Saturn crossed his arms. "I'm here to talk, Ursa."

Her own name stung her like a needle into her skin, the very sound of it tensing her shoulders. She could feel her eyes slowly changing to that familiar golden hue as she took one step forward, Monferno imitating her a moment after.

"Funny. After the last time I saw you, I got the impression that you wanted to kill me."

She caught him off guard with that; it was clear in his face. Saturn parted his lips, eyes wide open, and it took him a few seconds to find his voice.

"If you give up Azelf and the papers you stole, we'll stop chasing you," he said. "I'll tell the boss that you died fighting me. I'll even give you enough money so that you can escape the region and go back to Hoenn." His eyes were pleading, and Metchi could see the melancholy and hurt behind them. "Ursa… please. I don't want to kill you. Despite everything you've done… I still consider you part of our family."

Metchi wanted to laugh, at his face and at his stupid proposition, but found that she couldn't bring herself to. Strangely enough, her eyes had started to sting a bit, and it had nothing to do with the familiar heat behind them.

"Metchi, listen." Azelf's voice broke through the silence in her mind. "All you need to do is to touch my body and I'll be revitalized. Use my powers to get him to move."

She looked down, brows drawn together. Azelf could've just told her to kill Saturn; it would've been the less risky option considering he seemed to be alone. Had it suggested the alternative because it feared it was running out of power, or…

You were never going to kill him, she told herself as her lips curled into a smile. Not him, not after…

"I appreciate the offer," she said. "But in case you haven't heard yet, I got tired of running away."

Her eyes caught ablaze, golden wisps of light trailing past their edges. It was easy, a whole lot more than any other time she'd tried it.

Her gaze fell on the transparent ember behind Saturn's chest; his will. Taking in a deep breath, she parted her lips and spoke a single word, so powerful it felt as if the cavern itself were listening.

"Move."

Saturn flinched, face scrunching up in pain as if something were pulling at his very essence. He clutched his chest with one hand, knees shaking, and lowered his head until his eyes were completely hidden. The flame inside him flickered dangerously, as if assaulted by a storm. He wouldn't last much longer, Metchi realized. Any moment he'd…

"Don't… underestimate me…"

He sounded as if his entire body were being wrung out, and yet he managed to raise his head and take a step forward. Unable to hide her surprise, Metchi unconsciously let go of the pressure her eyes had on him. The flame was fighting back, somehow, and even with all her power she couldn't manage to smother it out.

"Wh– why isn't it working?"

Azelf's shock was intertwined with hers. She heard it whisper in her mind.

"Oh no."

The light behind her eyes flickered out, turning back to their usual blue. As her power on Saturn faded, he let his shoulders fall and breathed heavily, a triumphant smile stretching across his face.

"Did you… really think that'd work?" he asked, forehead pearly with sweat. "Azelf's power isn't meant to force others to do whatever you want. Or do you think Nyss got all her followers by coercion alone?" From his belt, he retrieved two Ultraballs and a Pokeball. "You're wasting your potential by using it like that."

She swallowed. "H-how would you know?"

"Didn't Azelf tell you? About the last human it bonded with? Who do you think taught me how to resist your power?"

"The hell are you talking about?" she muttered, feeling as if something had caught up in her throat.

She felt Azelf going silent inside her mind, more than usual at least. It felt as if it were holding its breath, as if it didn't want to hear what Saturn was about to say.

"Metchi, don't listen to him," it pleaded, voice strained. "He's distracting you; this is your chance to attack him!"

Her body obeyed before her mind could process what was happening. She lunged forward, body low as she ran, and slipped both hands into the hidden pockets of her jeans. Dire streaks of silver cut through the air as she unveiled two long knives, their weight pleasant and familiar in her hands. It'd been a long time since she'd had to use them, but one didn't forget these things.

Saturn didn't give her time to reach him. As soon as he saw her move the three Pokeballs were launched into the air, opening simultaneously.

Three consecutive explosions of light blinded her. The air vibrated at her left and she unconsciously jumped back as an enormous set of claws missed her torso by mere inches. At her side Monferno was hit by something solid and was sent flying a few feet back.

She looked up, heart beating wildly in her chest. Three figures came out of the light, surrounding Saturn protectively. The one hovering above him was Airgetlam, his Bronzong, the bell-like steel Pokemon who'd attacked her on the bridge. At his right stood what had tried to grab her, an enormous, scorpion-like beast with a segmented body and two wide fangs coming out of the sides of her mouth. At her left was a creature she'd only seen him use once; it was bipedal and tall, with an amphibious face and a bulbous red sac resting under his neck. Fragarach the Toxicroak, Saturn's best fighter.

The tips of her knives shook slightly along with her arms. They were too many. Even with Monferno...

"You're following a liar, Ursa." Saturn spoke from behind his Pokemon. "You're not the first person to suffer due to bonding with Azelf, and you won't be the last. Why do you think only two people have done it before you?"

As she tried to concentrate past his taunts, a part of her remembered that night close to the beach. Azelf's statement, the clear regret in its words, the way even mentioning the subject of its previous companions had brought it such pain...

"Both Nyss and the boss trusted Azelf, and look at what happened to them! I'm doing you a favor by giving you a way out! Why can't you see that!?"

Metchi froze, knives still raised in front of her. Her eyebrows knit slowly, while she began to feel Azelf's dread and fear grow from the depths of her mind.

"The boss?" she asked, tone faint. "But..."

Saturn formed a smile that didn't extend to his eyes. "Who do you think inspired him to create Team Galactic? The disdain for humanity as it is now, the desire for change..." Their eyes met. "...Cyrus and Azelf have a lot in common. It's really no wonder they used to be such great partners." He furrowed his brow. "And if he couldn't control that bond, then what makes you think you can? You're not a hero, Ursa. You're just Azelf's errand girl."

She stood unable to speak for what felt like a minute, simply staring as the dots connected in her mind. It made a surprising amount of sense, considering what she knew of both. How had she never realized...?

"I can explain, Metchi. I swear it's not..." Azelf's voice reverberated in her mind. "I mean... it was, but after what happened..."

Metchi leaned her head to the side a bit, a smile teasing through the edges of her lips. A small wave of laughter forced itself from her stomach upwards, and she found it difficult to contain it.

Azelf stopped talking, and she could feel its surprise as she laughed.

"That's it?" she asked in between chuckles. "That's the big secret? That's what you wasted all your theatrics on?"

To say Saturn was startled by her reaction would've been putting it lightly. He looked as though someone had dumped a bucket of water on him.

"What, did you expect me to get angry at Azelf and start yelling at it?" She shook her head in disbelief. "And make it easier for you to capture us? Yeah, as if."

"It… it lied to you," Saturn muttered. "If it weren't for Azelf, then Team Galactic…"

"Lying and omitting information ain't the same thing, dumbass," she said. "Great, Azelf inspired that asshole to want to re-shape the universe, so what? Actually putting in the effort to screw over everyone else, that's all on him. And besides, Azelf knows it fucked up. Hell, I'd say regret is about ninety percent of its personality!"

A wave of appreciation flooded her, mixed in with a kind of irritation she knew too well. She felt the air around her turn lighter, and when she blinked the warmth came to her more naturally than ever before. It was her turn to take a step forward, making Saturn reel ever so slightly.

"Azelf might've done a lot of stupid stuff in the past, but I'm no one to judge or pry into it." She shrugged. "Both of us… nah, all three of us…" She gave Monferno a side-glance, and could've sworn she saw the shadow of a smile on his lips. "…We're all a bunch of screw-ups. That's why we're sticking together."

"Metchi…" Its voice echoed in her mind faintly, less than a whisper. "Your body, it's..."

She looked down. Warm light danced under her skin, forming spiraling patterns like the twists and curls of a flame. A storm waiting to be released.

Then, out of nowhere, words appeared in her mind. A creed she'd never heard before, yet one that felt as familiar as though she'd lived by it her entire life. Azelf gasped inside her head.

"I... I can't believe it. Not even Cyrus..." Sheer disbelief coated Azelf's tone, its voice shaking. "Metchi, speak her oath!"

She frowned. "Oath?"

"Yes! Nyss' oath, the one she made at the end of the world itself."

Metchi nodded. Yes, she did know the words, didn't she? She'd always known them, but until now she hadn't been worthy of speaking them. That had changed. Parting her lips, she spoke the words with a voice like a raging storm.

"I will make reality bend to my Will."

Her body burst alight. Her eyes shone like flames.

"You did get one thing right about me," she said as she walked towards Saturn and his Pokemon, eyes burning with power. "I'm not really a hero, as much as I'd like to pretend. I don't help people, I hurt them. I don't light fires in the souls of men, I snuff them out." She smiled a terrible smile, fingers curling into fists. "And I don't fix problems, I just break them until they don't exist anymore. And if my actions happen to benefit others… then I can't think of anything better to do with my life."

"T-that's ridiculous!" Saturn's voice wavered as he yelled. "I have my three best Pokemon with me; if you fight us… you'll get yourself killed! You can't win this!"

Metchi, still sporting that eerie smile, shrugged as she made the knives spin on her hands. Her entire body was now covered in a waving, golden aura, as if she were wearing a mantle of flames.

"Maybe not, but I can at least give it one hell of a try."

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

Inyssa put her hands in her pockets as to stop them from shaking, her expression forcibly blank.

"Listen. Bret and Kitsune will act as support while Shadi and Pedri go into the offensive." She spoke as calmly as she could. "They'll stand close so as to parry or block that thing's attacks if they get past Kitsune's barriers."

"Simple and easy to remember, I like it," said Barry. "I'm guessing we're gonna use that combo we've been practicing?"

"Mhm."

Cyrus reached the street above, the abomination that was his pet walking alongside him. His expression was cold and empty, as usual. Unlike Inyssa, he didn't need to pretend to appear calm, the bastard. His eyes set on them, and for a moment she thought any kind of surprise or shock would appear on his face. Instead he simply raised an eyebrow, lips going thin and pale.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"I see… I suppose the disruptor doesn't work on all kinds of Pokeballs," he whispered to himself, gaze falling on Cynthia. "First you try to run away and then you enlist mere children to protect you? I'd lament how far you've fallen, Champion, but that pedestal you built for yourself never placed you that high to begin with."

Cynthia tried to speak, but her knees buckled once more and Barry had to stop her fall. Her state seemed to be worsening; whatever it was that she did with those runes must've taken a heavy toll on her body.

Inyssa gulped, summoning all the wits she still had in her not to let the anger boiling in her stomach take over. Being furious and reckless wouldn't help the situation they were in. Luckily, she'd always had an easier time keeping a cool head when it came to Pokemon battles; the act itself was rather calming even in the middle of a life and death situation.

She placed a hand on Shadi's forehead, whose green eyes had the same determined gleam as hers. She brandished her scythes in preparation, her soft, white scarf blowing in the wind behind her.

"You talk a lot of game for someone whose only Pokemon is an oversized Durant," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "You still have time to scamper off you know. It'd be embarrassing if the leader of Team Galactic lost to… what was it that you just called us? Mere children?"

She formed the best shit-eating grin she could. Cyrus however didn't seem impressed by her bravado –or anything, really– and simply sighed as he rubbed his eyelids.

"I don't have time for this. Genesect, take them out."

The mechanical Pokemon lunged at them, its speed still as mind-boggling as it'd been before. However, this time they were prepared.

Without needing to be given the order, Kitsune punched the air with the hand holding his spoon, eyes glowing a pink-ish purple. A solid dome of light –similar to the one Cynthia had summoned but much bigger in diameter– materialized all around them.

Genesect didn't crash into it again, instead stopping so suddenly that a gust of wind trailed past behind it. It stood still for a moment, eyes flashing in and out like the lights of a computer, and raised both arms as it slammed them into the barrier. The impact shook the dome and the ground under it. Kitsune let out a growl of pain, knees shaking, but did not call off the barrier as the creature kept slashing and pounding at it.

"Bret: tie it up! Shadi: Swords Dance!" yelled Inyssa.

"Iron Defense!" followed Barry.

Placing both petal covered hands against the ground, Bret summoned dozens of vines as they exploded from the ground around Genesect, climbing up its body in an attempt to restrain it.

"But… that Kricketune, it's got a Choice Scarf," Cynthia said, breathing heavily. "If it uses Swords Dance then it won't be able to…"

"Don't worry about it," Inyssa cut her off, smiling. "That's the only move she'll need."

Shadi and Pedri moved in perfect unison, just like they'd practiced a hundred times before. They faced each other, forming an X with their arms as they fell to one knee and closed their eyes in concentration. The air around Shadi became wild and erratic, dancing in circles, and her scythes began to glow with a sharp green. The air around Pedri turned cold and heavy, his entire body now covered in a sturdy silver glow.

The barrier began to crack around them. Inyssa clenched her teeth, a drop of sweat running down her forehead

"Now!"

Shadi began to grind one scythe against the other as she slowly walked towards Pedri, who had joined both fins in front of him like a shield. Every time her scythes touched, sparks would fly in all directions, while the air was filled with a subtle, almost imperceptible melody. The sound was sharp and deadly, but it had a strangely calming effect on Inyssa. This was her Pokemon's music, after all. This was her soul.

Throwing their hands forward in unison, both her and Barry cried out:

"Royal Melody!"

Shadi slammed both scythes against Pedri's fins with all of her strength. His knees buckled slightly under the impact and he narrowed his eyes in pain, but was thankfully able to sustain the attack without receiving much harm. The clash reverberated through the air all around them like a gong. The glows surrounding both Pokemon went from one body to the other, interlacing in a shared aura of strength and might.

Inyssa couldn't help but sigh in relief. They'd only successfully executed the strategy once before and the result hadn't been as good. The idea for it had come to her after seeing an opponent use the move Belly Drum, which severely hurt the user in exchange for a momentary boost of power. Following that logic she'd been able to device a way for two Pokemon to share their buff-like moves, though one of them had to be struck by the other to make it work, and the strongest the attack the higher the possibility of the technique working. Luckily, Pedri wasn't one to go down after a single hit, no matter how powerful.

She smiled proudly. Of course, she'd been the one to come up with the name of the technique as well.

Not much time to celebrate was given to them as the barrier finally shattered, shards of psychic energy dissolving into wisps as Kitsune fell to one knee, panting heavily. Their light cast terrible shadows on Genesect, whose glare fell on them.

"Now's the time," she whispered to herself. "Don't hold back!"

Shadi and Pedri threw themselves at their enemy, claws and scythes glowing with their shared power. Planting its feet firmly Genesect crossed both arms over its head as the impact came. The floor cracked under its feet but it did not move an inch, holding on as the full weight of both Pokemon's attacks rested on top of its forearms.

"Shake them off," ordered Cyrus. "Focus on the Kricketune."

Letting out a deafening screech it threw both its opponents back, the sheer and unnatural force on its thin arms staggering them momentarily. It threw himself at Shadi, not giving her a moment to recover, and slashed the air in an arc toward her neck.

Its claw hit the air and stopped. A small, square-shaped barrier had materialized between them, breaking the momentum of the attack.

Noticing her opponent's hesitation, Shadi regained her footing and slashed the air with her scythes in an X, hitting Genesect square on the chest and forcing it a few feet back. It readied itself to jump once more, but it felt vibrations in the air as the ground broke under it. Another dozen vines erupted upwards, climbing through its legs.

Now rooted in place, it was unable to escape as both Pokemon threw themselves at it. It raised both arms and endured each hit as it looked for opportunities to counter-attack. Shadi was quick and danced in between the flurry of slashes with ease, the few she wasn't able to evade being either blocked by her partner's steel fins or by the makeshift localized barriers created by Kitsune.

From outside the battle, Inyssa couldn't really tell just how many blows were being exchanged. Teeth clenched, she grabbed onto Shadi's Pokeball strongly and hoped that they'd be able to stall for long enough. She could tell their attacks did little more than scratch that thing's armor; there was no way they could take it out of commission without some serious luck on their part.

She forced herself to smile. That didn't mean they couldn't try.

"Barry, we have to hit him with Pedri's Emperor Claw," she said. "But he'll be too slow to connect, which means…"

"We'll just to use the Switcheroo strategy."

She frowned. "I still think Royal Magician's a better name, but yeah."

"Hey, we each got to name one." He grinned as he threw his hand forward. "Pedri, get back and start charging up! Kitsune, get ready!"

"Shadi, hold him off!"

Empoleon repelled one last slash from its opponent –his fins starting to show cuts and bruises from the relentless beating – and jumped a few feet back. Breathing in deeply, he coated the claws on his right hand with that familiar white glow, while concentrating to the best of his abilities as a swirling coat of water materialized all around him. The power on his claws was almost too much to handle, the ground buckling and creaking under him, but he was able to keep it controlled for now.

Genesect, now having one less opponent to fight, took the time to break itself free from the ever-growing vines trapping it and jumped at Kricketune, claws ready. Both Pokemon's arms became blurs as they exchanged blows, the air exploding in a dozen cutting currents of wind around them. Genesect hadn't managed to get more than a couple hits in –in between Shadi's speed and the barriers protecting her– but a part of it knew that it didn't need to. Its armor was almost impenetrable and its opponent couldn't keep attacking forever. Once her speed faltered…

"Kitsune, now!" Barry's scream broke through the air. "Ally Switch!"

A purple, glowing circle appeared under Shadi's feet, and a second after she vanished into thin air. In her place appeared Kadabra, eyebrows knit tightly in anger. With a simple movement of his spoon he repelled Genesect's slash, and pointing it straight at its face he blasted it with an explosion of psychic energy that sent it staggering a few feet back, screeching in pain.

"Again!"

Now it was Kitsune who vanished, switching places with the expectant Pedri. Genesect did not have time to react as the Empoleon's claw fell in an arc towards it.

The air shook from the impact, raising a cloud of dust. Genesect's body hit the ground violently, bouncing to the side as the light on its eyes flickered out momentarily. Once the cloud cleared, Inyssa noticed the three indentures in the thing's chest, a few inches deep. Sparks and a slight amount of blood came out of the wound.

Something sour settled on her stomach, preventing her from cheering Pedri like Barry did. That… that had been much less damage than she'd expected.

"Keep it up!" she yelled as to drown that uneasiness. "Come on, don't let it r–!"

"That's enough."

Cyrus' voice stole her breath. Its cold traveled down towards them and enveloped even their Pokemon, who couldn't help but shiver under its weight. As Genesect pulled itself to its feet, the man looked at it and gave his order.

"We don't have time to waste here. Use Techno Blast on the Pokemon in the back," he said. "Burn Drive. Widespread."

Genesect's eyes flashed brightly as its body began to change. The previously purple color of its armor shifted completely into a bright red. It lowered itself to the ground, getting on all fours, and pointed the cannon on its back at its enemies.

Inyssa felt it immediately, the hair on her arms standing up. The air around them grew hotter as a pulsing ball of red light materialized at the tip of the cannon, almost blinding them. She was frozen; her legs wouldn't move and her grasp on Shadi's Pokeball was weak–

"GET DOWN!"

Cynthia grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and pulled her back, enveloping both her and Barry with her arms. She pushed all three of them towards the ground, and then it happened.

The cannon fired, tearing the air in half. The beam of burning light made a sweeping motion from left to right, causing the ground to explode upwards as it connected. Inyssa felt it pass overhead, its heat stealing the breath from her lungs and stinging her back.

Then, she felt it. A wall of rocks and rubble washed over them, erupting from the ground itself. One fell on top of her right leg, while the other one hit her just over the eye. Her vision went white for a moment, an explosion of pain tearing through her. When she came back she did so with a sharp inhale, feeling the familiar warmth of blood running down her eye towards her cheek.

Darkness ate away at the edge of her vision, and for a moment everything stood still and silent. Then she was yanked back once more. She heard Cynthia saying something, but couldn't make it out. Pain and dizziness flared through her entire body, but she did not let herself fall again. She needed to make sure…

Barry… where's Barry!?

She pushed herself to her feet, the world around her still a blur, and miraculously her leg didn't falter under her weight. It hurt, badly, but at least it didn't seem to be broken. She parted her lips to breathe and felt as a few drops of blood fell into her mouth.

The block of the city they were in was a disaster; a thick cloud of smoke rose all around them. The broken ground where the attack had fallen was steaming and caught ablaze in some places. And their Pokemon…

She had to force herself to breathe. Pedri and Shadi were still standing, but only because the former had jumped in to shield her. Kitsune had fallen to his knees a few feet from them, wisps of smoke and flame rising from the fur on his chest and legs.

Bret lay a stone throw's away, flat on his back and completely unconscious. The front of his body was scorched and black. Almost all the petals on his hands had either been incinerated or badly burnt. He still breathed, though irregularly.

"N-Niss…"

She felt Barry's hand on her shoulder, though it exerted a lot more weight than usual. As she turned towards him she saw his scrunched up face, covered in dust and dirt, and looking lower…

She choked on a gasp. There were several cuts on his right arm, which hung limp at his side. Blood ran down it towards his fingers and then to the ground. His jacket and scarf, much like hers, were torn apart in various other places.

"Barry! H-here, take this..." She spoke with a faint voice as she took off her scarf and tried to tie it around his wound, fingers shaking badly. Why couldn't she…?

"I'll do it."

Cynthia, looking about twice as in pain as them, grabbed the scarf from her hands and broke it in half, each piece for the two deep cuts on his arms. She acted without hesitation. Inyssa didn't know what to do for a few moments.

"You two focus on the battle," she said. "Your Pokemon are already holding that thing off, and your Kadabra is about to slow it down."

Inyssa could barely register her words. What did she mean by…

The sound of metal against metal brought her back to reality. Pedri barely managed to stop a strike that would've sliced Shadi's neck. The impact pushed him to the ground, knees buckling. Letting out a growl of rage he pushed himself up and threw Genesect backwards.

The Empoleon felt nothing but pain, his entire body covered in cuts and burn marks, but he refused to go down. So did his partner, whose frenetic dance of slashes didn't slow down for a single second. Kadabra raised his head to look at the battlefield, consciousness slowly fading. Covered in small flames, he pointed his spoon at their opponent one last time, and smiled as his vision went black.

Fire evaporated from Kitsune's body. A moment after, Genesect caught ablaze.

It brought Inyssa an immense satisfaction to see that thing screech and growl in what must've been a searing pain. She let out a small chuckle of disbelief, and turned to look at the now unconscious Kadabra.

Synchronize… of course.

With their opponent ablaze, Pedri and Shadi slowly began to gain the advantage. Still, it'd been proved before that the tide of the battle could turn at any moment, should that thing choose to use that cannon again. They needed to think of some way to neutralize it.

Her eyes fell on the distant shape of Bret, smoke still rising from his body. She clenched her teeth in anger as she searched for his Pokeball; he wouldn't heal while inside it but at least he wouldn't get worse either. If only she had a way to…

She froze, eyes going wide. Bret's Pokeball fell from her fingers as a memory teased itself from the folds of her mind. A pleasant, warm day. Lots of people, games, competition, and a beautiful shining stone whose weight felt so pleasant in her hands. She felt its radiance inside her backpack, as if it were calling to her. As fast as she'd ever done anything in her life she un-strapped it from her back and searched for the stone inside, to the confused looks of Barry and Cynthia.

Her fingers met with the smooth surface, and a golden glow broke through the folds of the backpack. She held the Shiny Stone in her hand, smiled, and pushed herself to her feet once more.

"C-cover me…" she whispered, voice barely audible. "I'll be right back."

And, without bothering to think it twice, she turned around and started running toward Bret. Each step she took sent an explosion of pain from her leg upwards, but she used all her will to ignore it. She was so close, if she could only…

"Genesect, stop her!"

The sheer cold behind Cyrus' scream almost threw her off balance, its volume so incongruent with its clear lack of emotion. As she turned her head to look at him, she noticed his gaze set not on her, but on the shiny stone she held.

"Techno Blast, Shock Drive!" he ordered. "Kill that Roselia!"

Time slowed almost to a halt. Inyssa saw as Pedri and Shadi jumped to stop their opponent, but were repelled by a slash that slammed them against the ground. She saw as Genesect jumped into the air, facing down, and pointed that cannon at Bret. She saw as that pulsing ball of light appeared at the tip of it, now cackling with bolts of electricity which flew in all directions.

She heard the air vibrate around her and, in that infinitesimal moment before the cannon fired, she made a decision.

Her body moved on its own, running faster than it'd ever done so. Her feet slid on the dirt as she reached Bret's side. She stood in front of him, facing away from that beast, and extended her arms to the side, turning herself into a human shield.

She heard the air break in half, and then the beam struck her. For a single moment every muscle in her body contracted in agony and she felt herself being torn apart from the inside, a hallowing shriek stuck in her throat.

Then, nothing. Her eyes stopped seeing and she fell.

In the back of her mind, she heard Barry and Cynthia scream.