, its iris framing a shining halo around her head. As her real eyes moved, so did that one. And the moment all three of them fell upon Mars, a gasp of pain and horror got caught in her throat.

"I don't need you to tell me the truth," growled Inyssa. "I just have to extract it from you. And in the meantime…"

A boom like that of thunder echoed inside of Mars' head, and just like that, she wasn't in the hangar anymore. She wasn't anywhere. Endless, pitch black darkness stretched around her in all directions. The only other person with her was Inyssa. The guardian of light wasn't with her anymore, but that glowing third eye still hovered around her head.

"So… this is your mind. The real you," she said, and though Mars couldn't see her face, she imagined the sneer she made. "Figures."

W-what? What are you…?

However, she didn't need to wait long to find the answer. She felt it. Something about her was… wrong. Slowly, shakily, she looked down at herself, and found that her body was no longer the one she'd had moments before. She was a lot shorter. Her clothes were a dirty, ragged mess. Her arms, legs and torso were extremely thin and weak. Realization hit Mars like thunder. The deepest, most primal panic flooded her entirely, the darkness around her shaking violently.

Those memories aren't good for you, Shadi's voice echoed inside of her. Somehow, that made it even worse.

S…Stop this… STOP THIS! She yelled at the top of her lungs, hurt and panic and fury filling her voice, yet Inyssa didn't waver in the slightest. BRING ME BACK T–!

"I told you to shut your mouth."

Inyssa's eyes gleamed, and just like that, Mars froze as though an electric current had hit her. Simply looking at those eyes hurt her very core. And yet she couldn't look away. Inyssa wouldn't allow her to.

Please… please, stop…

"This is your just reward. All those you've tormented, all those you've killed… I will not let you forget them. You will remember them. You will experience what they had to experience, suffer what they had to suffer through, over and over again, until every second, every single sensation is forever etched into your spirit. And you will do so in that weak, vulnerable form. Your true self."

Don't, please… please, god…

"I can't promise your mind won't unravel and destroy itself. But if you do manage to come out the other side still alive…"

The eye behind Inyssa opened as wide as it possibly could, exploding a moment after into an electrifying burst of light that swallowed Mars whole. Her scream of agony echoed as she felt herself torn to nothing.

"…then I'll happily let you join us."

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

Metchi didn't exactly know what to do as Inyssa and Mars stood across each other, silent, unmoving, for what felt like an entire minute, mostly because she had no fucking idea what was happening. Then the former came back to herself with a pained gasp. Immediately, the guardian of light surrounding her vanished into glowing threads and the oppressive atmosphere of the room went away with it.

"GRHK! A-AGH, SHIT!"

"W-woah, hey!"

Inyssa took a step back and stumbled, but Metchi was quick to jump and catch her from behind. Her first thought was 'Holy shit, she weighs nothing'. Her second was 'Wait… that thing coming out of her eyes, is it…?'

"Fucking hell, you're bleeding!"

It took Inyssa a moment to reply, mostly because she was shaking and grunting and pressing her palms against her eyelids, thin threads of dark red staining her fingers. It might also have been because she was trying to gather all the sarcasm she could in her tone.

"F-fucking… jeez. Thanks for the observation, I hadn't n-noticed," she muttered, pain etched into her voice. "A-agh… god. I… think I went too far just now. M-my body…"

She couldn't finish the sentence, a sudden fit of shaking overtaking her. Metchi gulped, then looked from her toward where Mars was. The woman lay collapsed into a heap on the ground, her chest moving up and down with her breathing, consciousness gone from her.

"Yeah… about that. What… the hell did you just do?"

Slowly, Inyssa took her bloody palms from her eyes and opened them a bit. No more blood was coming out, but the natural green of her eyes looked duller and colder than before.

"I-I… can't… vision is really blurry right now. But… I think I got her," she whispered with effort. "S-she's not gonna bother us anymore, and if she does… she won't be the same person."

"…Yeah, that answers about zero percent of my question."

"It'll… be fine," she insisted. "Now we can…"

She blinked rapidly a few times, and suddenly Metchi felt her going soft in her arms.

"N-now we c-can…"

A grunt left her lips, and just like that Inyssa closed her eyes collapsed against Metchi, her body going completely limp.

"Er… you okay there?"

She shook Inyssa a bit, but to no avail. Wonderful. Now she was alone in a dingy hangar with two unconscious, dramatic assholes. She threw her head back and let out a groan of irritation.

"God dammit, this means I have to carry you out of here," she muttered angrily. "You'll owe a big fucking lunch after this, shortie."