The metaphorical trail of breadcrumbs couldn't have been easier to follow if there were giant, neon arrows guiding them. The smell of burnt earth became more potent as they advanced, and all around them small embers covered some of the bushes and tree trunks scattered around. Barry released Razen to extinguish any they saw, even if the humidity of the place made a forest fire an unlikely possibility.

Inyssa couldn't fathom why a fire Pokemon would hang around a place so… counterintuitive to its nature. As far as she remembered, most fire types tended to appear around the outskirts of the mountains and the southern parts of Sinnoh, where it wasn't as ruthlessly cold.

Maybe it belonged to a trainer, she thought.

She wasn't very thrilled with the possibility.

Next to her, Barry looked the most nervous she'd seen him in a long time. He walked with a stiff posture, fists clenched. His cheeks were pale, as well as his lips.

"This place feels weird," he said. "Maybe we should turn around."

She tried her best to make her expression unreadable. "Come on, we can handle anything this forest throws at us." She jokingly poked at his side with her elbow. "We're together, right?"

He nodded nervously. "Y-yeah. Right."

"Prii!"

Pedri's cry startled them. He stopped in his tracks, and a moment later Kuro lowered his legs, the fur on his back bristling. It took her a second to hear it, and when she did she really wished she hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. A guzzling, tearing sound of teeth against flesh came from behind one of the nearby trees. With utmost carefulness they approached, walking into a miniscule valley between a group of trees.

A quadruped Pokemon stood in the middle of it, her skin black as coal. Thick, silver bones resembling a ribcage grew from her back to her stomach, becoming thinner as they went down. They couldn't quite see her face, which was lowered into…

Barry let out a gasp, and Inyssa came close to doing the same. Beneath one of her paws lay the bloody corpse of a Pokemon, its body incinerated so badly she couldn't even make out which species it was. The stench of burnt meat made her heave as she pressed a hand over her mouth. She knew she shouldn't have been so disgusted by the scene. Of course some Pokemon ate others, she'd known that her entire life. But that reality crashing with her so unexpectedly… She couldn't help but be somewhat terrified.

The black beast slowly turned towards them. Demonic, silver horns grew from the side of her head and curled backwards. Her canine snout was a faded, orange color, mostly stained with the dark red of its victim. There was no white in her eyes.

By reflex alone Inyssa took out her Pokédex:

Houndoom: The Cerberus Pokemon – Fire/Dark type. The pungent-smelling flame that shoots from its mouth results from toxins burning in its body, and should be avoided at all costs. They are very territorial and aggressive, though most will become loyal if caught by the right trainer. Long ago, people imagined its eerie howls to be the call of the grim reaper.

"Oh that's just fucking peachy," she whispered.

The Houndoom snarled, sending a low rumble through the ground. Faint wisps of fire escaped through her fangs as she fully turned towards them. Inyssa noticed something hanging from its neck, tied by a string. A bright red rectangle of stone, looking eerily similar to…

"It's one of those plate things," Barry said, voice shaking. "I… I knew I felt something weird from here."

She nodded wearily. Images from their time in the abandoned Chateau and close to that statue in Eterna came to mind.

The dark beast bared its fangs as it approached. Inyssa's hands went to Steven's Pokeball, while Kuro jumped in front of her and snarled in return. Pedri stood still, waiting.

"Rwaaaa!"

She physically felt the roar as it traveled through the air, hitting her square in the chest. Houndoom threw her head back, and a pulsing ball of flame started to form on her maw, growing with every second that passed.

"Is that…" Barry asked, eyes going wide.

Flamethrower! her mind screamed.

The column of fire fell on them a lot faster than they expected. Through its deafening roar she barely made out the sound of Barry yelling something, and less than a second after Pedri jumped forward, both fins raised. The attack clashed against the barrier of energy around them, exploding into a dozen threads of flame flying in all directions.

They still felt the heat, even after the fire dissipated. Around them the ground was scorched black in a circle. Flames licked at the outline of a few nearby trees.

Houndoom let out a sound that could've been a chuckle. She stood on her four legs, and waited expectantly. The previous attack must have been a warning, Inyssa realized. She was giving them a chance to get out of her territory now that they'd survived it.

The thought made her skin hot with anger. The nerve of that fucking thing…

"Wait, Niss!" Barry yelled once he saw her expression. "I don't know… I think we should leave her alone. She looks dangerous."

She didn't fail to notice the way his voice was shaking, and that made her even madder. She had to restore his faith in himself, no matter what.

"This is nothing compared with that Golurk," she said,. "We can catch this thing no problem."

As if on cue, Hao's voice came to life.

"Ni Ni, do you need my help? Trust me, those plates are bad news; I know exactly how much stronger and angrier they can make you if you're close to them."

Realization came to her then. What was it Cynthia had said when she ran into them? That the Pokemon she was hunting had stolen something from her? Something which, conveniently, made fire attacks stronger? Her eyes fell on the string connecting the plate with the Houndoom's neck; there was no way it could've been an accident. Cynthia had set this encounter up, for some ungodly reason.

She'd have time to worry about that later. Now there were more pressing matters at hand.

"You stay in there," she ordered Hao. "A single dark attack would knock you out, and I need you in case we need to send an emergency beacon. Barry…" She turned to him. "I promise you; we can do this. We'll have Pedri and Kitsune be our defense, while we attack with Razen, Steven and Kuro."

Barry seemed unsure for a moment, but after she smiled a certain weight seemed to drop off his shoulders. He returned it as best he could and nodded, grabbing two Pokeballs from his belt. Inyssa did the same. Houndoom realized there would be no peaceful resolution, and lowered her knees once more, ready to attack. Three consecutive flashes of light exploded around the trainers, from which materialized their partners.

"Steven, fly around and provide support!" she yelled, sending her palm forward. "Kuro, try to shock her!"

"Kitsune, f-form a barrier around us!" Barry ordered, voice wavering. "Razen, Aqua Jet! Pedri, get ready to jump in to defend him!"

The Buizel smiled as he covered his body in a thick sheet of water, and with a hit of his two tails against the ground flew forward with incredible speed. Houndoom opened her maw once more, but was too slow. The entire weight and momentum of Razen fell on her. She was thrown a few feet backs, her sharp claws stopping her before she slammed against a tree.

She stared daggers at her opponent, and without waiting she threw herself at him. She covered her fangs in pulsing black energy and lunged at his neck, maw wide open.

Her concentration broke as something slammed onto her side with the strength of a cannonball. The Staravia had flown down to attack, but was now stuck there for a few seconds. Houndoom switched directions mid fall and threw herself at him, snout brimming with flames.

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Light shone at the edge of her vision, and a heartbeat later all her muscles contracted in pain as electricity hit her back. The flames evaporated as she crashed into the cold ground, jolts dancing around her body. The Luxio's cheeky laugh reached her, making her blood boil and skin steam.

Inyssa stared intently at what was happening, giving orders when needed and keeping an eye on the flow of the battle. Next to her, Barry was slowly easing back into his usual confidence, at the sight of how well they were handling the situation. Their Pokemon moved so much faster than they had done only a couple weeks ago. It was almost breathtaking.

She noticed their opponent grow more aggressive and impatient as the battle unfolded. Luckily Kuro was doing his job and breaking her concentration every time she tried to use Flamethrower. Still, the Houndoom might've tried to escape if things got too badly. She needed to prevent that. Her fingers closed around Bret's Pokeball, and a second later the flash of light evaporated around him.

"What are you doing!?" Barry turned to her, incredulous. "If that thing even touches Bret…"

She glared at him. "I have a plan, dummy. Bret, can you use Grass Knot with one hand?"

The Roselia raised an eyebrow, offended by the implication that he couldn't. She simply smiled and nodded.

"Here's what I need you to do."

She whispered something into his ear. Bret softly pressed one of his rose covered hands against the ground. It rumbled for a moment, and all around the battlefield dozens of thick vines exploded upwards, blocking any possible exit the Houndoom might've considered. As she got close to one of them all the nearby vines fell down like whips onto her body, forcing her back to the middle of the clearance.

"Alright, we've got her on the ropes!" she clenched her fist, almost tasting victory.

Barry formed a goofy smile. "Don't you mean on the vines?"

"That pun physically hurt me," Hao said from the Pokétch. "And I don't have a body, so make of that what you will."

"Come on, let him have this one," she tittered, looking up at the battle. "Everyone, attack at the same time!"

A cavalcade of attacks pelted the Houndoom, whose speed was declining fast as the fight continued. She couldn't last much longer; not with that kind of assault. Preemptively Inyssa started looking for a ball inside her coat, ready to hand it to Barry when the moment was right.

That's when Barry jumped, letting out a gasp of surprise.

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

He'd almost forgotten about the egg.

Yes, it was kind of a horrible thing to forget about, but he'd like to think he had some kind of excuse. Still, the moment he felt that violent tug in his backpack, reality came back to remind him, like a mother telling you to clear your room if you didn't want to lose your video-game privileges.

"What? What is it!?" Niss reacted poorly to his surprise, tone full of worry.

He took the thing out of his backpack, roars and grunts of battle still echoing around him, and held it in his hands as if it were a priceless antique. Fear and anticipation were clear in his face as they both stared at the egg. Just when he thought he'd imagined it, a small crack appeared on the shell.

"Oh… Oh no," he whispered, his voice much thinner than usual. "Wait, stay in there a bit longer! This isn't a good time!"

"This is literally the worst time!"

The egg had no consideration for his pleas, unfortunately. Whatever was inside pushed and struggled to escape with all its might, sending an almost heartbeat-like pulse of energy outwards. Every time the cracks on the shell widened light would filter from the inside, making it look like Barry was holding a very strange lantern.

The strain finally proved too much. Light blinded them as the top of the egg exploded, which caught the attention of their Pokemon and the wounded Houndoom.

Once it dissipated the first thing Barry noticed was two small, beady eyes looking straight at him. Its head was a soft, almost white-ish yellow, with spikes at the top in the form of a crown. Both arms were small and chubby, as were the legs. The entire rest of her body was still encased in the white shell, covered in blue and red marks.

Niss' Pokedex was the first thing to break the silence:

Togepi: The Sunshine Pokemon – Normal/Fairy Type. The shell encasing their body is said to be filled with their positive emotions, which they will share with those who are kind to them. Even though they are fragile there seems to be a strange, bottomless power residing inside them, which they will use in moments of need.

"Chi-prrii!"

The little bugger smiled at the sound of her name, so happily it almost hurt. She moved her stubby arms up, as if trying to get a hold of Barry, who was still too shocked to react.

Their momentary confusion gave Houndoom the opportunity she needed. With her opponents distracted she jumped backwards as far as possible, landing just out of reach of the vines. She lowered her body as though ready to pounce, but instead closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing.

"W-what is it doing!?" Niss came back to reality first, turning towards the fire Pokemon. "Shit, Barry, put that thing inside a Pokeball for now!"

"What? No!" He pulled Togepi closer, almost hugging her. "She was just born, we don't know if it's safe to put her there! Hey, hold on!" He felt her minuscule fingers grabbing his shirt. "Look, I love you too but this isn't the time for hugs!"

They heard a violent jolt as Kuro ran forward, his body covered in electricity. He was almost at the range to attack when the first wave hit him.

A circle of scorched earth appeared around Houndoom. Her skin turned from black to a bright, molten red as steam rose from every pore of her body. The heat exuding from her traveled like a shockwave, like a ripple in a pond. Barry almost dropped Togepi when it reached him, making his eyes water and turning his throat as dry as sandpaper. In front of him Kitsune punched the air with his spoon, forming another energy shield around them.

"What is that!?" he yelled, panic clear in his voice.

Niss, quick as always, pointed with the Pokedex at the blinding ball of flames that was their opponent. The electronic voice was barely hearable through the rumble shaking the ground.

Inferno: The user of this attack gathers the heat in their body and releases it all at once in a devastating explosion of flames. Any Pokemon caught by it will receive a serious burn.

Images flashed through his mind, of the fight with Mars and the way his friends had ended in the floor, bloodied. A painful shock ran through his body.

"Everyone, fall back!" Niss hollered, eyes wide open. "Behind the barrier, now!"

"We gotta run away! That thing's too dangerous!"

"We're so close!" she protested, fingers turning pale against her Pokeballs. "If we can just…"

He didn't have time to protest. For a single moment which felt like an eternity, the rumble stopped, and all the fire and heat around Houndoom was sucked into herself. Silence swallowed the forest.

Then it exploded, as bright as a flash bang and as strong as an earthquake. The flames swallowed everything in their path, turning the ground into what looked like black glass. He felt the impact in his bones when it crashed against the barrier, and some of the heat slipped through. He didn't see how many of their Pokemon managed to shield themselves.

The barrier didn't shatter, but barely. As soon as the attack ended Kitsune released it, and promptly fell face first to the floor, unconscious. In front of them lay nothing but smoke, slowly climbing the air. The trees and vegetation around them had been burnt so badly that not even an ember remained.

That's when he saw it, and his heart dropped. Razen lay a few feet ahead of them, half his body steaming and part of his fur covered in small flames. He was flat on his back, and on top of him was Houndoom, immobilizing his arms with her paws.

"RAZEN!"

His scream tore through his throat painfully. He could feel Togepi moving her hands incessantly from one side to the other, but his mind didn't process it, too busy being frozen by terror.

All Razen saw through his half closed eyes was the beast's maw open, followed by a heat so intense he felt like he was going to pass out. He heard his trainer's scream, followed by those of Inyssa, ordering her Pokemon to help. But it was too late, and he knew it.

"Chii-prrii!"

Togepi screamed as she threw her arms as high up as she could. Startled, Barry looked down and saw that the tip of them had started to glow with a blue, pulsing light.

Niss' Pokedex spoke again, umprompted:

Metronome: The user waggles its fingers and taps into their hidden, cosmic power, summoning a completely random move.

As if on cue, Togepi threw her hands forward. For a moment nothing happened, and the next second Barry was blinded and thrown backwards like a rag-doll. A thick, ivory pillar of energy traveled forward, swallowing the Houndoom whole. The last thing he heard before falling to the ground was her ear-piercing shriek of pain.

He made sure to land on his back, which both kept his new Pokemon safe and knocked the air out of his lungs.

"Barry! Are you okay?"

He dragged himself to his feet with difficulty, the ball of joy and destruction still sitting happily on his palms. He looked at her first, then at the battlefield where Houndoom had fallen unconscious after the last attack.

"What… what the heck was that?" He rubbed his forehead, still a little dizzy. "How did you do that?"

Togepi let out another chirp of happiness, still smiling. He and Niss exchanged a puzzled look.

"Cosmic power? No kidding."

Barry knew the fact that Togepi had been able to perform such a powerful attack was mostly luck, but he couldn't help but agree. Though at that point he was more relieved for Razen than excited about his new Pokemon.

Without delay he returned all his partners to their respective balls, and Inyssa did the same soon after. They approached the unconscious Houndoom carefully, and once at her side Inyssa kneeled next to it and snapped her collar, releasing the stone plate hanging from her neck.

"We can take a look at this later," she said, giving it to him to save inside his backpack. "For now, I think there's something you need to do."

He nodded, still shivering a bit, and took an Ultra Ball from his vest. It fell on the Houndoom's body and turned it into light, swallowing it. It wiggled thrice before confirming the catch, and only then did he allow himself a sigh of relief.

He felt Niss' hand on his shoulder, followed by an expression that looked half regret and half happiness.

"Sorry for pressuring you so much into this," she said, looking down. "I'm just… not used to seeing you so down, and I kinda freaked out. I wanted you to have a nice time."

"Come on Niss, no need to apologize!" He smiled brightly and, after putting his new catch on his belt, ruffled her hair playfully. "Thanks to you I have two new teammates!"

She gave him a non-verbal thanks, her cheeks turning a pale red.

"So… what are you gonna name them?"

"Well, I was thinking of naming this girl Wrathia," he said, looking down at his belt. "As for this cutie here…"

He raised the Togepi high into the air, as she giggled and shook her arms and legs.

"I think I'll go with Auri."