A/N: Missed it by a day, my bad team, but it was very long.

INTERLUDE - THE SEARCH

"I need you to find someone."

Mira jolted awake in the middle of a quaint café. A handful of wooden tables were scattered across a polished floor. Each one was topped with a flickering candle, casting a gentle light that danced over the delicate porcelain teacups and saucers as if they'd tried to make this place as Galarian as possible. After a quick look around, she heard the bustling activity outside, which could only mean they were back in Jubilife or the more modern parts of Hearthome.

Wake the fuck up, processing Mira yelled in her head. I got you your man.

In front of Mira, Carlos loomed over the table. His body was so large that it was as if he'd been sitting at a toy set rather than an actual establishment. His only eye lodged in the intact part of his face was in the process of narrowing in confusion, most likely at her reaction. Mira's eyes were heavy. How long had she been asleep for?

Three hours. Could have been more, but I'm not handling any conversations. Fuck you, processing Mira clamored so loud it worsened her headache. Usually, a quick flick within her mind would have sent it to her pained self, but Mira had gone over her quota for the day. Any more, and the damned prick would sabotage her.

Pained Mira huffed with a feral smile. She could visualize it so clearly. That's right; you watch yourself.

Arceus damned unionizing personalities. The worst part was that they could never be shut out. She had kept them alive for too long, and they had grown far too large and independent to be merged ever again. She'd learned her lesson. No more Miras, or things would degenerate and the last thing she needed was to get worse instead of better.

In the time it had taken for her to introspect and listen to her other selves berate her, Carlos had finally focused his gaze on her. She'd gotten used to his face by now, but the public was another matter entirely. His left side retained the rugged features of a once-handsome man, with a strong jawline, a high cheekbone, and a dark, intense eye framed by a thick brow. His right was another story. The skin was grotesque and disfigured, melted away by acid, leaving behind a patchwork of scar tissue that twisted and pulled into a patchwork of faded pinks. Within the socket, only an empty, hollow hole could be found. The corner of his mouth on the damaged side was pulled upward into a grimace, and you could see his teeth all the way to his molars.

Needless to say, Carlos attracted attention wherever he went. "I'm someone who kills things efficiently," he said, emotionless. "If you want to figure out where someone is, I'd be awful at it."

He says this, but look at him. He wants to help, Cold Mira said, the permanent shiver in her voice still clearly present. Regice's influence had seeped far into her, and the cold she'd felt would be permanent. Without Uxie's power, her actual body would have had to deal with it. And it was. Mira just didn't have to actually process the frigidness spreading through her. As a result of this, Cold was often the slowest speaker due to how she'd stumble through every word, second only to Anxious.

Anxious Mira was also shaking, yet for an entirely different reason. I don't know, Mirs. What if we never find Lauren? What if she's already on a ship to Johto or something, and we never see her again?!

That was… a possibility. Not the boat to Johto part, but the 'disappears forever' part. The truth was, if a trainer of her caliber wanted to disappear, there was very little a person like Mira could do to stop her. Since she'd come back from the Distortion World, Mira had looked up and down Sinnoh, with Alakazam and Gardevoir working in tandem to Teleport her across the Region. She had posted online about her and scoured every city, but of course, despite her five minds, she was confined to only one body. Fleshy, weak and unable to go off-route where Lauren's team would be able to keep her safe.

F-focus, Anxious Mira stumbled, still reeling from the thought of losing Lauren. Don't close yourself off again.

Ugh, she needed to stop getting lost in her thoughts like this. Mira was thankful Mirs was taking the majority of her worries away from her, though. She wouldn't have been able to function without…

Well, without any of her other selves, no matter how much she complained.

Oh. Right, they'd come up with a name system. Better than them being titled, after all; they were quickly outgrowing their primary reason for existence anyway. Anxious was Mia, Cold was Mirs, Processing was Mims and that jackass Pained had decided to claim their full name of Mirabelle, which they hadn't used since writing their names on school tests and assignments.

Maybe that was why they were coming into their own so quickly—

"Mira," Carlos gruffed. He waved a hand in front of her until she blinked and remembered where she was before grabbing onto his teacup. It looked minuscule in his hands. "Focus. I'm on break, so I'd like to be enjoying myself instead of helping brats."

Arceus, sometimes it feels like you want to fuck up on purpose, Mirabelle scolded.

Swallowing, she grounded her feet under the table. "Sorry," she quietly apologized both to her and Carlos, though the ACE knew how she easily got lost in thought. "I just… I haven't found a trace of her, and I've been looking for over a week! Her brother's ceremony is on Friday, and I'm terrified she'll miss it! Plus, there's the funeral afterward, and her family's been looking for her too! They can't lose two kids."

We should have gone to see them, Mims said as she inhaled air into Mira's lungs and blinked with her eyes.

You were outvoted, Mirs said, teeth chattering. They barely know us. It'd be weird to just show up while they're mourning Craig. She was cold physically, but cold in spirit as well. A defeatist at heart who would rather wither away instead of fighting for their friend.

She could almost picture Mirabelle rolling her eyes. Who cares, anyway? You should have knocked her out again, Mims; we know better—

Quiet! the real Mira yelled to herself, pushing them down to the edges of her subconscious. They'd be quieter there, but never truly gone.

She refocused just in time, given that Carlos had begun speaking again. "Look, there are guys in the ACE force who could probably track her better than I could." He clicked his tongue when he saw the flicker of hope in Mira's eyes. "No, Mira. I like you. I like you more than I should, but the extent of our contact is over. An ACE Trainer… shouldn't get attached. This is it between us; I hope you grow up to be happy. I shouldn't have come."

"What— hey, wait!"

Carlos had already stood up, putting money bills down on the table to pay for both their drinks. Mira tried to grab his sleeve, but she felt a cold shiver of magnified dread shoot down her spine. Prickles right beneath her skin, poking to burst out at any moment. She hugged herself and gritted her teeth while Mirs noted that she had to deal with worse every day, every hour, every minute.

Fucking Mismagius. It was a good thing she hadn't had Gengar out, or he would have come out to 'play' with her and gotten himself killed in ten seconds tops in the middle of a damn public café. Mira's shoulders sagged as she slumped back in her chair, slowly sipping on her bottled water as she contemplated what to do. She was effectively at a dead end here. Carlos had been her last hope, and he'd hung her out to dry.

There's nothing left to do, Mirs mumbled, stumbling over her words. Let's give up and go home.

For once, the rest were quiet. Mira clasped her fingers together and leaned against her linked hands. She could head to Canalave and find her parents' address with a little sleuthing, given that her father was a public servant. She just didn't want to intrude on their space and… disappoint them in any way. It was a stupid, nonsensical thing to do, but Mira was far from a perfect being only driven by logic despite the gift she'd been given. The tip of her fingers felt cold until Mirs sniffled in her head, sucking out the icy touch from Mira's mind. She'd promised Craig to take care of his sister if anything happened to him, and now that he was dead, she couldn't even find the damn girl.

"Is there anything else I could do for you, or will that be everything?"

A waitress had come by to check up on her. Mira hadn't bothered paying attention until now, given that Mims usually handled all the background stuff like that, but an eye-catching thing about her was that a strand of her hair was dyed white.

Mira shook her head. "No, we'll take the check, thank you." Mims had taken over her mouth to speak.

The waitress frowned, but hesitantly nodded before leaving. While Mirabelle fought with Mims over the usage of 'we', Mira's eyes slowly widened as an idea wormed itself into her mind.

There was another way.

—

Finding her had been easier than Mira thought.

Sarah Newman had arguably been the second most famous trainer in Sinnoh, right behind Craig. Their rivalry was legendary, with Craig almost claiming victory over her during the Conference finals last summer—a battle so intense that pundits still call it the best Conference Final ever. Even Mira, despite her usual disinterest, had watched that match. Unfortunately, their tale came to an abrupt end afterward. Sarah left for Kanto after losing to Bertha during her Elite Four run, leaving Craig as the undisputed front-runner to win this year.

That was until he died. Now she bet everyone was scrambling to be a winner, using the extra time to push their teams to the limit.

All of that to say that, again, it was easy to figure out where famous people lived. Sarah Newman, it turned out, had lived just a few blocks away from Mira in the poorer, eastern side of the city until she'd gotten enough money to move her foster family to the posh west. It wasn't a mansion akin to what Pauline or Louis would own, but it was still a home in the most expensive parts of the city. Mira had basically never been here outside of when she'd hung out with Grace for a while inside and near Poketch Headquarters, but she'd seen the effects the bombs had on Jubilife to get here. The remains of collapsed or damaged buildings, upturned pavement or asphalt roads, and shrines built to commemorate the dead that left the scent of candles permeating throughout. The city government had passed a bill to get started on a monument to remember the dead by, like the ones you'd see for the Great War or the famine in Sinnoh that followed due to Articuno's Ice Age. It'd be built in the center of the city and have all the names, and nearly every city was looking at creating something similar with their own spin on it.

Now that she was here, Mira hesitated when her finger hovered over the doorbell. What was she even going to say?

Hello, I'm looking for Craig's sister, and I'm pretty sure you knew her decently well. Not only that, but a trainer of your caliber would be able to go anywhere in the country, so I'd appreciate your help, Mirabelle droned sarcastically. How's that?

Not bad, Mims said with a nod.

We— we could show her our phone for p—proof, Mia added.

Mirs sighed. We need to, or she'll think we're worthless.

As always, the quartet felt the need to push their input. Mira pressed the doorbell and heard the sound reverberate in the house. She took the time to get a good look at it. It really looked like one of those old places from the 19th century, where Jubilife underwent a massive reconstruction after being ravaged by a combination of diseases, civil wars, and famines caused by bad harvests and wild Pokemon attacks on farms during the Troubled Century. As a result of this, the buildings older than this were few and far-between in the city. Emilia's parents owned three, being real estate people.

"Who is this?" a muffled voice came through the door. Upon closer look, Mira could see the peephole darkened a smidge. "We've already said no press. Do we need to call Dragalge back? Or do you want Weavile this time?"

That wasn't a girl's voice. Maybe one of her foster siblings? "I'm Mira Compton. I'd like to speak to Sarah Newman if she's here, please? If she isn't, could I leave a number to contact her? It has to do with— I'm a friend of Lauren Goodwill who's worried about her and who's been looking for her for over a week. I have proof if you need it."

The voice hummed as if intrigued by her words. The darkness behind the peephole disappeared, but he'd gone too far for Mira to hear what he was saying. A minute passed, then two, then five, but that was okay. Mira could wait. She listened to her inner selves strategize while she stayed quiet and leaned against one of the pillars supporting the overhang above their porch.

Eventually, she heard a few voices again, and Mims hastily put her back in front of the door with a polite smile, wider-opened eyes, and a good posture. Mira's heart jumped when the door opened right away.

There was this thing about some trainers. People who could capture anyone's attention without even trying. Maybe it was just because Mira had never seen Sarah Newman before other than on television or online, but she had it while people like random trainers you found off the street did not. Craig had owned it as well.

Sarah Newman had been born with naturally white hair. Usually, she wore it long, but this time, it had been fixed into a bob cut that looked horrible on her. She had long bangs that nearly hid her bright hazel eyes behind thick strands of hair. She straddled the line between gaunt and thin, though with how tall she was, there was no way she wasn't underweight. Not as long as Cynthia and Cecilia were, but still decently taller than average for a woman.

As thin as Sarah was, she was larger than life in a way that held Mira's gaze for longer than she would have given to anyone else. Even Mirabelle was breathless. Sarah bent slightly forward, eyes narrowing at Mira.

"You don't look like much." Her voice was loud but flat. It was like listening to a robot speak, though it was nowhere as bad as Justin had once been. Just odd. "You say you know Lauren?"

She wasn't as depressed as Mira thought she'd be, but then again, everyone had their own way of grieving, and it wasn't like she'd show herself so vulnerable to a stranger.

"I—I do, and I have proof on my phone if you want." She hadn't used the thing much lately other than to check if Lauren was seen anywhere on her megathread or to send her a few messages. "We're friends. Good friends, even." Or at least Mira hoped so.

A dark-skinned teenager with a buzz cut came up behind her. "Who's this gal, Sarah?" he asked. Every word was laced with a tint of irony. "Want me to kick her out? Not like she'd amount to much; she looks pretty scrawny." He drew out the last word in the most obnoxious way possible.

The white-haired woman pushed her foster sibling back inside the house with an annoyed, yet love-filled groan, closed the door, and opted to speak to Mira alone. "Sorry about my brother. He's at that age, and he's a little lonely."

"Lonely?" Mira asked.

"Shaun's the second youngest, and he only has his sister left. Everyone else has moved out. Become a trainer, gotten into a trade, or are prepping for college. Plus, he's still pissed at me for leaving for a year no matter the amount of money I throw at them," Sarah droned. "Enough about my family life. Show me this proof."

Mira scrambled to grab her phone and would have dropped it without Mims backing her up. She quickly scrolled to Lauren's name on her contacts and showed Sarah her texts. It felt a little wrong to show so much to her, especially when the woman had started scrolling through everything, but if it was what it took to find Lauren, Mira would swallow her pride.

"Hm, yes, this seems legit. That's her number," Sarah whispered to herself. "I believe you."

She threw the phone back into Mira's hands, which she again nearly dropped. "W—will you help me find her, now?"

"Hm. Why don't you come in, first?"

What? Any second wasted here was a second Lauren could be in danger! "Are you sure we can't just talk on the road?"

"Yes," she deadpanned.

Mira supposed she had no choice, then.

She stepped into the old home, whose entryway was full of old shoes of all sizes. There were plenty of pictures on a drawer showcasing their entire family. Children of all creeds and ages, with Sarah being the oldest, along with their foster parents. A chubby woman with mid-length hair and a burly man whose body was somewhat like Crasher Wake's. The so-called Shaun, who looked to be around thirteen or so, was sitting in the living room with his feet up on the couch's backrest, playing on some sort of console upside down. A war game of some sort with all kinds of futuristic guns and two Pokeballs on his tooltip. His sister looked like a typical native Johtoan, somewhat like Maeve, and she was nose-deep in her phone, not even sparing the stranger in her house a glance.

"That's Mei. Anyway, pay them no mind. Want something to drink?" Sarah didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she made her way to the kitchen and got started on coffee. "I guess that's a no. Sit somewhere. Anywhere. I'll get to you."

If Sarah was making her wait, she'd do best to at least form a strategy or something. Wasn't this girl supposed to be super good at reading people like Gardenia or Grace— or at least for the latter, when she was in the right state of mind? Mira had heard that Sarah was even better than the grass type Gym Leader at getting in people's heads and that she never, ever lost twice to someone.

Mira wondered where their parents were. Work had started up again for the majority of people, though, and she'd heard they both worked different jobs at hospitals, so it made sense they wouldn't be here, especially now. They probably spent entire days away from home.

Sarah came back with a huge coffee mug, and Mira started to notice the bags under her eyes sloppily hidden by foundation and concealer. Had she not slept? Was she grieving after all? The trainer took a chug of the scorching hot coffee as if that hadn't burned her mouth off completely and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Where have you looked?"

The question was so sudden Mira wasn't sure she'd heard it right. She'd wanted this, but had expected some random small talk first.

"I don't beat around the bush," Sarah said. "So again, I ask, where have you looked?"

"Every city except Twinleaf— I have two Teleporters, so I can cover a lot of ground fast." Mira didn't miss Sarah rolling her eyes when she mentioned psychics. She ignored her and continued. "Lauren has a pretty rabid fanbase that she hates, but I was able to put them to good use and organize search parties and stuff, but all of that came up empty. I've looked on a lot of routes as well, though obviously I can't cover everything there. I considered Coronet because it was where her brother went to train, but it's closed off, so there's no way she would have made it through without anyone hearing."

Mims took a breath and allowed her to continue.

"Battle Frontier permits take months to get approved, so there's also no way she would have managed to get there. Even illegally, she has no flier and has never been, so she couldn't have had her Reuniclus bring her. She could have gone south of Twinleaf, but I couldn't check there because I'm also in the same boat and I can't fly. Route 216 and 217 are really long and it's where we really bonded for the first time so I spent a lot of my time scouring the route and I found nothing and—"

"Remember to breathe," Sarah warned. Her deep voice cut through Mira's rambling like a knife.

Damn it, what the hell was Mims even doing?!

I'm just as invested in this as you are, you bitch! she yelled back. Sorry for being fucking human and not your breathing machine. Maybe you should learn how to function on your own again!

Mira winced. Point taken.

Yeah, she got you there, Mirabelle acquiesced.

"You've been diligent; you clearly care for her." Sarah's hands wrapped around her warm mug tightly. "Lauren and I were never that close if I'm being honest with you— she disliked me because I kept beating her brother, and she'd never admit it to herself now, but she was and remains his biggest fan. Plus, with all of my little siblings, I was tired of kids, especially if they were going to be rude to me," she said.

"Fuck you too, Sarah!" Mei yelled from the living room.

The trainer shook her head with an exasperated sigh. "I'm not ordering pizza tonight."

"What? But why?" her sister whined.

"Just be quiet and you'll get it. Cheesy crust, pepperoni and everything." Sarah waited for both of her siblings to agree, though they demanded soda in exchange for their cooperation. She accepted and turned her attention back to Mira. "Lauren and I were never close," she repeated, "but I know her. I have an idea of where she would be."

Every single Mira beamed, and more happiness permeated through her right then and there than she'd remembered feeling in months. "Then we can go?"

Sarah gulped down more coffee. "Mm. I can go."

"What?"

Sarah slid her coffee mug across the table. It was already empty, but Mira could still feel the heat radiating off of it. "It's easy to see you care about her, but I don't know if I can trust you. I don't know if you'd be the best person for her to see in her current mental state."

What the fuck? Mirabelle clicked her tongue and stomped a foot, which gave Mira a headache. This girl has her head so far up her own ass!

"You don't understand. I have to see her."

"Why?" Sarah tilted her head.

"Because I—" Something she'd been about to say had made Mirs cut her off. It would have been too warm. "Look, I'm a thousand lies packed into a body that pretends to know what it's doing, I wouldn't trust me either," Mira admitted, her eyes downcast. Suddenly, the little creases and stains on the table were the most interesting thing in the world. "But I made a promise to Craig before we both headed into Coronet. I told him that if anything happened to him, I'd be there for Lauren. So I don't care if you don't want me to be there, I will be there."

Sarah smiled. "There you are."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The tall girl stood up, her hands against the table. "You were talking like a meek little child who was so uncertain about herself, not someone who wanted to save her friend from grief," she said. "This is who I believe can reach Lauren's heart. It'd have to be you, after all. Lauren hates me."

"R—right." Mira blushed, and her mouth felt dry all of a sudden. "Where are we going, then?"

"Where Craig and I used to train after we reconnected," Sarah murmured, slightly misty-eyed. "Victory Road."

"Wha—"

She then turned toward her siblings, leaving enough money for pizza on the table. "Tell mom and dad I'll be out on a trip for a bit. Be back in a few days."

—

Two things about Sarah Newman.

One, she did not speak much beyond the bare minimum. This made sense, considering they were strangers, but even Lauren would speak your ear off about battling or music to someone she didn't know if they weren't weird to her first. It made Mira wonder how in the world she'd been Craig's best friend and possible girlfriend, once? There were a lot of rumors about their relationship online, though it'd never been confirmed, and eventually they went their separate ways until their last year, when they reunited. Craig Goodwill was someone who'd never leave a person to stew in silence; he'd always find something to talk about and make you feel right at home. There was this warm aura about him.

Or had been.

Two;

She was fucking insane.

Sarah's team was well documented, and she hadn't caught anything new in her time in Kanto. Her Swanna was larger than average and could fit two people with a little room to spare, especially a kid like Mira. Her Ditto was known to be able to transform into many Pokemon as well— including many flying types such as Staraptor, Pidgeot and Fearow— though the only ones it had truly mastered were Pokemon on her team. Unfortunately for Mira, Sarah preferred to use her Mantine for transportation.

Mantine. The Pokemon that swam and sometimes managed to hover for a few dozen seconds out of the water, or maybe a few minutes at most? And that was after building up enough speed? Hers could fly without a hitch, and instead of sitting safely in the center of the water type's body, Sarah's legs dangled over her Mantine's wings— fins! They were fins! Her messy bob cut danced in the wind, and she looked down at the world passing her by without a single flinch even when Mantine abruptly moved, repositioned itself, or flapped its… fins.

Ju—just call them wings, Mia muttered. Easier to stomach.

They were— she was strapped on tight to a saddle, but that still didn't help, even when Mia was handling most of the fear. It was when she'd seen footage of Barry Lane's Rapidash fly; some things just weren't intended to be tried, and not only that, she was on top of this experiment, riding it instead of just watching from afar.

But Sarah was a professional. A crazy professional, but she knew what she was doing, especially since she hadn't fallen yet, so Mira took a deep breath as Mantine sang and pivoted upward, flying through a cloud that left her cold, wet, and miserable. Sarah Newman was a shivering mess, hands gripping the side of her Mantine's wings as she'd nearly slipped, but it was not fear that took her.

It was laughter. She was giggling like a little girl at almost having slipped off her Mantine and died. Was she a thrill seeker? The water type seemed to pay her no mind besides some kind of knowing sound. A gentle, whooshing noise that carried whispers of the ocean with it, but still sounded animalistic enough not to unsettle her.

It was beautiful up here, even if the air was thin. Actually, shouldn't they be passing out right now from the lack of oxygen, or the decrease in air pressure? They were far beyond the safe limit recommended for flight! A sea of clouds lay beneath them, a veritable ocean that filled the sky as far as the eye could see. Above them lay the endless blue sky, as if you were above everything and only emptiness remained between you and outer space. At least until the illusion was dashed and you looked in front of you— to the east— and saw Coronet peaking through the clouds and going further than even that.

She'd climbed all of that.

"Do it again," Sarah said with a wild grin.

What the fuck? Did she forget Mira was on here? She was starting to think that was entirely possible. Mantine acquiesced, and Sarah repositioned herself to lay flat on her stomach while her hands were wound tightly at the edge of the flying type's wings. Wings that it pulled in as it dove— holy fuck. It was nosediving toward the clouds at speeds so high the air whistled past Mira's ears. She shut her eyes when Mantine entered the clouds and held her breath as if it were anything other than vapor.

Feeling silly, she reopened them and saw that Mantine was slowly diving and jumping in and out of the clouds like they actually were in the ocean. Behind them, it left trails of clouds that stretched for miles. Mira's eyes darted to Mantine's wing—

Sarah wasn't there.

She wasn't there!

Mira knocked on Mantine's back, finding it a lot tougher than she'd expected. Like dense rubber. "Hey! Hey, your trainer fell!" she shrieked as loud as she could. Oh, Legendaries, was she going to have to be the cause of Sinnoh's second most famous trainer's death too?

Mantine seemed unbothered, and it took a few seconds for her to get it. Out of the clouds came Sarah Newman, arms outstretched as if she were a bird with wings and cackling like a wild woman. She was flying.

Flying.

"Wooooooooooooo!" Her voice ripped through the air, echoing across the sky and clouds.

She's going to get us killed in Victory Road, Mirs said. For once, they all echoed the sentiment. If Mira squinted, she could see the subtle shift around her. This was no psychic move. She floated weightlessly beside her Mantine, cradled within a shimmering bubble of air that clung to her like a second skin. The bubble was a translucent sphere, faintly glimmering with iridescent hues, reflecting the soft light of the sky.

Such mastery of flying type energy was…

Fucking unheard of in this region.

Her hands were moist. It took another six minutes and thirty-six seconds by Mims' count for Sarah to land back on her Mantine, sweaty and out of breath. At least it explained why she seemed not to fear falling off the damn thing— Mantine would simply pick her back up before she could go splat on the ground. Newman ran a hand through her messy hair and looked alive, for a moment, before her face returned to her neutral, flat expression reminiscent of Justin.

What was going on inside her head? Mira could have known, had she been empty of morals. Maybe she was thinking about how it'd been a while since she'd gotten to do that? Or maybe about Craig and what he would have said to her. He'd been a pretty safe flier compared to her, though even Chasey qualified as a safe flier if Sarah was the standard.

"We'll be flying for a while." Sarah's voice made Mira jump out of her skin, and all of her selves screamed in her head. "Have I given you enough time yet?"

"Time for what?" Mira stammered. Her voice seemed louder now, unaffected by the strong winds around them.

Sarah scrunched up her nose. "About what you're going to say to get Lauren back. About what you're going to say to her beyond 'Craig told me to take care of you.'"

Mira nodded. Oh, she'd had something in mind for days alright, though today had put many things in perspective. "I might have something to add here and there. I don't know how she'll react, though. Like, I don't know how she'll be grieving."

Mira couldn't believe Lauren might have been right under her feet. She'd put everything off, be that her uncle or her friendships to scour the region in order to find her, and it turned out she'd forgotten to look at Victory Road. Under the Lily of the Valley Island. She'd been so stupid not to think of that, especially when Craig had trained there as well.

"Lauren is an angry girl," Sarah explained, patting Mantine's wing. "She will be angered beyond reason. You'll have to reach her heart if you want to convince her to get back."

Right. Mira had seen Lauren cry, but that was almost always accompanied by anger. Her mind whirled at the thought of having to face her mad again without flaking, but she knew deep down that she'd find the power to. It was her duty. Mira looked at Sarah out of the corner of her eye. She was talking to Mantine about him— Mira had finally figured out his gender— being hungry.

"Wait until we get to the open ocean," she reassured the enormous beast. "You'll get all the plankton you want."

Ah. Mira assumed they'd be stopping on the coast or swapping to her Swanna sooner rather than later, then. Now a little less anxious, she settled into her saddle and relaxed her muscles, which had been tense for at least twenty minutes straight.

Eventually, the silence got a little too awkward. "Can I ask what Lauren was like as a kid?" Oh, Mira wanted to know as well, but the uncomfortable silence was a convenient excuse.

Sarah worked her jaw for a moment. "Do you know how sometimes you look at someone and know they're destined for great things?"

"Um. No?" Mira hesitantly said.

"I've got a knack for it, I think. Saw it in Craig when we first met; he was just…" she sighed, her mouth twisting in a saddened grimace, "so focused on a battle he was looking at on his shitty flip phone, but not because it was flashy, or because he just liked to look at it. He was learning. It drew me in."

Ah. Mira could get that a little. Sometimes, when she looked at her friends, she saw a passion for battle that she'd never had, with each fight they looked at being a learning moment. She nodded and hummed, letting Sarah know she finally understood.

"Do you have any idea how weird it is to see a seven-year-old fight battles in her own head? Ask her brother to use his Pokemon to train? Know more at her age than we did at fifteen?" Sarah said with a prideful smile. "She was a terrifying little thing. So small, yet so eager to learn." Sarah paused, running a finger below her nose. "But there was a soft side to her as well. Lauren loved taking pictures and drawing Pokemon she found anywhere. Sometimes, some would pose for her, and it'd make her day. Even the wild ones in the city."

"She still draws." Mira remembered the moment they'd shared in that tent on the way to Snowpoint. "Though they're more moments she enjoyed in battle, these days."

"Glad she still has that hobby," Sarah said with a caring nod. "What else? She'd wear Craig's merchandise to school before puberty hit her and she started growing angry at him. She once threw a tantrum because the usual flavor of milkshake she ordered every week was out. One time her parents were out on date night, she blasted music so loud she got the cops called on her house…"

"You do know her well," Mira muttered.

Tears flickered in the sunlight. "I did, but Craig was the one… who told me most of this." Her voice was hoarse when she uttered her dead friend's name.

"Oh." Way to put her foot in her mouth. Sarah hadn't processed his death either, had she? She was just hiding it beneath everything. "Sorry."

"S'alright. Wish I could show him the flying trick," she laughed and sniffled right after. "I learned it while in Kanto— Legendaries, they're fun down there. He'd have looked at me all gobsmacked and— and I'd have asked him to try it. He would have said no a few times, but then he'd do it anyway. Because he was Craig." Below them, Mantine echoed with the sound of the sea. "Thanks, buddy. I'm alright."

Eventually, the Mantine swam past the clouds again, diving under them slowly but surely. This time, the frigid cold didn't hit Mira as hard, and wind whipped around her clothes, causing them to dry immediately. With a happy cry, Mantine continued down toward the water. They were already near the coast somewhere up north, possibly around Veilstone. What was surprising was that they weren't actually going to stop near the beach. Already, Mantine had rushed past it, wind sweeping below them and annoying a bunch of Krabby and Shellos. One of the crabs was even swept off its feet and thrown into the sea.

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"Um, the League is still under lockdown, right?" Mira asked. "If you stop, I can call them and let them know you're coming."

Sarah ignored her. She'd been quiet since reminiscing about Craig; a return to the norm. Mira felt a pit form in her stomach the closer Mantine got to the water. Another minute, and they were ten feet above it. Another, and Mantine's wings were grazing it with every movement. Mira was done underestimating Sarah Newman, so she thought there must have been a plan to not get immediately shot down by the League. She knew that lying low helped to not get picked up by radar, and maybe they had a technique to stay hidden from psychics and to turn invisible.

Or maybe, Mantine showed, they were just going to dive underwater. The water closed over her head, cool and enveloping, but there was no fear— Mantine was with her, and she could feel his reassuring presence beside her, him telling her there was nothing to fear with a gentle sing-song cry. As they descended, Mantine's wide, graceful fins carved through the water, propelling them deeper into the ocean's grasp. The light above grew dimmer, the world around them a serene expanse of endless blue. With a soft, almost inaudible hum, Mantine exhaled, and a large, shimmering bubble of air formed around her, drying her instantly. Her mouth felt parched, as did her eyes and skin, but more importantly, Mira could breathe.

The bubble expanded gently, enveloping both Mira and Sarah's entire bodies. Inside, the water receded, replaced by warm, breathable air that filled her lungs with each steady breath. The pressure of the deep sea remained at bay, the bubble acting as a barrier between her and the crushing depths as Mantine went deeper and deeper into the water.

Schools of Goldeen and Magikarp darted past them, curious but unafraid, and she could see the shadowy silhouettes of larger sea creatures in the distance. The outline of a Wailord, illuminated by the few rays of sunlight which ever made it this deep; a pair of Lumineon which glowed like stars within the endless night of the ocean; a Sharpedo prowling at their side until Mantine sent it careening away with a current akin to a strong hurricane.

Mira spoke, but her voice was muffled, unable to be carried toward Sarah's ears. So it had its limits, still. Not that she would often travel with others; Sarah was a solitary trainer at heart. Mantine was a lot faster under the water than in the air, and they zoomed through the ocean so quickly that Mira's bubble of air grew unstable enough to have bits of water touch her arms and face.

But there was no time to worry. They had a sea to cross. And cross it, they did, until Mantine reeled up and jumped up a waterfall.

—

Back in the day, tradition dictated that anyone who wished to challenge the Elite Four and the Champion must make it through Victory Road. This was before the Conference had been set in place, before the gamification of battles. Make it through here with proof that you'd beaten the other eight Gym Leaders, and you'd get a shot at running the country. It was a tradition taken from Kanto, which had spread to all corners of Shinwa. It had come to Sinnoh through Johtohan immigrants at first, displaced from their homeland by the countless wars between the nascent clans thousands of years ago.

Today, Victory Road was a vestige of what it once had been. Sure, Mira doubted it'd ever been a bustling small town like the Ranger Stations flanking Coronet or at the edge of Eterna Forest, but no one came here anymore save for a chosen few. Even the Pokemon Center was in a state of disrepair, having been shut down a few years prior. Its resplendent orange roof was now chipped, dull orange paint, and had been caved in by a falling boulder from up in the island.

"Huh. That's new," Sarah noted. She stretched with a satisfied moan, arms up in the air as she stared at the caved-in roof. "Guess there was a small landslide."

"...I had a friend who wanted to come here to train to ensure he'd get to the Conference," Mira said. "Well, he's dead now."

"Obviously. No way he would have lived if he was that inexperienced. My condolences." Sarah climbed back on Mantine's wing— the water type was still in the water— and rummaged through one of the large bags on his back. They'd been behind the saddle and protected from getting wet as well. "Let's eat something before we head into the caves."

"No, he— he died in the bombings." It had taken Mira a while to correct her, because this was still a difficult topic to approach. She hadn't even had time to process his death before she'd started running around the region in search of Lauren.

"Oh."

"Yeah. We stopped him from coming here," Mira added. "We saved his life, and he died anyway." Life was ruthless. Sometimes, someone just got unlucky and taken early before they could be great. "I miss him."

They listened to the sound of the waterfall for a little bit. Gallons upon gallons of water coming out from higher up in the mountain. You could see the mist forming at the point of impact with the ocean, rising back up into the sky and dissolving into nothing. The air was moist and humid, clinging to Mira's throat.

Newman grabbed a portable coffee machine. Compact, sleek, and designed for convenience on the go. It was about the size of a large thermos. Next, she grabbed a stove— the same brand that Grace used on the road— and a pack of instant spicy noodles and small chunks of ham. Mira watched her slowly set everything up. Every time she asked if she could help, Sarah would shake her head and grunt. With the press of a button, the coffee machine whirred to life, quietly brewing a rich, aromatic cup of coffee within minutes that Sarah couldn't help but guzzle down. This time, she burned her mouth and yelped, heaving for fresh air that Mantine supplied to her until she recovered.

"'Guess I'll get started on the noodles. You mind spicy food, kid?" she asked, crouching at the stove. She poured some water inside and turned it on. Mira shook her head. "Good, because that's all I have."

What? She only had spicy noodles with ham? Or spicy food in general? The trainer served Mira a bowl first, and she helped herself to her first meal of the day.

Actually, I had you eat breakfast. You were asleep, Mims said.

Second meal of the day, then. Even so, she was famished. The heat spread throughout her mouth— holy fuck, that was spicy. Not just mildly, but possibly the spiciest food Mira had ever eaten. Mira knew she was reinforcing the stereotype that Sinnohans couldn't handle spice, but this was just too much. All of her selves screamed in a panic as she scrambled to drink water from her flask. She downed the entire thing before her mouth got tolerable. Mira glanced down at the orange noodles with a grimace. They tasted good, but would she be able to finish this? Meanwhile, Sarah was slurping them up with metallic chopsticks like they were just your average noodles.

Mims gasped, this is an… assassination attempt. She wants to kill us.

She can't kill us using spicy food! She's just a dick! Mirabelle whined. And don't you even think about making me deal with all the pain of this! Distribute it equally!

Mira believed what might have happened was that Newman's spice tolerance was so high she'd forgotten what it was like to have a normal mouth. She refilled her water with Mantine's help (she was in no position to complain about where it came from) and slowly started working on getting food in her system. As Mirabelle said, if she distributed the pain, it was at least tolerable enough to eat without a fuss.

Sarah finished her food far before Mira did. Once she did, her finger pressed on one of her Pokeballs, and an amorphous pink blob slumped to the ground with a pathetic gurgle at her side.

Sarah looked at the Ditto writhe on the floor. "Sable, you're on lighting duty today; we're going into Victory Road."

The blob sighed as one, exhaling throughout their entire body. Within three blinks, they were already changed into a Magnemite. Even their eye, which was a Ditto's biggest giveaway during their transformation, was impossible to distinguish from a normal Magnemite. This Ditto was as good as Abel's at transforming into things.

"This is Sable. They don't speak very much, and they won't be annoying, just don't touch them in any way, shape, or form. They don't like it." The Ditto's magnets twirled at their side, and they settled on their trainer's lap, as if to say 'except for you!' They changed again, this time mimicking their trainer's appearance exactly as their legs happily tapped the ground. "If you're going to be heavy, get off my lap," Sarah complained.

Ditto huffed, instead opting to go chat with Mantine. The way they moved their hands instead of speaking— yes, that was sign language, Mira was sure of it.

"Intrigued?" Sarah questioned as she sipped on her coffee.

"Kind of?" Mira admitted.

"The Game Corner had them battle in their fighting rings. They were one of their most famous fighters, with all the transforming and whatnot, and they could trick viewers into thinking another Pokemon was fighting." Sarah gripped her cup tightly. "At some point, Sable just… got tired of it. They just laid down and stopped fighting. They threw them out in a dumpster like they were a broken appliance and not a living being." Her usually deep voice was even lower, almost threatening, until the moment passed and her face lit up again. "I'm glad that place finally shut down."

"So they're a rescue?"

When Sarah just nodded and decided that was the end of the conversation, Mira slowly finished her noodles. Sarah cleaned up their makeshift camp, putting everything back on Mantine, and told the water type to wait for them here and to go eat again if they ever got hungry. She'd brought too much stuff for two people to carry inside a cave.

Then;

She let out her starter.

The Dragalge drifted through the air like a queen in her domain, her movements slow and deliberate. Her dark, kelp-like fronds flowed behind her like a flower, and it pulsated with a bright red. Her dark pupil swiveled toward Mira, and she felt the instinctive need to bow her head. The edges of her body were akin to tough driftwood, still supple enough to bend and flow with the air and water, and if Mira squinted enough, she could see the poison shimmer beneath Dragalge's air sack. Sarah smiled at the poison type, explaining the situation at hand.

"I'd let out Weavile, but you'd pass out," Sarah added, unbothered. "We've trained his Pressure to the highest level."

Mira wanted to say she could handle it, but the truth was, she had no idea if diffusing it between her other selves would work properly or if it'd just hit each of them with the same strength as the Distortion World had, to the point where they had all cowered and left her.

"Fine. If you're sure you can handle the wild Pokemon?" Mira shifted across the ground, clearly nervous as the reality of the situation set in. Sure, she'd been in awful situations before— Solaceon, the raid in Pastoria, Coronet, and beyond— but she still wasn't used to how nervous it made her. "You have more Pokemon, don't you?"

Sarah didn't respond. Instead, the thin woman hoisted her bag on her back and made her way into the cave. Mira hastily followed without a word, as did Dragalge and Ditto. Unlike Coronet, whose entrances were wide, cavernous maws that seemed to whisper in your ear with the wind, Victory Road only had a single entryway, and it was tight. It was almost hidden, a narrow, jagged opening carved into the face of the mountainside. It was no grand gateway, but a dark, winding crevice, just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through, forcing them to turn sideways and duck beneath the rough stone. Sable turned back into a Magnemite and flashed light deep into the corridor, showing that it'd remain this claustrophobic for at least one hundred feet forward. Dragalge, meanwhile, easily fit through the narrow passage, eyes scanning the pathway ahead and with a subtle, turquoise glow around her skin.

At least the ground was even and easy to walk on. Mira slowly pushed herself along the facade, her hands touching the rough, bent stone. The jagged rock jutted out at odd angles, catching the light and casting sharp, shifting shadows that danced upon the walls.

Denzel had told Mira about a first-year who had decided to come train here after her eighth badge, shortly before the bombings. One of the few who'd gotten that far. A certain Marley, whose starter was an Arcanine. Mira figured anyone must have been insane to go here of their own volition, especially if they were that green. Even Sarah had agreed, in Justin's case.

At last, they made it past the tight entrance. Mira sagged against her knees and took a few deep breaths. It had gotten real tight near the end to the point where she could barely take a full breath. The air was cool and crisp, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and salt. With Sable's help, they could see far and wide within Victory Road. Unlike Coronet, this was a cavern of winding paths and ever changing elevation, like it had formed naturally instead of being crafted as a throne.

Pokemon here were not as self-contained to their spots, either. Whereas in Coronet, she would have stumbled on Machop, Geodude, Graveler or similar weaker Pokemon, here in Victory Road, she found Golem, a Machamp, Golbat by the hundred clinging to ceilings and even an Aggron, all spread throughout the cave and screaming at the light brought upon them. Instinctively, Mira released her Alakazam and Gardevoir, who took to their roles easily given that they were used to being released in dangerous situations without context.

"We're just passing through," Sarah tried, unbothered by all the attention.

Few attacked. Most eyes were glued to Dragalge, who simply exhaled and somehow managed to still be threatening. Those that did— the Golem and a group of Golbat— were immediately choked out by poison so thin Mira could barely see it and immediately rendered unconscious. The noxious air had wormed its way up their lungs, making sure they wouldn't even need to breathe to feel its effect. A dozen Golbat rained from the sky, and the Golem fell on its back, eyes rolled up into its head.

"What can you do?" Sarah scratched her head, looking at her Dragalge's work. "I haven't been here in a while, so I guess they were going to attack. Follow."

Mira jogged behind her large strides as she talked to Alakazam and Gardevoir. The latter found herself neatly nestled in her head, spreading a cold feeling through Mira's brain. Here, she could chat with her other selves and get as much attention as she craved. Mia especially was soothed by Gardevoir's company. The feeling diffused into her, and she hung onto the fairy type's arm as they made their way deeper into the cave.

"Usually, you'd train by challenging Pokemon open to a fight. That way, you both get something out of it," Sarah explained. "Things don't always work out that way. Anyway, it's good that you're here, you're going to use your psychics to ask the Pokemon around here if they've seen Lauren."

"Are any open to speak?" Mira asked, looking around. Most had run off when Dragalge had shown off her power.

"I'm sure we'll find one eventually. Knowing Lauren, she's deeper in the cave, anyway. She has eight badges, these Pokemon would challenge her some, but not much. She'll be looking for something harder than this."

So they made their way down, spending hours traveling through Victory Road. Mira knew that if she'd been alone, this experience would have been harrowing and torture, but Sarah's presence made it a walk in the park, save for the tough parts to navigate or climb. Luckily, Pokemon served as a good substitute for climbing gear.

Most Pokemon did not want to give them the time of day, mostly due to Dragalge's menacing presence. It took them nearly a full day to stumble upon a nice Probopass that Gardevoir and Ditto managed to charm, very deep into the cave. Luckily for them, they'd not only stumbled upon the remains of a camping site a few hours earlier, and Probopass had seen a human girl with jet black hair walk through here. In exchange for information, the steel type demanded to test itself against Dragalge, a battle which it handily lost, but Sarah made sure to help him up with potions, at the very least.

They were willing to put off sleep, if it meant finding her faster. Mira punted off her tiredness to her other selves save for Processing, which for once they didn't complain about, and Sarah hadn't slept a wink since they'd met, but the woman seemed to sustain herself off caffeine. Probopass led them deeper into the cave in the direction Lauren had gone in until they made it to a cliff.

It was only when Sable illuminated the area that Mira saw the way forward. A river system continued to another waterfall inside the cave, its splashing audible even from up here. There was only one path that remained— a straight, narrow trail hugged by the cliff and the wall. Probopass made its way back to its home, and they proceeded deeper in. All Mira could do was hope they'd gone in the right direction.

Twenty-eight hours after they'd entered Victory Road, they found her.

Lauren was a mess, as expected. Dirtied clothing, tangled hair, bloodshot eyes, and a face smeared by dirt and dust. She was huddled next to her Sceptile, who was the only Pokemon with her. What caught Mira's eyes was the scarlet red on her hands. Dried blood from wounds in her nails, probably from using them around the cave too much. Not only that, but her glasses were cracked, and one lens was gone entirely.

She had headphones on, meaning she hadn't heard them yet, but Sceptile quickly caught wind of their presence. He warned her by shaking her a little— she seemed catatonic— but after a few attempts, she raised her head and looked at Mira and Sarah. Lauren flinched, nearly deciding to run away right then and there, but she stood her ground when she realized who was there.

A confused "what?" was all the teenager could muster. With a sluggish movement of her legs, she slowly stood up as her eyes narrowed. "What in the world are you doing here?" Her gaze seemed antagonistic, particularly toward Sarah.

Mira looked up at her benefactor, but she shrugged and nudged her forward.

This was her job.

"Thank the Legendaries, you're safe." Mira found herself gasping. Now that she knew Lauren was at least alive, she could at least relax a little. "I've been looking for you all over ever since I came back from Coronet, Lauren. It's not safe for you here—"

"I'm training. Leave." The interruption was sharp and brutal, as if Lauren couldn't afford her a care in the world.

It hurt like hell.

"You're clearly unwell. You've lost weight!" Mira insisted, fists clenching. Her cheekbones were more sunken in than usual. "I'm sorry for your loss, Lauren. I understand what it's like to lose someone close to you. I understand and can help you. But you're hurting yourself. It's time to go home, or you'll miss the ceremony and the funeral—"

Lauren lashed out, face reddening with anger, "I don't want to go there! I don't want to!" Ah. Was she was burying her head in the sand, unwilling to acknowledge that her brother had died. "Nearly all of the people who'll be at the fucking ceremony, they won't have known him! They were just fans! Fakes! They're all using him; he doesn't… he doesn't deserve this," she sobbed, face hidden in her hands.

It was true. Poketch, the government, and many people were going to use Craig's death for their own gain. That was how the world worked. It was unfair, unjust, and miserable, but that was how things went.

But she couldn't say that.

"What about his Pokemon?" Mira softly asked. "What about your parents? They're worried sick about you, and they're all grieving too."

"Roxie…" Lauren muttered. "No. No, get out of my head!" she snapped, wildly gesturing with her hands. "Enough of this."

Damn it. "I won't leave until I get you out of here." Worst case scenario, Sarah would have to do something about this, not that she seemed particularly inclined to. "What can I do to change your mind?"

Lauren's back slowly straightened, and she ground her teeth and hoarsed out a single word. "Battle."

"...what?"

"I was doing well until you showed up. I want nothing to do with you," Mira felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart, "or Sarah Newman, or any of you. You abandoned me, left me alone, and I nearly died to a bomb! And you still won't tell me what really happened in Coronet, I bet!" Lauren's tone rose the more she talked. "You showed up here, so let's battle so you weren't a waste of time."

Disheveled, crass, dirty and standing like she was just so exhausted, yet possessed enough to keep going. Lauren breathed battling, nourished herself through battling, existed through battling, grieved through battling. She was a born fighter, thrashing to free herself of the pain she was continuously feeling at the demise of her brother. Teeth gnashing, hands bleeding, and with every shivering word was enough anger to burn this entire cave to smithereens.

"I'll arbitrate," Sarah said.

Lauren let out some kind of feral, annoyed growl. "Acceptable. Volis, get ready."

Mira nodded, not knowing what to say. She wasn't a full-fledged, committed trainer; she couldn't win. Lauren already had her starter out, the lean Sceptile whose leaves Mira knew were sharp enough to cut through stone. The grass type wasn't wounded at all from his time in Victory Road, and he gave Mira an apologetic stare. He knew what he had to do. Sceptile crouched with a reptilian hiss that grew raspy and pointed the longer it went on. Lauren raised a hand, and he silenced himself as soon as she closed a fist. She tweaked her earphones, and Mira could hear her music blasting from here, reverberating through the cave even through the device. A cacophony of screams right at home with heavy metal.

"This will be," Lauren gasped, "a six-on-six battle with no switches. Send out. Your Pokemon." She gnawed at her overgrown nails, tearing at pieces of it, and Mira flinched when their eyes met.

It was as if she'd been looking at a beast. There was nothing but dark anger at the world in them. A desire to see it all blown apart, piece by piece, for taking Craig away from her. Mira shared a knowing look with her psychics and recalled Alakazam.

She'd forgotten what it meant, to be a trainer.

It was to speak through battle.

"Gardevoir," she rasped out. "You're up."

At once, the fairy said, gliding a few feet ahead.

Drip. Drip. Drip. The constant echo of drops of water, seeping into the ground high above and raining through the cave's ceiling. Everything was so quiet, save for the subtle muffled music, the river and waterfall far below, and Mira's every breath. Sarah raised her arm, and sweat dripped down Mira's neck. Understanding drifted through her, one where all of her selves would have to work together in tandem to not crash and burn and have a chance at mending things.

Then;

She brought it down.

Mira was no full-fledged trainer capable of standing up to the best, but she had a few tricks of her own.

"Nature's Wrath!" Lauren barked out.

When Sceptile howled at the sky, the cave glowed green, pulsating like veins in a body. Vines creaked through the floor, old vegetation that had been hidden away, greedily sucking onto the cave's moisture for sustenance. Mira knew Lauren, and she'd known that she'd start with arguably the strongest move in her arsenal. Every single inch of the cavern hummed, yet Mira had a precious resource to ready herself for what was coming.

Time to think. Nature's Wrath was, at its core, unlike Frenzy Plant due to how it had been adapted specially for Sceptile. It had been a move she'd been working on to fight Candice for her eighth badge, and the mere act provided Sceptile not just thorny plants to batter his opponent with, but a resource to use whenever he was obstructed by the weather.

"Let's reach her heart," Mira whispered. "Lance."

Gardevoir's foot grew hot, bursting in flames as she kicked the floor. Rocks erupted, glowing hot from the fire as they coalesced around a pink baton that grew from the fairy type's hands. They formed into a sharp, elongated pointy end that glowered and vibrated with glamour and psychic energy, along with a counterweight near the end of the shaft for balance.

With a menacing hiss, Sceptile prowled low, jumping forward so quickly he turned into a blur of green and red. Fast. So fast Mira had only seen Grace's Electivire go faster. Her thoughts were quicker, still, but her mouth was a human's. Gardevoir found herself under assault from hundreds of coiling vines bursting from the wall to her right and the floor, yet she cut them apart with a deft move of her lance. With every movement, the weapon emitted a high-pitched, humming sound that had a continuous, oscillating quality, akin to a powerful electrical buzz, and it left trails of light in the air.

It was a distraction. Sceptile was already there. A neon green blade grew from his wrists, and he cut through Gardevoir's robe, bleeding her. It splattered on the walls of the cave, yet the psychic's lance caught fire, and she started dodging. Narrowly, at first, so much so that Sceptile grazed her cheek, arms, legs, and neck with each strike. Her eyes shone with the power of Future Sight, and a slice upward from her lance stabbed into Sceptile's gut, predicting his dodge to the left toward the cliff.

"Mystical Fire!" Mira yelled.

Sceptile caught ablaze; a brilliant torch of blue flame that had spread from the tip of Gardevoir's lance to his entire body. The grass type croaked in pain, but neither the heat nor the stab wound stopped him from moving. His hand went for Gardevoir's throat, sucking her energy with Giga Drain until she managed to Teleport away.

Seeing a second into the future didn't matter if she didn't have time to react.

He's trying to throw you off the cliff, Mira warned Gardevoir. If I have to recall you, you're done.

She was done talking, at least with her. It'd put them at too much of a disadvantage; her mouth was too slow.

The fairy type brushed against her throat, where she found seeds growing around her and feeding Nature's Wrath directly. She attempted to burn them off or rip them off her, but they were attached too well for her to use her hands and they blew up on her head as soon as they burned. Fuck. Gardevoir shook her head, burned and smoking with spores and dust, which sent her into a wild coughing fit. Low powered spores, unlike Roserade or Tangrowth's, but powerful enough to bother her nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Sceptile cut apart one of the vines, regenerating the damage from the burns. Scorched scales turned as good as new, and his eyes snapped open with renewed vigor. Every second, she'd have to strike down another vine bursting from the wall, trying to keep her still by clenching around her ankles or just straight up stabbing her.

"Attack, attack, attack!" Lauren yelled, stomping a foot down. "Don't let them collect themselves!"

Try Psychic to land some hits! Mira thought.

Gardevoir snapped her lance over her knee, dividing it in two, and pink light took over her eyes as another pointed end grew using more rocks from the cave. Sceptile slowed when he got within ten feet due to Psychic, but his momentum carried him enough for him to tackle Gardevoir to the ground. Now on top of her, he once again seized her throat, but the psychic threw half of her lance into the overhang above. The implement lodged itself into the ceiling, creating a spiderweb-like crack that spread throughout the rock until it collapsed on both of them.

With an annoyed grunt, Sceptile turned and brought his hand up. Vines stabbed through the debris that would have fallen on him, keeping the stones afloat, and he finished the job with Gardevoir, throwing her over the cliff—

Until she snapped back to where she'd once been with Teleport, skidding across the rock. Mira's hand had already beelined to her Pokeball, but Gardevoir was a fighter. With half her lance remaining, she commanded the rocks closest to her, snapping them into a hundred weapons to throw at Sceptile.

It didn't matter. He was too fast, too agile, he too easily cut them apart with Leaf Blade, and the few of the moves that hit, he just regenerated using Nature's Wrath. The focus required left Gardevoir open to more hits, and the grass type had nearly rewritten the entire battlefield to his advantage. There was not an inch of ground under his influence without a vine to use, a seed to explode, or spores to unleash. Sceptile was a hit-and-run fighter meant to outlast his opponents, not a Pokemon meant to fight head-on without a plan like her Magmortar.

They were going to lose. We have to go big. The next fighter will use your work as a stepping stone, Mira quickly communicated. Moonblast!

Concentration was not something easy to come by, when fighting Lauren's Sceptile. At times, it seemed like the gecko was everywhere at once. Gardevoir used a few of the rocks at her disposal to turn her pointed lance into a blade. Scaffolding. Mira's sworn knight and protector allowed the blade to grow to twice her size, and it fell upon the ground with the weight of her belief, stabbing through it like butter. Lauren wasn't in the best state of mind to strategize, so Sceptile was still on the attack. With one smooth motion, a push of his leg against one of his vines, he rushed toward Gardevoir in hopes of finishing her off.

The moon materialized, wrapping around her sword. Like steel folded hundreds of times into the sharpest and sturdiest of blades.

She wielded the moon as a weapon. Despite its size, the hilt was slender, elegantly curved, and shimmered with a silver light, as if forged from the purest moonlight. The blade itself was sharp and sleek, its surface a mirror of the night sky, reflecting the stars that dotted the heavens above. Even Sceptile looked unsure of himself for the first time, and the mere energy wafting off the sword was enough to cripple his plants.

Gardevoir was her ace. She would not go down without a fight.

Land a hit, Mira pleaded.

Blade slung over her shoulder—

Gardevoir Teleported inches away from Sceptile with her sword already in motion. He ducked under the blade, but he found himself still gouged by the sliver of power wrought by the cosmos and was sent careening off to the side. He slid against the ground on all fours and threw himself back into the fight, wrist-blades dimming with darkness. Knock Off or Throat Chop? It was masked too well to know. The tip of Gardevoir's sword zapped with lightning that flew in an arc toward Sceptile. With a grin, he jumped and twisted mid-air. He arranged his vines like a rubber band anchored into the ceiling that he used to go so fast Mira barely registered the Throat Chop hitting the back of her Gardevoir's neck.

The knight fell on one knee. Cracks of light appeared along the blade until it dissolved. In that moment of rapture, the blade exploded with untold power that washed over Mira and made her see stars until she blinked them away. Lauren was seemingly in the same boat, rubbing her eyes with a savage grin at her first win. There were no psychic barriers here.

Just fighting.

"Gardevoir is unable to battle," Sarah said, tone finally gripped with interest. "Mira, send out your next Pokemon."

Wiping the sweat off her brow, she had a look at the state of the battlefield. Rocks hung like satellites from the ceiling, and thorny plants littered the entire floor. It was similar to Vine Terrain, but different in the way it served to give Sceptile far more mobility instead of swarming opponents with more vines than they knew what to do with. The hair on her arms stood on end as she racked her brain for an answer.

Exeggcute was a no-go; they were too weak to do anything to Sceptile. Alakazam, she'd rather save for the last leg of the fight as a force multiplier. It'd have to be anyone else.

Like an old-school trainer, Mira threw her next Pokeball up, releasing Magnezone onto the field. His bulk and flight would give him the advantage, and he too, could use fire type attacks from Tri-Attack. Lauren cracked her neck, a sound that the cave carried, and she licked her lips.

"Enough holding back," she decided. "Dragon Dance into Low Kick, let's go!"

Shit. Shit, shit, shit! "Reflect and keep your distance! Hit and run!" Mira yelled.

Turquoise light overtook every inch of Sceptile's skin as the grass type allowed himself to come under the influence of draconic energy with a wild, yet short ritualistic dance. Speed that once was at least manageable turned to out of this world. Sceptile flickered in and out of Mira's field of view, each movement creating a veritable storm of leaves that harmed even Magnezone's tough shell. Everything was so confusing; Sceptile was barely visible, camouflaged behind his Leaf Storm. It was so loud she could barely hear herself think, and that was what she was supposed to be good at.

Lauren cackled wildly, her hands tracing the contours of her face, and Sceptile jumped just as the thin layer of reflective light finished coating Magnezone.

He'd used one of his plants as a trampoline. Magnezone fired rays of electricity and fire at him, but he was so fast he was already there before they could fire off. Sceptile used his momentum to carry enough strength in his kick to dent metal. He'd gone so fast in fact that his feet and skin sizzled from the heat born from the friction in the air. Magnezone crashed higher into the ceiling, where he was assaulted by plants and beaten with rocks until he fell to the ground unconscious.

Without future sight and Teleporting, that was where she was left. The gap was too wide to hope to close with her usual tactics. Mira pushed the back of her teeth with her tongue and wondered how in the world she was going to beat this thing? She wasn't a good trainer, all she had were feelings and hope.

Feelings and hope had never won her anything.

"Are you watching me, Craig?" Lauren asked the cave, turning in every direction with each word. "I'll do it. I'll win it in your name!"

Mira never knew shivering in pity was possible, yet she'd done just that. She wanted to win the Conference in her brother's name to carry his legacy, to bring his will over the finish line. She'd given up her individuality for this, as if it would bring her brother back. She had let herself be wounded, lost weight and possibly not slept in days. This was self-harm. Mira shut her eyes to stop the avalanche of tears and recalled her Magnezone.

Focus, every single one of her minds thought. A closer look at Sceptile showed the grass type breathing heavily. Even if he could regenerate faster than they could deal damage, eventually, exhaustion would catch up with him. It had to.

"Oh, shit. I nearly forgot." Sarah scratched the back of her neck. She'd been so interested in the battle she hadn't announced Magnezone being defeated. "Magnezone is unable to battle. Mira, send out your third Pokemon. Gosh."

Mira released Porygon2 next. The digital Pokemon was so small as it hovered in the air. It wasn't specialized for fighting, but Magnezone was and it had done nothing to help. Mira had to think outside the box, if she wanted to claw at least one victory away from Lauren.

"Download!" Mira ordered.

Within the next second, Porygon2 was faster. She'd stolen Sceptile's hastened speed and made it hers. Sceptile crouched on one knee, closing one eye to aim little shurikens toward the normal type, but all he hit was the wall behind her. The little leaves lodged themselves deep into the rock.

Mira continued with haste, "attack mode." Porygon2 continued to avoid every attack like the wind, but something in her eyes changed. Intent. The intent to harm, the intent to fight, the intent to attack. "Conversion into grass."

She shimmered green, and the deed was done. When Sceptile finally landed a hit, having come closer to corner Porygon2, it had minimal effect on her new outer coat of grass TE. Mira ordered for a Lock-On followed by Tri Attack, and the electric, ice and fire beam all converged on Sceptile's chest. The grass type's Dragon Dance was so well-honed that even Porygon2's attacks went faster. However, the Leaf Storm was still raging, and it was difficult to be delusional enough to think they would outlast Sceptile.

Lauren pointed up at Porygon2 "Jump again— Brick Break, this time!"

Sceptile's entire arm turned bright white as the floor bent to accommodate him. In a blur, he propelled himself onto the wall and then had another jump toward Porygon2. Mira knew that Brick Break would have a chance to break past Conversion, yet she was undeterred.

"Glitch through!"

She'd barely had the time to finish that sentence before Sceptile found his hand an inch away from Porygon2. Just before the attack made contact, Porygon2's form began to shimmer and distort, its smooth, angular body breaking into jagged, pixelated fragments. Like a game character phasing through a wall, she made it through the Brick Break unphased and exploded in a burst of ice that clung to Sceptile's scales. The grass type let out an annoyed hiss as it cut into another vine and garnered the scant energy, making efficient use of it to heal himself. A seed exploded on the wall Porygon2 was closest to, a signal to keep away from anywhere Sceptile might influence.

Porygon2 followed up with another Lock-On, eyes narrowing toward her opponent—

"Change of plans," Lauren growled. "Leaf Tornado."

The storm suddenly intensified in a circle around Porygon2, and the normal type struggled to tell where exactly Sceptile was, from the way the Tri Attack went horribly wide and beyond the cliff. The Leaf Tornado was slowly bringing the normal type toward the walls, where Sceptile would be able to use his Nature's Wrath more efficiently to hit her. Even now, the cavern was rumbling with the advent of more vegetation. Was his stamina fucking bottomless?

Once, twice, thrice, Porygon2 tried to break out using a burst of flames, but hers were even weaker than Gardevoir's. She attempted to glitch out of it, but that was like trying to swim against the current in a river. It was just delaying the inevitable. Now close to the wall, Lauren again let Sceptile climb up the same facade. This time, it literally ran along it like it wasn't even affected by gravity, arm glowing with the power of Brick Break.

"Discharge, now!"

The air around her began to hum with a growing intensity, charged with the anticipation of the imminent attack. The hum escalated into a sharp crackle, radiating pulses of electric yellow light that rippled across the cave. Sceptile still managed to easily break through the Conversion, which shattered and crumpled to dust as the Brick Break bore down on Porygon2's back.

That was it, Mira thought as Porygon2 fell to the ground. One clean hit, and they were out. Sceptile landed without a hitch, but when he tried to loosen his muscles again to be ready to dash at anything Mira sent out, electricity coursed through him, making him freeze up for a second until it disappeared.

He was paralyzed.

This was their chance.

"Porygon2 is unable to battle…"

Their chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

"...send out your fourth Pokemon."

"Alakazam!" Mira screamed. With a brilliant flash of red, the psychic type appeared right in front of Sceptile. "Battle!"

Alakazam did not have Future Sight, but it was the smartest species on this planet behind Metagross. Countless possibilities lay before him as Sceptile raised his hand and the leaves on his wrist took on a wicked sharpness and an emerald glow. If she'd been able to see his eyes, if his back hadn't been to her, Mira would have seen it within him. Calculating.

Power Trick came first. A subtle glow, a coil of energy within his arms as his muscles bulged large enough to grow to three times their size in an instant. Then, a touch of fire around his fist as one of his spoons moved with a hypnotic bend in his other hand— Kinesis. Sceptile's eyes mellowed as he stared at the spoon, and a fiery punch buried itself deep in the grass type's gut.

He was not finished.

Psychic to pull him in, then another hit. Another psychic, then another hit. Another, another, another, another until his belly was scorched by the touch of fire, blackened to a charred, smoldering crisp.

"Focus on my voice!" Lauren asked, no, demanded. The power in her voice snapped Sceptile out of this loop, and the grass type's tail rustled as bug type energy diffused from the appendage. The endless noise snapped Alakazam from his focus, and Sceptile finally slipped away.

So even if Gardevoir had managed to grab him, he would have had this to get out?

Fuck.

"Transition to speed," Mira muttered. She hadn't needed to; they both saw it was the best move.

What had gone to boost his strength now went to his legs, and Alakazam found himself quick enough to keep up with a usual speedster. While Sceptile was no usual Pokemon, the paralysis would work well to give Alakazam the edge. Spoon sharpened with Psycho Cut, he dashed in and out in an attempt to finish off Sceptile, keeping his contact with the ground at a minimum to narrow the window the grass type had to use Giga Drain through the floor. The only times they managed to hit were when Paralysis sprung to action and made Sceptile freeze for a moment. Combine that with Teleport, and now they were cooking with gas.

His left shoulder.

His right thigh.

His back.

Slowly but surely, Sceptile was getting hit. He tried retaliating with X-Scissor, but Alakazam was faster—

"Now!" Lauren swept her arm with a mad grin.

Mira knew her friend. She only had this particular smile when something was about to explode. She was vindicated when every single area began to swell and grow. Every plant, every vine, every seed expanded like a cancer until they reached critical mass and—

A flash of light. Golden like the sun. The cave walls, lined with jagged rocks and ancient crystals, momentarily turned to blinding white as the energy surged forward. The cave erupted into a violent explosion, shaking its very foundations. The blast wave roared through the cavern, shattering rocks and sending debris flying in all directions. The explosion's roar echoed off the cavern walls, a thunderous sound that reverberated through the tunnels and crevices and amplified the destruction. Smoke and debris filled the air, obscuring Mira's view, but her heart sank for Lauren.

The explosion was massive, and it would have hurt them had Sarah's Ditto not been here. They'd transformed into a Kadabra and shielded both Lauren and Mira. A rock had been hurled right into her face, but it bounced off the barrier like a pillow and fell off the side of the cliff. She heard it land in the river below with a loud splash, followed by the faint, echoing ripples fading into the distance.

So Lauren had made her Sceptile into a beast nearly impossible to take down, and once the situation became untenable, she just blew it up? That was new! She'd really put the wrath in Nature's Wrath. It wasn't even over. The remaining spores and energy all coalesced back on Sceptile's body— no fucking way this was happening. His scales started to shimmer as they began to mend. The cracks gradually filled in, the damaged patches smoothing out and blending back into their original texture. The burnt spots faded, and the scorch marks dissipated as new, healthy scales grew to replace the lost ones.

All the resources they'd gathered from the ground, all the energy they'd stolen from Mira's Pokemon had exploded and reentered Sceptile's body to heal him as if nothing had happened.

Was this thing even beatable? Mira had seen it train and go toe-to-toe with Magmortar, constantly regenerating through his flames, but this was an entirely new level of bullshit. Mira was so out of her depth that it felt like she could barely keep her head above the water. Her ears were still ringing, but the worst of it had also been contained by Sable.

"One last ride, Volis." Lauren almost sounded rabid.

The grass type's chest puffed up, and he took a deep breath. The paralysis was still there, as was the tiredness. Most of it, anyway. Meanwhile, Alakazam had brought up a hasty shield around himself, but it had shattered under the force of the explosion, and he remained on the ground a smoldering heap. Once Sarah had her spiel about Mira sending her next Pokemon, she took a little time to allow the tiredness to set into Sceptile's bones. Her friends often did this, but this was the first time she'd applied it in a fight.

Thirty seconds. The cliffside was utterly destroyed, with only a narrow stretch of ground to fight on. The space between the cliff and the wall had been utterly ravaged, leaving behind a jagged, hollowed-out expanse bent nearly forty-five degrees to the side. Ordinarily, Sceptile would have good footing even here, but not after so many battles fought. Not after so much struggle.

Mira released her Gengar.

A raspy cackle that spewed noxious air wherever he went. Teeth upon teeth, needle-like and unsettling enough to send a chill up Mira's spine, even now. The grin was almost too wide, stretching across too much of his face, and Gengar was transparent enough for Mira to see it through his back. As he floated, the shadowy aura around Gengar pulsed with an unsettling rhythm that carried with it whispers of the dead. The surrounding shadows seemed to respond to Gengar's presence, elongating and shifting in sync with its movements. The gaseous Pokemon looked back at Mira, as if to ask if he could have fun and fight the tired Sceptile.

"Behave; this is a normal battle," Mira warned. "Poison Gas."

With each cough, more of the toxic fumes billowed out of Gengar's mouth. A cold wind swept across the cliffside to carry it toward Sceptile, but the grass type countered with another Leaf Storm. Gengar disappeared, spreading himself thin across the poison until his blood-red eyes popped up right in front of Sceptile, and he bit into the grass type's arm. His teeth turned to a putrid-smelling purple that Mira could distinguish even through the barrier, and Gengar injected poison directly into Sceptile's bloodstream.

The grass type's arm was corroding. Slowly but surely, more and more veins turned to a menacing purple below his scales. Without Nature's Wrath here to be a third set of limbs, Sceptile's influence no longer reached every inch of the battlefield. He was fast, but Gengar could instantly travel through his poison. His Leaf Storm wasn't enough to send all of the poison away when Gengar was continuously producing more.

So they switched strategy.

"Don't lose lying down!" Lauren raged. "Exploding Bullet Seed!"

Combining Seed Bomb and Bullet Seed— a common high level move, yet destructive nonetheless. There was a reason it was so widespread. The force of the explosion would risk Sceptile falling off into oblivion beyond the cliff, but they would do a better job at clearing away the gas. Like a machine gun, seeds came out of Sceptile as he swept his tail, each blowing up in succession. Gengar groaned, and his was a cacophony of pained spirits, but he followed up with a Will-O-Wisp whose flames were solid enough to get through the explosions, and the purple flames entered Sceptile's body with a jubilant scream.

Burned. Paralyzed. Poisoned.

Mira snapped her fingers, and Gengar brought forth the most powerful of Hexes Mira had ever seen. The ghostly energy wrapped around Sceptile like tendrils, ransacking through his body until he was brought to his knees. His body smoked and smelled like burned grass as he slowly slid down the cliff, but Lauren recalled him before he could fall down.

"Sceptile is unable to battle. Lauren, send out your second Pokemon."

Lauren's hands froze above her Pokeballs. Some kind of clarity returned to her eyes behind her broken glasses.

Her starter, her brother's gift, was gone. Unable to fight and unconscious.

It had…

It had an effect.

The thirty seconds passed without Lauren moving an inch.

"I think the battle's over, Mira," Sarah said.

It was. Five Pokemon to take down one of hers, but Lauren had lost the fight on a technicality. Mira's legs felt like jelly, and she was so exhausted she could barely keep walking straight. Arceus, she fucking hated battling. Mira slowly made her way across the thin ledge that remained from their battle. She nearly slipped a few times, but Sable was there to keep her safe.

Lauren looked right at her with a mixture of pain and anger. Her starter, whom she had clearly believed indomitable in this battle, had lost. Just like her brother. She must have believed Craig would always be here, that she'd always be able to chase after him until they finally had a battle where she'd finally surpass him.

Lauren burst into tears as soon as Mira grabbed her. She collapsed into her arms, and Mira gently stroked her back until she started sobbing too. Arceus, she was horribly dirty, but that didn't matter in the moment.

"I'm sorry," Mira said. "I'm so sorry."

Lauren's words were incoherent, but Mira managed to make out an apology of her own. She cried for a good while, finishing long after the adrenaline had drained from Mira's body. Mira knew she was back to being at least functional when she started pushing away from her hug. She'd never been a fan of physical contact, unless it was limited and in specific circumstances like this one.

"Let's go home, now."

Lauren sniffled. "Okay."

Mira was whole again, and she loved this girl so much she thought her heart was going to burst.

"I love you too."

What.

What?

Mira looked up at her friend and saw her usual intense stare, although softened by grief.

Had she said that out loud?

Fucking. Mims.