The first thing Inyssa noticed was that Sarah didn't quite look like herself.

At first she thought it had something to do with her 'serious face'. Whenever she was at work, all semblances of a motherly attitude would vanish, replaced with an expression as cold and hard as ice. No smiles, no tenderness, nothing. It was kind of scary, actually, though Inyssa would've never said so out loud.

But no, that wasn't it. She looked… drained, almost. Her cheeks were hollow and the bags under her eyes had grown since the last time she'd seen her. Her usual black suit fit a bit more loosely than usual, too. Barry seemed to have noticed too, if the guilt and worry on his face were any indication of it. Still, it wouldn't have been polite to point it out, especially when the three of them were waiting for her boss to arrive.

"Ah… finally." Sarah sighed as she looked past the door window. With unsteady hands she opened it and let someone in. "You're late, as usual."

"Yes, yes, I know."

The room grew silent as the man closed the door behind him, looking up at them through his violet-shaded spectacles. The weight of his gaze sent a powerful shiver down her spine.

"I apologize for my tardiness." He raised a hand palm up, a tiny smile forming on his lips. His voice was deep, but strangely delicate. "I'm afraid I lost myself in the pages of a book I was reading, and only when I finished it I remembered our appointment."

Sarah raised an eyebrow, "Again?"

"Yes, I know. Books are truly wonderful, are they not?" he said. "What people pour into them, their thoughts and feelings, are able to stretch beyond time and space. I was just reading a collection of essays on the science-fiction genre. There was one quote attributed to a novelist I found remarkable: 'Though love may lose, kindness wins.' I find that... Ah… I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I?" He let out a barely audible chuckle, shaking his head. "Apologies. My name is…"

"Lucian Dusk!"

Barry and Inyssa spoke in unison, their screams echoing off the walls and all around the room. The man froze, startled, and behind him Sarah sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand.

"Kids, please…"

"You didn't tell us an Elite Four would come!" Barry protested, throwing one hand up in the air. "I could've… brushed my hair or something!"

Inyssa placed both hands against her chest. "I am… such a big fan! Oh my god I can't believe you're here!"

"Well this is… different," she heard Uxie say inside her mind. "Your overt excitement is a change of pace from–"

"I used to follow your career!" she blurted out, interrupting it. "Is it true that when you lived in Kalos you earned the highest title in the Battle Chateau less than a year after becoming a trainer!?"

"Also that you're the second youngest trainer to be an Elite Four!?" Barry added.

"And… and…" Inyssa had to take in a quick breath before continuing, "…is it true that you're only second to the legendary Sabrina when it comes to Psychic-type specialists!?"

They only stopped due to the glare Sarah shot them. Next to her, Lucian blinked a few times before the shadow of a smile formed on his lips.

"Once again, my reputation gets in the way of a formal greeting. How truly pesky it is." He crossed his arms, raising his index finger slightly. "Inyssa Dawn and Barry Paladino, yes? A pleasure."

Despite saying that, he made no effort to shake their hands or greet them any other way.

"All your accusations are true. However, I'm not here as a member of the Elite Four, but as the Chief Manager of the League Association. As such, I would like you to look past my accomplishments as a trainer so we can move on with the subject at hand. I am here to speak to both of you, after all."

As he said that, Sarah made a gesture which could've been mistaken as rolling her eyes if one were looking closely. Inyssa could kind of understand why.

Way to try to act humble and praise yourself at the same time, she thought.

"Well… whatever you wanna tell us, feel free to," Barry said with a smile. "We're all arms! Wait, I mean… we'll listen to you with open ears! No…!"

Inyssa bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh. "Y-yeah, what he said."

Lucian didn't speak right away, no, that would've made too much sense. Instead he let himself rest against the piece of wall next to the door, arms crossed and the shine of his spectacles hiding his eyes from view.

He is so fucking extra, Inyssa realized. I guess that explains why younger me liked him so much.

"I'm… aware that you already gave your testimonies to the police, regarding what happened during the Festival of Spirit," he said. "But there's a few questions I'd like answered nonetheless. First of which being; what happened during your confrontation with Team Galactic's leader?"

As he spoke the last word, he raised his index finger once more. The room grew tense.

"Huh? What do you mean what happened?" asked Inyssa, feigning innocence. "You were just talking about the testimony we gave, right? It's all there."

Lucian was probably not a psychic himself –like Sabrina was rumored to be– but still she felt nervous lying to someone who spent so much of his time around Pokemon that could read people's minds. Uxie had assured her that as long as it and Mesprit resided inside them, they would be immune to any kind of psychic influence. Still, it didn't ease her anxiety much.

"I am aware of what the report says," Lucian replied. "But I happen to be doubtful of the veracity of some of your statements."

She tried her best to stay impassive, though she could feel a bead of sweat start to form on her forehead. Why was he asking these questions? Were they in trouble? No, if that were the case then Sarah would've warned them beforehand. So what…?

"According to your testimony, you engaged the leader of Team Galactic in combat in order to protect the Champion. You claimed that, at that moment, she was weakened and unable to move, which made it difficult to escape and look for help. Thus, you decided to fight."

Inyssa swallowed. "Y-yeah, that's what we said."

"She almost passed out on us," Barry said. "It's because of those… rune thingies she used. We were so worried, we couldn't just leave her to die!"

The boy's performance was the perfect blend of concern and aloofness; Inyssa couldn't help but be surprised.

"Your friend is a surprisingly good liar," Uxie said. "Considering he seems the most earnest of the two of you, I mean."

Good enough to fool Sarah, she thought at the sight of the face she made.

Lucian nodded. "They're called lavender runes, but that's neither here nor there. You said she used two of them previous to the fight breaking out? A Barrier and a Teleport one?" He waited until they nodded, then kept talking. "See, that's the part I'm having trouble with. As much as she and I might not get along, I can't help but give her credit where credit is due…"

He paused, raising his head slightly to look at them over his spectacles. A small crease formed on his forehead.

"That woman is the very personification of stubbornness. Using two of those runes would've left her weak and tired, yes, but by no means unable to move or escape." His voice gained a bit of intensity as he said that. "Which leads me to believe you're trying to cover up for her."

Inyssa felt as if someone had slipped cubes of ice into the back of her shirt. Keeping her face from showing any emotions was a lot harder than she'd thought, especially when faced with someone as sharp as Lucian. Now she understood… despite being such accomplished trainers, people like him didn't need Pokemon to possess an intimidating presence. It was a sight to behold, if slightly terrifying.

"Why would we do that?" Barry said after a few moments. "What would we be covering up anyway?"

"Perhaps the fact that, if Cynthia wished to, she could've stopped you two from engaging in such a pointlessly suicidal fight?" replied Lucian. "Which, I'm sure I don't need to remind you, is what any responsible adult would've done in her position."

So I was right! Inyssa thought, gritting her teeth. We're not the ones in trouble, Cynthia is!

"You two wouldn't be the first trainers to find yourselves in unsavory situations due to Cynthia's shortsightedness. She has taken an interest in you two lately, has she not?"

"Not really," said Inyssa. "We just ran into her a couple of times. Before the festival we didn't even know she was the Champion."

A slight grunt was heard as Lucian hoisted himself to his feet, arms dropping at his side. "That is not a coincidence. Every single thing that woman does is to further her own plans, and that includes following and grooming trainers like you two, so that one day they might grow strong enough to pose a challenge to her." Inyssa noticed his fingers curling into fists. "On top of all that, she is an adult and thus fully capable of taking blame for her mistakes; you don't need to cover up for her."

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Jeez, that's one hell of a mood swing, Inyssa thought. Is there a schism inside the Association or something like that?

It was clear Lucian believed his words, and she detected a hint of worry coming from him toward them, but still she couldn't agree. She'd met Cynthia firsthand, she'd heard her speech during the festival. The Champion wasn't the kind of person to take advantage of people. Of that much she was sure.

"We're not going to repeat ourselves," she said. "What's written in our testimony is the truth."

There were a few more things she would've liked to say to him, but for once her self-control kicked in and she realized angering Sarah's boss was probably not the best idea. The last thing she needed was to inconvenience her after all she'd been going through. Still, her image of the famous Lucian wouldn't be the same after today, that was for sure.

The man continued to stare at them for what felt like an eternity, and then lowered his head and sighed. Suddenly, he looked a lot older.

"I suppose I have no proof of the contrary. I'll have to take your word for it. Still, I would like to remind you that there's a reason only trainers who've attained all eight badges are legally allowed to help in emergency situations such as this. Unskilled aid is sometimes worse than no aid at all." He passed his fingers through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment. "It couldn't be helped during the Veilstone and Celestic incidents, since according to your testimonies you were simply defending yourselves. However, I would implore you to do everything in your power so this doesn't repeat. Otherwise, I will be forced to take measures. Am I clear?"

"Y-yeah," whispered Barry.

"Transparent," said Inyssa.

Lucian's eyes narrowed for a moment, "…Good. I hope you will take my advice to heart, for your own good."

As he said that, the atmosphere in the room relaxed. Inyssa hadn't noticed how tense her body was, how tightened her shoulders and the rest of her muscles had become.

"Now that's taken care of, there's two other small matters I wanted to inform you of," he said. "Firstly, the silver Pokeballs you let us burrow for our investigation will be shortly returned to you. We've also contacted their creator, along with Professor Rowan, so that we may replicate them in masse in case another, similar incident occurs."

"…Okay."

"Secondly, I've been told your Pokétch and Pokédex were harmed beyond repair thanks to the EMP which was released throughout the town." He paused and looked to the side, his gaze falling on Sarah. "I would like to fix that, at the very least."

On cue, Sarah reached into the depths of her purse and took two small, cardboard boxes out. They were painted white, the image of a familiar device pasted onto one side of it. As she handed one to her, Inyssa felt it reassuringly heavy. A tiny smile formed on her lips.

"Holy crap…" Barry's eyes had gone wide, his mouth forming a tiny O. "They're the latest models!"

"It's purple!" She couldn't help but cry out. "How did you… I didn't think they had Pokétch in this color!"

For the first time that evening, she saw Sarah smile, though the gesture lasted only a second before dissipating back into her serious face. She cleared her throat as she spoke:

"The Association always compensates trainer losses after a tragedy. But… yes, I picked the color myself."

"Consider it a gift of gratitude," added Lucian. "For your efforts to protect the citizens of Celestic."

Inyssa raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were against that."

"I've said so before, haven't I? I always give credit where credit is due." He crossed his arms and looked to the side, a smug smile stretching across his face. "Your actions might've been reckless, but they were also brave. Besides, I can't blame you for wanting to protect others."

Would you pick a stance and fucking stick to it? She thought, frowning. Or do you just love the sound of your own voice?

"As for your Pokédex, I've already instructed Rowan to give you a new one when the opportunity arises," he said. "The Professor shall stay in Canalave during these next few weeks. I'm guessing you'll travel there too, for your fifth badge?"

Sarah replied before any of them had a chance to:

"Once they're discharged from the hospital, Palmer will fly them toward Floaroma," she explained. "From there they'll travel to Canalave by boat."

Lucian nodded. "Then there should be no problem."

Wanna ask for our opinion on the matter maybe? Inyssa thought bitterly. Not that we'd disagree, but…

"I believe that is all," Lucian clapped his hands slightly, looking up at them. "…is what I would like to say, but I actually have one more matter to discuss."

Oh my god.

Luckily, it wasn't what either of them expected. From the pocket of his burgundy coat Lucian retrieved a perfectly flat white envelope, and handed it to Inyssa. She furrowed her brow in confusion, until she looked down and saw what was written on it:

From: Cynthia Artemis.

To: Barry Paladino and Inyssa Dawn.

"S-she left us a letter?" Barry asked

"Yes, I find it unusual as well," said Lucian. "However, I suppose she didn't want to leave both of you in the dark after disappearing so suddenly." He sighed. "Not that she'd need to do such an unnecessary thing, but that's the kind of woman she is."

They weren't listening to him. All their attention was completely focused on the piece of paper Inyssa had extracted from the envelope. It read as such:

My dearest Barry and Inyssa,

It shames me to my very core that you had to put your lives on the line to save me, when it should've been the opposite. As a Champion, it is my duty and pride to be able to protect my nation, and yet I have failed miserably at doing so.

I sincerely hope you can forgive my inadequacy. I swear on my name, on my power and on the everlasting moon that I shall do everything I can to make it up to you and stop Cyrus once and for all.

To this end, and though I've enjoyed your company immensely, I'm afraid I won't be able to meet with you anytime soon. I have a job to do, and no time to waste. Additionally, my peers said I should discourage you from trying to chase Team Galactic and find out what their plan is.

A shame; I really wanted to show you the wonders of the Celestic ruins. I also heard you're heading toward Canalave soon? Make sure to visit the city's famous library; it really is a wondrous and chaotic trove of secrets.

In any case, I hope you will continue to chase your goals and reach even greater heights as trainers. Until we meet again,

xC.V.A – 2/5/06

"Huh… bummer," said Barry after he finished reading. "I really wanted an autograph."

Inyssa said nothing, lips pursed tightly. She didn't take her eyes from the letter, reading it over and over to make sure she wasn't mistaken.

"You noticed it too?" asked Uxie. " I suppose it is rather heavy handed."

Lucian cleared his throat to get their attention. "I hope you'll heed her warnings," he said. "I'll be taking my leave now. It was… nice to meet both of you."

They mumbled a half response back as they saw the man exit the room. Were Inyssa not preoccupied with another, more important matter, she would've lamented the fact that one of her childhood idols turned out to be such a stick in the mud.

Sarah, however, didn't leave right away. She stood with her arms behind her back, staring at the two of them as if she had something to say. Her lips parted for a moment, but then she closed them again and sighed.

"I need to go back to work. Stay safe."

Then she left, a grim expression on her face.

The hell was that about?

"...Alright." She let out a forced chuckle and leaned back against the frame of her bed, letter still in hand. "At least now we have a lead."

She saw the way Barry's worry turned into confusion as his brow slowly furrowed. Adorable, as always.

"Huh? What do you mean a lead?" he asked. "We just got told not to make any more trouble, even the Champion said so."

She shook her head, a sly smile forming on her face. "That's because you weren't paying attention. Here, I'll show you."

Her body unwittingly tilted to the side as Barry sat in the mattress next to her. He stared at her finger as she pointed at a specific part in the letter.

"See here? Cynthia says 'my peers said I should discourage you from chasing Team Galactic and trying to find out what their plans are'."

Barry shrugged, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Don't you get it? That's what the people from the Association told her to do, but nowhere in the letter does she actually discourage us!" She grinned, excitement flooding her body. "Also, why would she need to specify that thing about Team Galactic's plans? She's clearly trying to tell us something."

"You… think so?" Barry frowned, clearly not convinced.

"Of course! She must've known someone else would read the letter before it made it to us, so she made the message intentionally unclear." Poking the paper with more strength than necessary, she pointed at another sentence. "Here, why would she mention the ruins and the library? And that line about a trove of secrets… there has to be something in there that'll point us to Team Galactic's plans!"

Barry didn't reply right away, instead choosing to scratch the back of his neck and look away. A noticeable crease had formed on his forehead.

"…You don't believe me?"

He pursed his lips. "It's not that. S' just… I don't know." He sighed. "Do you think we should… keep doing this? I really wanna believe you and keep trying to fight Team Galactic and help people, but what if Lucian and mom were right? What if… we're just not ready for stuff like this?"

Something inside Inyssa's chest tightened as she saw the doubt and shame in his eyes. Without thinking she reached across the space between them and placed a hand on top of his, forming a reassuring smile.

Part of her wanted to tell him he was worrying too much. It would've been the easy road; dismissing his feelings and fears to get what she wanted, like she'd done so a million times before. She knew she could make him cave in eventually, and that thought made her so disgusted with herself she had a hard time not heaving.

I promised him I'd change, she told herself. I can't back out now.

Another part of her wanted to follow his advice and just… give it up. She could certainly use the freedom of not having to worry about Team Galactic anymore. But as soon as she thought that, another memory resurfaced from the depths of her mind. A single phrase, something Shadi had told her long ago:

'A trainer is someone who uses their power not for their own selfish reasons, but for the good of all.'

Her hand tightened over Barry's, and her smile grew into a grin full of confidence.

"We can help without putting ourselves in trouble," she told him. "Tell you what; let's go to the ruins and the library and try to find out as much as we can about Team Galactic's goal. Then if we find something, we give the information to Sarah. No more fighting or risking our lives, unless it's absolutely necessary."

Barry's look of shock at her proposal only made her feel more shitty (Had she really been that bad at taking his concerns seriously?) but she pushed past it and kept smiling. Eventually, he turned to look at her and returned the gesture, making her heart jump.

"Yeah… yeah, that can work!" He grinned one of his usual grins, excitement returning to his voice. "Then we can help and still make mom proud! Wow Niss, you're a genius!"

She scratched her cheek, feeling heat rise to her face. "I do what I can."

Her feet landed on the floor as she pushed herself off the bed, determination burning in her eyes. The movement sent a shock-wave of pain from her back throughout her entire body, but she did her best to ignore it. Her fingers curled into fists as she looked down at them. The pale red of her scars was still there, though barely visible.

"I'm sick to my stomach of staying in bed and doing nothing," she said. "As soon as we're discharged, we go to those damn ruins and we learn as much as we can!"

"I can certainly get behind that," Uxie said in her mind. "More knowledge is always a good thing to possess."

Barry nodded. "The ruins do sound pretty cool."

"It's decided then; our quest for secrets begins!"

She pointed at the ceiling as she said that, her voice echoing all throughout the room. However, as she did so, she noticed the sleeve of her shirt stretching back toward her forearm. She cringed; it'd been such a long time since she'd worn anything that wasn't her red coat, she'd forgotten how uncomfortable long-sleeved shirts were.

"Though… first we need to do some shopping," she said, frowning. "I need a new coat and scarf; can't go running around the region wanting to be the Champion without the proper wardrobe for it."