The minutes passed and Barry waited impatiently –had he ever done so otherwise? Probably not– while his foot rapidly tapped against the ceramic tiles of their room. He could hear Niss moving around behind him, the swoosh and swish of fabric against fabric almost silencing her hushed whispers.
"Shit, there we go," she finally said after a couple minutes. "All right… you can look now."
Swallowing down his excitement, he turned around as fast as he could and laid eyes on his friend's new outfit.
He was pretty sure he made some sort of sound, though he wasn't sure what kind. As he stood there gawking like an idiot, part of him noticed the slight blush covering Niss' cheeks, along with the way she looked at everything in the room except him.
"Well?" she asked, voice full of anticipation. "What do you think?"
She'd somehow found a way to keep the basics of her old outfit while still re-inventing it in an amazing way, that's what he thought. Her new coat was the exact same color as the last one, though shorter and more professional looking, not to mention opened in the middle to show her black sweater adorned with grey vine patterns. Her jeans were a bit darker now, and she'd replaced her tall, pink boots with more close-fitting ones, which were brown and looked made of leather. A circle scarf adorned her neck, made of white cotton just like the old one. And, of course, a familiar hat of the same color rested atop her head, bringing the whole outfit together.
There were a lot ways he could describe what he thought of her new look, though almost all of them would've made the situation awkward. He decided to go with the safe –yet still true– option.
"Niss…" he whispered, shaking his head with a smile, "…how are you the coolest girl in the planet?"
Her eyes went wide, and the red in her cheeks exacerbated.
"Stop it, dumbass." She crossed her arms and looked to the side, a tiny smile forming on her lips. "You wanna embarrass me or something? I'll… punch you."
"Hey, you asked," he shrugged. "Seriously though, you look amazing! No one's gonna mess with us if they see you walking around like that!"
She scratched her cheek absentmindedly, still avoiding eye contact. "I guess I could live with that…" There was a pause, after which she swallowed hard and turned to look at him. "Thanks. I was really hoping you'd like it."
"Any time," he said. "Though… I was wondering. Why a red coat?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well… I never saw you as a red kinda person. You really like purple and white and pink, but these coats are the only time I ever see you use red."
Niss looked like she wanted to reply, but then her eyes turned distant and her mouth hung slightly agape. She closed it after a few seconds and gulped, looking down.
"It's… remember that one dumb anime I used to love as a kid?" she asked, forming an embarrassed smile. "The one about that one guy and his brother. I just… always liked the protagonist I guess, because he was also short and irritable and super arrogant but also kind of a cool guy?"
Realization dawned on him. "Oh, I remember! He also had a red coat, didn't he?"
"Yeah, that was the signature part of his outfit," she said. "And ever since I was a kid I always wanted a cool, red coat like that, but Shadi always told me I'd look ridiculous wearing grownup clothes while being a kid. Then… a few years after, I guess I decided to ignore her and just bought one anyway." She rubbed the back of her neck. "That's… that's the whole story."
The silence in the room persisted for a few seconds, until Barry took a few steps forward and surprised Niss by grabbing her arm and squeezing it slightly, a reassuring smile on his face.
"You sure showed her, then," he said. "Seriously Niss, you look incredible."
She only side-glanced at him, but still he felt her appreciation without even needing to use Mesprit's powers. He could've sworn he heard a whispered 'Thanks', followed by Niss standing up straight and imitating his smile. For a second, it seemed as if she wanted to say something else.
"…Anyway." She cleared her throat. "We should get going. We don't want your mom catching us."
"Yeah! Don't worry, we'll slip out easy," he declared. "She'll never know we even left."
----------------------------------------
Sunlight hit Sarah's face in the exact way she hated; that is, at all.
She raised a hand above her head to block it while she walked. Trying to ignore the throbbing of her temples, she moved the Poketch close to her mouth and spoke into it.
"Yes Palmer, I'm sure they sneaked out of the hospital," she said, tone rough and tired. "Though… it's fine, as long as they don't get themselves into trouble. They're getting discharged tomorrow anyway."
Her husband made a sound at the other side of the call, one which –even in her exhausted state– she identified as 'vaguely bewildered concern', or something like that.
"If you say so…" There was a small pause. "So… you're not going to tell them?"
She shook her head, then remembered Palmer couldn't see her. "I've been working my ass off so that Barry and Inyssa don't have to worry; the last thing I'm doing is tell them you're going on a dangerous mission."
"…Yeah, I guess."
She couldn't help but smile, making the sore muscles on her face hurt slightly. If only the public knew that the legendary Tower Tycoon Palmer was actually just a worried, insecure softie deep down. But… no, that secret was hers alone. One of the only things she'd been able to hold on to after all that had happened.
"I'll try to be back as soon as possible," Palmer assured her. "Just… take care of yourself, okay?"
She blinked a couple times, the town street in front of her slightly blurring. "…Yeah, alright."
"I'm serious. Remember to take a break, eat something and take a little nap." The concern and love in his voice would've moved her if she weren't so dazed by exhaustion. "Don't you dare collapse on me, okay?"
Her smile turned sour on her lips. "Don't worry about me, I'll be okay." She hovered a finger over the screen of the Poketch. "I'll talk to you later. Good luck."
As soon as the call was finished, she approached the side of the street –avoiding a couple dozen people going about their business– and rested her back against one of the nearby walls. Big gulps of air came in and out as she tried her best to ease the wild throbbing in her head and the soreness in her legs. The world around her shifted out of focus for a moment, before returning with vibrant clarity.
She'd lied. Just keeping up her tone when talking to Palmer had been difficult enough; walking to the other side of town just for her meeting would be almost impossible. Still, it wasn't like she had many options. There was no one else in the Association with her experience; every second she wasn't working toward finding and destroying Team Galactic was time wasted.
She closed her eyes for a moment, and almost fell asleep on her feet. Her body felt ready to give out, ready to…
No, she grit her teeth, forcing her eyes open. This is nothing compared to the war. Like hell I'm gonna collapse here.
With shaking fingers she pushed herself off the wall, legs wobbling as they were forced to bear the weight of her entire body. She breathed deeply for a moment, then raised her chin high and stared forward with a burning gaze.
Not before I finish this. Not… not before I make sure Barry's safe.
----------------------------------------
Despite loving all kinds of adventures, Barry had to admit to himself that those which involved sneaking around were not his forte. He was too tall and awkward to hide anywhere, not to mention he sucked pretty badly at not making noise while he walked.
Niss… well, she was a natural at it. Even all wounded and wearing her new coat which of course was blaze freaking red, she moved like a shadow through the sunlit streets of Celestic and was probably the reason no one had noticed them yet.
"Come on… should be right around this corner," she whispered to herself.
He followed as best he could, ducking slightly as to counteract his height. There wasn't much chance of running into someone they knew, but there would be hell to pay if Sarah realized they'd sneaked out of the hospital a day before they were discharged just to check out the ruins.
"How the heck do you remember where to go?" he asked, trying to keep up with Niss' swift stroll. "This whole city's like a giant maze, and not the fun kind."
"Hm?" She perked up slightly. "Oh, I memorized the map already. The town's structure isn't as complicated as it looks."
There she went, saying stuff like that as if it weren't a big deal at all. He could barely memorize the days of the week, how the heck was he supposed to make his way around a city built like someone smashed a bunch of spirals together and then spun them around a few times?
We all have our strengths, I guess.
Before he could think anything else, he saw Niss stop abruptly in front of him. She narrowed her eyes and extended her left arm back to stop him.
"It's here."
Slowly and –somewhat– methodically they approached the end of the alleyway and peered over the wall, their eyes struggling to adjust to the sudden sunlight.
The sight was, unfortunately, a familiar one. In front of them stretched an expansive circle of dark, almost polished stone. A few rings rose up from the edges, one of them littered with so much debris, the shape of it was unrecognizable.
That's where we fought that thing, he thought, frowning.
At the base laid the strange, house-like wooden structure they'd seen the first time, and behind it rested the side of the mountain which served as the entrance to the Celestic Ruins. And at the sides of the entrance…
"Oh come on..." he whispered.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
A couple of guards stood on each side, both equally tall and imposing. They looked all around with crossed arms and pronounced frowns, as if daring anyone who passed to make trouble. Not only that, but he noticed the distinct shine of Pokeballs on their belts.
"I don't remember guards being there the last time," he said. "Though… take that with a grain of salt I guess."
Niss shook her head. "I was there too, I'd remember."
He took a step back, gently nibbling on his thumb. "Hmm… maybe they'll let us through if we ask them? We could tell them we're tourists."
"Everyone in town knows who we are," she rebutted. "We have to sneak past them, somehow."
"We could teleport or something."
Niss frowned. "Only if you can do it. I've been practicing all week but I can barely lift a pebble a couple of inches." A sigh escaped her lips. "These powers are bullshit."
Her eyes went wide, in that way they did when Uxie was talking to her. There was a pause, and then she spoke to no one.
"Yeah well, that's just fucking wonderful." She looked over her shoulder at him. "How about you or Kitsune? Think you could get us in without those guys realizing?"
"I… don't know. We might end up teleporting inside the wall." He smiled at the thought, though Niss didn't seem to find it funny. "Not a very safe option."
"Then we'll need to distract them. If we release Steven and Razen and have them fight over there…" She pointed at the opposite side of the street. "Then those guys are gonna try to stop them. We can slip in when they're not looking and…"
Her voice trailed off, gaze lost for a moment, and then someone spoke behind them.
"And? What will you do after?"
Niss let out a sound like a Bunnelby grabbed by the ears and shot up. The last thing Barry saw before his vision went momentarily blank was the back of her head quickly approaching his face.
"A-Aagh!" Pain flared on his nose. He covered his face with one hand, his vision swimming.
"Son of a bitch!"
Luckily, their bodies were quick to react despite their astonishment. Both their free hands went to a specific Pokeball on their belts and in unison they turned toward the source of that voice.
Carolina raised an eyebrow, her wrinkly fingers tensing over the head of her cane.
"Is that how you greet an old lady?" she asked, a hint of a smile in her voice. "As confident as I am that I could whoop your butts even if you used Pokemon against me, how about you put those things back where they belong?"
Barry froze, a shiver of dread shooting down his spine. Next to him, Inyssa's face had gone paler than usual, which was saying something.
"W-we're so sorry!" he blurted out immediately. "I… I mean we didn't think…"
Inyssa lowered her Pokeball. "How did you find us?"
A smirk formed on the old lady's lips, barely noticeable amidst all the wrinkles on her face. "Studied a map once and you already think you know every nook and cranny of this town? You don't know half the things you should if what you wanted was to sneak around unnoticed. As the previous Lorekeeper of Celestic, I have eyes all over the place."
He frowned, trying to determine if Carolina was mad at them or simply joking around. The thought of checking with his powers came to mind, but something told him it was a really bad idea to use them on someone like her.
"We were just… you know, looking around," said Niss, not very convincingly. "…Shit, you already heard us talk about distracting those guards, didn't you? Guess I can't fool you."
"No one can, dear," Carolina smiled. "Though I appreciate your efforts regardless."
Then, suddenly, her expression turned grim. She seemed to age years in a second alone, as she looked over the alleyway toward the guarded ruins.
"…Cynthia put you to this, didn't she?"
Barry's lips went pale. How the heck…?
"Y-yeah."
"She gave us a way to get answers without getting into trouble," Niss said. "We want to help, even if it's just a little. So, if you could let us see what's inside those ruins…"
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Very well."
Niss froze mid-sentence. She exchanged a look with him, her eyes spelling out 'Well… that was easy'.
"You'll let us in?" asked Barry.
"I'm not going to do anything, you witless boy." Carolina scoffed. "I am but a simple old lady who wishes to have a talk with those two guards over there. And if, say, any unruly children happened to sneak into the ruins while they're distracted… well, that would certainly be no one's fault, no?"
It might've been just an involuntary facial tic, but he could've sworn Carolina winked at them.
"Alright I take it back," said Niss. "Rowan's been dethroned. Now you're the coolest old person I've met so far."
"Thank you so much, really," he added.
Carolina shook her head. "I'm not doing you a favor, so you shouldn't thank me for this." Once more her fingers played nervously over the head of her cane. "That darn granddaughter of mine… I've been taking care of her ever since she was a sprout and not even I know what's going through her head half the time. Knowing her, she probably expected me to run into you here. No… no, she must've known. Because…"
As she muttered, one of her hands went into the pocket of her shawl. She raised a closed fist toward them and slowly opened it, revealing what lay resting on her palm: a faded, golden ring built into a shape which seemed… strangely familiar. Two halves of a broken circle with an X piercing it through the middle.
"…You'll need this, if you want to see what Cynthia wants you to see."
Niss' eyes widened, "Hold on… isn't that like, a religious thing?" She asked. "I remember a giant one of these strapped to the front of a church I saw once. Isn't it supposed to represent the golden ring around Arceus' body or something?"
Carolina raised her head a bit, the darkness of the alleyway casting a strange shadow over her face. Her lips shook for a moment, and she let out a dry, sarcastic chuckle.
"Ha! Trust me, this symbol is older than any surviving religion," she said. "As is this ring, which has been passed from Lorekeeper to Lorekeeper ever since Sinnoh came into being."
"T-then why are you giving it to us!?" Barry asked, the weight of such a responsibility terrifying him.
"Because it's not mine anymore, it's Cynthia's," said Carolina. "And she wanted you two to have it. Of course I'll expect you to return it before you leave the town, but in the meantime… feel free to use it. You'll know how, when the moment comes."
Not quite knowing what to say, Barry reached out and grabbed the ring from the woman's palm. He expected something to happen as his fingers brushed it. A brilliant light, or maybe a rush of power. However, all he felt was the rough and cold surface on his hand.
He exchanged another look with Niss. What were they supposed to do with it? Carolina spoke before he could think of an answer.
"Now… my muscles are getting quite sore from being still so much." She tilted her head to the side, a deaf crack coming from her neck. "I think I'll head over there to have my chat now."
She walked in between Barry and Niss, giving them nary a side-glance as she headed toward the entrance to the ruins. However, before she'd walked much, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. Her expression was unreadable.
"I trust you'll soon understand the breadth of what you're getting into," she said. "Good luck. You'll need it."
----------------------------------------
Inyssa had made a very interesting discovery that day, as she thought back to her trial in the Lost Tower just before challenging Fantina. Turned out, she didn't mind caves and encloses spaces as long as they were wide and well illuminated. Unfortunately, the tunnel carving a path through the mountains toward the ruins was neither of those things.
It's just a cave; it can't hurt you, Inyssa had to constantly remind herself. Sure, it's pretty dark and kinda cramped and oh boy that ceiling sure looks like it could fall on top of me any second now…
Her fingers applied even more pressure on Barry's free arm, though not enough to seriously hurt him. He'd been kind enough to offer himself as a pillar for her to rely on, which she appreciated greatly since at the moment she was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other, not to mention doing so quickly enough for it to be considered walking.
"This place's been here for like, thousands of years," Barry reminded her. "I know we're pretty unlucky, but I don't think it's gonna collapse on us all of a sudden."
She tried to nod, though it came out as a spastic shake of her head. "Y-yeah, you're right. This cave ain't shit, it can't defeat me!"
Defiantly, she raised her chin to look ahead and almost fell from the sudden burst of vertigo. Dark, too fucking dark. She could barely see a few feet in front of them. Her face grew hot and she started to feel lightheaded. W-why was breathing so hard all of a sudden?
Then, like a really obnoxious light in the darkness, she heard Uxie's voice:
"You know, this might be easier if you could see better."
She closed her eyes, pressing her lips tightly. "…Yeah, no shit."
"H-hey!" Barry asked, turning to her. "What was that for?"
"Oh, sorry. Speaking to Uxie," she said. "Hey Uxie, I told you to put your voice on speaker when I'm with Barry."
"And I told you that I have no idea what that means."
"It means speak to both of us. It's confusing otherwise," she said, irritated, though she welcomed the distraction from the panic. "Anyway, what did you mean about seeing better? We already turned on the flashlights on these things." She raised her palm to show it her Pokétch.
There was a short pause, and she felt a foreign feeling of shame. "Of course… I must've forgotten to tell you. If you concentrate and draw upon my power you should be able to enhance your senses enough for this darkness to be inconsequential."
Inyssa stopped in her tracks, almost making Barry trip by holding his arm so strongly. She took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder.
"You know, for being the guardian of wisdom and memory and all that, you really suck at remembering things."
"Well... that is…" She heard a sigh inside her head. "Yes, I've been told."
Still, she couldn't be that mad at Uxie because she should've remembered it too. Hadn't she heard it from Carolina a few days ago, even? 'Finally, Uxie sharpened his mind and sight so that all his strikes would land true…' were the exact words she'd used.
Barry gasped in excitement next to her. "Whoa, so Niss can have like… super sight?" His expression brightened at the idea. "Can I do it too!?"
"I'm afraid not. Even discounting Mesprit's childish vow of silence, you would be unable to as it is an ability only accessible to those who bond with me."
"Aw, man…"
"Don't complain, you get to read people's emotions." She looked at Uxie again. "So, how do I do it?"
"That depends on you. Concentrate and try, that's the only advice I can give."
Of course, she thought bitterly. Getting a straight answer from Uxie was about as likely as getting it from a rock or a tree. Luckily, such frustrating teaching methods only made her more determined to succeed.
She forced herself to stare straight at the dense darkness of the tunnel, trying to ignore her inner screaming and the loud panic alarm ringing through her mind. Breathing and concentration, that was the key. Having a panic attack and curling on the floor while crying… not so much.
Eventually, it clicked. Her entire body shivered as an invisible current of electricity ran through her skin. The back of her eyes tingled slightly, and she felt the subtle difference as they changed from green to that bright gold.
"Alright, let's see here…"
She pictured the image of a volume slider in her mind and, as slowly as she could, reached for it and turned it slightly clockwise.
The change was immediate. An explosion of sensations flooded her entire body. She gasped, feeling every muscle in her neck contract with painful, uncomfortable clarity. The cave still looked as dark as it had done before, but now her sight could penetrate through it and notice even the smallest details of the walls and ceilings. The smoothness of the rock, the occasional stubbles of grass breaking through cracks on the ground, every individual speck of dust floating in the air…
But, unfortunately, it wasn't just that. She noticed the distant sound of rushing water, along with the hushed whispers of the guards they'd left behind. She heard Barry's breathing as if inside of her own chest. She felt every bump and pebble under her boots, along with the folds of her clothes against her skin.
Her tongue brushed the roof of her mouth, tasting the hot chocolate she'd drunk a few hours ago. The scent of dust, humidity and moss assaulted her nose like a noxious cloud of pest, only broken up by the lovely aroma of Barry's perfume. As she took a step back, eyes wide in surprise, the big scar on her back flared with a pain intense enough to make her clench her teeth.
"This particular ability was favored by those of my partners who dabbled in the warrior lifestyle," Uxie explained. "As you're nothing of the sort, it's bound to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Still, you'll get used to it with time."
"I won't," she muttered through her teeth. "This is the last time I'm doing this. It sucks."
Barry's hand brushed her arm, sending an uncomfortably specific shiver throughout her body. "Hey, what's it feel like?" he asked, starry eyed.
"Be grateful you don't know," she replied. "Come on, let's get this over with so I can stop… doing this."
She wasn't sure exchanging a paralyzing phobia for uncomfortable clarity was the way to go about getting over her fears, but it was a tad late to regret her actions now.
The tunnel kept spreading forward and downwards for what felt like ten minutes, though it might've just been her heightened senses messing with her sense of time. However, now she could see they were not simple, empty walls. Every now and then she noticed the faded remains of ancient carvings or drawings stuck to different parts of the rock. None of them looked distinct or recognizable, but they were still pleasant to look at when compared to everything else.
After a couple more minutes, they finally reached the end of the path. The walls widened slightly as they descended into an underground chamber the size of a large living room, almost completely circular except for the flat piece of wall at the opposite side. And on that wall…
"Wow…"
It had been smoothed out to the point it almost looked like glass, and painted on it was a fresco which span the entire length and width of the wall. The shapes and colors had faded somewhat, but even without her enhanced senses Inyssa wouldn't have had trouble recognizing what it depicted.
The triangular, towering shape which covered most of the wall had to be Mt. Coronet, as seen from the base of Celestic. It rose into the sky, piercing a thick sheet of clouds and stopping just before reaching the ceiling. A pulsing red light shone at the top, around which orbited the shapes of three familiar Pokemon, their bodies painted entirely white with the exception of their golden eyes.
She heard Barry let out a gulp of air. "This is…"
"Yeah, I know."
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and extinguished Uxie's power, like blowing on the flame of a candle. Her head swam for a moment as her senses returned to normal. Suddenly, the world around her felt much more muffled and distant.
"It's… the creation of Sinnoh," she said, her voice sounding strangely quiet inside her head.
A foreign feeling of uncertainty tickled the back of her mind. Was Uxie worried?
"Oh, yeah! There was a stained glass like this in that church I met Cynthia in."
"There's a bunch of these all over Sinnoh. Though I guess this one's the original." She took a step forward, narrowing her eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. "That light at the top of Mt. Coronet must be Arceus, creating the lake trio and the entire region with…"
"That's not how it happened."
Her muscles tightened at the unusual force behind Uxie's voice.
"What did you say?"
"…You're wrong about this painting." Its tone was rough and resolute as it spoke. "Our birth and the creation of Sinnoh are two separate events, often mistaken for one. We were born some time after this land was."
"Really!?" asked Barry.
"But… what about all the stories and stuff?" she asked, brow furrowed. "And what do you mean after? I thought you guys were supposed to be one of the first Pokemon ever."
"It's a common misconception humans hold," it said. "The more powerful or important a legendary Pokemon is, the earlier they're believed to have come into this world."
"Then… how old are you?" asked Barry.
"I… am unsure of the exact number of years. However, I know that we came into existence shortly after humans did." Inyssa reeled back, blinking in surprise. "You were a much different creature at the time."
Then… what was there before? Inyssa asked herself. Tentatively, she took a step forward and brushed the smooth rock of the wall with a couple fingers. The scars on her arms tickled slightly, and she narrowed her eyes as she studied the image depicted atop the fresco.
Something felt wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Without thinking, she began speaking. "I… don't get it. You and your siblings aren't as old or as strong or as wise as people think you are, so… why does Team Galactic want you so much?" A small crease formed on her forehead. "The more I learn about this, the less fantastic it becomes. You're not gods, you're just a bunch of fuck-ups who happen to have cool powers and also a terrible family dynamic."
"That's kind of a rude way of putting it…" Barry scratched his cheek. "But… yeah, I was thinking the same. What does that Cyrus guy want with you three anyway?"
Uxie didn't reply immediately. At first Inyssa thought she might've offended it by being so crass, but the resigned tone in its voice as it spoke a few seconds after erased that possibility.
"I… don't know. I was the first to be captured, but I was never able to learn anything about this plan of his." There was a short, significant pause. "However… I imagine Mesprit might be able to answer that question if it weren't acting like a child and ignoring us."
Inyssa quirked an eyebrow up, "What does Mesprit know?"
"Oh, it knows plenty of things it shouldn't, you can be sure of that."
Never in her life did she imagine she'd hear Uxie, one of the primordial beings of spirit, talk with a catty, sarcastic tone inside her head. Then again, the unexpected had become kind of the norm lately.
"Look…" She pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a sigh. "I can't heal your like… millennia-old relationship with your sibling, but maybe I can get you a therapist later if you stop being so goddamn cryptic and just tell us what we fucking want to know already!"
Her scream echoed off the walls for just enough time for her to realize how loud she'd been.
"…Sorry," she whispered, placing a hand against her face. "Didn't mean to yell. It's just… this shit's getting real old."
"I understand," said Uxie. "However, getting mad at us won't solve your problems. We are not omniscient, Inyssa, we can't…"
"No, she's right."
Barry's hand unconsciously closed around her arm, sending an explosion of pain throughout the length of her scars. Her teeth clenched strongly, but her mind was busy with something else. That voice… had it been…?
"Mesprit!" Barry screamed, his expression beaming. "You're alive!"
"…Wonderful," Uxie whispered.
"Where the hell were you?" she asked, her tone accusatory. "It's been two weeks!"
It was a weird feeling, technically yelling at Barry even though the target of her anger was the creature above him. She narrowed her eyes as she looked up, barely catching a glimpse of the legendary Pokemon's fleeting image. It floated in place much like Uxie did, and though its eyes were open no expression could be seen on its face.
"Ah… I'd almost forgotten how clingy you humans are." It's voice echoed in the empty cavern, a mix of smugness and something she couldn't identify. "I decide to nap for… a couple weeks, you said? And already you're acting like you can't live without me. I'm sorry, but you are not entitled to my time."
She felt Uxie's anger inside her. "You are not sorry, are you?"
"…No, I suppose I'm not."
The muscles on her arms tightened, a slight red tinting her cheeks. Mesprit was trying to provoke them to say something so it could justify its absence. Was it working? Well… yes, but she wouldn't give it the satisfaction anyway.
Barry sighed. "We were just worried. I thought something happened to you."
"Not to mention you're lying," she said. "Barry told me how scared you were of that Cyrus guy, so much that you abandoned us during the fight. Whatever you were doing, it wasn't napping."
She could neither see nor feel Mesprit's indignation at her words, but she had no problem imagining it. It brought her a strange, bitter satisfaction.
"I see… so that's what's been keeping you so hushed, Mesprit. I should've expected it."
"…You don't know anything, Uxie."
Uxie let out a dry, sardonic laugh. "Don't I? But it all makes sense now. You escaped to the depths of this boy's mind because you were confronted by your biggest fear: one of your mistakes coming back to bite you."
"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you!?" Mesprit bellowed, its scream exploding throughout the room like a powerful gust of wind. "Tell me Uxie, how many good people have you sent to their deaths lately, you self-important, hypocritical piece of-!"
"Whoa, whoa!" Barry stepped forward, raising one arm to stop them. "All right, time out! I'm officially declaring a time out! You two need to chill."
Inyssa nodded, still reeling from the force of Mesprit's yell. This was getting them nowhere, she needed to steer back the conversation:
"Here's what we'll do: Uxie, shut up. Mesprit, say what you wanted to say and keep it brief. I'm not in the mood for your bullshit right now."
Okay, now she felt it. A tremendously powerful wave of rage hit her like a small hurricane, stealing the air from her lungs and threatening to topple her to the ground. She remembered how Mesprit had toyed with her the first time they'd met, how it'd almost killed her with a terrifying ease of mind. She'd clearly gone a step too far just now, and she might be about to pay for it.
But… now she could defend herself. Planting her feet firmly, she summoned the electric force behind her eyes and stared up at Mesprit, gold clashing against gold. She could almost imagine sparks flying between them as she folded her arms and set her jaw, unmoving.
"How… dare you order me around, you lowly human!?" Mesprit bellowed. "Do you have any idea who I am!? Any idea what I can do to you!?"
"Yeah, I do," she replied. "But I'm not gonna give you an ounce of respect until you've earned it. Don't like it? Feel free to exit Barry's body and roam around the region until you're caught by Team Galactic."
"I…!"
"Times have changed. We're not as stupid as we used to be and we're not gonna praise the ground you… float on, just because you're a legendary Pokemon. You're stuck in the same shitty boat as us, and until you get your head out of your transparent ass and contribute something to help our situation, you're just going to be a burden. Got it?"
She raised an eyebrow as she pronounced the last two words, which seemed to hang in the air for far longer than they should've. Mesprit said nothing. Uxie's repressed laughter bubbled in her mind. Next to her, Barry whistled.
"I knew there was a reason I liked you," Uxie whispered.
"…Yeah, laugh it up you bastard." Mesprit's voice came out hushed, a strange mix of bitterness and shame. "Stream and stone, talking to one of you Shockeyes is always a waste of time. I could be telling you the sky is blue and you'd still find a way to prove me wrong."
Barry cocked his head, "Huh? Shockeye?"
"Hm?" Mesprit looked to the side, anger absent from its voice for a moment. "…Oh, right. You don't know."
"Shockeye is a clandestine, sometimes derogatory term used to refer to humans who have bonded with me," explained Uxie. "It originated a couple thousand years ago, though its use has declined in modern times, for obvious reasons."
"My partners, on the other hand, are called Galehearts," said Mesprit proudly. "A much better name, if I do say so myself."
"That is so cool," Barry whispered, lips curling into an excited smile.
Inyssa furrowed her brow. The names didn't seem to have much to do with the aspects Mesprit and Uxie embodied, Emotion and Wisdom. On the contrary, they'd probably been made in reference to the first people to ever bond with them; how many stories had she read where Synn used his giant fan to control the wind, or Noh called forth thunder to eliminate his enemies? Which meant…
"I'm guessing… the name for people who bond with Azelf has something to do with fire?"
"Why would it…?" Barry's eyes narrowed for a moment, then they shot open as he placed a palm against his forehead. "O-oh… I just got that one."
Her lips pressed tightly, trying to contain laughter. A few seconds passed, and only then did Uxie reply:
"That is… to be honest, Azelf hasn't bonded with many people ever since…" There was a short, awkward pause. "…In any case, if one were to hypothetically come up with a name for them, perhaps Flamesoul would work?"
"Ugh, that name's terrible," complained Mesprit. "Though this is Azelf we're talking about, so I suppose it fits."
The room stood silent for a few moments, presumably while they all thought what to say next. While the few tidbits of information they'd learnt were pretty interesting, they shed no light on the answer to the question they'd come to the ruins for: what was Team Galactic's plan?
"I think we got derailed here. Mesprit, you were going to say something?" Inyssa asked.
For a moment it looked as if it was debating whether to reply sarcastically or not, though thankfully it must've realized they'd wasted too much time already doing that exact thing. She heard it sigh, then speak:
"The only reason I came out was to… clarify something. Otherwise Uxie would've explained it itself and would've painted me in a bad light in the process." She felt Uxie about to reply, but hushed it with an angry glare. "What I wanted to say was… ah, how to put this. There is a… non zero possibility that I might be partly responsible for the creation of Team Galactic."