A wave of panic spread through the crowd like wildfire, and Barry felt all of it.

His vision became blurry and his knees buckled under its weight. It felt like a cloud of poison growing from the center of his chest outwards, infecting his organs and muscles. He barely heard Cynthia speak or the hundreds of gasps and screams as people began to run in all directions, trying to get away from that… thing.

Niss grabbed him by the shoulder, concern written all over her face. She asked something, but again he didn't hear it, too busy with the other voice sprouting from the depths of his mind.

"What on earth…!?" Mesprit spoke, and a moment after the pain in his chest subsided somewhat. "I just felt that! What is happening, boy?"

"W-we need help!" He coughed as he spoke, startling Niss. "Mesprit, we have to grab Cynthia and Niss and get out! Help me teleport…"

But he was silenced by another, even greater pressure on his chest, this time coming from Mesprit itself. Pure shock, with a little bit of fear mixed in.

"What… what is he doing here!?" it screamed inside his mind.

Barry looked up at Cyrus, who stood a few feet from them, eyes set on Cynthia.

"H-he's the leader of Team Galactic," he muttered.

There was a short silence, in which he could feel the hesitation and… regret? Coming from Mesprit itself.

When it spoke, its voice sounded strained. "Listen to me, boy. You cannot let him know I'm here. Do not use my powers, no matter what!"

"W-what? But…"

"No buts! I can't risk to be seen by him and you can't let him know we've bonded!" There was an authority in its tone which had never been there before. "I'm sorry, I truly am, but you're on your own for this battle."

He physically felt Mesprit's absence as it retreated into the depths of his mind, leaving him feeling empty, aching and more than a little angry. What the hell had that been about? How did Mesprit know Cyrus? And what was the point of being a legendary hero if he couldn't use his powers when it actually mattered!?

"Barry! Snap out of it!" Niss shook his arm strongly enough to hurt, shocking him out of his thoughts. "Come on, we have to help her!"

A sea of people stormed around them, running in every direction as Inyssa and Barry made their way toward the Champion. They saw her a few feet ahead, eyes wide in shock and fingers still grasping an Ultraball which wouldn't open. As Cyrus opened his mouth to speak, her shoulders tensed like steel.

"I have nothing more to say to you, Cynthia. You've gotten in my way one too many times." He raised a hand forward, palm showing, and gave the command. "Genesect, kill her."

The creature's lifeless eyes flashed yellow. Before anyone had time to react, it lowered its knees and lunged forward, leaving a vacuum of air behind it.

Time seemed to slow as it flew through the air like a bullet, arms drawn back and claws glimmering maliciously. Cynthia, eyes hidden by the shadow of her hair, slipped a hand into her pocket and took out a small, round stone with an indistinguishable pattern carved into it. She threw her hand forward as if she intended to shield the attack, but instead crushed the pebble between her thumb and index finger.

Genesect crashed face first into nothing, making the air reverberate with a metallic gong. As it fell backwards, an explosion of light framed Cynthia from below, casting strong shadows on her face.

Barry looked down, eyes narrowed. A glowing, circular glyph had materialized under her feet, filled with strange patterns of concentric circles. From its edges grew a thin, almost transparent dome of solid light.

"Wh–"

"You two!" hollered Cynthia. "Come closer!"

They felt themselves tugged by an invisible rope, the strength in her voice leaving no room for disobeying. In the time it took the creature to get back to its feet she produced yet another stone between her fingers, bearing a different carved pattern from the one before.

In one swift motion she lowered her knee to the ground, crushing the stone with her palm against the ground. An even bigger, more complex glyph grew around them, its light leaving them momentarily blind.

The air began to vibrate, making Barry shiver in a way that felt way too familiar. As soon as he felt that tug inside his chest, he knew what was about to happen.

He closed his eyes and held his breath as all three of them vanished into nothing.

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

Inyssa swiveled back and forth, the world still spinning around her. Once her sense of balance came back from its short-lived vacation, her unfocused eyes caught the silhouettes of Barry and Cynthia next to her. The first seemed unaffected by the sudden teleportation, while the latter clutched a hand against her chest and breathed heavily, shoulders sunk.

It didn't take her long to realize where they were. She could still hear the sounds of panic and fleeing a few streets up, and looking down she noticed that strange, house shaped wooden altar at the bottom of town. Against the nearby face of the cliff sat a circle of carved, almost glass-like stone which she figured led to the Celestic Ruins.

"What… the hell was that?" Inyssa placed a hand on her forehead, vision still spinning.

Barry shook his head. "I… think we teleported out. But I wasn't the one who…" He caught himself, cheeks turning red. "I mean… I don't know how that could've happened."

"It was me."

Cynthia's voice was weak and throaty, as if she could hardly breathe. She held her head down, one hand still pressed against her chest and multiple tufts of hair casting shadows over her eyes. Her legs shook slightly.

"I got us out of there," she said. "It's… an old trick I learned from the mediums in Lavender Town. T-they can trap the essence of psychic moves like Barrier or Teleport into small runes, and when you crush them…"

Her knees buckled under her own weight. Inyssa tried to move but Barry was much quicker, putting the woman's arm around his shoulders before she could fall. Cynthia let out a faint growl and raised her head, eyes narrowed into slits. Her face was deathly pale and her forehead was pearly with sweat.

"Woah! Are you okay!?"

"I'll be just fine, thank you." She smiled weakly. "It's just… without a Pokemon to power the runes, they take the necessary energy from the body of the one who activates them. Using one can be rather taxing. Using two..."

She didn't need to finish the sentence for the point to be made. Which was fortunate for her, since she began to cough uncontrollably at that moment.

In any other situation Inyssa would've been marveled by such a revelation at the hands of none other than the Champion herself, but at the moment her brain was rather busy ringing the panic alarm at full blast. She felt a familiar heat envelop her limbs and her breathing started to become shallower.

"Listen, we need to…" She paused, biting her lip. What exactly did they need to do? "…T-that guy's probably still looking for you, so you have to hide somewhere. Barry and I will contact the Association."

"Y-yeah! We can use the trackers mom gave us!"

She nodded, grabbing the flap of her coat and turning it to the side. The small device was still attached; all she needed to do was push the button and…

"It's… not working," she whispered, eyes going wide. "W-why isn't it working!?"

She raised her Pokétch and tried to turn it on, to no avail. No matter what buttons she pushed, the device would not react at all. Her face turned paler.

"Mine's busted too," said Barry, raising his free hand to show her the useless Pokétch.

"It… it must be Cyrus' doing." Cynthia managed to regain a bit of her balance, hoisting herself free of Barry. "Some kind of EMP, which might explain why I can't open any of my Pokeballs." She looked down to the one she still held, the grey in her eyes flashing furiously. "They're usually built to be immune to that kind of technology, but his team must've found a way to work around it, somehow."

The possibility seemed unlikely, but the confidence in Cynthia's voice left no room for arguing. The mere idea that one person could have the power to shut down all the Pokeballs in town… it was horrifying.

She looked up at the Champion, her voice coming out small and weak. "What do we do…?"

Cynthia didn't hesitate to answer.

"I'm g-going back there," she said. "I brought you here because I know Cyrus is after you. Go b-back to my grandmother's house and stay hidden. I'll buy time until the Association…"

"Are you insane!?" Barry interrupted, disbelief clear in his tone. "You can barely walk! We're not letting you go back there so that you can get yourself killed!"

"I am… the Champion." She struggled to speak, face pale as a ghost. "I h-have to protect my town, even if…"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

She was caught with a sudden fit of coughing, and was unable to keep speaking.

Inyssa had never seen such a dissonant image; the frail state of Cynthia's body contrasted with the impassiveness of her expression and the fire in her eyes. Looking at her now, she couldn't believe she'd ever mistaken the woman for anything other than the strongest trainer in all of Sinnoh.

And yet here she was, willing to get herself killed just to defend her pride. Inyssa's lips formed a pale line on her face, discomfort growing inside her.

God, it's worse than looking into a mirror, she thought bitterly. Is this how I sound? Is this what Barry…?

Whatever the case, she wouldn't let Cynthia take another step. She'd be damned if the Champion were to die before she could challenge her to a battle.

She placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Haven't you been paying attention? We can't use our Pokeballs." She grabbed one at random from her belt, raising it to eye level. "Without them you might as well be a cabbage seller for all the good you'll do out there. What we need to do is find reinforcements and…"

Her thumb accidentally hovered over the button, pressing it. The Pokeball opened in an explosion of light, making Inyssa jump back like a startled Skitty.

The glow faded, and Shadi's silhouette materialized before her. The Kricketune blinked a few times, looking up at her trainer expectantly, a smile forming under her thick mustache. All three trainers stood in silence for a moment, eyes wide in shock.

"H-how did you do that?" asked Cynthia.

Inyssa, similarly stunned, looked down at the Pokeball still resting on her hand. The first thing that caught her eye, rousing her mind awake, was the distinct silver color of the top half.

"Lucas…"

Her mind connected the dots rather quickly, considering what a mess it was at the moment.

"It's Lucas' Pokeball!" she exclaimed, unable to control the volume of her voice. "You remember what he told us back in Pastoria!?"

Realization hit Barry a moment after. "Y-yeah! The lockdown… whatever thingie, he said it didn't work with these models!"

"The premeditated lockdown system?" Cynthia narrowed her eyes. "If those silver Pokeballs don't have that function and they're working…"

She was cut off as Inyssa hurried to grab the other one from her belt, while Barry did the same. They opened them at the same time, the triple flash of light revealing Bret, Kitsune and Pedri. They looked around similarly confused –annoyed in Kadabra's case– and turned to their trainers for some kind of explanation.

Inyssa could've wept in joy. Their partners, their friends. They were here, and their presence was the most reassuring thing Inyssa had felt all day.

Next time I run into Lucas, that nerd's getting a big smooch from me.

"Only four…" she whispered. "Still…"

"We can do this!" Barry nodded. "We just have to buy enough time for the Association to come!"

Cynthia shook her head strongly, still struggling to stay on her feet. "We don't know what that thing's capable of. Knowing Cyrus, he must've made sure that it was at least as strong as any member of my own team," she said. "I can't let you fight it alone. As the Champion…"

"I don't care if you're the Champion! Right now you're just a civilian who's hurt and needs our help," Inyssa snapped back. "So either go hide or stay back and shut up while we protect you."

"I… won't let you risk your lives like that," she argued. "At least let me fight! If one of you lends me their Pokemon then at least we'll have a better chance at beating that thing!"

There was a moment of silence, in which Inyssa and Barry exchanged looks. Then smiles broke through their serious expressions and laughter bubbled in their stomach until they couldn't contain it anymore.

"Is she serious?" Barry asked between chuckles.

"I don't know, I think those magical rocks messed with her head or something," Inyssa held her stomach with one hand, her lips shaking as she tried to contain her laughter. "Look, we really appreciate the thought, but we're fine on our own. Also I'd rather die than have someone else command my partners."

Barry nodded. "We've been practicing together all this time, too. If you replaced one of us then the synergy between our Pokemon wouldn't work at all." Without a second thought he reached to grab Inyssa's hand, their fingers interlacing with ease. "Besides, I'd only be able to give it my all if she's here, fighting with me."

Cynthia seemed as if she was about to argue, but then she froze, eyes going wide. As if she'd seen something in them that she hadn't noticed before. Her expression softened, the shadow of a smile appearing on her lips, and she lowered her head with a sigh.

"I see. I'll leave it in your hands, then."

Inyssa smiled. "You can count on us."

As if on cue, the creature's screech reached them. It was sharp and painful like nails on chalkboard, reverberating through the air and ground as it traveled down to the base of town. Trainers and Pokemon turned to look up at the shadow now approaching, its glowing, lifeless eyes set on them. Cyrus walked behind it, hands behind his back.

"Guess there's no room for running now, even if we wanted it to." Inyssa gulped, fingers tightly gripping her friend's hand. "Barry… you ready?"

Their eyes met for a moment. He flashed her a quick smile, though a warm and reassuring one nonetheless.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

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

As Jupiter strutted down the underground corridors of Stark prison –accompanied by her generous posse of seven armed Galactic grunts– she was happy to admit that the mission was going quite well so far.

It didn't exactly make her feel better, nor helped to ease the dull headache her previous night of drinking had left her with, but at least it managed to stroke her ego somewhat. An always welcome development, as far as she was concerned.

"Move your asses, people!" she yelled, her words causing the grunts behind her to stiffen their shoulders. "I wanna get this over with before the fucking sun goes down, all right?"

She looked down at her Pokétch impatiently; Mars' cell had to be close; probably that one at the end of the hallway. According to her clock they still had seven minutes left before the disruptor stopped working and every guard in the building came at them with an army of powerful Pokemon. Hopefully a bit more, considering the amount of grunts she'd left on the east wing of the prison as a distraction.

As she input the card to open the cell, excitement began to build up inside her. Finally, she'd get a chance to get back at Mars for every time she'd annoyed the shit out of her. Sure, her revenge might be a tad disproportionate, but she was a woman of principles as well as of spite. She didn't mind people being dicks to her as long as they were okay with dying by her hand someday. And eye for a spine, so to speak.

As she entered the room she was surprised to find that the backup generators still functioned, as evidenced by the single light at the other side of the room, its dim light falling on Mars' body. The way it was framed, her shoulders down and head resting against the wall, almost made it look like…

"Oh fuck me, she's asleep," whispered Jupiter, narrowing her eyes. "Well, I guess this is gonna be easier. And boring. Boringer? Boringest?" She scratched her nose lazily. "Meh. I'm a scientist, not a linguist."

It took a few seconds for all seven of her underlings to enter the room, not to mention maneuver around with their weapons through the small space they had. While they got into position, Jupiter studied what she could of the room. The security cameras were still disabled, and the only thing of note she could see was a small pile of… plastic? Glass? Something jagged and transparent under Mars' bed. Had she intended to use it as a weapon? No, even she knew there was no way she could take on seven heavily armed people on her own.

Oh well.

"Y'all finished wasting time?" she asked. "Good. Now shoot her."

There was a heavy silence, as Jupiter turned around with a raised eyebrow and lips tightly pursed.

"…Well?"

"But… commander…" One of the younger girls spoke out; Jupiter couldn't quite remember her name, just that her voice was annoying. "Aren't our orders… to bring her back?"

"Our orders are to bring back the bubblegum hell-spawn she has inside of her. The boss couldn't care less about what happens to her, and neither do I," she clarified. "Now… someone is getting shot today, and if it ain't Mars then it sure as hell will be one of you if you keep me waiting, capice?"

After a hushed cavalcade of 'Yes, commander!' that made her roll her eyes, the two oldest ones of the group stepped forward and raised their pistols tentatively, pointing at the woman at the other side of the room.

"Aim at the chest, it's way easier than the head and just as effective," she advised, her lips forming a thin smile. "All right Mars, I don't know if you're a heavy sleeper or if you're pretending and you thought I'd walk up to you alone and with a butcher knife to… ah, I'm rambling again, aren't I?" She caught herself, grabbing her chin with one hand. "Whatever. Just shoot her."

There was a moment before the shot, in which the two grunts tightly gripped the trigger, where she thought Mars would move or try to dodge or… anything, really. That was not the case, however.

The deafening booms bounced around the room, and a moment after two small holes appeared on Mars' chest. She didn't react, didn't even open her eyes. Jupiter frowned; had she been dead already? No, that couldn't be. And… hold on, why wasn't blood coming out of the…?

A shadow moved at the edge of her vision, falling from the ceiling. Before Jupiter could react, she felt someone grabbing her by the wrist and turning her around. An explosion of pain flared in her shoulder, and next thing she knew she was facing her subordinates, hand stuck behind her back. She parted her lips to speak, but felt sharpness gently brushing her neck.

A familiar voice spoke in her ear. "I can't believe you actually fell for that."

Jupiter craned her neck to the side as much as she could, the corner of her vision catching not only Mars' wicked grin but also the mass of bubbling pink which was her fake body, retreating into her. There was a single moment of silence, and then she spoke.

"Oh for fu–"

Three of her grunts raised their weapons, followed by a sharp pain as the blade of Mars' transformed arm pressed harder against her neck.

"Don't shoot!" Jupiter hollered. "What the hell are you idiots doing!? Do you want her to slit my throat!?"

Startled by the sheer anger in her voice, the three youngsters slowly lowered their weapons and stared expectantly, their faces pale and fearful.

"That's a smart girl." She could feel Mars' smile in her voice. "Now, what do I owe the pleasure to? Were it not for all the people you brought with you, I would think this is a conjugal visit. Then again, I wouldn't have expected someone so pretty to-"

Jupiter sighed. "Just… shut up. I'd rather stab my ears with rusty knives than have to listen to you for another second," she spat out, voice full of poison. "You got me with that clone trick. There, are you happy?"

"I'm always happy to see you," she said. "Well, when you're not trying to kill me that is. But even then I find it difficult be mad at you." Laughter bubbled under her voice. "Now, if you'd be so kind, could you tell your friends to lower their pistols and let me walk through that door?"

Jupiter considered it for a second before replying.

"Sure. As long as you let me go."

In any other occasion, the sheer disbelief in the faces of her underlings might've made her laugh. Unfortunately, having something sharp and pointy to her throat kind of killed her sense of humor.

"B-but… commander!" The same girl from before spoke, eyes wide in shock. "Our orders… if we let her go…"

"Listen… Johannes, was it?"

"I-it's actually Jones-"

"Yeah, whatever, listen. There's no way for us to apprehend her without putting myself in an amount of danger I find unacceptable. I'd rather let her go and have to track her down later than to die in a dump like this and flush my two PHDs –which, let me remind you, are worth more to the boss than the lives of all of you– down the toilet. You gotta learn to pick your battles." She breathed in. "Now… I'm telling you to drop the pistols, and if I don't see all seven on the ground in the next three seconds I'll have my Golbat tear all of you to pieces and then feed your remains to my Skuntank. Got it?"

Predictably enough, all seven placed their weapons on the ground with urgency. The pressure on Jupiter's neck relaxed, allowing her to breathe slightly better.

"So selfish, so fierce…" Mars whispered, forming a wicked grin. "Then again, now that you're all unarmed I could easily kill all eight of you and still escape. So tell me, Jupiter. If I let you live, what will you do?"

Jupiter formed a tight-lipped smile, a vein pulsing on her neck. "Easy. I'd go back to the base and drink until I pass out. Then, once I wake up and my hangover subsides, I'd start searching for you. I'd pursue you to the ends of the Earth to kill you." Her voice was calm, unnervingly so. "You think you can run from me? I'm a scientist with a grudge, Mars. I'm unstoppable."

"God, I forgot how much I love that twisted side of yours," Mars' whispered with a breathy voice, almost purring. "Your plan sounds lovely. I'll certainly be looking forward to it. But until then…"

Her arm dropped, and Jupiter would've sighed in relief were it not for the sudden pain in her back as she was kicked forward. She stumbled and fell on top of two of her grunts, while the shadow that was Mars slipped in between them.

By the time she got to her feet –cursing and pushing away the grunt who'd caught her– the redhead had already left the room and was probably running down the hallway, too fast for any of them to catch up.

Jupiter stared at the door for a moment, then let out a tired sigh and started rubbing her temples as if this were just One of those days.

"…I'm getting my pay cut for this, aren't I?"