The night before:

Sanbica sat atop one of the rook-like towers of her mother's residence, feet dangling from the edge above the darkness, barely a sliver of moonlight bathing her back. An inky, barely recognizable Hearthome stretched out before her, not a soul to be heard, not a sight to be seen. Even the ghosts were quiet tonight. They probably felt the unnatural pressure behind her too.

"Are you planning on going back to the Institute?"

As she asked the question, she looked over her shoulder and what she saw behind her was –for the briefest of moments– vast and incomprehensible. Though all it took was for her to blink and it was gone. In its place stood the Third Stigma's most prominent mask; Riley Ordine. He looked toward the distance, gaze lost, arms folded.

"Can't yet," he said, tone taciturn. "I have to return what I borrowed from Cynthia before I go, so I'm here until the whole thing blows over."

Sanbica's eyes moved from his face down the ring finger on his left hand, which was now occupied. The ring was unlike any she'd ever seen. A small circle with four lines jutting out of it in an X, which pierced yet another, broken circle. Its gold gleamed even in the darkness of the night, as though it were absorbing the moonlight from above.

The Artemis family's most precious relic. Cynthia truly must have been desperate to have loaned it to them in exchange for the Griseous Orb.

And yet, I've not a clue as to what he intends to use it for, she mused. It is concerning… but I'll take what little uncertainty I can here and there, I suppose.

"Then I guess you'll have even more time to loiter around Sinnoh before the day comes," she said.

"Yyyep, gonna make the most of it," he said with a smile. "It's not every day we get an extended vacation. And speaking of loitering…"

He glanced over his shoulder, azure eyes narrowing.

"Think it's time I bounce. Wouldn't wanna get caught by the woman who raised a freak like you."

Sanbica smiled. "Don't let the door hit you on the way ou–"

The door leading to the roof of the tower was snapped open, and through it came Fantina, Pokeball in hand and looking a lot scarier than she had any right to, considering she was wearing a flower-patterned nightgown. She took a step forward and opened her mouth, but then froze. The man she'd sensed a moment ago was no longer there. Only Sanbica remained.

"Hi, mom," said the young Dusk, still looking onto the distance. "Sorry for interrupting your sleep."

Fantina walked closer toward her, but she didn't say anything for a while. Still, Sanbica could feel the shadows bubbling and boiling around her; her ghost Pokemon? Or maybe…

"How long has it been since we last saw each other?" Fantina finally asked, trying to keep the emotion from her voice. "And this is how I find you, like a Houndour digging through the trash in the middle of the night."

"Come on now, would you have done any differently in my place?"

No reply came. A cold silence stretched between them for what felt like more than a minute, after which Fantina took a few tentative steps forward, stopping barely a few inches from her daughter, who still sat on the edge of the tower.

"What are you doing here, Sanbica?"

A smile of pursed lips formed on her lips. "It's very nice to see you after so long too, mom."

"Don't play the guilt game with me now. You're the one who's been avoiding me all this time," Fantiina chastised her. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't want something from me:"

"No need to worry, I already have more from you than I'd ever want," Sanbica was quick to reply. "And I'm not here so that my mere existence can ruin your relationship with that woman again, either. So don't worry about me overstaying my welcome."

Fantina frowned. "You sound bitter."

"Perish the thought." It's not like I'm a living reminder of what you were never able to obtain until now. "Why would I ever be bitter at my dear, caring mother?"

"You know, we would have been able to resolve this… complex of yours, had we confronted it together," Fantina pointed out. "Instead you ran away, for some forsaken reason."

Sanbica let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, maybe I was overwhelmed by all the positive reinforcement."

"We could have talked things out."

"If those talks ended up being anything like this one, then I'm glad I ran away," said Sanbica. "It's okay, really. Why pretend like cutting each other out of our lives wasn't the best decision we ever made? I have a new family now, and so do you. We're both happier this way, aren't we?"

A pained look crossed Fantina's face, and for a moment her hands curled into fists.

"You're always assuming you know how others feel," she whispered. "I wouldn't be so angry at you if I didn't care. We could have fixed things. Could have been a family… all of us."

"Funny words, coming from someone who didn't even attend her own mother's funeral," said Sanbica. "It's fine. I've… heard of her. My… step-mother." She pronounced the words sarcastically, between clenched teeth. "She's nice. Same for her daughter, though she likes me about as much as you do. Funny, how our families' paths keep crossing, despite the odds."

Once again, Fantina said nothing, simply casting her head down, face scrunching up with guilt. Sanbica never turned around, never bothered looking at her mother's face.

"Dawn and Dusk," whispered Sanbica. "Together, they keep the night at bay. Perhaps it is appropriate to…"

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

She paused, then shook her head. Then with a grunt of effort she pushed herself up to her feet and stood there at the edge of the tower, her violet hair swaying with the wind, hiding her face from view.

"I came to Sinnoh a few months ago. My stay here was to be brief. Even a threat like that of Giratina or Team Galactic wouldn't have been enough to keep me," she explained. "But… there have been certain distractions. Irregularities whose origin I can't pinpoint; small, but maybe significant enough to avoid my farseeing."

Fantina perked up at that. "What… kind of irregularities?"

"Insignificant shifts; changes to the flow of fate, things that should not have been there… suddenly appearing," she said. "There's been three of them so far. The first occurred somewhere in Sandgem, not long after I came here. After seeing Inyssa leave the city in the dead of night, I realized she'd been the origin of that irregularity, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was or who had caused it.

"The second took place a few weeks after, following the destruction of that Galactic building in Eterna. This time, I felt the irregularity, but couldn't pinpoint its origin. Only some time later did I realize it was because Metchi had been at its center, a woman who is even more inscrutable than the Champion herself," she explained. "And lastly, again a few weeks later, was the irregularity in Veilstone. This time, I saw it first-hand. It's what allowed Barry and I to meet." She stayed silent for a moment, then drew in a long breath. "I haven't noticed any more since."

Fantina folded her arms, a pensive look upon her face. "And not even you could discern where these… irregularities came from?"

"Hard to believe, but it's true," she said. "And the more time passes, the more I feel the effect of such insignificant changes. I'm no longer sure of the accuracy of the prophecy I cast that day…" Her voice trailed off for a second. "It's dangerous. Fate is not something you can mess with and get away scot free."

"I see… and what do you intend to do about it, pray tell?" asked Fantina. "I assume that's why you're here."

Sanbica sighed heavily, her shoulders dropping. Then, for the first time that night, she looked over her shoulder, her gaze meeting with her mother's, one pair a cold, purple abyss, the other the same shade but lit up like the night sky during a full moon.

"We of the Institute are not to interfere with these matters," she whispered. "But I'll take the punishment should it come later. And considering you probably won't see me again after this… I figure we could spend our last moments as mother and daughter working alongside each other.

"Just this time, I'm willing to help."

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

The next few days passed by like a blur. Looking back on them, Inyssa could hardly distinguish between them, though in all honesty she didn't feel like trying all that hard. Those days were like a happy haze, a shining jewel in her memories that she wanted to leave pure and untarnished. A beacon that might help light her way in the fight to come. They might very well have been her last days alive, so she made sure to live them to the fullest.

And in what felt like the blink of an eye, the day which preluded the moonless night came.

Inyssa stood atop the roof of the SIT, the highest building in all of Sunyshore, leaning against the railing as she watched the sun slowly lower itself in the horizon, painting the sea a beautiful mix of purple and orange. Metchi sat not far from her, silent, pensive. She kept opening and closing a small metal lighter in her hand to calm her nerves.

After a minute of silence, they heard steps behind them. Barry came out the door leading to the roof and walked toward them, the look on his face not much different than Inyssa's.

"Sure took your time," said Metchi, closing the lighter for good. "But for good reason, I see. I'm digging the jacket."

Inyssa would've aired a similar comment, had she found her voice. She was very much aware of the flush in her face as she kept staring gormlessly at Barry's new outfit, a number of thoughts running through her head.

"You think so?" asked Barry, smiling nervously. "Wasn't sure if it was too much."

It was just the right amount, in Inyssa's opinion. Barry's new jacket bore similarities to that his father had used –mostly the 'King' kanji stamped on the left sleeve– but it looked a lot more modern, with darker green highlights and a white fuzzy collar, not to mention the rolled back sleeves which did a fantastic job at emphasizing his forearms and–

Okay yeah, you can stop staring now.

She cleared her throat. "It… looks really good on you."

A similar blush rose up Barry's cheeks.

"Thanks… the black and purple really suit you too," he commented. "And um… you look really cool and handsome with that side ponytail."

Inyssa had gone with a simpler look this time, ditching the jeans and sweater for high-waisted pants and a simple black shirt with rolled-back sleeves, as well as a long purple neckerchief-scarf. And of course, the piece that brought them all together, which she had tucked under her arm.

With a smile, Inyssa unrolled the blood-red coat and raised it high, staring at it fondly.

"I might've grown out of the hat, but this…"

The last one remaining out of all her childish fancies. For a moment she closed her eyes and saw it clearly; a small, skinny Inyssa with her nose almost glued to the screen while her favorite show played. She remembered that scene where the main character looked up at the rising sun on what could very well be the world's last day, and with a calm, resolute look on his face, he put on his signature red coat and got ready to work.

She'd always admired him. Identified with him on a personal level. And after watching that episode, her biggest dream aside from being a Pokemon trainer had been to acquire a cool red coat just like his so she could wear on her journey. So she could emulate who she believed to be her greatest hero.

But he wasn't a hero, was he? Inyssa smiled sadly. He said it himself… in the end, a simple human's all he'd ever been.

She stared at the coat for only a second more before throwing it over her shoulder and putting it on, giving the collar one last tug to put everything in place. It felt right. No piece of clothing had ever fit her so perfectly. Now, with the end of the world falling upon them, with the understanding of everything she'd done wrong weighing on her shoulders…

We're no heroes, she thought. We're only human. But we'll see what we can do.

She turned to look at Barry and smiled.

"Gotta keep the tradition alive, right?"

"Y-yeah… damn. It's a really good look, Niss," he said, returning the smile. "I'm…"

"Dear god, would you two get a room already."

Barry blushed. Inyssa looked over her shoulder, shooting Metchi a cold glare, and regrettably admitting to herself that she looked pretty cool too in her new outfit.

"Finally got tired of freezing your ass off in those shorts?"

Metchi chuckled. "I've got legs that the world needs to see," she explained. "But I'm willing to compromise and wear pants just this once."

"Well–"

A loud, persistent beep rang out throughout the roof, and at the same time all three of them looked down at their wrist. The same message had appeared in each one of their Poketch. Inyssa raised her hand to read it. Her heart tightened in her chest.

"So much for the calm before the storm."

Barry gulped. "Cynthia says something happened up there in Mt. Coronet. She's on her way; we're leaving right now."

The three of them stood up and checked their equipment, weapons and Pokeballs one last time, before they ran out of things to do and had to simply wait there, wracked with anxiety, for Cynthia to arrive. Inyssa looked over toward the horizon. She thought she could see a black speck approaching in the distance.

"That's her," muttered Metchi.

Unconsciously, Inyssa's hand moved to take hold of Barry's. Their fingers pressed tightly against each other, their thrumming heartbeats echoing through them.

"H-hey," she said.

"Yeah?"

She hadn't planned on actually saying this. Not now. But then again, her mouth had a good track record at betraying her brain.

"If… no, once we get through this," she whispered, avoiding his eyes. "I'd like you to… come with me. In my new journey. And after that, if you want… we could keep traveling together. For as…"

She swallowed hard.

"For as long as you'd… like."

There was a nerve-wracking moment of silence, and then she felt his fingers pressed more tightly against hers.

"Yeah… I'd like that, Niss."