When we finally broke out of The Heartwood, we emerged onto a giant valley carved out between Mount Sinnoh and its less-hilly southern section. The space-time rift loomed high above us in an ever-constant reminder of danger.

The air had turned on us as it harshly whipped through the jagged valley. It howled and lashed out with icy tendrils, but the few times it had died down allowed a calming warmth to flow over our bodies.

Lian bid us goodbye and retreated back into the forest. Laventon had a hand wrapped around Akari’s shoulder and the girl seemed to have recovered herself somewhat. But she was still pale and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

“It’ll be a three-hour trip through the valley before we reach the Mirelands,” Mai explained in a soft tone. “We’ll rest at camp and then make the journey to the Diamond Clan’s settlement the next day.”

We silently followed our Diamond Clan escort. Truthfully, I had started to really regret this ‘adventure’ at this stage. Hisui was a horrible place and I was liking it less and less every hour. The urge to turn north and risk the scaling heights of Mount Coronet was shamefully strong. Anything to get back home…

But I soldiered on. I had to.

I was okay.

I drifted towards Akari and managed to catch her gaze. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she hugged herself with her arms. “Every time I close my eyes… I keep seeing their faces.”

“Give her some space, old boy.” Laventon said with a sympathetic smile to me.

An hour passed. Mai’s Munchlax had miraculously kept up with us during our excursion in The Heartwood and was chowing down on an armful of berries Mai had supplied for him. I had Bidoof out and practising Protect. I had underestimated the little bugger, as it turned out. Already, I was starting to see the tell-tale shimmer ahead of his body. I started throwing stones to test Protect’s durability. They clattered off of the invisible forcefield and I nodded to myself in approval. Decent. Wouldn’t stand up much to strong Pokémon yet, but it was something. Now all he’d have to do was learn to manifest it in the air around him at will, instead of directly in front of him.

Another thirty minutes. I had put Bidoof back into his Poké Ball and was watching the Graveler and Geodude frequent the jagged cliffs above us. Geodude were always strange Pokémon, I found. They were common south of Veilstone and looked like small boulders with rock-like arms jutting out from its sides. Graveler was just an amalgamation of gravel packed tight into a ball with arms and legs to boot.

I recalled them being quite feisty. And writing this right now, I can confirm they are indeed aggressive in Sinnoh (a warning to anyone wanting to visit Veilstone and its southern route). But the ones I had been watching above me seemed docile- content to ignore us and go about their day.

Another thirty minutes.

We were a mere hour away. My feet ached and I was starting to swelter despite the cold wind. Yet, the atmosphere around us seemed to have started to grow colder and colder with each minute. Something felt… wrong. But I couldn’t tell what. It felt as though there were eyes watching the back of my head. I shuddered, but kept quiet. It was likely the chills after that terrifying encounter with Kleavor.

Mai stopped to let us break and informed us we were on the doorstep of Diamond Clan territory. Another ten minutes and we’d break into their boundary. All had seemed to be going well.

Which was why fate had decided it needed to throw us for another loop. The moment Mai had said her piece, a large shadow crossed over us and we all jumped to our feet.

I looked to the sky. A giant Braviary soared high above us and was circling around the valley. It looked insanely large for its species but seemed to fly gracefully despite its extra bulk. I had been quite fascinated by it in an almost morbidly curious way, until Mai had grabbed my arm. “Run,” she yelled to all of us. “We need to run!”

I didn’t question her, and neither did my two companions. We broke into a sprint, but the Braviary let out an echoing caw and dived. It swooped past us and screeched as it shot through the valley. There was somebody riding on its back, I had noticed, but couldn’t tell who.

The Braviary circled around ahead of us and dived again. This time, however, it landed about twenty feet ahead of us and spread its wings menacingly. We froze in place.

A slender woman with shoulder-length blonde hair and large blue eyes dismounted off of the Braviary. She was dressed for the summer- donning white shorts with a red and black shirt that wrapped underneath her bare shoulders. A large cloth was wrapped around her waist and flitted against the wind behind her. She had giant blue bracelets around her wrists and wore a red headband. There was a Glaceon atop her shoulder and I immediately felt the temperature drop upon meeting its frosted eyes. The wind grew as frigid as it had been atop Mount Coronet and I could see the sickly patches of grass start to frost around her red shoes. My breaths came out in visible puffs. I suppressed a painful shiver.

Mai had stepped in front of us protectively and was staring down the newcomer. She was tense and looked fierce- but I could see her lower lip trembling slightly. Her Munchlax, usually a docile and lazy Pokémon, looked alert.

The blonde girl stepped forward. Something dangerous was glinting in her eyes. “Mai.”

“Irida.”

“Odd to see you in such good weather. It’s pretty hot here, hmm?”

“It was until you arrived.”

“Is that so?” the Pearl Clan leader, Irida, tilted her head to the side. Her eyes were unblinking. “Huh.”

My chest tightened. I saw Mai clench her fist. “What do you wa-”

“You know, I didn’t see your lot sinking your teeth into Cyllene,” Irida took a menacing step forward. Her Glaceon glowered from atop her shoulder and I felt an icy twinge of dread creep through my spine. The cold was starting to worm its way into my bones. It was painful. My teeth chattered and my jaw ached from tensing. “You just didn’t have the… what was it?”

“The guts?” Mai growled.

Irida’s lips curled into a smile. “The nerve. No. I didn’t think you had the nerve. But you even went as far as to trespass on our land,” her face darkened and she averted her eyes in disgust. “I should have Kleavor cut you up for that.”

The mention of the Noble Pokémon sent a faint terror welling through my gut. I swallowed. The mere act of doing so felt hard. It was like there was a lump in my throat.

“We’re in neutral territory right now,” Mai forcefully pleaded her case, though she beckoned us to slowly back away. “You’re practically stood on the Diamond Clan’s doorstep. Any further and you’d risk being attacked.”

Irida’s eyes flew back to Mai. “And yet, here I am.”

“Listen to me, Irida,” Mai shifted her feet and I watched her jaw tense. My palms were covered in sweat despite the cold. My breathing was uneven and my heart raced within my chest. I felt there was a pretty high chance of things getting extremely dangerous if this went the wrong way. Looking into Irida’s eyes was like looking into a void. “You’re not seeing-”

“Does Adaman want this war?” Irida turned and started to slowly pace left and right through the narrow path as she continued. “Does he want to insult me and my clan so callously that we respond in turn? Does he want us to finally do away with him and his false God so that we may finally cleanse Hisui of your clan’s infidelity?” she stopped and cocked her head towards us. “Is that what he wants?”

“No!” Mai sounded aghast.

“So, he doesn’t want me to freeze you all where you stand?” Irida let her Glaceon hop off of her shoulder and took another few steps towards us. I felt a wave of ice creep towards me. “Do you even think he’d care, Mai? Left out in this backwater wasteland protecting that useless mound of dirt. I’d be offended if I were you.”

Mai flicked her hand at us to further back off. She retreated a step, slowly… “I do my clan a service in my duties. It’s an honourable position. Not that you’d know anything about that after going back on your promises to your own clan!”

Anger seared through Irida’s eyes. I almost released Golett on instinct. That Glaceon was looked like it was barely restraining itself from attacking. Anticipation forced its way down my spine. It tensed my muscles and froze my breath in its tracks. “Do you want to say that again?” Irida snarled in an ominously low voice. “Go on. Say that again.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“Your threats and bullying attempts won’t work on me,” Mai refused to back down even as my instincts screamed at me to flee. “You wouldn’t risk angering Cyllene by harming her Research Team.”

“And you’d be right.” Another step. “Except it seems Cyllene is already moving against me.”

I was visibly shivering now. So was the rest of our group. Only Irida seemed somehow immune to the cold. My fingers felt numb. My mind was sluggish and it was only the wrenching sense of fear that kept me alert. There was a brief silence- two enemies sizing each other up.

Irida’s eyes suddenly turned wild and-

“Irida, please!” out of nowhere, Laventon stepped forward and raised his trembling hands. “See sense, old girl! We’re researchers! All we’re doing is trying to get to the Mirelands for our research! Nothing more. You’ve already met Akari, my assistant! Do you really think Cyllene would send us to wage war on you? Really, Irida? Us?”

Irida’s eyes flicked to the professor. “What are you saying?”

“Commander Kamado wants to meet with you soon, yes?” Laventon lowered his hands to his sides. “Why would he do that if he were plotting against you?”

There was a silence as Irida simply stared. I couldn’t tell what was going on in her head. My chest ached and I released a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. My skin was so pale it was turning blue. I couldn’t last much longer in this cold…

After what felt like an eternity, she turned to her Braviary and moved to mount it. Her Glaceon spared us a farewell snarl before climbing atop her shoulder and the two eyed us menacingly from the bird-Pokémon’s back. “You’d better watch yourselves,” she warned with narrowed eyes. “You never know what might be in the skies above you.”

Braviary then stretched its wings and took flight. We all watched as Irida flew away in the distant sky.

I let out a shaky breath and hugged myself, trying to conserve warmth. Now that Irida and that Glaceon was gone, the cold had disappeared entirely. Slowly, but surely, it was seeping out of my bones. I could no longer see my breath and the frozen ground around us started to leisurely melt.

“She’s heading for Jubilife,” Akari muttered as she cringed through an uncontrollable shiver. “Will Cyllene be okay?”

I was wondering why everybody was so revolved around Cyllene of all people, but I opted to remain quiet for now. There was definitely something up with her, though. And knowing the monster that would eventually emerge from her bloodline? I didn’t like it one bit.

“Irida will not initiate an attack whilst alone,” Mai reassured her while working movement back into her hands. “She hides it well, but she holds deep respect for Cyllene. It is simply because of what happened that she must act so cold to her.”

“Why are we all talking about Cyllene so much?” my curiosity got the better of me. I was still shivering, but it was gradually growing warmer.

“You don’t know?” Mai turned to me, surprised. “I do suppose you’re new to Jubilife, after all.”

“Cyllene used to be the leader of the Pearl Clan, dear boy,” Laventon explained. “She’s a Hisuian native.”

Whoa…

“Her leaving the Pearl Clan was met with vindication by us of the Diamond Clan,” Mai added. “But despite her reservations about her old home, Cyllene’s stubborn neutrality bleeds up to your Commander. We couldn’t get her on our side.”

Cyllene wasn’t Unovan? And she was the Pearl Clan’s leader before moving to Jubilife? That felt like a massive revelation, but… did it actually tell me anything? Food for thought during the rest of the journey…

Which, thankfully, was uneventful. I had felt we deserved a rest after the confrontations we had. Still, I saw why people spoke of Irida like she was some sort of powerful entity instead of a person. That Glaceon of hers was powerful enough to freeze its surroundings simply by existing and Irida wasn’t at all bothered by it perching on her bare skin. How she hadn’t died of hypothermia was unbeknownst to me.

We soon passed by multiple Diamond Clan guards who had noticed the temperature drop but hadn’t attributed anything to it at the time. Mai warned them about Irida and I noted with interest how fast the colour drained from their skin. They thanked her, however, and promised to be extra vigilant.

When we arrived at the campsite, the valley finally gave way to a basin-shaped terrain flat of marshland and bogs. Croagunk frequented the muddy water puddles scattered around the place while lush green grains hid Budew and Roselia. A wide recess cut through the mud-addled grass as if somebody had lazily run a jagged knife through the earth. Wooden logs had been placed as makeshift bridges across.

The trees also looked different here to the Fieldlands. They were shorter and had fluffier leaves. The hills of the Fieldlands had also been replaced by more mountainous terrain. Despite the Crimson Mirelands acting as the hub for all Diamond Clan operations, what met me was uninterrupted wilderness. There wasn’t even a single sign of civilisation.

The campsite thankfully had enough tents for all of us, however we quickly found we weren’t alone.

A redhead wearing a slightly oversized Diamond Clan hoodie was awaiting us. She had red-coloured eyes that looked puffy- as if she had been crying. Scratches littered her face and she used a twisted stick to support what looked to be a useless left leg. She offered us a weak smile when we approached. “Hi.”

Mars! My immediate reaction was to flee. I felt an overwhelming pressure clamp around my head. Memories of Giratina flashed through my eyes unabated, but I forced myself to calm down. This was the exact same situation as Cyllene. She wasn’t Mars. She was just a heavily injured young woman who happened to look like Mars. Nothing more…

“Arezu?!” Mai broke into a run and stopped to hold the redhead by her arms. “What happened to you?!”

Arezu winced as if in pain. Her voice sounded scratchy, like she'd been screaming herself raw. “I tried to approach Lilligant again but I couldn’t get her to… I couldn’t… she just…”

Mai soothed her when tears started to fall from her eyes. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“Gosh, I’m so stupid.” Arezu muttered in Mai’s shoulder. “I failed us. I failed the clan.”

“Don’t say that,” Mai cooed. “Don’t say that. It’s not true.”

It took a few awkward moments for Arezu to notice Akari, the professor, and I. She straightened with a slight cringe. “Hi, guys. I’m sorry about all this… Adaman insisted I make my way here to meet you and I’ve been a terrible host.”

Mai’s face fell. “Adaman sent you here?”

“Punishment. But I deserve it. Getting over the log bridge was a challenge, but at least I didn’t get poisoned by Croagunk along the way.” Arezu laughed, but she didn’t seem to be too happy. “I can’t feel or control my leg anymore… Nones says I won’t be able to walk on it ever again. So now I need this stick for the rest of my life.”

I… hadn’t really considered the effects that these affected Nobles truly had on Hisui’s natives until then. I almost feel shameful admitting this, even after so many years, but I had only thought about myself. How I’d solve the problem. How I’d get out alive and unhurt. How I’d benefit from the help I’d be giving. Seeing this Arezu person in such a sorry state had reminded me that genuine lives had been affected by the Noble Pokémon that they had spent their whole lives in servitude to. People had died. And hopes and dreams irrevocably lost by those who survived the ordeal with perilous injuries. What made it worse was that they were the lucky ones.

“So…” Arezu spoke into the brief silence. “How are you? I hope your travels were enjoyable.”

We all exchanged glances. Once again, Mai spoke up. “We encountered Irida.”

Arezu’s mouth dropped.

“She saw the Research Team with me,” Mai continued. “She either knows or at least suspects that the Galaxy Team are helping us.”

“Oh, no…”

“But there’s a silver lining to this. We met with the Warden of The Heartwood and he was fleeing from his own Noble Pokémon, Kleavor. He didn’t confirm it, but it looks like the Pearl Clan’s Nobles might be in the same state as ours.”

A slight glimmer of hope filled Arezu’s face. “That means they might not attack… right?”

“I’m not so sure…” Laventon, for once, wasn’t eyeing all the new Pokémon around him instead of listening in on conversation. “Irida didn’t seem to be herself.”

“There’s always something to prove with her…” Arezu muttered. “I think I can relate.”

“There’s no relating to her,” Mai’s voice grew frigid. “She’s a warmonger, Arezu. If she didn’t start this blasted war, then we may have had more people to help with Lilligant instead of guarding our territory. People may not have died. You may not have had to endure your injuries.”

I raised my eyebrows. I knew I was likely hearing a very biased opinion about the Pearl Clan, but I had felt Mai made a really good point. Neither side wanted to admit weakness regarding their Noble Pokémon and both were probably suffering terribly because of it. It also did not help that my only encounter with Irida had been laced with threats. “Either way…” Mai regained her composure after a minute. “We need to get this information to Adaman as soon as possible. We’ll rest up tonight and make the journey to the settlement tomorrow.”

“I’ll start making my way, then.” Arezu offered. “I can’t sleep anyways and I’ll only slow you down if I travelled with you.”

“Absolutely not,” Mai immediately rebuked the suggestion. “You know how relentless the ghost types are at night. I won’t allow you to.”

“You do know I’m technically ranked higher than you?” a small but genuine smile crept onto Arezu’s face. “But fine. I’ll stay. Thank you.”

We ate around the camp’s firepit that night. Arezu had to sit at an awkward angle since she couldn’t bend her leg, but she seemed to enjoy our company regardless. In the distance, Gastly chased after Psyduck and Budew huddled close to each other for protection. I watched the amorphous dark blob of gas cackle with glee as it terrorised its prey. Haunter and Gengar- Gastly’s evolutions- were notoriously strong. But I just didn’t like their sadistic natures much. “Are there any Pokémon here that can counter dragon types?” I asked the group. I didn’t know Giratina’s typing, but I did know that Legendaries were almost always dragon type. Based upon the shadows and general darkness sheathing the demon Pokémon, I figured it had a secondary typing of either ghost or dark.

“Dragon types?” Akari scowled in confusion. “Why would you want to counter a dragon Pokémon?”

“I know Togepi and Ralts are, like, super-immune to dragon type moves for some reason,” Arezu spoke up, eager to contribute. “But I don’t know how they fare against dragon type Pokémon.”

That would be due to their fairy typing, which nobody in Hisui seemed to know existed yet. A Gardevoir would be weak to any ghost moves, but Gallade was strong against dark at the cost of Kirlia’s fairy typing. Togekiss are incredible against dragon Pokémon and also take neutral damage to ghost while remaining strong against dark types. Togepi, therefore, seemed like the most obvious choice. “Where can I find a Togepi?”

“The only one I’ve ever seen, and keep in mind I’ve been living in the Mirelands my whole life, was in the Cottonsedge Prairie,” Arezu tapped a finger on her cheek in thought. “You’d have a lot more luck with Ralts. They’re very common in Gapejaw Bog, which is literally just south of here.”

I considered. “Are the Croagunk aggressive?”

“Very,” Mai warned. “They’ll be our main concern tomorrow along with Hippopotas and Graveler.”

I had Golett, whose man-made body was immune to venom. And Bidoof was getting quite adept at Protect, too. “I think I’ll venture to Gapejaw Bog tomorrow to find one,” I decided. “Will that be an issue with you? I won’t be insulting your clan by catching a Pokémon here or anything?”

Mai smiled. “Not at all.”

Akari clenched her fists next to me. “I’ll go with you.”

Laventon looked surprised, but remained silent. “Are you sure?” I asked.

She nodded.

An extra set of eyes would help. “We’ll get going before sunrise tomorrow,” I said while standing.

“I can go with you,” Mai offered. “I know the Mirelands well.”

“It’s just south of here, right?” I shrugged. “We’ll be fine.”

At least, I hoped. You could never be sure in such wilderness.