"A-an Elite Four!? Are you serious!?"

Despite the clear shock and panic in Mycroft's voice, Nancy and Caroline kept walking as though what the former said hadn't been completely insane. He was forced to keep up just so he could hear her answer.

"That's about the reaction I expected," Nancy muttered to herself. "To be entirely honest I'm not sure you and your group will be useful against an opponent of that level, but I suppose it can't hurt for you to know what we're up against."

"Then… is it true? Is the person safeguarding this place really…?"

Nancy gave a curt nod. "Mind you, that is what the last one said she was. It is an extremely bold claim to make, but one that was backed up by the sheer strength of the Pokemon she used against us. They might not be official members of the Elite Four, but they certainly don't pale in comparison to them."

He swallowed, feeling his throat dry. "You're telling me… you already fought one of them?"

"Oh! You mean that cool hippie grandma we found in that mountain?" Caroline chimed in, cheery as usual. "I loved her style! Cottagecore to the max, y'know? And all those cute ground Pokemon…"

"Indeed," Nancy cut her off. "It was around a month ago. That was our first job as a team, to retrieve one of the objects which was hidden atop Mt. Silver. It was… a struggle, to put it mildly. We were in no way prepared for the battle that awaited us."

A crease formed on her forehead, and she had to stop herself from scrunching up her nose. It clearly wounded Nancy's pride to admit something like that, but the fact that she did so told Mycroft that the foe they'd encountered truly must have been insanely powerful. But then, if even a group of trainers as strong as Nancy could barely deal with the first one…

A shiver ran down his spine. Suddenly, he wished the hallway before them was just a little bit longer.

"Did… did you retrieve the object, in the end?"

She hid it a second after, but a dark look crossed Nancy's eyes. Next to her, even Caroline's shoulders seemed to drop a little.

"We… defeated the enemy," she said carefully. "As for the object, I doubt it's something you need to worry about. Most likely, you don't even know what you're looking for, and it would be disadvantageous for me to give you that information."

Mycroft blurted out the words before he could process them.

"You mean one of Ho-oh's feathers, yes?"

Nancy stopped in her tracks, shoulders tensing up, and they did the same a moment after. She didn't need to turn around for him to know that her eyes had gone wide with surprise.

"How…?"

"You'd do well not to underestimate me, mademoiselle."

To Nancy's credit, she didn't reply with any kind of derisive or sarcastic comment. Instead she simply nodded and adjusted her glasses, looking at him as though under a new light. Even Caroline seemed impressed.

"The feathers... I'm surprised you know. To tell you the truth… not even Black told us about them when he hired us," she explained, voice thin, almost a whisper. "And by the time we found out about them, it was already too late."

The two girls exchanged a furtive look as she said that, and for the first time the smile had dropped from Caroline's face. There was something these two weren't telling him.

"I suppose I have underestimated you. It would be a good idea to continue our truce a little longer, especially considering you and your group aren't our biggest obstacle to getting to the second feather."

Mycroft swallowed, trying to keep his composure in check. That had gone better than expected. "Alors, I'd be glad if you could tell me what you know, seeing as we are… temporary allies," he said, choosing his words carefully. "And I…" He stopped for a moment, unsure. "I have something to share with the two of you as well."

He stopped again, this time taking a deep breath, knowing very well that this could be a gigantic mistake. He remembered Sammy's words, her warning.

And yet, he proceeded regardless.

"You said something about getting to the second feather, n'est-ce pas?" Nancy looked like she was about to reply, but he hurried to continue. "I think from now on… we should be considering it the third."

He dug into his pocket and took out that relic he'd received in Violet before departing; a magnificent golden feather gleaming with the colors of the rainbow, full of warmth and power. He held it in front of their faces for a moment before putting it back where it belonged and bracing himself.

Their reactions were as he expected. Nancy simply stood there, frozen with her eyes wide like plates and her mouth gaping. Caroline's expression wasn't much different.

"H-how… is it possible?" Nancy whispered, voice on the verge of breaking. "We almost died… almost lost everything and we couldn't even… How could your group have acquired one? A-and most importantly, does that mean you defeated the Elite Four that protected it?"

Mycroft frowned at that. Why would that be her first thought? Nancy did look way more agitated than he'd ever seen her, breathing fast and irregularly.

"Like… such pretty colors," whispered Caroline, still shocked by what she'd seen.

"What do you mean about that, Nancy? About the Elite Four?"

"I… well, Black never told us how many of them there were," she said. "Our previous theory was that there were four of them, each one being safeguarded by an Elite Four. But… more recent intel hints at the possibility that there might be six. If it's true, then the fact that you all have one..."

Mycroft just shook his head. "No, nono, nothing like 'you all have one'. I have one, and no one else in the group knows about it, with the exception of Sammy," he explained. "I'm not even sure as to the significance of the feather, nor what kind of power it might contain… And as for your other question, no I did not defeat an Elite Four to get it, I simply received it alongside the letter that brought me here to this region."

But Nancy seemed to have stopped listening at a very specific point, because when she spoke again her voice was more shrill, full of urgency.

"Wait, Sammy? Samantha knows about it?" she asked, almost desperate. "Then…!"

But she was unable to finish speaking, as just then the floor under them began to shift. All three of them jumped to action, but they were too slow. In an instant a wave of pure darkness overtook them, and they heard the woman's voice once again.

"I do not like to be kept waiting. If you will not come to me, then I will bring you myself."

It was like a sudden tide, like being washed away by a capricious sea. A few moments of chaos and darkness, and then the three trainers felt themselves fall onto a solid ground once more, down to their knees.

"W-what was…!?"

Mycroft looked up with urgency, and his voice died in his throat, because suddenly the three of them weren't alone anymore.

A tall, blonde woman with fiery golden eyes stood not far from them, the air around her bent by an unnatural darkness. Through the corner of his eye, Mycroft noticed a few more people standing in different parts of the gigantic room, having just arrived.

"Welcome," she said, her voice reverberating throughout the entire room. "There are no words to be said. Let us begin."

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

As soon as Vard and Mike set foot past the hallway's threshold, a fetid, putrid scent hit them in the face like a gust of wind, making their eyes tear up slightly. They tried swatting at the air, but it wafted all around them, impossible to escape. They could barely make out the only source of light in the room a great distance away; an enormous circular pane of stained glass, the light shining behind it seeming impossible for being underground, and yet its warmth was unmistakably that of the sun.

Once their eyes adjusted, they could finally make out the room they'd walked into. Impossibly wide and vast; it resembled a beautiful, dilapidated cathedral, tall marble pillars framing the moldy red carpet which traveled in a straight line toward what must have once been a stunning altar.

Yet it was impossible to ignore the most alarming thing about the room. Hundreds of limp, rotting bodies littered the length of the room, every one of them wearing the same prison uniform. There was a higher concentration of them near the altar. A literal mountain of bodies atop which idly sat a woman; tall, handsome and wearing a stunning blue dress and hat. Her appearance couldn't have been more at odds with the rest of the room.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The woman lifted her chin ever so slightly, her golden gaze falling upon them. There was a burst of pressure in the room.

Then, the bodies littering the floor near them began to stir. They moved slowly, lazily, pushing themselves to their feet with difficulty as they wavered in place, waiting for their master's orders.

And she did not make them wait.

"Dispose of them."

At the sight of dozens of shambling corpses heading toward them, all Mike could do was sigh.

"I haven't been in many situations worse than this one, if I must be honest."

Vard looked down and closed his eyes pensively. A moment was all he needed. The shadow of a smile formed upon his lips.

"Be not afraid, Mike."

He and Pikachu exchanged a determined look. He knew, deep down, they were both ready for an explosive and extravagant battle. Raising a hand, Vard dove into his hair once more and grabbed onto that familiar piece of rope, starting to pull it out, inch by inch.

"You know, Mike, it was not too long ago that our team was formed. We've been through a lot since then: internal disputes, common enemies, relationships not sanctioned by the church, zombies, black markets, breaking and entering, exploding wagons, disabilities, maps in the shape of an Umbreon, premeditated hotel arson, store robbery and Mew knows what more. And do you know what kept us united throughout all that?"

"Er… weren't there more people with you the first time we saw each other?" asked Mike. "The boy with the tarot cards and–"

"Exactly! A common ideal. The hope that they may all become better throughout the duration of this journey, that they all may grow as people under my command. I am the back they follow."

It looked as though the fight was about to begin, now that all the other groups had finally arrived. Vard kept pulling on the rope, while Mike produced one of the massive axes hanging from his back.

"This may look unfavorable, but I know that we will emerge victorious, we will obtain what we came here looking for, and I will look upon the smiles of my companions once more when this battle is over!"

Finally he pulled at the end of the rope, which was tied to something most unusual; a metallic three-pronged hook. It looked somewhat rusty and beat up. Barely legible words were carved onto the surface of one of the hooks; a familiar sentence.

One shines the brightest when a challenge is overcome.

Vard raised his hand toward the skies, and let out a yell that filled the entirety of the cathedral.

"BECAUSE WE ARE THE TEAM OF VARD, THE MOST POWERFUL TEAM OF ALL!"

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

"Arcanine, use Flamethrower ag–!"

Rhin threw his hand forward and yelled out. "Not so fast! Sucker Punch!"

Flames roared in Arcanine's throat as he opened his mouth, but a purple blur of motion fell upon him, hitting him right above the snout, making him inhale most of the fire and have to take a step back, tears forming in his eyes. Keroro landed and jumped back just as Wolfswift gave out his own order.

"Rock Throw!"

Using his powerful arms, Kousuke dug into the floor and took out big chunks of rock as though they were made of butter, throwing them one after the other at the unsuspecting Arcanine, driving him back for a few moments.

Rhin swallowed nervously. He knew the only reason they were doing good so far was because Arcanine was too big and didn't have enough room to maneuver. That, however, would soon change once the walls and the ceiling crumbled into burning pieces of wood around them. He glanced over his shoulder, toward the shaking Luna and Valerie, holding each other tightly. They had to end this fast.

"Charity, please snap out of this!" he yelled. "We can talk this out! You don't have to do this!"

The ginger's lips pursed tightly. "I don't want to do this, Ron, but I have no choice. But you do. Give me the mom and daughter and all four of you can live. Keep resisting and I'll have no choice but to kill all of you."

"W-what!?" bellowed Rhin, distraught. "C-Charity, you can't mean that. You wouldn't…"

"I would, Ron, if that's what it takes to keep myself and my family safe," growled Charity, a cold smile forming on her lips. "'A humble family, mother and daughter, are ruthlessly killed by a couple of mercenary trainers in an attempted robbery. The government takes care of their execution'. How does that sound for a headline?"

Rhin could do little but stare in disgust, but next to him Wolfswift let out a sour chuckle.

"Not a bad headline, but how about this? 'Assassin for hire takes a family hostage and tries to incriminate a pair of trainers, but get her ass kicked. Government denies all association to the event'. Though of course, that headline might change a bit if my aim is good enough."

He raised his pistol, finger hovering over the trigger. Rhin yelled in concern, but Charity was too fast.

"Barrier!"

The little Magby's eyes glowed with psychic power as it raised its tiny hands, and a translucent pane of purple energy formed between them and the trainers. Wolfswift's finger pressed on the trigger, and a boom was heard. The bullet cracked the barrier slightly, but it wasn't enough to pierce it and instead bounced back toward the wall.

"Pretty nifty, eh?" asked Charity with a smile. "Think you're the first to try that on me? Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

Rhin and Wolfswift barely had time to react as another pillar of flames came down upon them, the entire house nothing but red and yellow as it was swallowed whole.

"Shit, Keroro!"

"Kousuke, counter!"

It was pure chaos. The Croagunk and Larvitar jumped in unison toward the attack, and the impact sent an unbearable wave of heat in all directions, blinding and deafening the trainers as the flames roared louder around them, the walls starting to crack from the pressure. Once they could finally open their eyes again, they found both of their Pokemon laying on the ground, their bodies scorched, unconscious.

"Tsk," muttered Wolfswift. "At least he got a hit back."

He had. The Arcanine shook his head in annoyance, the remains of a small boulder laying under his face, where Kousuke had thrown it at. It had done damage, but not nearly enough.

"T-this…" Rhin clenched his teeth in anger. "Charity, please! When… when we met you outside of Rock Tunnel you were a completely different person! Breeders using her beloved Pokemon, their own family, as tools for slaughter… that's not something a true breeder would do, and I'm sure your parents wouldn't be happy about it either!"

That did catch Charity off guard, but not in the way Rhin expected. She simply blinked a few times and tilted her head to the side, clearly confused.

"There's clearly a misunderstanding here," she said. "My parents know about what I'm doing; they're the ones that put me to it in the first place. They're the ones that prepared me for it." She then looked down at her Arcanine. "Like this lil' buddy over here. He's the offspring of my dad's own Arcanine, bred to carry all of his strengths and none of his weaknesses. He's a work of art. Of course, there were a few failures that needed to be thrown away, but…"

Rhin's eyes went wide. "W-what?"

"Disgusting," growled Wolfswift. "You can't mean you and your family…"

"Failures? Thrown away?" Something happened to Rhin's voice. It got deeper all of a sudden, a strange pressure emanating from it. "What kind of bullshit is that!? You're a breeder! You're supposed to treat Pokemon with love and care, not use them like disposable parts! THEY'RE LIVING CREATURES!"

Charity's gaze slowly went up until it met with Rhin's, and for the first time that smile of perfect white teeth on her face didn't look appealing in the slightest. He felt a terrible shiver down his spine.

"I'm a breeder," she declared, voice devoid of all warmth. "My job is to search for the perfect Pokemon, no matter what methods I need to use to get there. You would never understand."

There was a pulse in the air, which everyone felt. At first Charity and Wolfswift thought it was another heat wave, but it wasn't emanating from the burning walls and ceiling, but from Rhin. The boy's head was down, eyes hidden by locks of hair. All that could be seen from his face were his clenched teeth.

"…You say I don't understand? You're wrong. I do."

He looked up, his hair changing from brown to a deep ebon shade, eyes bursting alight with a powerful crimson energy. His face was devoid of all emotions. On the other side of the room, Charity let out a gasp.

"I understand that you're worthless trash who doesn't deserve to live," he growled, his voice echoing. "Rhin insisted on finding a better way. I'm sure he'll be furious once he wakes up, but I'm done wasting my time with you."

He produced another Pokeball from his belt, and pointed it at the girl.

"You'll die here," he declared. "And that will be all. Venonat!"

The small Pokemon materialized amidst the burning room with a flash of light, and he wasted no time giving out the order.

"Confuse Ray!"

It was probably due to the strong, sudden change in Rhin's appearance and attitude, but Charity was left too stunned to act in time. By the time she opened her mouth, the attack had connected. It exploded upon Arcanine's face with a pop of rainbow-colored light, and immediately the beast started whining and shaking his head in all directions, wobbling in place.

"S-shit, no! Arcanine, snap out of i-!"

A cold smile formed on Rhin's lips. In any other circumstance, an experienced breeder like Charity would've known not to yell in such a panicked state at a confused Pokemon that was right next to her, but the stress of the situation had clearly gotten to her.

And that was the last mistake she'd ever make.

"RHAAAAW!

"Arcanine, n-!"

The Pokemon moved with a speed that looked impossible for its size, fueled by panic and confusion, maw opening wide and fangs glistening red and yellow due to the flames around him. Charity barely had time to let out a yell before said maw closed tight around her chest, piercing flesh like butter.

"HGRHK!"

It was so quick, so simple. In an instant the person blocking their way simply fell to the ground like a ragdoll, eyes wide in shock and pain, a multitude of bloody holes all over her chest, tinting her outfit a deep crimson. Charity hit the ground with a deaf thump and there she stayed, immobile. Her eyes still saw, her mouth still tried uselessly to pull oxygen into her pierced lungs, but that would not last long.

"This is our chance!" yelled Wolfswift.

Rhin nodded. "Grab Valerie and Luna, I'll finish off the Arcanine while it's weak!"

They exchanged a quick nod and got to work. While Wolfswift grabbed onto the women and pulled them up to their feet, Rhin produced a small knife from his jacket and darted forward, gaze set on the creature's throat. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but a stab there would be the best way to take it out of commiss-

"RHAAAH!"

Arcanine lunged at Rhin with his fiery fangs, but he reacted in time, jumping over its head and sliding down its back until he was on the other side, under the sill of the door. His opponent had his back to him. This was the perfect chance.

"N-not… so f...ast…"

He froze in place. Eyes shooting wide, he looked down at what remained of Charity; a barely-alive mess resting on a pool of her own blood, shock and fear and anger tinting every angle of her face. She could barely see, barely move her lips. But with her last remains of strength, she got one last word out.

"O...Overheat…"

Rhin gasped. "N-!"

But it happened too fast. By some miracle the beast managed to break out of its confusion and understand his master's order. In an instant, all the flames licking up at the house's walls moved, retreating back onto Arcanine's body and coating him in a mantle of flames. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, the glow growing stronger and stronger until it was as blinding as looking at the sun.

Rhin saw the shocked look on the faces of Wolfswift and the other two, realization dawning on them that there was nowhere for them to escape to. For a single moment, the real Rhin tried to break through. To force his way inside again and somehow save the three from their fate.

But the real Rhin was not in control. Clicking his tongue, he turned around and darted as far away from the house as he could before the attack went off, which wasn't more than a few steps.

Then he heard the explosion behind him. There was a blinding flash, followed by the rushing of flames. Heat and force slammed against Rhin's back so powerfully that his vision went black. The last thing he felt was his body being tossed through the air like a piece of paper in a storm. The last thing he saw was the bright flare as the entire house went up in flames.

And the last thing he heard was their screams, before his consciousness faded away.