Two days earlier.

---

"Now introducing esteemed pokemon professor and world-renowned researcher of the Kalos region, Dr. Augustine Sycamore."

Off to the side, Professor Sycamore nervously adjusted his clothes, finding the tie and clothes a bit too formal for his tastes, which normally consisted of much more casual shirts outfitted in various fashionable colors in the Lumiose style. But this was an important event, and so it demanded a fitting wardrobe to acquiesce to the occasion. Juniper stood beside him, joined by another living legend, Professor Birch of the Hoenn region. He hadn't personally seen them in some time, or contacted them much at all, so seeing them made his heart warm. They both gave him encouraging nods, and he strode out with an easy smile on his face, green eyes bright and vibrant as his stylishly tousled hair caught excellently on the wave of chilled air from the air conditioning.

He waved at the packed conference of mildly interested academics, scientists, researchers, and substantially more press than usual. Much, much more press than usual. That was concerning. Extensive media coverage of what many considered boring science talk wasn't a common sight by any means. He assumed many of these people would rather ask him about why the sky split open than the intricacies of a keystone's unique radiation emission. He could go on for hours about that. Why the sky tore open, he had no idea.

When he grasped the microphone set up in the center, he took a bow. The entire atrium begun to clap, not quite as loud as they would a performance or a play, but a suitable volume to acknowledge a colleague of the sciences. Many of the people in the crowd seemed to do it by default, and Sycamore didn't mind it anyway. What lacked in vibrancy was made up for in curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. Was that just him reassuring himself? Possibly. He still hoped.

"My, it is a wonder to be here in Castelia's Grand Opera House once again," Sycamore said, hands outstretched. "The last time I was here was my dissertation speech, in which I rambled about the enormity of mega evolution enough to put some of you to sleep. I am sorry about that, because I aim to do it again. A little more briefly this time, don't worry! There will be plenty of time for questions. Still, I hope you all brought emergency pillows."

A wave of subdued laughter came from the audience.

"As I said, once again, I have come to speak of the phenomena that has defined my life and my work at the behest of the Unovan League and the regional government. My expertise gives me a unique perspective to discuss the historic events of the past week that have brought the entirety of the scientific community together—a not insignificant feat. Let me begin by saying I lament the loss of life, and those that were taken from us for these discoveries to come to light. Family members, friends, and strangers alike; a moment of silence, please."

The chamber grew quiet for several seconds, until Sycamore lifted his head and flashed a brilliant smile.

"And now, to the magic!"

He took an orb out of his coat pocket, a development from the newly restored Lysandre Labs. A holographic projection of a Squirtle appeared above Sycamore, its size magnified over the entirety of the atrium. Several gasps of surprise came from the audience. Such a projector wasn't available on the current market yet, and this conference would serve as an excellent way to introduce the product outside of Kalosian markets. The executives on the board had urged him to do so once they heard he was being brought to Unova on such short notice. Easy funding was something he couldn't pass up.

"For decades, centuries, we as a society have tried to understand pokemon. What they do, how they do it, how they have come to exist in this world and more importantly… why. We have constructed our lives around the walking impossibilities we share our world with, wondering how they pay no heed to the laws of physics that constrain us and everything we build. They regularly violate the laws that we have found immutable to the best of us. They take our knowledge of work and force and conservation of mass and laugh at it, while we get choked and extorted by entropy and heat loss like we're paying them taxes.

A laugh went throughout the room. He motioned to the giant projected blue Squirtle.

"Take a water type, for example. Able to produce more clean, potable water than they could possibly carry within their bodies and cells. Free of contaminants and refreshing, not tainted with gut bacteria or salts one would expect from a living creature regurgitating liquid from its mouth. A tried and tested trainer standard. Almost as if it wasn't stored within, but funneled from some other place. Where does this water come from? Gallons upon gallons of water can come out of such a small Squirtle and even be pressurized through unknown means to tear apart buildings. It doesn't seem possible, does it? Logically speaking, it isn't. Where does the energy come from? The mass? The organic framework required to produce such power? What of a fire type and the complete violation of the first law of thermodynamics?

The image shifted to a Charmander blowing flames from its mouth.

"Conventional physics tells us that matter cannot be created nor destroyed, all chemical reactions, including fire require oxygen, a fuel source, and energy; all of which are finite, exhaustible, and will always lose energy. There are no one to one conversions, no perfectly efficient method of spontaneous reaction. Entropy will soon claim all and the universe will die a cool, equilibriated death. That is fact.

He raised his hands in an exaggerated shrug, panning his gaze around the audience.

"Except for when pokemon do it. Only they break all the rules and seem not to care that they are doing it, and why should they? They don't concern themselves with rules that do not apply to them. Again, fire types. They generate both fuel and energy to power their fire, pulling the sparks from organs called flame sacs. And yet even those seem superfluous. But what of the energy? Where does that come from? They have no wood to burn, no fuels to consume, no nuclear core to produce it. Nothing inside them indicates an internal power source capable of such a feat. Nothing but their own living bodies. It's like they pull it out of thin air. For all we know, they do. But all energy, even theirs, has to come from somewhere.

He raised both hands in the air, then clapped once.

"But everyone knows this. My life's work has not just been unraveling the secrets of mega evolution, but how it relates to pokemon physiology and people as a whole. Perhaps the universe as well. Until it was discovered, we were thought powerless, energetically barren. That has been proven untrue with the discovery of keystones, who tap into the tiny amount of energy within us to allow a pokemon to evolve past their limits. Small, nearly imperceptible… yet there. Detectable, measurable. Then again, why are humans needed at all? I had postulated that perhaps it isn't the energy within us that makes this bond so special, and possible… but humanity itself. How we gather and use energy in ways that are fundamentally different than pokemon. What if we touch the same force that allows pokemon to disregard the rules of physics in a similar way and pass it on, allowing our pokemon to transcend their own limitations? It seems improbable, yes? Well, so is violating the first law of thermodynamics and pokemon have been doing it since the beginning of recorded history. I say we get rid of notions of impossible and begin to ask… 'what if'? Some have.

The projector shifted into a fluctuating graph of energy readings taken from a mega evolved Beedrill being examined in a lab. At the top left of the projected screen a logo recognized around the world was displayed clearly for all to see.

"Infinity Energy. The term researchers in the Hoenn region from the Devon corporation have coined to describe the elusive force responsible for mega evolution and more. Z-moves from Alola exhibit similar characteristics in a much more confined way, and many of my colleagues, some of who are in this very building, have proposed that this same energy is but a subset of one that runs beneath our entire universe, intrinsically connected to every living being on this planet and beyond. Just as elusive as dark matter, and just as theoretical and powerful. I believe that connection is responsible for giving pokemon their outlandish powers, and just the smallest trace of it have allowed humanity to share, for just a moment, in the sheer power of what our friends exhibit daily. The Devon corporation has made incredible strides using this unique trace of energy as an alternative fuel source for space exploration in previous years, and new technologies are becoming available with each passing year, despite our inability to fully capture the release of power upon a pokemon's mega evolution. Although, I've heard very good things from Silph's research department.

He raised an arm high into the air.

"Despite all this progress, our limiting factor has always been the availability of such stones. These miraculous stones were and still are incredibly rare, unearthed from deep mines or the heart of thick jungles, some buried beneath glaciers so thick the summer rays would never melt them. Others swimming amongst the molten flows of lava in remote islands off the coast of Hoenn. The scarcity of such stones have hindered the progress of mega evolution research as a viable energy source. And so, questions remained. Where did these miraculous stones come from? How where they created? We've spent years examining natural phenomena, likening them to the evolution stones many trainers have come to know very well. Scientists and researchers have traded barbs and theories for years on the subject. Many were convinced the stones were natural, being the prevailing theory that made the most logical sense. We were wrong. They are not formed naturally from the earth like the rest. The world deals in stability, and such powerful formations would need an incredibly chaotic and energized force to form. These stones are no interstellar objects, either.

Sycamore clicked on the remote in his coat pocket, staring upwards. Overhead, the holographic image changed to a bird's eye view of Castelia City, with gigantic stalks of crystal highlighted in the image.

"Just several days ago, the heavens themselves gave us the answer. Mega stones and key stones are not natural formations. They are created through a confluence as a result of a high energy event subjected upon a living organism without immediate death or disintegration, such as a pokemon or… in rare cases, a person. Everyone has seen the photos of what was left behind. Through tragedy, one of the greatest questions in modern science has been answered. Within us, we all carry a measure of this power that we have long thought stripped from us as a species. A power to affect the world like pokemon can. It is weak, nearly insubstantial, but it is there. And can be strengthened.

The projected image shifted once more to show a diagram of the human body, with a core of bright light within it. A sort of core with many different colors surrounding it.

"This is only a simulation, of course. We truly don't know if a core exists within living beings or is simply a by product of high energy events, but it is easier to visualize this way for demonstration's purpose. Anyway, take our trainers. For years many have decried their claims of growing more attuned to nature as something fantastical. But that may not be true. Out of many tested for these qualities, trainers always exhibited stronger readings than their non trainer counterparts, with the most experienced showing even greater returns. Not substantial enough to come close to what even baby pokemon can do, but enough to make a measurable difference compared to other people. This connection to certain types of energy seems to grow the longer we spend with our dearest friends, that is why mega evolution occurs so readily amongst a trainer and their team, compared to some random person donning the keystone and corresponding mega evolution stone. Which begs different and more concerning questions.

His green eyes looked down at his hands.

"If the same power exists within us, can it be increased in a different manner? Can it be trained? Or does a person have to be born with abnormally strong connections to one form of energy, like Espers, or the much rarer Aura sensitive individuals in a region of Kanto? Could Infinity Energy work in reverse, empowering the trainer to achieve a higher energy state instead of the pokemon? With the abundance of stones created in the Castelia Event, researchers like myself will be able to further study the effects of Infinity Energy and its connection to the wider universe as a whole. Secrets kept out of our reach by scarcity will be revealed, and new forms of technology and progress can be discovered, inching mankind ever closer to the secrets of Pokemon. Perhaps one day, we too, can be throwing fireballs with our friends. Perhaps even fight alongside them in a stadium, to the tunes of adoring fans the world around.

The hologram shifted a final time, showing a helix flowing in rainbow light, with a spark of multi-colored flame in the center. Sycamore pursed his lips, then broke into a brilliant, white smile. His easy-going charm shone through his grin, his features bathed in the wash of color above him.

"Woof! That was awfully serious of me, sorry about that. I know this was somewhat of a rushed conference and many want answers, but I wished to speak a little before we started. I suspect my benefactors are growing exasperated." He checked the time on his watch. "Well, enough ruminating. Any questions about mega evolution and anything I just talked about? I would love to answers questions about the nature of my work and—"

A storm of hands all over the stands rose: people, reporters, and publicists tripping over themselves to get any inkling about the Stones of Castelia. In fact, many of the questions weren't even about mega evolution itself, but the massive formations that now served as landmarks for the city. Sycamore tried to keep up with the veritable tide of questions, and after an hour of getting barraged by the media, he suppressed a frown. Honestly, he should have expected this, yet optimism won out.

When the questions wound down and an attendant came to whisper to Sycamore that his time was nearing its end, he gave the crowd another charming grin and departed offstage, still feeling disappointed. He had hoped he hadn't been shouting into the wind. Professor Birch, his customary grin plastered on his face, clapped the younger man on the shoulder.

"Don't look so down, Augustine! You know as well as I do nobody cares about the magnificence and implications of scientific breakthroughs unless it's in a documentary with pretty cgi and a smooth voiced narrator. At least mega evolution is flashy, whenever I try to explain my work, people tune out, hahah!"

"Your work is legendary," Sycamore said, blinking in disbelief. "I would never tune out."

"That's because you're an academic. It's our thing. If a lawyer tried to explain law to me and try to make it interesting, he'd fail ten times out of ten. Believe me, it's happened," Professor Juniper replied. "We've had our share of conferences and smarmy critics, don't let it get to you. We're too old to be bothered anymore, anyway."

"Old? Nonsense. You look as stunning as ever, Aurea." Sycamore said to the professor with a slight bow and smile. Juniper shook her head and laughed.

"Always so charming, Augustine. Even when you were just a graduate student visiting my lab. So dashing. If you hadn't become a researcher, I think you'd be the star of several Kalosian films already. That's partly why more people pay attention to your lectures, ever notice that? I've never seen so many women at a scientific conference bobbing their heads in a trance." The Frenchman chuckled sheepishly. "Regardless, not many as young as you are as accomplished in such a relatively new field such as mega evolution, enough to warrant the Unovan League to get an Elite Four to ferry you here all the way from Lumiose. That's incredible. And to get first hand access to the Unova region's first mega stones? I'm a little jealous. I'm lucky Unova is my home. I'll get to see them myself, hopefully."

"Your specialty in pokemon origins means you are just as qualified to see the stones as I am, but I do appreciate the opportunity. I would have made the trip myself after I heard what happened, though. Many of my colleagues are on their way now. I heard Professor Kukui is too, mega evolution and z-moves are analogues after all. Even so, I still haven't seen the stones yet," Sycamore lamented. "I want to study them, take readings, pictures—I can't seem to contain my excitement, but I understand that they are valuable, and that Unovan Field Operations needs to secure them first before they move them to Black City for further study."

He turned to Birch, who swayed back and forth on his sandals as he gazed in awe at the impressive architecture of the opera house. Amongst all the sharply dressed audience members, staff, and other guest speakers, the man stood out like a sore thumb. Well, he did most of the time anyway, whether through force of personality or the way he moved through the world like he lived in a different reality. Aurea shared a dislike for formal wear like most of their colleagues, but even she had deigned it an occasion to wear a very formal coat and suit, a contrast to her preference for more casual skirts and white shirts. Winter probably had something to do with that.

Sycamore tilted his head, thinking. If Kukui was still held up in travel, then why was Birch here already?

"Did the League invite you too, Birch?"

The older man stopped swaying and waved his hands about. "Oh, me? No, I came here with a friend of mine." His broad grin widened, reminding Sycamore of the first time he met the man, though this time there was more grey flicked throughout his bushy beard and near the temples of his hair. And Sycamore wasn't a mesmerized graduate student meeting one of his collegiate inspirations anymore. Time marched ever onward. "Steven brought me along with his Metagross. Saved me the long trip here, haha!"

"Steven Stone, the Devon Corporation heir?"

"Ex-champion Stone," Aurea added. "His Metagross could ferry someone across the world twice if it wanted to, I'd assume."

"Yup. You haven't met?"

"We have. I have spoken to the man briefly on separate occasions, but I can't say we're acquainted well. He did a great service for Lumiose several years ago during the attack in Centrico Plaza, but I haven't heard much from him since. At all, actually. Is it true he's a bit reclusive? Didn't seem that way to me. He was very personable."

"Aha, he's a private person, not reclusive. Steven's been a busy Beedrill with the company and his own interests, his father is a demanding man and the work more so." Birch rubbed at his beard. "Anyway, he thinks very highly of your theories, Augustine. And so do I! I think you're closer than anyone else about people and pokemon, no matter what some armchair scientists say. If they don't go out into the field, or sink their hands into their work, then their opinion isn't worth knowing!"

"You'd live in the field if your wife didn't yank you back down to earth once in a while," Juniper put in. "Just like your son. He still disappearing into the wild for months at a time?"

"Yup! I haven't seen the kid in years. Well, I guess he's not a kid anymore."

The other two professors looked at Birch.

"Oh, I'm not a bad father. He calls from time to time. I'm not worried for that crazy rascal. Who'd willingly want to pick a fight with one of the heroes of Hoenn?"

"Steven Stone thinks my theories are sound?" Sycamore asked instead, dumbfounded. "He's read my papers? I didn't—I'm… I'm flattered? A trainer actually read a research paper? They can do that?"

Juniper snorted. "They are capable of reading. I've heard that they can even read signs occasionally. Never seen it happen myself, though. Have you, Birch?"

"I wouldn't know, I can't read those things either, haha! Steven's a little different, though. Evolved into a bookworm after retiring. And he's the acting head of a technology company, of course he's read research papers and dissertations. Most CEOs are just business degrees that possessed a suit and gained sentience, but not Steven, trust me on that. He's more scientifically inclined than you think," Birch said with a wink. "When your head isn't constantly filled with swagger and battles, thinking gets a lot easier. As a younger man… well, there's a reason people get wiser with age, right?"

"You still get chased to near death by hungry Ariados on a regular basis. Or some other deadly pokemon," Professor Juniper pointed out. "If wisdom is supposed to hit with age, it missed you by a mile, Birch."

The jolly man laughed, conceding the point as he nodded.

"I know more than a few who've done the same! What's life without a little excitement, haha! Anyway, Stevie's thought a lot about the human connection to mega evolution, and so have I. It's really fascinating, isn't it? I think you've got it right on the nose, Augustine. But I do wonder, what would happen if a human had an interestingly one-sided skew of aspects within them. Like a mono type pokemon, with all their strength? I don't know, maybe some amalgamation of pokemon and human? Would keystones still respond to them? Not that it's possible, but a man can dream. Or is it a dream?"

Birch waggled his eyebrows while his colleagues' furrowed suspiciously. Juniper walked up and examined him closely. "Are you being vague? Birch, vague? Something must be wrong." She made hands to pull on the older man's scruff. He slowly moved away from her. "Did the real Birch get kidnapped? What are you on about? Do you know something? Spill it!"

"Nothing at all, just me rambling is all," Birch said boisterously, striking a pose. "I just have good intuition about this stuff. Comes with avoiding nests of Ariados, hungry Mightyena packs and countless other close encounters with imminent death in the pursuit of science! Just ignore what I said, keep doing what you're doing, my boy. Anyway, gotta run and catch up with some other friends of mine! Plenty of data to collect about these spires! Bye!"

Sycamore received another clap to the shoulder and before he had a chance to digest what Birch had said, noticed that the man was already down the hall, humming a catchy tune. For a man pushing his mid-fifties he still moved remarkably quickly. Must've been all the running he did from hungry, feral pokemon.

"Does that man know something we don't?" Juniper asked in disbelief. "He's always been terrible at hiding things. I mean, that wasn't even remotely subtle. He's supposed to be an ecologist. He sounded like… well, like you."

Sycamore blinked in surprise. "I suppose he's done some reading? No, Steven Stone brought him here... Coincidentally, Devon has been part of the reason why we've made so many breakthroughs with mega evolution as a whole. I don't think that man is here for sightseeing, or taking mere measurements. Do you think there's more to it, Aurea?"

Juniper took a deep breath and frowned. "If Birch is being vague, then that means something is afoot. I've known him for more than a decade and I can count the number of times he's been obtuse. Every time it usually ends up being something fairly serious. Given what we can see out the window and what color the city turns at night, I'd say it's serious."

"When was the last time?"

She tapped a finger against her lip, concentrating to remember. "I don't know, something to do in Hoenn involving asteroids? It was a weird phone call."

The Kalosian professor ran a hand through his locks. "The Delta Episode. Apparently, Birch's son and his neighbor's cousin rode a mega evolved Rayquaza, involved a rocket, and destroyed an asteroid in space. It was a big deal."

Her perpetual smile didn't change. They stared at each other for a moment. Sycamore sighed.

"Aurea… The rocket powered by Infinity Energy? That's what it was for. You really didn't know?"

Juniper began to laugh. "I get really into my work, you know. I heard about something going on in Hoenn, but I just can't grasp it. Ruby and Sapphire, the heroes of Hoenn riding a rocket into space? That sounds ridiculous."

"Yes, and interestingly enough… Steven Stone was also involved in that. Personally, might I add."

Juniper's laughter gave way to silence, then curiosity. "Is that so? Well, our ex-champion turned CEO has been busy. Last time I saw him was at the previous World Tournament. Before he retired. Very intense in a battle, it's almost scary. Those handsome features of his certainly help that quite a bit. And the cuffs. He does still wear those, right? The metal ones?"

"He's one of the few qualified trainers to possess a keystone and one of very few people with a Metagrossite. It's one of the rarest mega stones in the world. Being a former champion and the power that comes with, he may just be one of the strongest, most influential men on this side of the world. His name is coming up far too much to be all just chance. And yes, he does."

"Such a striking young man. Once was odd, but twice? Three times? Black City can't come soon enough. Something tells me that Birch will appear there too, then we can strain the answers out of his beard if the UFO decide to be secretive. They're always cagey about their little secrets and prying anything out of them is like trying to remove nails with your bare hands. I got a lot of unusual questions recently that sounded a lot like they were planning to do something unwise regarding human and pokemon genetics. I rebuffed them quite thoroughly. They were adamant that a single typing approach was the way to go. That's a fool's errand, it'll never work…"

She trailed off as Sycamore locked eyes with her, their minds coming to a conclusion at the same time. "Isn't that…?"

"No way."

"He's an ecologist! Why would he suggest that specific thing when it isn't his specialty? That's odd."

"So then why would he suggest something that is almost exactly that? Unless it's already happened. Do you think…?"

Juniper held a hand against her chin. "I'm not sure. Perhaps. There's been rumors, Augustine. Wild ones among the series of events that have been unfolding. About strange… men and women doing outrageous things. Nothing proven, but all the sources are unreliable. There've been rumors of people doing incredible things similar to pokemon for as long as people have been able to remember, many just tall tales. Until there's a definitive source and proof, I don't believe a word of it."

"This feels different. The Unovan government could be hiding things," he suggested. Juniper gave him a heated stare.

"Sycamore…"

"I'm not—" He sighed. "I just… heard things about the lockdown and what the Unovan government decided to do. I know you have love for your country but… that shouldn't be the response. Don't you think it was too extreme? There's no telling what anyone would do if mass amnesia on a significant portion of the populace was the first solution they thought of."

Sycamore nervously looked around, swallowing hard. Juniper's mouth settled into a thin line as the feelings for her home conflicted with her beliefs.

"Unova is quite different from your home country and region. But genetic experiments? I don't think anybody would do that after the Rockets' catastrophe with Mewtwo. At least not in the same capacity or area of expertise. Direct genetic tampering of a pokemon genome and a person's? That'd be insanity to try again. Why would they be so interested all of a sudden if it didn't succeed?"

"I don't know, but it's starting to worry me. Insanity has never stopped anyone driven enough. I have little faith in the regional government here. Not after doing what they did and especially not after trying to justify it. Ghetsis and the Plasmas were met with extreme measures, but that isn't an excuse to default to them every time something goes wrong. Kalos would never do this," the Kalosian man shot back. Juniper shook her head.

"Augustine… Nimbasa was bad. Something like that hasn't happened since Sinnoh. Unova doesn't suffer threats. Sinnoh can't happen again, the training world wouldn't survive it. Also, Kalosian protests aren't nearly as peaceful as ours are. For all your region's reputation of glamor and love of finery, it sure is vicious when it wants to be. My home is just the same, in different ways."

"I… I know. And I understand. Kalos wouldn't hear the end of it if the regional government there did that, and Lysander, he… what he did was just as inexcusable. But extreme measures are dangerous. Unova is—it makes me nervous, being here. But considering the nature of my work, I don't have a choice. Things here seem tense, and it isn't the giant crystal stalks outside. Doesn't it worry you, Aurea?"

She put a steadying hand on his shoulder.

"I know what you mean, but we have a job to do. Let the government types worry about theirs while we tackle the science. Easier that way. Worrying about politics is an easy way to go grey. It can go jump in a pit of dragon fire instead."

Sycamore largely agreed, yet his stomach still turned. He gave her an unconvincing smile. "I suppose you're right. Would Birch really tell us anything, if he knows something important?"

"I'll scrape off his beard with a potato peeler if he doesn't. He's not one to lie, and the man definitely doesn't go around dropping suspicious hints like that often. If need be, I'll use hot wax instead."

"Are you sure? I thought you liked his beard."

"I do, it's very fluffy. And besides, I'm a scientist, aren't I? I love answers far more. Let's go catch up to our fuzzy colleague and squeeze him for details, shall we?"

Sycamore followed her measured pace, scratching at his chin and wondering if he should shave before the Unovan professor got any more ideas.

---

"Snow gives good visibility," Aere said quietly. His boots crunched into the snow of the route beside his brother, with the somehow lighter and more graceful footsteps of Apollo, their guardian Lucario.

The three were in the thick of the forest deeper into route 7, in the dead of night and away from the main route and prying eyes.

Nera had sent both of them to scout ahead, untrusting and cautious of Riven Cerul's intentions, especially in an environment that both he and his brother knew to be quite advantageous to someone well versed in guerilla tactics and darkness like the Remnants would be. They didn't fight traditional wars, they fought with every dirty trick in the book, and they'd be idiots to consider traipsing blindly into a potential trap.

The light of the moon would have helped visibility much more with the snow covering the forest floor, but thick, dark clouds roiled above, foretelling more snow and ice. As a Rosan, he had little to fear from it. Riven, on the other hand, would be hard pressed to stay out in this cold without a source of warmth. If he didn't plan to attack them, he'd be sitting at a fire, which also meant he wasn't hostile. Or that they had walked into a trap. As it was, they were ill-prepared for a true fight. A fire pokemon would be an obstacle, and they knew the gym leader of Nimbasa did have a rumored Blaziken. Red and beige plumage would stand out amongst the snow, however.

The forest thickened away from the more traveled roads and obscured more as they ventured further away from the road, giving way to brambles and overgrown portions of plants and roots that they had to step over as visibility dropped further. Aero held up a palm, fire flaring forth to light their way as they passed a copse of trees to see a faintly glowing fire up ahead. Too far to see details, Aero nudged Apollo. With a nod, the pokemon's eyes began to glow blue, using aura to see where his eyes could not.

A normal person flared differently under aura sight, appearing as a silhouette of a person composed of dim blue light as the energy of life coursed through them. Origins were touched differently, glowing with colors that represented their aspects and staining their auras.

Aere and Aero, as well as Nera, glowed a red orange, while Isole's aura was tinged a whiter blue than normal. To an aura user, a dark type's aura was so dark it was almost muted in color, often sinister and malevolent to the senses. Life coursed through all things, dark types included, and that was the only thing that allowed Aura attuned beings to even see the faint outlines of their unique signatures. Ghosts, on the other hand, were near invisible to aura sight, having no life themselves and animated by a force no one could explain to this day. In aura sense, they only felt like empty pockets where normal air or matter should be.

Years ago, when they'd first encountered the young Dark Origin for the first time, Apollo had remarked that his aura was present, but weak, almost subdued; appearing more like a dimly shadowed curtain over the life energies that coursed through him than a true dark type's oppressive presence. The sign of a very weak Origin, one that had repressed his natural abilities rather than nurture them. Forcefully, almost deliberately. In all respects, he was more like a regular human than they were. When they fought him in hand to hand, it showed. He could beat up regular people just fine, but against them he was hardly a threat by himself, regardless of his skill in combat. Power and speed overcame skill at a certain point, otherwise humans would be far more dangerous to pokemon than they actually were.

All three of them expected to see growth, but not much. Nera had said the only true danger was the Nightmare transformation—a true outlier among Origin awakenings with its absurd strength—but with the three of them here, they could easily deal with it. Without it, Riven wouldn't be much of a challenge. He hadn't made it a secret he didn't like to use his dark powers. Then, when Apollo began to growl immediately, eyes wide with plain… disgust, and fired an aura sphere at the fire unprovoked, Aere and Aero immediately snuffed the fires in their palms and spread out.

The fire roared, firewood and camping implements flying as a sphere of Ki energy blew apart the small camp and orange light was replaced with a flash of ethereal blue. Then darkness as the light faded. Apollo blinked in shock, looking down at his paws.

I… why did I…? He growled, red eyes blinking in confusion.

Apollo, why did you attack? Aere asked. His twin joined in the mental connection to the Lucario.

What did you see?

Something… wicked, the Lucario's deep internalized voice said. His head whipped upward. Above!

Aere barely had a moment to call up a blade of fire as metal whistled through the air, down towards his side as it crashed into snow, and burning hot agony raced through the entirety of his leg as a person materialized beside him, gripping the hilt of the blade stuck into the ground. Something metallic and sharp had driven clean through the meat and scraped along the bone of his calf, which was followed by a very painful kick to sweep his wounded leg. His burning blade of fire fizzled out as pain warred with his concentration. Falling to the ground, he saw Apollo rise, an Aura sphere in one palm thrusting out at the figure that had appeared standing over him, a blood red broadsword held out and ready. His brother had come around to the right, a lance of fire shooting out with a punch, aimed directly at the man's spine.

Metal rang as another blood red blade rose, independent of its wielder's will, and met Apollo's palm with the flat of its blade, allowing Aere's attacker to move freely. All the force and power, along with the Ki and aura melded into the sphere transferred into the sword, easily capable of shattering any metal blade that stood before it. Yet the moment they touched, the energies hit a wall and stopped dead, dispersing around it. The power did nothing, not even budging the metal. Apollo stared in astonishment, then realization dawned and extreme annoyance replaced the confusion.

Whatever sick force of the universe that created ghosts should burn. Especially whatever had created the Honedge line. If a more annoying ghost to fight existed, then nobody had met it yet. The figure, Cerul most likely, stepped to the side, completely ignoring Apollo as the Lucario desperately tried to strike at him, the twinned blade of the Doublade fending off his attacks with no more difficulty than a man blocking a child. Apollo was growling in irritation as his fists did nothing despite the very loud clanging of hardened metal knuckles on steel.

With a gloved hand, Cerul slapped aside the flaming lance from Aero, leaving his hands and cuffs smoking as he rushed forward, a flash of silver alongside the blood red of the blade in his right. Aero drew a combat knife from his side, flame coating it and extending into a sword of fire to meet the Doublade's other sword. He knew it couldn't block that without some significant damage.

Except the dark Origin didn't commit to the strike, backing off as he held up the other hand, holding up a regular knife enclosed within his fist. Fingers uncurling outward, a ball of swirling, howling red and black energy formed in the span of a second, blasting outward into Aero, who'd expected a strike, not a feint into a damn Dark Pulse. The snow had made his strike clumsier than normal, and the lack of an opponent had put him off balance.

He was going to get hit.

Aere was confident that the attack wasn't very strong considering the speed and size at which it formed. That was proven partially incorrect when it contained more than enough force to blast Aero back into a thicket and into several trees. Wood and bark splintered and cracked as his brother crashed through the trees, the sound as loud as thunder in the stillness of the night.

Apollo, fed up and seeing one of his friends blasted backward into the forest, backed off and charged a Shadow Ball, preparing to fire at the ghost blade when it blinked out of existence. Aere, laying on the ground and preparing to fire a blast of fire that would incinerate the area around Cerul and the ghost, was again surprised as the Remnant soldier, now with two blades, hurled a blade in his right hand like a javelin.

Aere barely ducked to the side as an explosion of snow blanketed him, his fireball went wide, and extremely cold metal pressed against his neck. His fireball exploded against a nearby tree, setting the thing aflame as splinters and wood showered out. The forest around them lit up as the fire provided light, and would no doubt alert the others that something had gone wrong. Small mercies, Aere guessed. He bared his teeth stiffly as Cerul held him pinned and kicked at the piece of metal stuck in Aere's leg, causing a new wave of agony to shoot up his body.

"Now, what did we learn? Besides blowing up peoples' camps without warning is rather rude?" Cerul asked with a tone of mild inconvenience rather than outright anger. He stared at the Lucario poised to attack. "Any one of you moves, and Efrain here gets to see what a Rosan's soul tastes like. Call off your mutt. I was trying to do this amiably. Word of advice, aura spheres are not a good way of saying hello and an excellent way of shortening my patience."

"My brother," Aere began.

"Is fine," Riven said, looking out towards the shattered remains of the trees where Aero landed. "Unless he broke his neck on a tree. That'd be unfortunate and hilarious. Worry about your leg, Aero."

"Aere. My name is Aere," he replied tersely. The Remnant shrugged. Finally, Aere paid attention to just what had happened to his leg, finding a very large tent spike driven clear through it. He stared up at the man standing over him. "A… tent spike? Really?"

The man looked down at his leg, admiring his handiwork. "Payback for the hole you blew in my leg years ago. Spitefulness is a dark type quality, after all. Shouldn't be hard to pull out, it's not grooved. A broadhead would have been better for more suffering, but I had to use what I had."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?"

What he got in return was a small smile. It was downright malicious. "Wrong with me? You didn't just blow up my camp, you know? You blew up my food, bedding, and supplies for the night, you shithead. Be glad it was just a spike."

Cerul froze for a moment, then slowly settled into a prepared stance. The other blade beside him removed itself from the ground, disappearing into a shadow as he must have given it a mental command, as if waiting for something. For a tense moment, Aere just watched the man. Had he sensed something? He felt a tug at the center of himself, a telltale sign of a psychic lock being used as an anchor point.

Then pink light flashed as Nera's Gardevoir materialized in an instant, hand outstretched and glowing with a dazzling kaleidoscope of power, pointing directly at the dark Origin. He gave a sardonic scoff but didn't deign to move. Aere couldn't manage a word in to warn Ieia before a blood red projectile zoomed out of a nearby shadow and stopped point first, just millimeters away from her side, poised directly to skewer the Gardevoir through the ribs and into her heart, close enough to make a teleport useless. A silver-metallic coat of energy shone around the Doublade's edge, energy that was as deadly to one of the fairfolk as theirs was to dark types.

She twitched, but didn't fire. Psychic control at its finest. Other types probably wouldn't have reacted so quickly.

"This isn't going to go the way you want it. Drop the technique," Cerul warned, voice steel. While they couldn't see his eyes through the winter goggles around his face, Aere just knew the man was glaring holes into Nera's Gardevoir, who let the Dazzling Gleam fade slowly. "I'm not going to be cowed around. You want a fight, you'll get it. But you morons attacked me first, so stand down or both of you die for nothing. Tell Nera not to do anything stupid. Hands at your sides. Do it now. Aero, tell her not to do anything stupid, will you?"

The Gardevoir seemed to register her position, wincing at the irritating steel type energy pressing uncomfortably into her side. Her chest spike lit red as she telepathically communicated with her partner.

"It's Aere, asshole," Aere grumbled painfully. "If you're going to kill me, at least make sure I die the correct twin." Cerul didn't seem to care, though. At least until the blade at Aere's neck pressed a little deeper. "Hey, hey!"

With a nod, the Gardevoir closed her eyes and bowed in acknowledgement, surrendering with utter contempt in her eyes. Cerul relaxed slightly, calling off the Doublade but not quite lifting the blade from Aere's neck. "Go find this one's brother, he got launched into the trees over there. Hopefully his neck didn't snap. You, Lucario, help her. She can't see anything in the dark." Apollo barked something in defiance, but the man wasn't having any of it. "Sure, don't listen to me. By all means, leave him in the bushes with a broken neck. No skin off my back."

Teeth gnashing, the Lucario balled its paws and followed the psychic into the dark. Alone with the Remnant, Aere winced and tried to sit up. The blade was still uncomfortably pressed against his neck. "So, when do I get to take the fucking spike out of my leg?"

"Patience is a wonderful thing," Cerul replied, watching the distance.

"Not when you're fucking bleeding!"

The dark Origin nodded slightly, considering that. "Fair, but you're not bleeding much yet. If I pull it out, then you'll have problems. Before I humor you, a question. I thought Lucario were supposed to behave, not be the first to start shooting aura spheres. Did Nera order you three to kill me? That'd be quite stupid. She's callous, didn't think stupid."

"No. If we wanted to do that it would be all of us. We were just ordered to scout for any ambushes. Apollo, he… he's not usually one for outright attacking like that," Aere replied, hissing in pain as his hands felt around the tent spike. "He was using aura sight to see if you were there. Something about you spooked him. He's seen dark types before though, you shouldn't be anything different. Last time, you were so… weak. You were more like a human than an Origin. What'd you do, eat a hundred Weaviles? Made a few blood sacrifices?"

"No, just like you fire types don't go making intimate love to volcanoes." The dark Origin grunted with distaste, then pulled the blade away from Aere's neck. It hovered over him instead; a sinister, ghostly Sword of Damocles in case he tried anything. Aere glared at the man.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Keep those flames to yourself." Fire type or not, a blade of steel ripping into an artery or through a skull would kill just as easily as a blade of water or a shard of rock carving through his heart. Cerul moved over and bent down to examine Aere's leg with mild disinterest. "That explains things. With your mutt. Sure you want this thing out?"

"Yes, of course I want this goddamn metal pole out of my leg! What kind of question is that?"

"A relevant one. Because pain."

The man gripped the end of the spike and tugged slightly. Aere stifled a yell. "Argh, fuck!"

"So… aura sight. Is it similar to…? No, probably not. Wonder what Apollo saw."

"Are you really talking about this right now? Pull this fucking thing out, goddamn you," Aere snapped. Cerul tsked, chiding him with a finger. Aere wanted to sear the bastard's fingers off.

"Quit your bitching. I'm just saying, if he attacks me again, I'll do worse than a spike through the leg, Aero. Maybe two tent spikes through your knees instead. Let's try it again, but with gusto and feeling, yeah?"

He went to grab at the spike again as Aere recoiled then cursed.

"Y-you're just going to pull it out?" Aere looked up at the Remnant, bewildered. The man frowned at him, as if Aere had been asking the stupidest question in the world.

"It's not grooved? It'll come out smooth. Should I twist it instead? Make it a character-building exercise? Those are fun." He gave a motion as if to twist it and Aere panicked.

"No, fuck!"

Cerul began to laugh.

"You think this is funny?"

"Little bit. Now, try not to scream."

"Wai—"

The man gripped the spike tightly and pulled it out of Aere's leg with Origin assisted strength and scarcely a warning. The man did scream. One could say howled. Sounds came from the thicket as Apollo came rushing back with Ieia, an Aura Sphere and a Dazzling Gleam ready and waiting. Aero was slumped over Apollo's right shoulder, unconscious and bleeding from scrapes and splinters that told of a very rough landing through several coarse places.

Squatting down next to Aere, Cerul waggled the bloody tent spike in his hand as Aere cursed loudly, promising bloody murder. "Don't worry, he's not dead. Just in pain, and… that's a lot of blood. Might want to hurry with that Heal Pulse."

Ieia gave the Altean a downright venomous glare as she hurried over, bent down and began to use Heal Pulse on Aere, stemming some of the bleeding. It worked surprisingly fast on Origins that weren't resistant to psychic. Apollo walked up to them, growling at Efrain's poised blade above Aere and Ieia's heads. The yellow eye on the hilt stared intently back at the Lucario as if challenging him.

Apollo's ear twitched as a sound got his attention.

"Finally," Riven Cerul said, blowing out an exasperated breath. "Could have avoided this entire thing if people and their pokemon were fucking sensible…"

The flapping of wings could be heard, and then a Charizard slammed into the snow twenty feet from them, fire ready in its gullet in preparation of a fight. Nera and Styx hopped off the menacing dragon, one amused and the other furious. Earth churned beneath them a moment later, as the ground split open and Benjamin Thern emerged, a light coating of dust and rock sluicing off him like water. Isole and Cormac arrived, both riding on a Braviary while a Skarmory dropped off another person in a hood and thicker glasses.

Circuit nervously peered from behind the metal bird, flinching as he saw Riven Cerul standing in the snow, lightly making moulinets with a bloody tent spike in his hand like the most normal thing in the world. He jumped when a menacing smile crawled across the dark Origin's lips.

"What happened here, Aere?" Nera demanded, orange eyes blazing. The snow began to melt under her feet as heat radiated off her like hot coals. The Charizard behind her likewise let loose a wave of heat, stronger and hotter than hers. Isole, standing a few feet away, moved further away with a wince. "Riven… did you attack my men?"

"Me? Attack them? Please. I was sitting at a fire away from the biting cold when their mutt decided to blow up my camp with an Aura Sphere. Unprompted and from the tree line, no less. No manners these days." He gestured to Apollo, whose ears had drooped slightly and was doing his best to glance away. "I was… relatively surprised. And by that, I mean my heart dropped out of my ass. I responded in a civil manner, all things considered."

"You put a spike through my fucking leg!" Aere cried.

"I did pull it back out." He started twirling the spike faster.

"You fucking yanked it out! I nearly passed out!"

"I don't remember him being this whiny," Riven said. He tossed the spike behind him into the snow.

"Aero. Why is he unconscious?" Nera asked, still heating the air around her.

"He spontaneously crashed through some trees," Riven said with a shrug. "Funny how that works. He should really watch where he's going. Should be fine after your Gardevoir heals the concussion and whatever else he broke. There was a lot of crashing and splintering. Some of it could have been bone, hard to tell."

Nera blinked several times, finding the situation more than bizarre. She no doubt had probably expected both Aero and Aere to be dead, an outright hostile Remnant soldier, and Ieia and Apollo severely injured. The heat around her dissipated.

"This isn't a trick, is it?" She asked, looking around the woods. A pointless endeavor, really. Like him, Aere guessed she could barely see anything past the first two lines of trees without some form of light. Snow helped visibility up to a certain point so things weren't pitch black, but it wasn't that helpful.

"If it were, would I have set up an obvious fire and sat there by it? Of course not, I'm not an idiot. I don't have time for this. Nobody is killing each other now, everyone is here, moving on. Follow me."

"Follow you where?"

He snarled something under his breath. "Back to what remains of my camp so the rest of us non-cold resistant types don't freeze!" He looked into the darkness and grumbled, sighing. "On second thought, you have a bunch of people with you, go collect some firewood. Shouldn't take that Charizard of yours more than a moment of time. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Blood and ash, stop being so paranoid. And that's coming from me. It's the least you band of idiots can do by bungling this. Anyone else would have killed most of you. Now, get!"

---

Nera Rose watched Riven Cerul with measured caution. He didn't look much different from when she'd last seen him, sporting a different haircut and dressed for the cold as he was, but something felt off about him. There was no hint of the mocking defiance he usually displayed, and his manner of speech was drier. Very dry. That could all be attributed to maturity in the several years she'd last associated directly with him, but she doubted it. Normal people seldom changed, Origins less so when stuck in their ways. Though he had been very young.

So Riven's casual indifference to her was surprising. She'd expected half a dozen insults by now. He seemed more annoyed at the loss of some flavored snacks and his supplies than her presence, which was surprising on its own. He was even currently speaking to Benjamin, who she knew Riven held contempt for.

"You were an Origin all along, then," Riven said, glancing at Benjamin Thern. "You lucked out there. Had you sent a regular person to that cave in Dewford, you would've been up one Origin and shit out of leads."

"We didn't know that at the time. Riven, I'm—" Benjamin began but the Altean cut him off.

"I don't care," he said immediately. "I was never your friend, Thern. Animosity that isn't mine doesn't mean anything to me. I'm not here for you, your opinions are inconsequential to my purpose. Save your breath."

Benjamin sank back, and he was as surprised as Nera was by such… flat rejection. And what was that about animosity not his? Her mind was still working on processing who the hell Riven had turned into when his goggled face turned to Styx, who hummed a tune and warmed his hands by the fire.

"Never seen you before. You like us or…?"

"I fuckin' wish. I'm Styx. Normal as can be but a very experienced trainer. I'm really flexible, me. Helped spring you from that jail way back when. Lovely ghost you got there, shiny Doublade. A beaut, he is. Good steady supply of souls 'ill do that to a ghost blade. Specially wicked ones. Look at that sheen, wow. Seen a lot of action, ey? What battlefield did you find him near?"

The two blood red blades glinted in the firelight, hovering beside each other so that it appeared like a set of eyes looked out rather than each individual eyeball. Efrain, Riven had called the ghost, radiated a sense of being pleased. Riven nodded. "Blade graveyard in Kalos. That was a stressful fight." He pushed a stick into the fire. "Cormac, Isole, you have something to say or are you going to keep staring? A little weird, isn't it?"

The two jumped slightly.

"Those goggles make it damn hard to see where you're looking, kid. How've you been? It's, uh… been a while," Cormac began tentatively. He couldn't help but note the rather awkward atmosphere around the fire, what with Nera's entire crew ready to spring to action at a moment's notice, a not so asleep Charizard curled just a few feet away, and one very ornery dark Origin with a pair of killer sentient blades behind him.

"It's good to see you, again," Isole said, seated more distantly from the bonfire than everyone else. "We were a little surprised to find out you were the gym leader of Nimbasa. How'd that happen?"

Riven only tilted his head, his goggled face still a mask. "Nepotism, mostly. I've got quite a lot of friends now. And many of them love wearing black. And goggles. Might've heard of them."

"Operatives. Why would they help some random gym leader, anyway? A gym leader that travels without his pokeballs, too," Aero said crossly. He'd woken up some time during the setup of the bonfire, wearing a bandage across his head. "What's that about? Don't need your team or something?"

"Not to send you through some trees. I can do that just fine."

Aero tried to shoot a bead of fire at Riven, until Nera flicked a finger and the flame streaked to the side and guttered out. Riven hadn't moved an inch, as if he'd known she'd do that. He smiled smugly.

"Thanks. Control your dogs, Nera, they're biting."

"I didn't do it to be welcoming. Please refrain from riling up the twins further. Kill whatever it is going on or Yan is going to be the one breathing fire on you. I'm not here to mediate boys that should be acting like men."

Her Charizard sniffed with clear derision, sputtering sparks over them all. The dark Origin lifted his hands. Aero and Aere grimaced, but agreed also. Nera continued.

"Aero makes a good point, however. Why isn't your team here? They could've been a good deterrent for us to fight you, and I don't see any operatives here to back you up. What's going on here, Cerul?"

That was another irregularity that Nera just couldn't grasp. She'd known he'd had pokemon, but before they'd picked him up, he'd given them to someone for safekeeping. That had been due to circumstances and quick thinking, yet made little sense now. Why hand them off again? A safety measure perhaps? A stupid one if he was out in the wilderness. Stronger, more aggressive pokemon roamed the deeper sections of the routes, making a stroll through the woods a dangerous proposition, even for Origins.

Riven regarded them all with relative stoicism, even Circuit, who'd huddled closer to Ieia and Apollo for protection in case the dark Origin tried to eat him. "Yeah, this is getting annoying. I'm just going to say it so we stop trying to look for holes in each other's stories or we'll be here all night tiptoeing around what isn't being said. I'm not the gym leader of Nimbasa. And the only pokemon I own is Efrain."

His tone was factually even, brooking no debate. They all stared, confused.

"What do you mean?" Isole questioned.

"I would think it's a pretty straight-forward statement," Riven argued. "I'm not the gym leader."

"What? But how are you—you were on television. You even used your old civilian alias. We looked you up before we got here. There's several pokemon registered to you in official gym records."

"Not me," he replied simply, taking a stick and tossing it into the fire. "That's him. Riven. Similar but different. It's not a split personality thing either. I'm not talking crazy. He's there and I'm here."

"Okay… That makes no sense, kid," Cormac said. "Is this some kind of riddle? A joke? And what happened to your sense of humor? It's like someone dehydrated it and let it bake in the sun for a few years. Not how I expected this meeting to go, I'll admit. Isole, was he like this when you saw him in Hoenn?"

"Uhm… no."

Several of Nera's mercenaries exchanged concerned glances.

This entire time, each and every one of her people had gotten the sense that something was wrong with this man, and not just in the way that dark types put most people off. There was that, and then there was genuinely unsettling. Even now, just looking at Riven made shivers run along Nera's skin, like she wasn't looking at a man, but something else. Not enough to terrify someone like her, but the effect was present. Nera's intense focus honed in on the man's words and several other details: Apollo's rash behavior with aura sight, Riven's own strange mannerisms that were in wild contrast to the video he'd sent them, and the distinct lack of hostility and contempt for any of them, including herself. He talked to them more like strangers he knew about than people who'd personally wronged him. And that cut and dry way of speaking… Riven's words were almost always sharp and cutting, often snide, but had a feeling of genuine anger simmering behind them.

This man was like sandpaper on skin and with less than a quarter of the vitriol. Riven did not like Nera. Intensely so. She guessed that the man standing before her couldn't care less about her.

When it all clicked, the hair on her neck stood on end.

"Take off your goggles, Cerul," she ordered. The flames of the campfire flared up in a sudden shower of sparks.

"Agh…" The Riven in front of her flinched away from the heat, swatting away embers while grumbling. "Those burn, you know."

Again, no outward hostility. The rest of her crew immediately followed her example, however, creating distance and readying pokeballs.

Riven, or whoever it was inhabiting his body still hadn't moved, exhaling with the frustration of a man convinced he was dealing with idiots. He slowly took the goggles off, revealing two matching red eyes, instead of the heterochromatic blue and brown that was Riven's natural eye color. When he'd gone berserk in Kalos, the same color glowed in his right eye, a symptom of his condition. There was no glow, but the color was unmistakable.

Two red eyes, though… Did the condition worsen? How much? What did Nightmare progression even look like?

When those eyes regarded them all, Nera flinched, but her Gardevoir and the twins' Lucario grimaced as if staring at something foul. They'd known something was off about him.

"What did you do to him, monster?" Isole demanded, gripping a lance of ice that had crackled into being from the surrounding snow. Her Glalie floated beside her, holding the frigid energies of an Ice Beam in its mouth. Everyone and their pokemon seemed to level their attacks at Riven, waiting for the Nightmare to move and pounce. Aero, Aere, and Benjamin even had their circuits appear, on the verge of Awakening if need be.

The Riven before them took a breath and gripped the bridge of his nose, muttering things under his breath. "Good lord, he's fine. Relaxing in that nice penthouse of his in Nimbasa, meanwhile I'm here in the cold suffering having to deal with you paranoid idiots. Is this how it feels? Fuck me. Let me you ask you this: why in god's name would I willingly decide to be here, shivering my balls off to talk to you all if all I really wanted to do was kill you? While surrounded with a fairy type and a Charizard mere feet away. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it?"

Everyone looked to Nera. She eyed Riven, no, this thing, like an alien lifeform. "You're his Nightmare."

He gave her a very forced thumbs up. "Glad you put that together. Can we move on now?"

"Move on? Are you insane? Not until you've told us everything, start talking." Yan's jaws were actively flaming now, while Ieia's hands began to glow with pink light.

The Nightmare threw up his hands in an exasperated gesture. "Yes, go ahead. Ask your bloody questions. Just drop the damn techniques."

They didn't. He rolled his eyes but made a motion to make them get on with it.

Styx squinted at Riven, humming curiously. "Alright, so if I got me brain twisted right, he's not the original guy. Which means then that the whole video he sent Isole was just theatrics? That Riven guy is a lot more talkative than this one?"

"More talkative yes. Dramatic? Also yes," Isole replied. "Irritating to deal with? About the same, it seems. Last time we met, this one didn't talk. He only attacked."

"Is it too late to say it was an honest mistake?" Riven offered dryly. No one was convinced.

"Tsk. The original has a much better sense of humor, too," Cormac added, putting two pokeballs back onto his belt. "I've noticed a distinct lack of pointed insults in Nera's direction. He used to practice them. They were amusing."

"I was tempted," the Nightmare replied with a slight smile. Even just borrowing Riven's mannerisms made Nera suppress a shiver.

"Right. Why the ruse pretending to be him, then?"

"I had to make it believable to get all of you here. Riven's theatrics are draining, so I dropped them. Figured it wouldn't take long for any of you in the know to notice anyway. My presence tends to disturb things that are sensitive to fate, life, and or the natural balance of the world. And gut feelings, I suppose? Hopefully that'll get sorted out in time when the world stops trying to disintegrate me, it's not sticking when I have a body anchoring me to the world."

A blade of fire extended from Nera's palm, the tip pointing sparks at the Riven in front of her. "Your… affliction doesn't play nice with its hosts, that much I know. If you're here and he isn't, then that means you killed him and took his body. Every Altean was like that, every single one that decided to embrace what they were. Your type is cursed. There is no other end. How do I know you're not lying?"

He didn't appear bothered by the flaming sword in the slightest.

"You don't. But I don't have to prove anything if you're not going to believe me. Besides, are you the leading authority on dark Origins because your father killed them all? The only leading authority on dark Origins outside of me and my Primary have been dead for a good half million years. And we both don't know what we're doing. Who are you to say what's impossible or isn't? We're figuring it out as we go. Hasn't been smooth sailing, though." Crimson eyes turned to the dark skies above. "But cursed… Yes, I suppose that's accurate. Psychics are our closest relatives, and yet they don't suffer from the Nightmare phenomena. Quite disappointing those pricks get to walk around without mental issues that try to kill them too, or being stuck in a two tone world that never ends. We even got the same eyes as some of them. Down to the shade. What do you think of that, psychic? Are you unnatural too?"

Ieia spoke audibly as her chest spike flashed with overt and intense indignation. "We are nothing like the dark humans, especially not like you. Apollo informed me what he saw of your aura. You are no human. Even tainted with darkness, it shouldn't be that way. An aberration."

"His aura is not a veil, it's a shroud of black," Apollo said with a growl. "Nothingness. Death." Everyone swallowed. Hasei exhaled wearily.

"Now that's being dramatic. A pencil can bring death too, you don't see me shooting aura spheres into campsites over it. It's called self-control, try meditating some time. If I have more of it than you, that's concerning. So much for fighter discipline if a little curtain of primordial darkness scares them. I don't decide what my aura appears like."

The Lucario growled angrily.

"What are you?" Ieia asked, eyes narrowing.

"How about a person? I've got hormones, thoughts, feelings… bodily functions, unfortunately. Everything points at just being another guy," Not-Riven pointed out with a wry smirk. He held up hands and wiggled his fingers. "As much as a personality born in someone's head can get."

"But that's…" Isole started, tapping her temple with a finger. "Alteans shunned their abilities because none of them could control their Nightmares. We knew that already. It ate them inside out and turned them into crazed and violent killers. The psychics feared your kind would slaughter everyone."

"They certainly took preemptive measures. Like shooting a child because you caught a glimpse that he might be a raging psychopath one day. Might." He barely held back a toothed snarl. "It's not a psychic thing to be afraid of what you don't understand. It's as human as jealousy and bad decision making. They were just scared because they couldn't lift a finger and make us kneel like the rest—a challenge to their power. Well, turning into rage monsters didn't help that I'm sure," he said, finding it amusing. "Anyway, I'm not going to tell you how this happened, because its bothersome. You'll see eventually. Just stop saying the word impossible, it's just a lazy man's way of saying they don't get it yet."

"Says the one that doesn't want to explain, because he's lazy," Aero pointed out.

The other man frowned. "Maybe true, but talking dries my throat out. I hate that. Uncomfortable bodily sensations are still sort of odd to me. Usually that was Riven's problem. Never used to think cotton mouth was much of an issue between the fits of murderous rage. Now I get it."

Isole struggled with herself for a moment to think of what to say. "Speaking of rage, why aren't you insane? You're almost… polite, in a condescending kind of way. You tried to kill us back in Kalos. Even Kai. And you were kind of… well, batshit? How did you go from that, to this?"

"Well, first, I'd like to point out that whatever I did in the past was probably a mistake."

"Probably?" Nera questioned. "That didn't look like a mistake. You nearly killed me and Isole."

"The intention was deliberate, but not the spirit. I was, uh… not quite all there at the time. I was more like a fourth of a person? Sort of? As for polite, well, I grew up, I guess," he replied. "That is what growing does, right? Give you the wisdom to not say and do damaging things?"

"Grow up? You're a damn split personality that eats its hosts. What does that even mean?" Aere asked. "Wait, did you spawn as a grown man?"

"Yes," the Nightmare replied easily.

Everyone went silent, with the cracking of the fire filling in the silence as several brains tried to work that out at once.

"What the fuck," Cormac muttered, voicing everyone's thoughts aloud. Not-Riven let out an amused snort. Nera shook her head in disbelief.

"This is just weird. And not at all how I expected you to be. Let's get one thing straight; I don't trust you, Nightmare. But Ieia tells me you could have killed her and didn't. That shows remarkable restraint that I know for a fact isn't common among your kind. Whatever happened to produce this, it seems you are somewhat sincere, and just as weird as Riven. Like a… fucked up cousin."

The Nightmare grimaced, mouthing the words like they tasted bad. Even Styx seemed to feel bad for him. Being compared to a fucked up cousin was kind of a shit deal.

"I want your information, and that crystal. You will not come to harm, I swear it. As long as you do the same."

"I'll be the judge of that. But first, my name is not Nightmare. That'd be like calling you Human, or girl. It's a little demeaning. We're all adults here, with names."

"Riven then?"

"No. That's his name, it isn't mine. Not to mention it'd get confusing. Then I'd be in the same situation as the twins."

"We don't have the same name," Aere protested.

"Of course not, Aero. See what I mean?" The Nightmare replied, which caused the air to begin heating.

"You don't want his name?" Cormac cut in before the twins and their Riven counterpart went on another row. "Aren't you… mostly the same? That's how this works, right? I've seen some movies about freaky shit like this."

"Movies… right. For now, yes. In time, we will become different people. We can't have the same things anymore. I have my own body now. That's reality. I can't be Riven Cerul. He can't be me. My name is Hasei, and I am a mercenary. For now. Outside of this band of people, I am Prime. This is the first condition, Nera Rose. When you speak to me, it will be with my name."

She paused for a moment, then shrugged. The name sounded vaguely Johtoan.

"I can call you whatever you want, as long as you uphold your end of the bargain. I assume all… residual feelings towards us and our various dealings with Riven and his people are behind you?"

"Ashes and dust as far as I'm concerned. That fact is the reason I can sit here and stomach the sight of any of you. Riven still detests… well, most of you. Mostly because of what you pulled in LaRousse. He's a little vindictive. Think of me as a completely different person to the Riven you know."

"Like an offbrand version," Styx mentioned innocently. Hasei turned his head to look at him. "Uh, competitor brand?"

The man shook his head. "As long as you don't do anything intentionally and monumentally stupid, like attacking me, I don't have a reason to place tent spikes where they don't belong—and in less than ideal places. The leg is an ideal place, for reference." He couldn't resist and glanced at Aere, who growled.

"That's not scary at all…" Benjamin murmured.

Isole and Cormac looked downright disturbed, their own thoughts no doubt jarred by this Hasei speaking with Riven's face and voice but not recognizing them as friends. Nera knew the three were closer than she would like given their time in Kalos. They'd almost seen him as a little brother. A violent, overgrown, grumpy, and rather snippy little brother. Barely a man.

Not anymore.

This person sitting before them, with eyes the color of blood and an undertone of assured savage violence beneath the façade of civility, was not that man. Nera knew with a certainty that if he didn't need them for something, he'd just as easily kill any one of them and not lose a wink of sleep over it. Alright, maybe that was her own paranoia getting the best of her, but she wasn't handing over unerring trust just yet. She remembered claws of darkness tearing the air around her in Kai's home, and she could still see that sadistic grin in her mind. This "Hasei" only appeared calm and stoic. Unease goosed along her skin as she tried to shake the feeling.

"Hasei, what do you want from my group?"

He motioned his head towards Circuit, who jumped in place. "I need his help with something. Don't piss yourself, I'm not going to flay you. Wouldn't need your permission to do that, would I?"

Circuit looked absolutely mortified, completely unconvinced.

Hasei sighed and reached into his coat, pulling out two photos with names written on the back, one of a man with blue hair and eyes, and another of a woman with long black hair and eyes the color of molten amber. Eyes Nera recognized in some of the Origins in her homeland. Very powerful ones. Her eyebrows shot up. The man's name read Sei Siera and Inari Ven.

"Are they—"

"Origins? Yes. And hold your damn horses. Before you get any ideas, they're off limits. They are of neither this era, or ours. Enough of us have become hired killers in wars and private pissing contests. They're going to be trainers, and are under a Champion's wing. Multiple, to be exact. Along with lots and lots of operative scrutiny most like. I'm sure you really don't want that kind of heat. Lance has a Dragonite, a Salamence, a Hydreigon, Haxorus... Then there's Steven and his Metagross which can fold all of you into neat little cubes if it wanted to. All you got is one half dragon. The rest of you don't even have that. Add in mega evolution and you're doubly fucked, regardless if you can evolve them yourself. If you're even remotely entertaining the idea I know you're thinking about, stop. Right now."

Everyone grumbled silently. They started to cast subtle, accusatory glances at Nera. She didn't feel like that was fair. She had self-restraint! Hasei seemed to stare right through her, completely unconvinced. She sniffed.

"I'm serious, don't try it," he advised. "Even if you did get past all the death machines on the champions' side, those Origins are well trained enough to put you all down in a fight themselves, and are as old if not older than any of you. With far, far more experience fighting other Origins than all of you. Rose, I don't care if you prefer to do stupid things on your own time, but collecting Origins like lost kittens is dangerous. It only works when they're weaker than you, and some don't appreciate being forced to serve your whims. Riven was an anomaly, not the norm."

"We've tried to tell her, but noooo," Cormac put in as Isole elbowed him.

Nera bit her lip, swallowing down something unwise. "Fine, I won't… reach out to them. If they're not from either time period, where did they come from?"

"From the same era all those spheres are from. Ah, stop. Don't get your hopes up. One was a teacher for children and the other was a soldier that didn't think too hard about his duties. More of a glorified guard? Yeah, that sounds about right. Tame those expectations way down."

Nera's crashing excitement was completely visible on her face.

"Ah. So, they don't know shit about fuck," Cormac concluded aptly. Hasei nodded. Styx laughed again.

"Riven and I made sure to make it as hard as possible for you or any other group to get them under duress, and if you did, you'd get nothing out of it but disappointment. Precautions, in case my warning didn't take."

"By other groups you mean Charaph," Nera said. "Our common enemy, if you're here with me and not them."

"You guys won by default. I wouldn't look at any of you if there was another choice. Origins don't grow on trees."

Isole and Cormac flinched again.

Nera soured at that. "Yeah, I can see that just fine. If I can't speak to them, then how did… oh! Information you'd need a Celebi to get… It brought them here? Was Riven part of that trip to the past? I assume they didn't just drop out of the sky into your lap, right? Finding Origins is hard enough, and we only just stumbled into them. Riven must've had some incredible luck to find them out… randomly."

Hasei hadn't bothered with trying to justify some sort of ruse. Nera had the feeling that Hasei was far more lazy than Riven had ever been. That guy absolutely would have tried to spin some bullshit as fact. "Look, lying is tedious, so I'm not going to bother. Yeah, you've got the right of it. The trip didn't work out quite like he expected, but given Castelia's state, you all knew that. Simple in and out information gathering. It wasn't supposed to go to shit."

"Went to shit? You call that going to shit?" Cormac raised a finger, pointing to the southern sky. "Good lord, man, the sky exploded. What the fuck did you do? And where the fuck did you get a Celebi? Pulled it out of a garbage dump behind the local Sammy's? The one that talked to us just gave us cryptic bullshit and showed us a forest with really big trees and said stuff to Nera that really freaked her out. I didn't get half of it, truth be told. Then we saw our simple-minded ancestors—that was really freaky—and that was about it. Then it took us back and left."

"I told Riven that, yeah," Isole confirmed. "Very strange experience."

Nera, arms crossed with a grave expression on her face, eyed Hasei. "It told me that bringing people back in time, or forward, was fine as long as it didn't disturb anything. Just sightseeing shouldn't be an apocalyptic event that needs Dialga to arbitrate unless you thoroughly messed with time and fate. Where did you find this other Celebi? And what did you do?"

Hasei scratched at his cheek absently. His eyes widened a little as he mentally recalled things.

"Uh, it kind of found a mutual friend instead?"

"Where?"

"In the middle of Rustboro. The Devon building, executive suite?"

"Oh, fuck off," Aero said. "That's bullshit and a half."

"That has to be bullshit," Isole called as well. "They don't like humans. Especially not cities."

"So I've been told. Fact is, it came looking for an Origin and found one of the few people with enough power and influence that knew Riven for what he was and didn't tend to jump around much. Steven Stone was the natural candidate. Naturally that cost him problems with the lockdown of the entire Unova region."

"Wait, Cerul knows Steven fucking Stone?" Aero blurted. "What the shit?"

Everyone likewise realized just how close they'd been to getting destroyed if the former champion of the Hoenn region had known they'd press ganged Riven into service. His presence in the attack at Prism Tower started to make a lot more sense. They paled. Everyone had seen the footage of an annoyed champion utterly playing with his opponent, which had been a mega evolved Tyranitar.

"Mere stroke of luck, that." Hasei clicked his tongue, wondering how to put it in a digestible way. He gave up immediately. "As for how things went… Well, they really went to shit. We did mess with time… and fate. A bit."

"A bit?" Cormac suddenly looked very unsure about going anywhere with Hasei. "You didn't happen to leave the walking disaster part with Riven, did you? That was a one off thing?"

"Starting to think the luck rubs off, actually. Don't worry, we'll get plenty of chances to die where we're going, Cormac," Hasei assured. Almost proudly. Cormac's confidence cratered further.

"Meddling with fate is a dangerous proposition," Ieia warned, eyes hard. "It attracts the eyes of heaven. People tend to ignore such things, until heaven responds. Usually disproportionally. There is a reason psychics treat the future and its readings with ambiguity rather than clarity. Was that Celebi a fool, letting people like the dark one run amok?"

"Oh, yes," Hasei answered with a tired sigh. "Very much yes. Riven had never met a more stupid pokemon. Poochyena puppies have more sense—they at least run away from threats they can't handle. Which is right up Riven's brand of luck. First Celebi he sees and it's a suicidal idiot. If I could pull it out of the underworld and strangle it, I would."

"Celebi's are legendary pokemon. What did it try to fight that it couldn't handle?" Isole asked.

"Yveltal."

"Oh fuck," everyone whispered simultaneously, blanching.

"Yeah. See what I mean? You'd have to be insane to think you could take that without being called Xerneas."

Styx whistled. "I thought Celebi didn't mess with humans, much less their own convoluted rules. This one plucked two Origins outta their own timeline and dumped them here, ruffling some very important Legendary scales in the process? Doesn't sound characteristic for one of their kind. Our Celebi was adamant about not breaking those rules. Aren't they meticulous about how they go through time? Something about what Ieia was saying. Meddling with fate is a stupid idea."

"They're supposed to be more reserved, not showing up in the middle of a human city causing all the plants to start growing out of control. I suspect the one that found Steven, and later Riven was quite veritably insane. They don't think like humans, and this one didn't even think like Celebi. Insane psychics aren't very rational decision makers, Riven would know. And besides, that Celebi didn't bring them back, it only brought Riven there," Hasei said.

"What does that mean?" Benjamin went through a mental list of sorts. "Something else did? Dialga? That doesn't seem right."

"Dialga fixes fuck ups, not causes them, so no, not quite," Hasei elaborated helpfully. He refused to say anything further, which pissed everyone off.

"Oh, come on, man, you can't just leave it like that!" Cormac complained. "Nera's gonna turn purple at this rate! Look at her!"

Hasei did, stifling a chuckle. "Oh, now I definitely can."

Nera looked like she wanted to set him on fire.

"I believe I know what he was hinting at. Whatever he and the other dark human did is what brought them to this time. That is why it caused such a horrific ripple. If the Lord of Time had not interfered, the world might have split apart," Ieia explained, eyes wide. "You nearly doomed the world in your desperation to return. You are a fool."

"There are very few things you wouldn't do if you were trapped like a bird in a cage. And this is why humans should never have time travel. We'd destroy the world within a week, mainly through ignorance and stupidity."

"That makes two Celebi seeking out Origins for unspecified purposes. One significantly more driven than the other, and our Celebi started crying. Seeing a Legendary cry is something I never want to see again. What gods damned role do we have to play, and how far does it go? I suspect this is where you draw your line in the sand." He nodded. Nera's teeth had begun to grind and her body temperature rose to searing. "I. Want. Answers. What happened in the past, Hasei?"

He backed away from grabbing range and held out his hand before the woman went supercritical, where a pink crystal sat in his palm. Ieia marveled at it nearly instantly, her type resonating with its power. Nera's greed for knowledge nearly made her want to snatch it out of his hands when she noticed Ieia's reaction, but she held herself back, waiting. The air around her cooled.

"I understand you want answers, and you'll get them. It's all in here. All the answers to the questions Riven's experiences can answer. I give you the crystal, and I get Circuit's help and your crew for something of my choosing. After. Not before. You want more details? Then that means we work as equals. I'm not under your thumb, and no one is under mine. I won't leave in the night, either. I honor my deals. Understood?"

He pocketed the crystal and held a hand out once more. Nera scrutinized it, remembering those dark claws. Swallowing her pride and driven by burning curiosity, she nodded, shaking it. "Can't believe I'm saying this to a damn Nightmare. You have a deal. What do you want from Circuit? That's within his power, of course."

"Nothing too fanciful. I need your techie over there to get my two Origins authentic training licenses, a vaguely believable backstory that doesn't look like a block of cheese under the slightest scrutiny, birth records, and identification. No questions asked, no additional extraneous details. And one for me, while you're at it. Make it some place in Johto or something. Legitimacy is useful and I'd really like to just wave a badge in front of someone and not have them ask me too many things."

Circuit considered all that and blinked. His nervousness disappeared as he seemed to contemplate the difficulty of the request. Nera knew that the man was skittish around dangerous people and hardened trainers, but in his domain behind the safety of a screen and lines of code, the man had an ego the size of a mountain. "Huh. That's it?"

"Would that be difficult or…?"

"Not at all," the techie replied, waving a hand. "Child's play actually. No hacking or crazy backdoors needed. The League's newer security protocols were designed by some of my friends, and the regional governments' records are easier still, accessing them wouldn't be difficult. I could even select which region they'd like. No one would even notice. By the way, does that mean you won't try to kill me?"

"Do you want me to?" Hasei asked, taking out a small knife like he would a pen.

"No, no!" Circuit clarified, shaking his head vigorously. Hasei pocketed the knife. "And what about the other one? The uh, actual gym leader?"

"Avoid him. He might kill you out of spite. Or break your knees, then you might wish he'd killed you instead." Hasei rubbed his chin, thinking. "Or maybe he'd break your fingers first? You know what? Yeah, best avoid him. Forgetting someone that fucked him over like you did is not something he does well."

"Oh." Circuit swallowed uncomfortably.

"What about this other task you mentioned?" Nera asked, sitting back down on her log and significantly more at ease. Hasei put his goggles back on. "Does it have something to do with Twixt Mountain?"

"Thankfully, no. Mistralton Cave, not too far from here," Hasei confirmed, gesturing. "You all noticed I'm not exactly rife with powerful pokemon. Efrain is very strong, and as Origins we can keep up with some pokemon for a time, assuming no weaknesses. Not so much when the pokemon I hope I don't face have a direct type advantage over me and are on a higher scale of power than the norm. I may have a stronger affinity for the dark than my Primary did, but a Sacred Sword is bad, bad news for me. That's where all of you come in. Call it insurance."

Benjamin's mouth fell open. "Mistralton? That cave is home to the Swords of Justice. That's—that's not a fight we want."

"Never said I wanted a fight. I really, really don't," Hasei reasoned. "Too much work and there's a high chance we'd get fucked on. But they've made their home on something in there. Something ancient within the cave, deeper than they probably realize. Or… they're protecting it because they do realize what it is. I suspect the sister piece of the artifact key Cormac and Isole were trying to retrieve in Kalos is there, along with more buried secrets. Maybe more spheres, or who knows what. Speaking of, have you uncovered anything new about that key piece from Kalos or…?"

"No, we haven't. Just old myths and legends that seem more story than truth. Charaph has it anyway, making it a moot point, but we tried nonetheless," Isole explained. "If there's a key, maybe there's a vault? How do you know this is where the sister piece is?"

"I don't. All I know is that a legend points to a land of dragons. Unova has three legendary dragons in Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem. Riven figured it was a good bet, and he had a good theory about what our merc friends wanted to do. The fact it lines up is suspiciously good."

"Three legendary dragons… Sinnoh's a good candidate for that too," Cormac proposed.

"Other spheres were also found here, not in Sinnoh. Unless all of you know something Riven didn't."

"Bah, forget that region. Place was a bust," Styx said. "Spent half a year there searchin'. Nothin' but false trails and old folks' tales of local legends, mostly about the Creation Trio. Lot of Arceus in them. Interesting, but not what we're lookin' for. Nothing there dated back to our elusive world spanning empire either. Unova sounds like the winner."

"Placing your secrets in a place so close to Arceus' rumored mountain would be unwise. Our ancestors did enough to piss him off initially, no need to do it twice. No, thrice?" Isole mused. "Sinnoh being barren does make sense."

Hasei nodded agreement.

"Riven came here because of the excavations and strange phenomena. It's not a coincidence that more and more of these ruins are being uncovered after centuries of nothing. We aren't the only ones to notice, either. Same thing drew Charaph and Singularity, I assume, if their Origins are old worlders like some of you. As for Mistralton cave, well I can't be certain this is the place, but what better location would there be to hide something so important than to bury it beneath a cave soon to be protected by powerful legendary pokemon? Pokemon known to directly fight against people. I knew the Naueilhi. They had others from the future to consult them about how the modern world looks, specifically in our time, right now. Many of those advisors were researchers working for Singularity."

"What? How'd they get there? Not your same survival-challenged Celebi, right?"

"Thankfully no. What happened was more of a freak accident involving something the Nauer Empire used to use as a power source," Hasei said, scratching his head. "Which our friends over at Singularity tampered with. Using a laser. You do not want to be transported through time in an unstable pocket of chaotic time and space. Fusing into solid surfaces is… less than advised. Things get messy, and meat tends to lose to solid objects."

Everyone seemed to imagine that, donning various expressions of disgust. Hasei refocused, bringing their attention back to the matter at hand.

"Which is to say that we won't be the only ones looking for this. Charaph and Singularity might be there too. If we encounter them, either of their forces, I assume it wouldn't be a problem if we left them in pieces?"

"I'd advocate for disintegration myself," Nera proposed with an angry hiss. "One of theirs nearly killed the twins on a job two years ago in Paldea. A man with a burned scar along his face, like someone cut him with a laser instead of a blade. We didn't even know he was a part of Charaph until recently. You've been in Unova longer. Well, Riven, I guess. Know anything about him?"

"Never seen the guy. Riven didn't at least. Is he that dangerous?"

"Man knows his craft, and he's got skills as a trainer and an assassin, most likely ex-military. He wasn't as strong as a halfway trained Origin, but he was able to keep up with us, somehow. That caught us off guard. His pokemon, though, are very strong," Aere said as he pulled the top of his shirt down, revealing a deep scar running up his clavicle and towards his back. Like a scythe had been brought down onto his flesh. His brother lifted his shirt too, revealing a scarred over puncture wound in his side. One twin spoke, then the other. "Kabutops. Gallade. Both his. Scary strong. And fast."

Hasei took in the wounds with mild curiosity. He lifted his own shirt, revealing the multitude of scars. "Scyther, mostly." The twins acknowledged it, to which Hasei responded with equal respect. Nera resisted the urge to roll her eyes out of her skull. Minutes ago they were ready to kill each other and now they were exchanging scars with weird nods and eye glimmers. Men were strange. Even ones that had spawned fully grown, like Hasei. That still didn't make sense to her.

"Any objections to what I plan to do?"

Hasei's voice broke her out of her daze. "None. Having you as an ally brings more answers than we could ever bring ourselves. But as soon as this is done, I will need a full accounting. No understating, no vague recollections. You've been holding back out of caution."

"Obviously. Can you blame me?"

"No, I can't. I can respect a healthy sense of caution. So, it's settled, then? When do you plan to head to the cave, and what's your idea for how this goes? Got a plan?"

"Please tell me it isn't pray nothing goes to pot," Styx said. "I like ancient secrets and long lost treasure as much as anyone, but I like living more. You do like living, right?"

Hasei didn't seem to have good news on that front. He thought for a moment, raising a finger as an idea came to mind. "What about hope? It's better than praying?"

Nera and Isole giggled. Styx looked like someone had shot him. "No, it isn't. It's worse! We're all going to die in a musty old cave. Nera, this is your fault!"

"You can back out now and have us make fun of you for the rest of your days," she responded primly. He stammered.

"No! That's worse than dying!"

"Alright, I'll give some suggestions to calm our Galarian friend here down," Cormac said as he clapped Styx on the back. "I say we wait a day, resupply at Mistralton. If we fight pokemon of the Swords' caliber, then we're going to need medical supplies. Lots of them… What we don't need are people who can't pull their own weight in a scrap. Sorry Circ, but you can't fight for shit."

Circuit shook his head. "Oh, for sure. I don't even have any pokemon. I hate the outdoors anyway. You all have fun not dying, I guess. Wait, Nera, if you die, do I still get paid?"

"Yes, you will. Until the funds run out. There's a good amount."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

"We'll drop him off in Mistralton," Nera said to her Gardevoir. "Aere can also use another day of Ieia's Heal Pulse for that leg. Before you say you can keep fighting, Aere, I know you're tough, but a wounded leg is a wounded leg. Don't be stupid."

The fire twin's jaw clenched as he grimaced in Hasei's direction. Sarcastically, he scoffed. "By your orders, my lady."

"Stopping in the city is a sound idea," Isole reasoned. "We head out tomorrow evening, get there by night. Shouldn't be difficult to avoid the minimal UFO patrols along the routes if we fly low. They're all focused on the Challenger Rush prep and safeguarding the leaders. Do you need a ride on the way back, Hasei? I know you can't teleport."

The way he scowled made everyone know that he despised that fact. They would too, if they couldn't.

"No, I can travel with less attention using Efrain anyway. When we get to the forest I can scout ahead using the cover of darkness," Hasei proposed. "If anyone is waiting outside or around the area, I should be able to spot them. Apollo's aura sight would be good too if someone with a psychic interfaces with him. Just don't look at me for too long, and keep that aura sphere in check. Steel type or not, I'll find a way to stab you if you don't."

The Lucario stabbed him with a glare instead.

"My Gengar can help Apollo while being invisible," Styx offered. "He's a stealthy ghosty, and there's lots of shadows in a forest. Ieia, no offense, isn't very inconspicuous. The white dress kind of stands out against the trees."

The Gardevoir looked at him, nonplussed, but acknowledged that.

"And if it all goes wrong anyway?" Benjamin asked. "Are you bringing the nuclear option, Nera?"

Nera turned to place a gentle hand on her Charizard's sleeping neck. "Legendary pokemon may be strong, but a mega evolved Charizard is no slouch. I'm sure Yan and I can hold them off for a time."

"Then I can join in too," Isole said. "Two mega evolutions should give us a ledge to stand on."

"Wish I had that kind of optimism. Stories of the Swords paint a very different picture," Styx added dryly. "Oi, Nightmare man, we're going to get ass-dragged, aren't we?"

Hasei held up his hands in a shrug. "Probably, yeah."

Isole kept going, clearly tuning them out. "The rest of you keep Terrakion off me and Yuvir can tackle Virizion, Nera can handle Cobalion. Keldeo shouldn't be too hard to keep away, I hope. If all else fails… we run as fast as our legs can take us."

Decent plan if they were spitballing. In reality, holding up even one of the Swords with just a mere type advantage was excessively optimistic, but it did ease their concerns in spirit. Morale and all that.

"What about human combatants?" Benjamin inquired. "Charaph or Singularity might be in the area. Should we engage immediately or hold off?"

"Ah. Forgot to tell you," Hasei said. "I scouted ahead before you all came here and there's a fortified camp set up not too far away from the front of the cave. They've been here a while. Mistralton used to have more foot traffic until recently. Guess that camp's presence solved that mystery. No idea who it is but I can guess. Armed guards and sentries. Though not much in the way of experienced pokemon at first glance. Could be wrong, though, I didn't get too close. A surprise assault could have all of them dead and the camp in ruins if we do it right."

"What if they're not Charaph and someone else?" Cormac asked. "Operatives?"

Nera laughed heartily at the thought.

"I highly doubt the UFO or anyone else that answers to the Unovan government would be monitoring a cave known to harbor mythical pokemon unless they were really stupid. What reason would they have for doing it, anyway? They know if people don't bother the Swords, then they won't get themselves killed. Anyone who disregards that is just looking to get put on a shirt. If Singularity and Charaph are after the same thing we are, their presence there is obvious. Winter storms are driving all the trainers back south too; that provides an ample opportunity for them to observe Mistralton with little distractions they can't deal with. You also said they were armed. What kind of arms?"

"Rifles. And not the hunting kind," Hasei answered, letting the implications sink in. Nera nodded, eyes hardening.

"Definitely not innocent campers or UFO, then. Anyone that has any business using things like that aren't people we should feel guilty about putting into the ground. We go straight for the jugular. Swift, destructive, and deadly. Any objections?"

Silence.

All in accordance, Nera had to admit that she was pleased. Hasei, despite his nature and inexplicably dubious way of coming into existence, showed far more willingness to cooperate than Riven ever had. And he was supposed to be a bloodthirsty monster.

Maybe the tales of Altean Nightmares weren't all true. Then again, none of them ever had their own body to begin with in a state that wasn't short of murderous and absolutely deranged. At least according to what her father and some of the older men had told her. Those stories might've been more tall tale than truth, now that she thought of it.

Still, she wondered if Riven's odd copy would show her how formidable Riven could be if he applied everything he had at his disposal. Riven was very skilled in combat for his age, but he fought like a normal would, with regular human limitations. That was a conscious decision, no doubt influenced by his upbringing. Aero and Aere were good enough to match him for a time, she wagered, but they had fire on their side and had been trained from birth to serve the royal family, which had included formal instruction on how to use their fire-based powers. They had no such reservations about using Origin enhanced strength and speed to their advantage.

And yet Hasei disabled both of them in seconds.

Granted they hadn't been expecting Efrain's equalizing potential, but that brought up an interesting point. No one had ever seen a halfway trained dark Origin on the battlefield for centuries, even in her own time. Only broken facsimiles that eventually lost their minds and had to be put down. Riven's father and his armies relied on conventional tactics as well as pokemon and very subdued uses of their dark powers to turn aside battles. Very subdued. Their cunning nature rarely, if ever, encouraged them to fight in disadvantageous situations, making combat with them often a disaster and often at night.

Innate talent was one thing, but there was no substitute for good training.

And if these Nightmares were as famed as everyone made them out to be and they could match or exceed her father's elite pyrolancers, then she was in for a treat instead of a desperate bid for survival like she had found herself in in Kalos. Yes… A thinking, rational Nightmare with the skills and expertise of a trained Remnant soldier. She nearly cackled.

She was glad that the dark Origin's hostilities were directed at someone else this time. It bothered her that he wouldn't be taking orders from her, but her life had been one of compromise since coming here. Assuming she didn't overstep, this could work out quite well for them all. After all, a monster in her pocket was better than a monster whose jaws were pointed at her.

Content with the outcome of this little excursion, she led her crew back to the city. After this, she'd be one step closer to the truth. Or dead.

Night came quickly the next day after dropping Circuit off and making preparations. Hasei had requested a bow and arrows with which to shoot from the darkness with, and Nera obliged. Ieia and Apollo had left for an hour to procure it from a hunting shop in Aspertia City. It was a heavy compound bow with a draw weight that could make most people shake when trying to fire it, specifically designed to punch through most armors and even injure weaker steel type pokemon.

A true enthusiast's weapon considering most people needed to be built like bodybuilders to even fire it repeatedly. The shop owner had been laughing his beard off that anyone wanted to buy it, and absolutely bewildered that a Gardevoir and a Lucario had tested it, deemed it acceptable, then bought it without any words spoken and left immediately.

Hasei, having the strength of an Origin, had had no trouble pulling it back, easily shooting an arrow with enough force to fly straighter than most archers could usually manage. That would serve them well, given they had all observed the semi barricaded encampment of armed men and women outside of Mistralton Cave. A varied mix of dark type look outs were with them, and Apollo's aura sight had confirmed the presence of twice as many enemy combatants sleeping or lounging in the surrounding tents surrounded by one that contained the highest concentration of aura, packed with the most people.

Nera could have believed that they were civilian at first glance, but civilians usually didn't carry rifles. And Apollo had confirmed one key detail; one of the aura signatures hadn't been normal. Most regular people, those that didn't train pokemon, had standard white-blue auras. Those that did train pokemon often had their auras stained from repeated contact with their pokemon's aspects, even more so if they were a monotype trainer. Not dramatically, of course, yet enough for a skilled aura user to pick up on.

That was a theory many had about why someone couldn't just pick up a keystone and mega evolve random pokemon. It simply didn't work. There had to be a bond. Or, as Nera guessed, an aspect compatibility that was stronger than normal.

Origins, however, resembled a pokemon's aura far more than a human's did. Their signatures were deeper and more vividly hued than the norm thanks to their elemental aspects, which allowed Apollo to distinguish them from others unless they suppressed it. The one signature in the largest tent was surrounded by other human auras, and from this distance into the tree line it was impossible to tell who they were, if they were male or female, and how armed or aware they were. Even their element had mixed in with the normal auras around them, the color too obscured to tell apart, yet strong enough to confirm.

The encampment was relatively exposed, with much of the snow shoveled off around the perimeter, exposing the earth and leaving a large clearing. Part of that must have been done for visibility. Having an entire forest feet away from your entire camp would be a great way to get ambushed, she supposed. It was ironic, considering her group was planning exactly that.

Hasei had climbed a tree and relayed information about some of the guards, advising that running out in the open would be a very unwise idea. With the amount of dark types being used as lookouts, psychics and a straight forward approach using psychic force to divert bullets would be too dangerous. One Dark Pulse and they would get riddled with holes. Nera agreed with his assessment.

They would hit them from the trees instead, then move in while the enemy was distracted. It was a considerable distance away, but with her own skills, as well as the twins and her Charizard, they could easily hit the tents with blasts of fire. It wouldn't presumably kill outright unless it was a direct hit, but the flames and smoke would be the real killers.

Most of her group couldn't see much except for the firelight of the camp and several road lights that shone brightly at the cave. Most of the guards were faced that way, no doubt ready in case the Swords showed themselves.

That had given her group an advantage. She sat ready, embers sparking between her fingers when several quick thwacks of a bowstring got her attention. Looking through a set of binoculars, she watched several guards fall to the ground as black and red tipped arrows buried into their chests, convulsing as they fell. She grimaced as Hasei's power ripped through them. From so far away and in complete darkness… She shuddered. Their pokemon, a Bisharp and a Krookodile, stood in shock as their humans fell.

Apollo leaned against a tree several dozen feet away, waiting on her say so.

A Gengar appeared beneath her shadow, giving her a thumbs up as a signal. Hasei had stopped shooting and was getting ready to enter from above. Shouts came from the camp as it stirred, a mess of movement to check out the commotion. She ordered Apollo to fire with a hand signal.

Aura gathered in his paws, swirling into an orb of power that turned into a blue missile, soaring directly into one of the barricades. Two more aura spheres followed, blowing apart tents and sending soil and earth flying.

"Aere, Aero. Join me."

As the three fire Origins joined their powers, forming a collective spear of condensed flame, Yan's mouth released a terrifying fireball, trailing flames in a five-fold pattern as it traveled. The Charizard's attack hit first, slamming into the camp like a mortar blast of fire. Then Nera and the twins released their spear. It flew through the air straight as an arrow, white hot at the tip and blazing with heat as it aimed directly at the largest tent.

If it hit, anyone inside it was dead.

The spear of burning power exploded against the tent in a burst of brilliant light, sending a plume of fire and smoke into the air as canvas, wood, and furniture were consumed in an instant. Nera couldn't see what happened now, with the flames obscuring much of the camp, but she knew it was in disarray. Then the bullets came.

Rifles fired into their section of the woods, bullet impacts shredding bark and bushes. Nera ordered her people to move, and a black and red glint, like a star in the sky, flashed. Hasei stood impossibly atop a floating broadsword, finger pointed downward. A Dark Pulse howled down into another portion of the smoking camp like a ray of death, drawing distant screams.

Hasei must've engaged immediately afterward, because Nera and her people had just repositioned when the shouting grew more frantic. Bullets stopped flying in their direction, shifting in other directions and streaking off into the night with yellow flashes. They were trying to shoot at something else instead. Nera hoped Hasei was bulletproof.

"Intruder!"

"Shit! SHIT! SHIT! He's killing every—"

"STOP HIM!"

"ARGH!"

Nera brought the binoculars to her eyes again, seeing a blur of a shadow carve through black clad men and women with sprays of blood. Firelight glinted off the blood red of a Doublade's twin swords, now a whirling dervish of death as Hasei slammed arrow after arrow into people, retreating into the smoke and flames to obscure his presence while his ghost did its bloody work. Hasei's Doublade didn't slow down, unaffected by the smoke as it cut and cut and cut all while arrows and knives finished off weakened targets. Several explosions rocked the camp as more pokemon came to the forefront, summoned by more humans that had joined the fight. Hasei and Efrain might be machines of death, but they'd be overwhelmed soon if they stayed. Fire continued to spread. Soon, the heat would begin to weaken the ghost and drive it out to open air. Hasei would run out of air to breath before that, however.

"Come on, idiot, get out of there," Isole muttered, one tree over. "Don't be stupid."

She and Cormac were still worried about the man, more eager than the rest to jump in. Nera held them back.

Dark Pulses howled into the night, one of which blew apart the fiery remains of the main tent. That revealed an encased dome of solid rock, scorched black from the heat and flames, but otherwise completely intact. It hadn't been destroyed at all. And no one inside was remotely singed.

Nera cursed. Then the ground beneath the camp began to rumble and shake. Men and pokemon stumbled around outside as Hasei took to the sky, climbing into the air by using Efrain as a stepping ladder while he continued to fire more arrows.

"Everyone target the dome!" Nera commanded. "Don't let the Origin out! Yan, Fire Blast, full power!"

Her Charizard readied another Fire Blast, spewing a stream of concentrated flames that baked the dome, heating the stone until it began to glow red. Whoever was in there apart from the Origin would not be having a good time.

"Close in, now!"

Emerging from the trees while Nera mounted Yan, they saw an entire side of the camp explode outward in a vicious detonation as claws of purple energy ravaged the ground, rising for twenty feet into the air.

"How strong is that ghost?" Aero breathed.

More people with guns came into view, sighting down where the gout of fire had come from and spotting their group.

"No time to find out, they've seen us!" Benjamin cried. "Wall!"

His Graveler, a lump under the snow, burst out, slamming into the ground. A wall of earth rose as the Rock Tomb hit, just in time to intercept a bright beam of power coming from a Heatmor and a hail of bullets from the humans. The Hyper Beam broke through several layers of the wall while bullet impacts pelted it. Several more walls rose in succession to provide cover as the mercs on the ground began to advance through the field that was rapidly being transformed into a no man's land by stray attacks.

From above, another gout of fire from Yan covered their approach before bullets and stray beams forced him to fly upward to use the cover of night.

Her team finally closing in on the camp, Nera watched the cooling dome of earth, about to cook it again when hairline fractures formed on the stone, and the top of it exploded in a spray of stone. A single form hopped out as another exit split the structure, allowing a group of humans to escape. Not guards like the others had been. These looked like… normal people? They were dressed differently and more individualistic to the mostly bleak guards. More importantly, none of them were children, or teenagers. And none of them moved like they were afraid. Trainers? Then she caught a glimpse of a full row of pokeballs amidst the light of the fires.

This could get ugly fast.

Nera's heart crashed into her stomach. They had to end this quickly or retreat, though either were looking increasingly less likely. And she was far too high up and away from the others to call off the attack. Ieia could say something, but she'd been returned to her ball and bringing her out this high up would be a very poor idea. Nera turned her attention back towards the main threat, teeth grinding in frustration.

The woman that had emerged first was holding some sort of double ended spear. The Origin. And she was pointing right at Nera. Or the big shadowed shape of a dragon in the sky, from her perspective. A flash of light from a pokeball was the only warning Nera had as one of the humans brought forth a Samurott and a jet of pressurized water had Yan desperately dive to evade.

The woman took advantage of the lack of air support, dashing off into a burning tent, emerging from the flames with nothing but embers dancing off her clothes. A fire resistant Origin. That explained the dome. She was headed directly for Hasei's location, where the fighting had tapered off and the ground looked more like a burning wasteland that had been clawed up by an angry Aggron. Hasei would be on his own, with enemies that were prepared for him.

Ice erupted on the western end of the camp, a sign that Isole had reached the perimeter. Nera flew to reinforce Hasei's side, hoping that her crew would be able to get to them quickly enough. Yan flew low and Nera jumped off his back when the Samurott got ready to repel them. Yan wheeled away from the Hydro Pump, returning a blast of fire to cover his trainer's landing. She cushioned her landing with a jet of flame from her soles. She alighted beside the dark form of Hasei, his bow in his hands, two arrows ready.

The man's face was hidden behind goggles and a facemask, visaged with teeth. And he was covered in dirt and blood. Efrain's swords levitated at his sides, the edges dripping with fluid. Around them were bodies. Dead pokemon and people alike littered the ground; they were run through, shot with arrows, or blasted apart. Nera grimaced, maximizing Ieia's pokeball and bringing the Gardevoir out. She had to trust that the ghost could get Hasei out before he died, or she'd never get that crystal.

To think that after this they were going to head somewhere more dangerous… well, the thought made her chuckle.

When the Origin emerged with her people, Hasei fired with astonishing speed. The first arrow was deflected by the woman's spear, about to pierce the man on her left, while the other shot flew toward her neck, barely visible in the night. Ordinarily, the arrow would have landed with absolute lethal certainty, requiring a technique or a shield to defend against it because humans couldn't react that quickly. That was the usual case, anyway.

Origin based combat was a little different.

The spear woman instead raised a hand and caught it— a hair's breadth from piercing her skin. Black and red energy pulsed violently at the tip, ready to tear and rend from within. It was a nasty usage of dark power.

"Huh," Hasei murmured. "Good catch."

"You're praising her?" Nera asked incredulously.

The woman watched the arrow in her hands in fascination for a moment, then flexed her wrist and snapped the shaft. She stood with a relaxed posture, her brown, honey colored hair tied into a functional ponytail. Her eyes, however, were a bright yellow, like veins of gold. A rock type. Her clothes were made of tough leathers, made for traveling… and fighting. Something not seen often on trainers in the road, or anyone for that matter. They liked breathable, hardy clothes like jeans. Not leather that tended to chafe and stink over long treks. Many trainers didn't also tend to find themselves in direct combat.

She lazily spun her spear, which seemed to be composed of stone polished so smoothly that it resembled earthy marble rather than rock condensed from nearby earth.

Now that she was able to get a good look at the woman in the light, Nera Rose, a middling princess of the Rose clan, wished that the Origin in front of her were literally anyone else.

"Those were my last two," Hasei whispered to Nera. He set the bow down with an appreciative look for its service. "There's a lot of them. Too many. Where are the others?"

"Fighting on the other side of the camp, they should be joining us soon."

Sounds of battle reached their ears, and the Origin in front of them ordered the people behind her to spread out into the field, and oddly carry some of the camp lights to different ends of the blasted clearing. More pokemon were released from their pokeballs, a spread of tertiary evolutions and more battle hardened pokemon than reasonably should've been gathered in one place.

"Full pokeballs on those belts I see," Hasei said, tensing. The ghost behind him began to settle into a ready position. Even Ieia picked up on his body language, readying herself as well.

"Wasn't a one off then. You sure? Every one of them?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck. I couldn't warn everyone in time," Nera said. "By the time I recognized all those people with her were trainers, it was too late. How many you think are experienced?"

"They're adults, for one. Grown trainers are usually retired, or very strong. And I don't think retirees would be caught out here." He grunted with irritation. "We may have made a mistake."

"Yes, I daresay we did. I don't think it'll be a life threatening one, though. If we play our cards right."

"Oh? How do you figure that? Lot of firepower I'm seeing over there. Tertiary evolutions aplenty. It's bad."

"Let's call it intuition," Nera replied with a scowl. "Stay still. Relax your posture. Trust me on this."

These were seasoned trainers, not some lackeys or grunts handed one or two pokemon and a rifle like the others had been. This would not be an easy battle, and the element of surprise was gone. They'd gone through with this assault thinking it'd be an Origin with some contingent of hired guns and half trained pokemon, not whatever this was. Sudden moves would not be the ideal situation, and everyone knew that.

Hasei grunted again, but relaxed. Yan roared above, and the Samurott beside the rock Origin prepared to fire. The woman raised a hand, and the water type obeyed, allowing Yan to land safely. Nera couldn't see Hasei's eyes narrow, but she imagined they were with the way he twitched.

"If they have that much of an advantage, what's the wait for? If all those pokemon fire on us, we're dead. Or at least force us to retreat. What's her game?"

"Only a few reasons to keep your enemies alive, but I think I know the one she'll choose. She wants a one-on-one, and an audience," Nera said with a sigh. "Right up her alley. We should have brought more people. This is going to be irritating. And painful. For you."

"Me?" He pointed at himself questioningly. "She wants to fight me?"

"Yeah, I doubt she wants to fight me at all."

"Why?"

"Because type advantages aren't fair to exploit. And she's looking right at you like a Sharpedo spotting its next meal."

"But you'd be an easy kill to her type. Why wouldn't she take that fight?" Nera practically felt his eyes focus on her. "You're either supernaturally insightful, or you know her."

"I do know her. She used to be… well, she used to be one of the friends my father had me associate with. They wanted all the kids to play nice with each other, build relationships so the backstabbing wouldn't get out of hand, you know how it is."

"I don't."

"Pity. Anyway, I'm not sure how much good that did, but she was one of the girls I stuck with the most."

His fingers twitched.

"I could say she was one of my best friends. Once." She cringed slightly. "We actually came to this world together, but we split up to go our own separate ways a fair bit of time ago."

"How long ago was that?"

"A decade or two? Maybe three? Not very long." Hasei blinked at that, but she kept going. "She wanted to be a trainer, back when the pokeball really kicked off. Obviously, I couldn't stop her. Though I didn't think we'd run into her here, or that she'd joined Charaph. Always assumed she was half the world away doing whatever it is trainers do. Small world, huh?"

Nera didn't notice the slightly hurt expression she'd begun to show. Hasei stared at her, partly in disbelief, and partly in annoyance.

"An old world Origin trainer turned merc. How original. Your 'best friend' is in Charaph, you were playmates, and she isn't blowing us apart after we killed half her camp. Small fucking world my ass… She must really like you or we really are getting set up for something asinine." He started to tap a foot, trying to think as impatience grew on the visible part of his face by the second. He got to five seconds before he gave up. Nera was impressed. "This is stupid. I don't get this."

"Of course, you don't. You kill first and don't bother with anything less. I'm glad there's not a whole country of you, or they'd have to redefine what constitutes a war crime."

"Funny you say that. Remind me who your father was again? Poisoning water sources, burning forests, salting the ground... Casual genocide of entire peoples. Sure, but the poor bastards who were being hunted down like dogs are the bad ones. Got it."

She caught quite a bit of Riven-like anger in that statement this time, and she flushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Okay, that wasn't fair of me," she admitted, then crossed her arms. Hot air misted out of her mouth as her temper warred with her logic. She wrestled it down viciously. "Look, some people like to fight fairly. She was one of the Rosan clan's wards for a time, and the rock clan was founded on honorable combat. Warriors through and through, even their women. She's no different. A fair fight is most likely all she wants. And only that. Never was much ambitious. I don't know why she joined up with Charaph or would. That bothers me."

Hasei took one look and Nera knew the man thought it was a load of horseshit.

"Whatever the reason, if I were her, I'd have turned us to dust by now," he reasoned. Nera shrugged. "So, if she's not killing us, and we're not attacking, are we just going to stand here awkwardly until the others finish killing more of her… teammates? She doesn't seem that concerned with—"

A blue explosion of aura flared up on the other side of the camp, followed by mortified screaming. A wall of ice spread along the eastern flank, quickly beginning to melt from the flames. A Hyper Beam fizzled out into the sky, followed by more multi-colored beams of light from several techniques. Nera and Hasei exchanged dubious glances for a moment. The rock Origin remained where she was, still grinning brightly, and most importantly, unbothered. It was a little scary.

"Seems so. By the way, you should limber up, don't want to pull a muscle before a fight to the death," she advised cheerily. As cheerily as Nera got to it, anyway.

He gave her a sideways glance. "She has us at her mercy and a muscle cramp is your first concern?"

"Die in pain then. I don't give a shit as long as you give me that crystal when you do." She waved casually to their enemies. They waved back.

He paused, exhaled in frustration, and then growled. Nera held a disgusting smirk as he relented and began to stretch.

"It's a good suggestion," he reasoned defensively, halfway through a quadriceps stretch.

"It is."

"Stop smirking like you won. You didn't."

Her smirk grew wider, just to spite him.

The rest of their group arrived, expectedly little worse for wear and covered in dirt and blood. Out of them all, Nera was the only one not covered in either of the substances. As for the camp? Well, more of it was on fire now. Or gone.

Nera's remaining crew all wore confused expressions, seeing her, Ieia, and Hasei in a decimated field of dirt doing stretching exercises like he was in the most twisted warm up of his life. All while in clear line of sight and nowhere to run if anybody deigned to erase them or shoot them. That was especially important, because men and women with dangerous pokemon beside them and a grinning brunette with a wicked looking spear seemed about ready to do exactly that. The sight must have been simultaneously bizarre and horrifying.

Nobody moved until Nera spotted them and waved them over.

They tentatively rejoined Nera and Hasei like they were children being escorted along on a field trip, settling alongside them and nearly stepping over a few dead people and pokemon. It was an awkward sight. Hasei could literally see their anxiety. Honestly, he couldn't blame them; it was a strange sight.

"Why is he so pale?" Hasei pointed out, motioning to Benjamin. The man was whiter than a sheet of paper as he stared at the grinning woman across the field. Hasei balanced on one leg, stretching out his right quadricep. "I'm the one that's going to fight, aren't I? Feels like I missed something."

"Because—" Nera began as a stone spear sailed across the air and smashed into the dirt beside Benjamin. He jumped.

"Is that who I think it is? Oh, little brother!" The spear woman sang, crossing the field by herself. Her people tried to stop her, but she wiggled past them all. They didn't look too concerned about her safety, given the situation. "Fancy seeing you here! Still chasing after girls? And under Nera Rose's skirts, too. Did you learn to fight yet? Did ya? We can have a spar some time! Let me see what you've learned!"

"No. Fucking. Way," Hasei remarked dryly. The twins didn't have quite the same dumbstruck expressions as Cormac or Styx, or even the mild surprise of Isole. They'd known, just like Nera. He looked around at them all, holding back venom. "Important question; how many of you assholes know each other?"

Isole tapped her chin.

"Well, all of the Origins that received those amulets or stones that saved us were children of important clan leaders. All of which were subservient to Nera's father and in turn the Curians." She waggled her hands. "So… the likelihood that we all know each other is probably high, assuming they got kicked into a close enough time period and not the dark ages, or something," she answered. "All of Nera's siblings got them, and most of the nobility and their children so…"

"That's a lot of people. Take a stab at Charaph then. Electric man and metal girl? Know who they were before this? Or that white haired psychopath?"

"As the son of Lobos, Loberia was easy to recognize, yes, but the other two are harder to narrow down. We know some of their modern reputations, especially the girl's, but it's hard to tell who they were before. Some of the royal clan families had lots of siblings. And then there were minor lords and ladies like my family. The main house clans like the Rose, the Saht of Lira, or the metal clan of Casta had siblings somewhere in the dozens. It got really extensive and some were so far down the line of succession that nobody ever saw them outside their palaces and residences. Maybe those Origins you saw in Charaph were the younger siblings, not those closer to the heir. Maybe they were—"

Hasei cut her off. "Ehh, I think I get it. Genealogies are too bothersome to deal with anyway. Whatever they were doesn't matter now. That includes her. I don't care if Thern is her brother or not. Right now, she's an enemy. I'll kill her if I have to, and I won't be sorry about it."

Benjamin winced.

They watched as the woman strode closer, still a joyous smile on her face. It did not fit the scene around them. In fact, everything about the girl didn't fit. She was attractive like most Origins tended to be, but her appearance was far from the classical depictions of an earthen warrior than Riven had formulated in his mind. There was no square jaw, bulging muscles, and masculine features; the girl looked like a regular woman that had put on armor for some sort of reenactment, not a highly trained fighter. She also looked unusually clean, given what had happened earlier.

Cormac's eyebrows furrowed as he seemed to read Hasei's mind. "Hey, I'm not insane, right? She ran through a burning tent and isn't even smudged. We're covered in dirt and look like shit. What the hell is that?"

"My aunt once told me powerful rock Origins exfoliate their skin with dust so fine the dead skin just peels off. Dirt also just comes off them. They even do it subconsciously. I'm a little jealous," Isole remarked. "You'd think they'd have to moisturize more than most, but they don't." A wistful sigh escaped her. "Actually, I lied. I'm very jealous. One day above a certain temperature and I'm a wreck. It's hell. Having heat resistance would be incredible. Then a vacation to Hoenn wouldn't feel like a punishment. I hate beaches."

Cormac and Hasei exchanged a single glance in complete silence, eyeballs to goggles. Their heads didn't even move. Isole still somehow caught it.

"What? Speak."

"Nothing," both men replied instantly. Isole saw through their lies easily. The air grew a little colder.

"Don't you dare judge me. Every woman appreciates nice skin, doesn't matter if they were born twenty years ago, or half a million. Men just like to run around flaking like beasts. No appreciation for proper skin care. You both should try it. Especially you, Cormac. You peel like an onion. I've seen it."

The man shrugged, gesturing upwards with his chin so they could focus. "Focus on my dermatitis later. Our concern's within striking distance. Don't do anything stupid now."

Now only thirty feet away from them all, the spear woman stopped, yellow-gold eyes shimmering with amusement. Benjamin raised a nervous hand to her.

"Hey… Briem," he began nervously. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I, little brother. And it's Isabella now. Prettier name," the woman replied cheerily, kicking her foot into the ground. A stone spear formed out of the dirt and into her outstretched hand, shaping itself into being. Its edges were as sharp as stone could get, and after she embedded it into the ground, she leaned on the thing like a backrest. "Do you understand how unbearably dull it's been since I got put here? It's agony! But finally something interesting happens! Now not just my baby brother shows up, but Nera Rose herself. Along with her attendants, a Raksa of all people, and holy shit a veritable unicorn! An Altean! I didn't even know you guys were still around! You are Altean, right?"

"Loosely," Hasei replied.

"I knew it! But you're working for Nera? That can't be right." She cocked her head, thinking. "Didn't her father kill all of you?"

The lack of tact made everyone inwardly cringe. Hasei didn't seem bothered by it.

"Must've missed one."

"Just one?"

"Yeah."

"Oh… that's rough. I'm sorry?"

He didn't respond. The woman frowned, sniffing. She turned to Nera, disappointed.

"Charming one, isn't he?"

"Yes, like a desert that learned to speak and just as unpleasant. Also, he's working with me," Nera corrected. "Not for. He made that very clear."

Isabella nodded and dismissed that immediately, probably deciding she didn't care much for another merc group's squabbles. She grinned instead.

"Whatever the reason, the world's upside down for sure. Even to us, you're like an extinct species. Are you a Remnant? Are you? Are you? Please tell me you are!" Isabella caught herself before her excitement got the better of her, stepping back respectfully and coughing. "Sorry. New opponents, so exciting! Your people were crazy! I heard you guys fought without any powers! But wait, I saw you use them! That arrowhead was all dark and nasty, so it had to be you, right?"

Hasei held up a hand.

"You are aware we killed half your camp?" He reminded, dabbing at some of the blood on his clothes. Some was quite generous, actually. He saw the others twitch. Cormac was whispering for him to shut the hell up, but Hasei wasn't focused on him. "You literally stepped over some of the dead like they didn't matter. Not the slightest bit angry about that?"

"Nope," she replied casually. "I didn't lose any of my people, only the Director's lackeys. Nothing important. Anyone who uses firearms are a disappointment, and I don't appreciate having babysitters, because that's what they are, useless gits. They were starting to really grate on me, though they did put up a decent resistance, I guess. For regulars. I just wish I could have seen it all directly, but all the flames were in the way. You killed a quarter of them yourself, pokemon included. So quickly and with just a bow and your one ghost. Didn't get shot once. You must be a Remnant if you fight like that!" She shook in place like she couldn't contain her energy. "But if you are, how did you get one of our amulets? Kill someone important? I thought the Altean warlord's son died well before the roar that shook the sky, so you can't be him. Or maybe you're just another one of their soldiers that got lucky. And what's with the mask? Are you someone famous or something? Beyu, who is this guy?"

Benjamin eyed Hasei, who said nothing at the barrage of questions, face still obscured by the mask and the goggles.

"Sorry, sister, but you're kind of an enemy right now. Can't tell you anything."

"Aw. That's no fun." Isabella pouted, turning to Nera. "Why'd you turn him into a buzzkill? He's like you now. All suspicious and something useless like that."

"What's your plan here, 'Isabella'?" Hasei interjected. His patience was clearly wearing thin. "We're not your friends. Either you let us go, or we fight to the death and turn this side of the forest into a wasteland. I couldn't care less about how many of your clan buddies you're catching up with. Are we going to do this or not? I've got places to be."

Efrain's twin swords uncoupled and pointed at her. Isabella's men shifted uncomfortably. She held up a fist, holding them back.

"Nera, you sure know how to pick the fun ones." She removed her spear from the ground, yellow-gold eyes hardening. "Alright. Since you're so eager, this is how it's going to go. If you try to run, my people are going to unleash everything they have and you either die or barely escape with your lives. Or you try to fight us all at once, a lot of us are going to die, and then I promise you'll be leaving this field in bloody pieces. That'd be tragic for both of our sides and I'd really hate that. Or, this is my favorite, you and I, Remnant, are going to have a friendly battle and skip all the pointless bloodshed! Spear to sword, pokemon to pokemon. No one else interferes. Not even to the death, just surrender. Nobody dies, hopefully, and everybody goes home happy! Please accept. I hate hunting down people weaker than me."

She gave him a winning smile. Hasei looked like he was deciding what part of the trap he should be watching out for. "And if I win, you let us go?"

"Better! I'll let you through to the cave, swear to the heavens. That's what you're here for, right? Of course I am, that's all anyone is here for. Personally, I don't see the appeal."

"And if you win?"

"Then I'll still let you through. Honest!"

Hasei's suspicion only grew. The girl showed no signs of deception, though. His special sight was equally unhelpful there too. Her emotions were a big blank. He scratched his head. "I don't get it. What's your angle here?"

She laughed heartily. "It's not calculus, guy. All I want is a good fight! That's it. There's no way in hell I'm passing up one against a Remnant. A Remnant with a Doublade no less. Should be fun for both of us! Not often you sharpen yourself up against one of the best trained people in the world, is it? I get that you have some issues with the rest of us old worlders, because your clan went up and got obliterated, but the Rose clan doesn't hold the leash anymore, y'know? Also, you're not in a position to bargain much. Sorry."

Hasei hated that she was right, taking stock of all the people and their pokemon standing behind the woman. Her terms were too good, but if she was telling the truth about things then that only left one option in which they wouldn't get blasted into pieces by the enemy trainers' pokemon. They were well and truly fucked if he refused and she knew that. A friendly spar couldn't hurt but he lamented the expenditure of energy to do so. And the pain he'd be in the next morning. "Well, when you put it that way, what's a little excitement?" He didn't look excited at all. There was a sigh of acceptance. "What are the terms of the battle?"

Isabella beamed again.

"Yes! Oh, you'll love this! Nera officiates, and I'll limit my pokemon to one to match yours. Your Doublade and my Sawk. Each with an advantage against our elements. Sound fair?"

Hasei eyed her. "Lethal blows allowed, or should I hold back? Don't want to accidentally kill you and have your gang of trainers kill me for it."

"Hahah! Aren't you cocky. Any and all attacks are allowed, of course!" Her eyes seem to glow slightly brighter as her smile grew even wider. "If an errant strike is enough to kill us, then we shouldn't be fighting in the first place, right? Are pokemon afraid when they fight? Not even close. Hold nothing back, and make sure you don't get skewered through too quickly too, okay?"

"Try your best, Pebbles."

"Likewise, Wisps."

With a grin and a giggle, she called out to the people behind her, her energy infectious. Hasei was considerably less enthused.

"Everyone! Pay attention and witness the very first Origin trainer battle; trainer and pokemon fighting side by side, as it should be. God, I'm so excited!"

The ground beneath her rumbled in response to her surge of joy. Reaching for her belt while twirling her spear, she released her partner, a Sawk. It bowed to Hasei, who give it a respectful nod back. Isabella and her partner began to move towards her side of the field.

Out of earshot, Hasei glanced back to Nera, whispering. "Is she that happy about this that she's skipping?"

"Briem lives for combat. She's definitely going to have a good time. I don't think you will, though. Sword versus spear is disadvantageous, and then add in her powers… Well."

"An annoyance, to be sure. Got any advice to part with? She was your friend, right? Any special tricks?"

Nera crossed her arms.

"I haven't seen her in years, so I wouldn't know about any new tricks. Don't even know a fraction of yours, either. All I can offer is general advice. Don't be fooled by her bubbly personality or her appearance. She's very skilled, with her element and without. She was the pride of her clan, after all. Origins, like pokemon, grow more dangerous with time. Don't get cornered. That's where rock types excel. I guess you should fight her like you would a rock type?"

"I wouldn't fight a rock type," Hasei muttered, frowning. "Wasn't helpful at all, but I appreciate the effort."

"You're welcome, fucking prick. I do have to say, though… I'm curious to see how you fight as a man instead of an insane rage beast with death claws. Are you limbered up?" Nera asked wryly. He shot her a glare.

Hasei watched Nera move to the far side of the field, where she took a breath and let practiced regal bearing enter her voice. It was markedly different from the battle referees Riven was used to, which suggested this bout as more of an honor duel than a true pokemon battle.

"I, Nera Rose, witness and judge this battle between warriors of earth and darkness, on the honor and righteousness of the flame. The rules are as follows: to the surrender or incapacitation of the warrior, with only one pokemon allowed to assist, and only one. No switches, no withdrawals. Bystanders, on the honor of the participants, move back and swear not to interfere, whatever the outcome on pain of violent repercussion. Fighters, prepare yourselves to fight. You have two minutes to receive counsel, then the battle will begin. Let the best element win."

---

Hasei and Efrain stood on the opposite side of the field, which Benjamin had smoothed over after the others removed the bodies. Isabella and her Sawk stood equidistant from him, with Nera standing on the side, one hand raised.

Hasei's thoughts sharpened as he breathed in and out, trying to calm his own thudding heart. Efrain said nothing, but Hasei felt the ghost's eagerness for this just as much as he did. Riven hadn't known the royalty and nobility of other great clans, much less their children. His knowledge was woefully outdated and incomplete outside of tales and the little whispering the Remnants did receive. If this Isabella was a warrior princess and fought anything like the Nauer Origins, then this would not be an easy fight. Despite the crystals embedded in his skeleton improving his power output, she would still be stronger and more durable than him in part due to her typing, and she had an advantage on the ground.

Above her, there were no colors visible. Her emotions were either locked down tight, or she wasn't feeling anything particularly strong.

Judging from the near jubilant smile on the woman's face, it must've been the latter. That meant nothing to exploit, nothing to get an advantage with. Nothing to feed on or determine what her general state was. At least, not yet. A straight fight until fatigue and desperation kicked in, then he could see where his options lay.

Fire shot from Nera's outstretched like a flare. "Begin!"

White light engulfed both Isabella and Hasei's legs, Quick Attack bursting through their muscles as they crossed the field in seconds. Efrain kept pace easily while the Sawk lagged behind. At this rate, Isabella would be met with both Hasei and Efrain before her pokemon could assist.

At least until rock formed around the Sawk's forearms and legs, solidifying into clawed gauntlets and greaves. With one slam of its foot, a tremor kicked up dust and a spear of stone rose from the ground, attempting to impale Hasei and use his momentum against him.

The blade in his left hand broke off as Efrain channeled a Shadow Claw, splitting the rising lance of earth into pieces as Hasei leaped, bringing Efrain's other blade down on Isabella's approaching spear with both hands.

Her strength was just about what he expected, her own hit rising to meet the falling sword with enough force to send a wave of air and dust flying from the impact. Her spear moved with deft grace, aiming furious stabs and slashes with her weapon as her partner closed in from the side to pressure Hasei. A Focus Blast nearly tore his head off as the rock gauntlet exploded off the Sawk's arm, having concealed the light of the technique. At the same time, Isabella had raised her spear, launching a Stone Edge of her own at Hasei.

Faced with a threat from below and above, Efrain positioned a blade horizontally behind Hasei, the flat facing towards him. In a last second dodge, Hasei kicked off the blade and into a roll, dodging between both earth and blast. He swiped at Isabella's legs as he came down, forcing her to block with her spear. He lifted his unarmed hand, and Isabella saw an opening to run him through. Then Efrain's other blade materialized in his empty hand from thin air, a pair of revenant's claws overlaying the metal.

Amber eyes widened as Isabella tried to muster a defense, but Hasei could already feel his skin tingling as a white sun of ki formed behind him, ready to shatter his spine.

Abandoning his original cut, Hasei spun in a wide arc instead, Shadow Claws tearing out at the woman and her Sawk. Isabella flew back, managing to stay on her feet. Deep claw marks gouged into a breastplate of rock that she'd hastily formed after realizing she wouldn't be able to block his attack. No blood.

Hasei took a glance to see that her pokemon had adopted the same tactic, with a solid covering of stone protecting its torso. In contrast, blood did leak out of the slashes in its chest. Its control wasn't nearly as practiced. Naturally, a user's element would empower the same techniques, and a Sawk was no rock type. That was an interesting point, and one that could be exploited.

Both trainer and her pokemon stomped the ground simultaneously. Hasei expected more Stone Edges. Sharpened rock lances didn't come from his feet, though. And they didn't feel like a localized earthquake either.

Not Stone Edge, then.

Unbalanced from the shifting of earth, stone erupted upward from around him as his opponents attempted to trap him with twin Rock Tombs. Rectangular walls of thick stone quickly cut off all light.

Rather than let panic settle in, he craned his neck and limbered up his shoulders. White light arced around his limbs like lightning, suffusing them with enough power that his limbs began to quiver and ache from pent up power. Darkness swallowed up the light from the Quick Attack's white lightning as he called forth his own power, releasing everything like a coiled spring.

Gripping Efrain with both hands, he cut his way out of the prison with twin Night Slashes, his own power boosting Efrain's enough to blast through the rock. The tombs blew apart in a cloud of dust so thick that it obscured vision. Trying to escape to open air, a spear whistled through the dust cloud a moment later, cutting a line across his cheek as Hasei jerked backward into a fall just in time. He flipped backward and off the ground in a backspring as more Stone Edges tried to impale him, emerging exactly where he had stood.

That was odd. Isabella shouldn't be able to see any better than he could. The precision of the strikes were too precise for those to just be guesses. Had she'd used the earth to pinpoint his position? That was troublesome.

How can I use that to my advantage?

A rush of wind came from behind him just as he righted himself. The Sawk could do it too? Had she taught her pokemon that?

Behind! Hasei shouted mentally, trusting the ghost to cover.

These enemies are clever! A disembodied voice laughed, the sound echoing unnaturally.

Efrain was already moving, using both blades to stop the follow up Brick Break. Metal rang like being struck by a cannon blast. The immense kinetic force generated by the fighter did nothing to his ghostly body, allowing Hasei to focus fully on the armored woman attempting to skewer him from behind the cloud cover. She could feel the movement of his body through the earth, but there was no way she could feel the movement of an element that wasn't hers. She needed to be able to see to react to an attack, so he'd use one she couldn't react to without her eyes, and one she couldn't see coming from the shifting of his body along the ground.

Hasei stopped moving, planting his feet on the ground to feed Isabella his exact location. He'd started to finally feel something from the woman, a rising sensation of elation, passion, and delight—the thrill of the fight. He used that to try and find her through the dust, like sifting through sand with his eyes closed. It took him entirely too long, but it'd be worth a bit of pain. A spear emerged from the dust, scoring a deeper than expected gash into his side as he narrowly dodged then held the spear and pulled, right palm held outward.

He ground out a vicious snarl, fighting through the fire of pain that blossomed along his side.

Isabella's face came into view just inches away from a gathering ball of black and red power she hadn't sensed in the vibrations of the earth. A Dark Pulse shifted from beam to concussive blast as he smashed his palm against her stone breastplate, engulfing her entire body in light warping energy. The surrounding dust cloud was blown away from the shifting air pressure, redirected in her direction. Hasei estimated the path her body took as she was carried away into the dirt, forming another Dark Pulse and releasing it in a beam. That one hit in her direction too, tearing a trench into the ground that sizzled with wisps of darkness and kicking up more dust into the air.

Should keep her down for half a minute. Efrain, how are you doing?

Not as well as I thought, the ghost sent back, a little aggravated. Some help, if you would?

His side burned from the bleeding wound in it and he staggered forward to try to help Efrain, who'd exchanged numerous blows with the Sawk. Stone armor and gauntlets combined with ki laced skin intercepted the ghost's attacks in return, allowing the fighter to trade hits with something that was otherwise just a floating pair of swords. Riven had almost died doing that much. Pokemon made it look so much easier than it actually was.

Efrain was attacking from multiple angles, and still the Sawk kept up with him, using preternatural senses honed from years of fighting experience to match the ghost's unorthodox fighting style. Thanks to their respective types, however, neither of them were able to seriously damage the other. They were trying to keep the other from attacking their humans, who both had disadvantages against either of their attacks. A war of attrition. Luckily for him, ghosts didn't get tired.

Before Hasei even got a chance to join the fight, a bright yellow spear of stone impaled the ground where he'd just stood, causing stone lances to rise from the earth like a Sandslashes' mane. Hasei had just managed to escape upward, using a blast of darkness to propel him away from the ground. One of the rising rock spears stopped a mere inch away from his face.

As he landed, an explosion of force came from the trench in the earth his initial Dark Pulses had created, and Hasei could see a bloodied Isabella using an accelerated lance of rock to propel herself into the air and down onto him, spear first. Blood had soaked her hair from a wound along her scalp, running down her face. She'd taken two Dark Pulses directly, one of them point blank, and all she'd suffered were mild blackened burns and gashes that while painful to look at, weren't life threatening or disabling. Her rock armor had been disintegrated, her leathers fraying and singed, but she was far from badly damaged.

Special attacks like his were especially devastating to most physical fighters, and rock types were hardly ever special types, much like steel. But she'd weathered those attacks just fine. Curiously, her armor hadn't. Which meant it wasn't a question of his power, but of her actual resilience.

Her defense against special attacks must be astounding. Is it an ability? Hasei thought, just before her spear came down on him like a Tyranitar's fist. Her downward slash hit with weight of a collapsing wall, sending soil flying and burying Hasei into the dirt several inches. His feet felt like someone had driven nails in them, knees nearly buckling.

Hasei grunted against Isabella, arms shaking, for a moment holding the woman entirely aloft in the air. Isabella noticed the red blade in his hands and laughed wildly, clearly impressed that he'd managed to block that without getting smeared into the ground. Efrain had zoomed backward mid fight, allowing Hasei just enough time to get a blade to block the spear physically and absorb a majority of the power behind it.

Hasei pushed Isabella off, and when her Sawk muscled past Efrain's other sword to strike at him, Hasei disappeared in a blink, now behind both Isabella and her fighter, holding Efrain's blades crossed. The look of surprise on both their faces would be satisfying any other time, but Hasei preferred his fights short and absolutely over.

Hands shaking from the previous blow, Hasei's own darkness joined the midnight blades of power coursing through Efrain, drawing a pained grunt from the ghost as blade and wielder combined techniques. They couldn't do this too much, more as a result of Hasei's own power eating away at the ghost's essence the more he channeled it through the metal, as opposed to channeling it through a more mundane weapon. He'd already done it once, and now he was doing it again. Efrain could handle it, he hoped.

What they got in return was one hell of an attack.

Camp lights set up to illuminate the dueling area dimmed as the power of darkness waxed.

An X shaped slash cut through the air and the ground, roaring with the cold power of the dark. A shudder passed through the earth as Isabella let out a challenging scream. Earth rumbled as if in concert to her challenge and walls of rock rose in an instant, denser and thicker than any she had originally summoned. The power of his and Efrain's combined Night Slash tore into them, rending them to no more than bits of rubble before Isabella met the focal point of the attack with her spear and tore through it with a roar of effort, shearing pieces of her rock armor off just from the remnants of destructive power.

The residual energy wave that continued to travel behind her turned a pair of trees in the distance into chunks of wood and splinters, but Hasei barely noticed that. What he did notice was the woman's spear before impact; it had grown larger. Then Hasei saw her.

Yellow lines of circuitry swirled in mesmerizing patterns along her exposed forearms, and veins of gold coursed through the earth beneath her. The same energy flowed throughout her molded weapon, empowering it to be denser, stronger, and sharper. Bits of armor assembled themselves from cast off stone, shaping into far more defined mail made of golden tinged scales than rough stone. He expected rock types to be bulky, but Isabella was lithe, more like a Liepard covered in armor than a Graveler attempting to crush its opponent. When Hasei's follow up strike was deflected by Isabella angling her body to glance off the scales, Hasei hastily blasted himself back, narrowly dodging a gauntleted fist from punishing his approach.

He didn't re-engage, observing her for a moment instead. Origin Awakening manifested differently with each type, but there was no mistaking it.

The match was on a time limit now, and not in his favor. Hasei hoped he lasted longer than her capacity to stave off the Crystallization point, or he was going to waste this body by ending up a sack of meat rather than a person. For a friendly battle, this woman sure didn't make it seem that way. Still, he couldn't stop a small grin from emerging on his face. Good thing he had a mask.

Isabella didn't share his reluctance to engage, blurring forward with white lightning, her Quick Attack faster and stronger with her increased power. She wasn't nearly as fast as an electric Origin doing the same, but she made up for it with sheer strength. This time when she attacked, Hasei felt the bones in his arms begin to crack. That was alarming. Were he a regular Origin without the Caas'vi crystals melded into his skeleton and Unawakened as he was, his bones would've shattered.

She appeared mildly surprised for the first time since their fight began that he'd been able to block her blow at all. That naturally only made her more excited.

Her speed and strength only proved worse when her partner used the same trick of earth to propel himself towards Hasei, fist glowing bright white with a different energy. The Sawk crashed fist first into a double-bladed makeshift shield made of paired blades. His momentum stopped dead, and rather than futilely try to fight a ghost that was outright dismissive of his every attack, he gripped Efrain's handles, bodily flung him backward and entombed the ghost in rock.

Then he layered the prison, again and again.

Hasei, thrown off from the mismatch in strength, began to sweat in earnest. He didn't expect that.

It would only hold a steel type for a couple of seconds, but that would be enough. Hasei couldn't dodge both Isabella's spear and her fighter's ki infused punches unarmed without weapons of his own. The dark wasn't suited for defense, and his dark armor wouldn't do much to hold off a fighting type attack even if reinforced. Not from an experienced pokemon, anyway.

He ducked a stab at his neck, deflected a slash at his leg with a precise application of Protect along his calf, and got in close to the rock woman, putting her body between him and the Sawk. Dark power gathered around his elbow, bursting into the woman's breastplate like a thunderclap. Even so, she took the hit with a grunt and removed a section of stone from her armor, forming it into a stiletto of razor sharp stone in an instant and impaled it into Hasei's shoulder. He gritted his teeth in pain as his other hand produced a mundane steel knife from his coat and coated it in dark energy.

He returned the favor, the blade digging through the stone of her armor with mild resistance, finding flesh through the scaled plates. This time, she yelled in pain as the dark energy ravaged tissue. Her special defense might've been exceptional, but her physical resilience was no better than other rock types. Interesting. Still more resilient than most, but not infallible, and certainly not resistant to the strange edge of the dark element. Useful information, to be sure, and something that he would've appreciated when he wasn't being assaulted by two attackers instead of one.

Growing tired of combat in a range her weapon was ill-suited for, she tried to shove him off with the haft of her spear, which he wrestled for control. She won out handily, orienting him to the side and back, putting him between her and her pokemon again. Her spear whirled, end first in his direction. With another hastily formed Dark Pulse to force Isabella back, he had just turned around when a flying knee from the Sawk dispersed ki and a massive amount of force into his abdomen, a hit which he tried to mitigate with a Protect, praying it worked. Having used the shielding before, the energy flickered for a moment, then held. The fighting type energy that crashed into the shield smashed it to pieces, and only a portion of the power in the strike transferred. It still felt like a Rapidash had kicked him in the chest.

Dark armor layered underneath the Protect shattered like glass, fading into black smoke as it dispersed the kinetic energy remaining. The hit was painful, though not debilitating.

He was carried off his feet, rolling into the dirt not far from where Isabella had been blown back to. That had been purposeful too, now that he realized. He could hear a faint buzzing from the tomb encasing Efrain, and realized what the ghost was doing.

Need to hold them longer. Just… a little bit more.

Hasei flourished his knife at both his opponents, urging them forward. Did he feel confident? Absolutely not. He was staring down a durable and stronger opponent and her pokemon that had the same strengths and a type advantage. He was right fucked if he didn't play this right.

Isabella was already on her feet and ready to pounce again. He could feel the exhilaration of battle in her like a wild song of war now, and he tapped into his ability, drawing strength from her emotions as he drained them away. Her Origin enforced will tried to prevent it, but he tore into her mind with the ease of a Nightmare's hunger. An all too familiar feeling, and one he loathed to use. Each use made his control falter. Too much and this might end badly.

Still, he ate.

"Mine!" He growled, his eyes glowing red as his ability activated. His muscles felt power course through them as she staggered, the dissonance of her missing fervor clashing with her own mind's attempt to correct the imbalance and the intruder attempting to take what wasn't his. The disorientation been enough to stall her attack when she clutched her head in pain.

"What did you just do?" She asked, shaking her head. "Some sort of mind intrusion? Invading a lady's personal mind is kind of rude, Wisps. This is only our first battle! We don't even know each other that well yet!"

"I should take a bigger bite, then. Really savor it. The food is delicious."

He paused. Her emotions as an Awakened Origin were, for lack of a better term, heavy. They were influencing more than he realized, if he was saying things like that. Too late to take it back. Might as well make it look intentional.

She opened her mouth as if astonished, then twirled her spear again, the shock turning into a big grin that stretched out on her face. "You trying to fight on a different kind of battlefield, Remnant?"

Hasei shrugged as he looked at the woman up and down. She was covered in armor and bleeding to match, but that would probably flatter her even more. "Wouldn't mind."

"A lover and a fighter that can keep up with me? Are you trying to push all my buttons, you dark little flirt?" Isabella giggled, her spear blurring forward. She was fast, frighteningly so.

"Maybe I am," he said, settling into a stance.

Her eyes widened in shock as Hasei moved with a sudden speed, sidestepping the moving lunge as he gripped the haft and slashed downward, black and red darkness overlaying a knifed hand. The top half of the spear fell to the floor, severed neatly.

Her surprise allowed him to pull on the remaining spear haft, jumping up and kicking Isabella in the chest hard enough to send her skidding back. To her credit, the remaining spear half instantly reformed into a shorter spearhead, orienting it for another lunging stab. She poised to move in again, but stopped dead as she felt the earth prison break before she saw it.

Finally. Took the damn ghost long enough.

Efrain's tomb was sliced in two as a buzzsaw of whirling blades emerged from it, heading straight for Isabella. A rictus grin emerged behind Hasei's mask when the woman saw the rapidly approaching Gyro Ball that was Efrain, spear lifted and reinforcing her body with pieces of stone that rose from the earth. She had only just managed to elongate the spear enough again before a spinning buzzsaw of death came bearing down on her.

A beautiful opening.

Hasei pointed a finger at her, gathering chaotic darkness into the point and unleashing one more Dark Pulse to force her to move. She slammed her foot down, a wall of stone emerging in front of her like a shield, but he fired anyway. The backdraft of dust concealed him as thudding footsteps came from behind him, no doubt followed by a glowing fist.

The Sawk.

With a slash of his hand, a dark rent formed in mid-air, solidifying just enough to carry his weight and keep him airborne. Seismic sense failing him, the Sawk's fist blew apart the wall, giving Hasei the opportunity he wanted. Emerging sparks and the squealing of stone against steel was all he needed to know that Isabella would be locked down for a moment. If she moved, Efrain would split her in two.

She was rooted, but he wasn't.

He vaulted over the remains of the stone wall, narrowly avoiding a rough spear thrown from behind that sailed into the air. Once over and descending, Hasei held his right arm out in a knife handed motion, darkness wreathing it to form a spectral blade of midnight.

Isabella took a momentary glance to see him coming down on her, just as her spear was sliced into two pieces. Efrain's Gyro Ball had been weakened by the contest between strength, falling apart just as one of his blades raked across Isabella's hardened scalemail armor and cut through with mild resistance. She bit back a scream. Feet rooted, she raised both ends of her spears like swords to catch the following blade and Hasei's falling Night Slash.

Hasei's strike was turned wide while Efrain's was repelled with a mighty heave. Their two-pronged attack hadn't worked as well as he'd liked, but the woman had taken a nasty cut along the chest from Efrain to do what she'd done. The wound would slow her. Against an Awakened Origin, that was invaluable. He barely got to his feet when blue hands smashed through the rock wall, grabbed both sides of the stone, and wrenched it apart. Two hand sized chunks of rock flew at Hasei, who spun back with Efrain and sliced them apart. Powerful swipes from stone claws and punches from the Sawk were turned aside and deflected, each shoving trainer and ghost further away from the wounded woman.

Hasei grunted in annoyance. They'd have seconds before the woman behind them rejoined the fight, then they'd be sandwiched again.

When Isabella steadied herself, this time armed with a stone greatsword that she lifted like a relatively lightweight stick, Hasei and Efrain stopped holding back. Human and pokemon fought with a dizzying ferocity, exchanging blows and slashes in flashes of Quick Attack enhanced motions and an impressive demonstration of swordplay and martial skill. Efrain and Hasei fought like psychics did, using pursuit and Efrain's unique nature to emulate teleportation-based combat and simultaneously fight both Isabella and her Sawk, Remis. They were no less skilled, however, meeting Hasei and Efrain's blurring speed with power and coordination that was difficult to ignore, much less overcome without equal physical strength.

The sounds and pace of battle carried across the field and the forest, tearing lines along the ground and forming craters in other places from missed Stone Edges and Dark Pulses. Neither side gave an inch, fighting like there was a championship on the line. Or death, perhaps.

"Yes, yes!" Isabella exclaimed, her voice full of absolute joy despite the worrying amount of blood running down her body. Hasei's own situation wasn't much better. Her exhilaration grew stronger and stronger the more intense the battle became. It radiated out of her with every exchange of sword and fist.

Hasei couldn't help but agree, absorbing more and more of her passion and lust for battle to even come close to contesting her physical strength. Soon enough, he was grinning just as much, the emotions intoxicating his mental state further and further. He couldn't win in a straight up fight against her Awakened strength even with his Emotion Eater boosting his own physical power, so he and Efrain had to turn the tables with dark type specialties: trickery and deception. The wound in his side was starting to soak that side of his body, and he noted that it would only worsen the more he moved, despite his superior healing.

Isabella and Remis had adapted throughout the fight, switching tactics to cover more ground in case Hasei and Efrain tried to teleport to gain an edge. She was a trainer, she knew how psychics fought, and reacted accordingly. Hasei could use that against her.

His chance came when one of Efrain's swords blocked Remis' Focus Blast, allowing Hasei just enough leeway to slip by and evade a cage of earthen spears. He swung a blood red blade covered in ghostly power with both hands, smashing Isabella's greatsword aside and kicking her backwards in her armored chest with both feet but no added dark power. She didn't move, while he flew backward… right at Remis.

Efrain's spare sword had moved behind the Sawk, and the fighter turned, expecting Hasei to materialize where the lone blade was. His Focus Punch met empty air instead.

Psychics always disappeared when they teleported. They had to reappear somewhere. Efrain's translocation trick didn't share that limitation. Just because a blade was separated it didn't mean its twin would immediately join it. It could, or it could do nothing. A genuine mix-up. Remis had fallen for it.

Hah! Like a book.

Hasei hadn't followed through with a pursuit, still moving backward. Twisting in the air, he swung his blade down, cutting a line into the vulnerable Sawk's back and falling belly first towards the ground. The fighter staggered forward in pain, creating a golden opportunity to knock him out of the fight. Isabella saw it too, because Hasei disappeared this time to prevent two dense spears of stone from impaling him to the ground, using his falling momentum and sudden position in the air to use Efrain's floating handle as a pivot to swing back around towards Remis' kneeling form, this time from the front.

Blade high and flowing with ghostly power, Hasei swung downward, aiming for a clean cut from collarbone to hip. Shadow Claw probably wouldn't make it very clean, now that he thought about it. There'd be a horrifying amount of blood for sure.

It's a solid strike, I should be able to—

Remis looked up, eyes gleaming. He used his knees to center his weight, suddenly catching the blade mid strike and redirecting it downward with hands wreathed not with Ki, but a protective shell of energy. With Protect so concentrated in such a small area, the blade coated in jagged purple energy didn't so much as scratch skin or crack the shell.

Ghostly energy tore the ground ahead and around them into furrows, while the sword itself impaled the ground several inches deep.

Shit.

Blade stuck in the ground and facing down a very wounded Sawk, Hasei knew that if he didn't act quickly, he was getting a Reversal to the gut as soon as the fighter got off his knees. And he was all out of Protect. He knew that for a fact because the moment he tried it, the energy sparked and fizzled out.

Efrain! Hasei shouted mentally.

Then a block of stone no wider than a pole rose abruptly under his arm, smashing into the fingers holding the sword. Some of them crunched. Instinctively through the pain, Hasei's acquired human reflex of backing away from sources of pain ruined him. He let go of the sword.

Fuck!

In that moment of time, Efrain's blade rejoined its twin, but Hasei's body hadn't. Remis, entire body glowing and one foot dug into the ground, rotated his hips to slam a punch directly into Hasei's chest. It bloomed with light. No, blazed. Dark armor formed over his skin, but he'd already accepted that it would do little more than pad the hit. It was going to hurt. Badly.

Rather than protect himself further in a pointless expenditure of time, Hasei figured if the Sawk was going to get a hit on him, then he'd take a piece too.

Just before the Reversal landed, claws of darkness, wicked and sharp, tore into reality from Hasei's left hand and pierced the Sawk's side, carving bloody chunks away from its flesh as Hasei was blasted into the air twenty feet away. His dark armor disintegrated, pain flashing through his entire torso as ki wracked his body and ravaged his cells. His back exploded into pain a moment later as he smashed into another wall of earth that Remis conjured the moment he'd punched him, to prevent him from flying back too far.

It cracked.

Hasei spat out blood from torn gums and likely other things, his breath rasping from the hit. Every inhalation was an acute spike in his right lung. His entire body hurt and his chest was a fountain of blinding pain. Numerous ribs were most likely bruised or broken, and who knew who many blood vessels had burst from the influx of ki clashing with his dark type affinity. His natural regeneration and sturdier than normal frame were the only reason he wasn't dying, but it was a close thing. Already the pressure in his lung was abating, though slower than usual.

He could Awaken. He could let loose the Nightmare, heal his wounds, and tear his enemies apart. He could win. Isabella's emotions of battle made overcoming that urge incredibly difficult. He wrenched those feelings down nonetheless, resisting the alien thoughts he'd eaten. This little fight of theirs was too inconsequential to use something so drastic. He knew what his mental state would become if he did, and this would no longer be a friendly battle. Isabella gave her word that this wasn't to the death. He had to fight it, fight his own nature.

Wasn't that what being human was about? Overcoming nature to be better? The pain made it hard, each breath mounting the difficulty. Finally, after several pained breaths, the anger and bloodlust subsided, dulled by pain. He examined his predicament for a moment.

A collapsed lung wasn't the worst thing in the world to endure for a while. Not for an Origin. Decision made, he remained on the ground and wheezed. His vision blurred, but he could see the approaching blue figure.

Remis came sprinting in, ready to pummel him when he abruptly stopped, turning to see Isabella—kneeling and with newly darkening patches of red along her arms and legs, held at sword point by Efrain. Her armor had been cut apart piecemeal while her greatsword lay in pieces at her knees. A blade was poised directly behind her, glowing with metallic energy and ready to split her in half. The other was under her neck.

She held both hands up in surrender, laughing merrily despite looking like she'd been cut to ribbons. The veins of amber circuitry along her arms had begun to grow specks of yellow crystal that were beginning to spread. Rather quickly. She'd pushed her Awakening too far in an attempt to keep up with the ghost's attacks. Remis' eyes widened in alarm as fear blossomed above Isabella's head in a burst of color when she noticed something had gone very wrong. Genuine fear, Hasei realized. Not just for herself, but for others.

He began to feel it himself once he realized he couldn't move his body in case she exploded. First it happened to Riven and now him? Fuck! He eyed the onlookers and tried to sound out a cry, but his lungs weren't helping him at the moment. He reached out to Efrain.

"Mistress!" Remis shouted. "Drop the form at once! You win, ghost. This bout is over. Allow me to attend to her!"

He's too far, it'll spread too quick. Stop her! Hasei pleaded mentally. Now! Or we're all dead.

Efrain sent a pulse of affirmation through their bond, and must have said something to Remis, because the Sawk stopped moving forward, worry clear on his face.

The blade at Isabella's neck moved down toward the crystal flecks on her right arm. The other behind her moved forward and positioned itself over her left. Steel type energy touched her skin on both arms, cutting a line into her tough skin that gleamed silver. The woman nearly doubled over in pain, but she held. The crystals progressing along both arms broke apart, leaving bleeding rents where they'd begun to destroy tissue and crystallize flesh. Silver energy touched the golden circuits that were glowing far too bright and she began to scream. Her Awakening guttered out a moment later, amber light fading away and circuits receding. She sighed and dry heaved, exhaustion suddenly apparent on her now that the transformation was over.

"That hurts more than I thought it would," she said, gasping like she'd just run a marathon.

The ghost swords above her removed themselves from her space, floating respectfully over to the side.

"Thanks," she said to Efrain. She waved at her pokemon, then winced at her wounds. There were many. "Sorry, Remis. I ran out of time! Pushed a little too far."

She swayed a little, but was able to call up a stump of earth that she braced on. It was quickly stained red.

The Sawk took a breath of relief but came to her side nonetheless. He was no better than she was, his gi soaked in blood and dust with a vicious chunk of his side mangled by Hasei's claws. He was leaving his own pool of blood on the ground. "A battle is of no importance, compared to your safety. Have the crystals fully receded?"

She smiled weakly up at him.

"Yeah, our ghost friend got to it early. It was only my hands, thank the heavens. Go see… what Wisps is doing. You hit him pretty hard. Make sure he's okay. I won't bleed to death soon, promise."

She looked half dead.

Nodding, the Sawk staggered hastily over to Hasei, who hadn't moved and still wheezed slightly with each breath. The man eyed him from his position on the ground, shimmying awkwardly so it didn't hurt too much. He raised a hand a few inches into the air. The one with the dislocated fingers. Some of them were starting to swell and turn purple. His lung was starting to function semi normally again. At least enough to speak with difficulty… and no small amount of pain.

"She… surrender first? Good. Prolonged… fights… So… bothersome," Hasei tried half-heartedly, instead managing to sag further into the ground.

Remis stood over him, a blue hand stained red from the blood in his side, but the fighter didn't seem to mind his injuries all that much. He looked more concerned about Hasei despite the pool of blood he was leaving on the ground. "Are you dying? If you are overloading, I may assist, as your ghost assisted my mistress."

A blue finger held a bright point of glowing white Ki. With the cut in his side, aching everything, the cracked ribs, the stab wound in his shoulder, damaged lungs, and bent fingers, Hasei really didn't want that to touch his skin. He waved the Sawk off.

"No need. Didn't Awaken. Dark type… hard to overload with. Just got to say… good trick with the stone pillar. I'll… remember that, in case we have to kill each other for real. Next time… I won't—" He coughed up more blood and fluid, "hold back. Good night."

His face planted into the dirt.

---

Having observed the conclusion of the fight, Nera proclaimed Hasei the winner. Barely. He was currently face down in the dirt somewhere, probably looking like death had rolled him over. Isabella herself looked like she been used as a sword practice dummy and was more red than brown at this point. That was sort of true, she supposed. Efrain had not been merciful in that last exchange with her, despite her Awakening giving her a boost. A type mismatch and an incorporeal opponent that could pseudo teleport sucked hard. More Honedge line bullshit.

Hasei probably was a swollen wreck in comparison, most likely. Everyone had seen him get a nigh perfect Reversal to the chest. Heard it too, like a cannon firing. Cringes and winces were common on everyone, including Yan, and he was a Charizard that shrugged off things like that.

"Still hurts, just not as much," the dragon had told her when a Conkeldurr had smashed one of its concrete pillars into his stomach one time. She'd wondered how it hadn't caved in his chest at the time, but their resistances to aspected energy worked in strange ways.

She didn't have a weakness to fighting types herself, but it didn't take a type disadvantage to know that a punch like that one could probably put anyone not a dragon or a fairy out of commission. Someone with a weakness to it more so.

That the Remnant had survived that, fought an Awakened Origin to a relative standstill, and not even Awakened himself was impressive. Almost unbelievably so. She'd known Briem was a frighteningly skilled opponent in close combat even before their arrival in the present, and yet she'd still been surprised at how deadly the woman's skill had grown with her pokemon to assist her. She had been frightening to watch.

And yet it was a level of fighting prowess that Hasei had met outclassed and overpowered with minimal usage of his Origin abilities.

He'd gotten his ass kicked for it, sure, but she knew he hadn't gone all out. If this was to the death, how much harder would he have fought? He'd have unleashed the Nightmare, at least. Nobody wanted to fight that willingly, especially because they healed incredibly quickly. Still though… his own attacks were much stronger than they should have been for how quickly he'd formed them. Was that just the dark element's strangeness?

Benjamin was still staring at the battlefield, gaping. "She… lost? I've never seen her lose before. Not in personal combat with someone at her skill level."

"Barely lost, you mean. She pushed her Awakening too hard trying to fight a damn Doublade and a Nightmare empowered Remnant soldier. I'd consider it a double KO; Hasei would have lost if she'd held out even a minute longer," Nera said. "It's hard fighting against something that has no weaknesses and has a type advantage over you, most pokemon can't even manage that. A Doublade was probably her worst matchup. Still, she was wise to surrender, or she might have had to live out the rest of her days without hands. Quick thinking on Efrain's part."

"She'd really cut off her own hands?" Styx asked, astonished.

"Unless she wanted to die crystallized and probably unleash a field of razor-sharp stones a half mile wide from the earth as she died, yes," Benjamin answered tersely. "She's too reckless. It's always been one of her faults. This was a friendly match, why did she have to risk it like that?"

"Wouldn't have been able to nearly beat our friend without it," Aero said, rubbing his chin. "That guy's stronger than Unawakened should be. He was so weak before."

"That isn't Riven Cerul," Isole reminded. "That's a Nightmare with his face that learned how to have a conversation."

"Sure, but he's still supposedly just a clone. Elemental power is still cell deep. It's only been a few years since LaRousse. He may have a near perfect copy of Riven's body, but he shouldn't be any different, in that case. Are Nightmares that much stronger?"

Nera and the others looked towards the battlefield and shuddered.

"They were known to be stronger than an Awakened Origin, but I suspect he'll tell us if we behave," Nera said, pensive. "Or not, the little troll."

"Bugger that man," Styx cried, eyes still wide. "Ben, is your sister taken, by any chance?"

A shifting of earth knocked the man over.

"Aero still has a point. I only saw him use a few Dark Pulses and Night Slashes. The rest was just his skill with a blade and years of combat. Are Remnants really that good?" Isole asked. "I knew Riven fought with a sword before, but I never saw it myself. I don't think he was capable of this. Did all Remnant soldiers fight like that?"

"I heard the best of them did," Aere mentioned. "The last Altean warlord's son would surely be one of them. He's got the man's intelligence, at the very least, even if he pretends to act like a belligerent asshole."

"I don't know about how your old world functioned but maybe if they all had Doublades to fight with. Our man should've lost that, crazy dark type and weird mental parasites aside, but Honedge line ghost metal is still being researched for its properties today," Cormac observed. "Did you see all the punches and kicks it took? Regular steel would've snapped like a twig after just one of those kicks. Ghost and steel has to be one of the most unholy combinations out there, completely countered the Sawk's moves. And that repositioning trick… It shouldn't even be allowed. How has no one ever thought about that before?"

"They have, but it's not advised. It's incredibly dangerous to the person who tries it. Body doesn't take too well to suddenly stopping after acceleration. If a regular person tried doing some of the things we saw him do, their bones would break and dislocate, while muscles would tear from the stress," Nera answered.

"Most people also tend not to fight with their pokemon for good reason. Just because the Doublade is immune to kinetic energy doesn't mean the person wielding it is. That force transfers, especially from a fighting type. Doublades wielded by people were exclusively used against armies of men, not pokemon. And obviously they couldn't use an element of their own to supplement the pokemon's power. Only an Origin could do what we just saw, and all those trainers under Isabella know it. Look at their faces, they're in utter awe. This is combat the world hasn't seen yet. Pokemon are capable of great things but… my father always said that pokemon were too difficult to raise. The Arcanine we had were carefully and meticulously born and bred for battle. Each one was a significant loss. If we had known about the Raksa's secret to mega evolution that'd be an understatement of the highest order. We take pokemon training for granted. The pokeball is the only thing that makes this sort of thing possible. It changed the world. Now think about what a tournament of Origin trainers would look like?"

Cormac whistled. "Yeah… if this is what Origin trainer battles look like, then I can't Imagine seeing what a championship match between two Origins and their teams would look like. Goddamn blood boiling, I assume. I was lost in the fight for a moment there. Beautiful madness."

"Stadiums would lose their minds. Training would be flipped on its head," Isole admitted. "Monotype trainers would have a use again. Pokemon battles are exciting already but this… I almost want to jump in there myself. How often are Origins not fighting each other to the death? There hasn't been many of us throughout recorded history, much less with access to the versatility that an entire pokemon team provides. You never get the chance to really drink in the majesty. It's not often our kind come to blows, much less all out."

"I believe that was the point of making it a friendly battle with no lose-lose situations for either party," Nera pointed out, gesturing to the other side of the field, where Isabella's people moved to help the bleeding woman up. She was soaked in blood from her wounds, yet still chattering with the men and women that came up to her. An Audino had been summoned to help heal her, along with a Vaporeon for a thorough hosing down. "I think I know why Briem—Isabella, joined Charaph. She might even talk to us."

"You mean you," Cormac clarified. "She's your weird previous era friend, and I don't want to go anywhere near that spear. You saw how fast she was with it? Looked like a damn blur. I'd be stuck like a Pignite."

"Oh, I saw it. I admire a lass that can just kill me, you know?" Styx said, still starstruck. Benjamin elbowed him.

"That's my sister!"

"Aye, and? I'm sure you've worked your way through plenty of some other blokes' sisters. And it's not like you're connected to her." He looked the man up and down skeptically. "Are you?"

Styx was pulled down to the ground again.

Nera rolled her eyes.

"Let's go pick up our Remnant before he catches hypothermia and stops breathing, he's face down somewhere over there eating dirt. Then we can have a chat with our strange friend from the past. If any one of you mentions how well Isabella can handle a spear and I hear it, I will allow her to kill you for free. That means you, Styx."

"Aye, you'll not have a word from me, swear."

"Actually, Ben, keep him there. He's definitely lying."

The earth begin to shift a bit.

"Oi! I just want to have a chat! Ben, what kind of music does she like?"

---

Hasei woke up to a Gardevoir kneeling over him, healing light in her hands and a look of utter disdain on her face. It only magnified when she saw him wake up. He matched the displeasure with a pettiness that had certainly carried over from Riven. The pain in him and the traces of fairy type energy weakening his resistance to being healed made it easy to channel. His skin felt like dozens of ants were crawling over it. He fidgeted uncomfortably. "Healing dark types is a fun experience, isn't it?"

Had her glare been a blade, she would've stabbed him.

I really hoped she would've killed you instead, Ieia hissed, cutting off the flow of light immediately. If you're healthy enough to speak, then you no longer need my attention and I don't have to look at you. She stood back up to her full height and sauntered away with more attitude than he'd ever seen from a Gardevoir. She tied with the Lucario for how much she disliked him. Good, feeling was mutual.

Personal feelings aside, she was right. His side and shoulder were still tender, but he could breathe without pain now. His fingers weren't dislocated anymore, either. They still hurt, but nothing some rest wouldn't be able to fix.

"Can't knock her healing at least," he said, sitting up with a dull ache. A yellow eyeball emerged from the shadow of a crate and part of a sash twirled in a way to resembled a wave.

The shadow wakes. The psychic was very displeased tending to your wounds. It was amusing hearing her complain about having to heal you at all. Then hearing her complain about how difficult it was to get past your resistance.

Hasei craned his head to look at the ghost. Too bad for her. Good work with Isabella at the end, that Sawk was going to pummel me if you'd been any slower.

There was a mental sigh in Hasei's head. The eye drooped, as if sulking.

Yes, and what did it get me? Nothing. Not even a tiny smidgeon of her soul, the ghost lamented mentally. I'm upset. Very upset. And hungry. That's worse. Do you know how much worse hunger is when you can't eat? Do you know how jealous I get remembering actual food? I can taste it sometimes… I have never wanted to taste a burger more in my unlife. All I have to look forward to is souls. That you and the Prince don't let me eat!

Hasei sighed heavily. Are we having this conversation again? Eating peoples' souls is bad manners, Efrain.

You eat their emotions, though?

Yeah, the difference is I don't kill them when I do it. Just give them headaches. What you do goes beyond an inconvenience.

A nibble wouldn't kill! This is frustrating, the ghost seethed. He made a mental noise that sounded like lips tasting food. Hasei had no idea how the ghost managed to convey that and never wanted him to do it again. Do you think souls can taste like jam? I miss jam. I miss sweet.

Jam flavored souls? That's… Didn't you eat plenty? What about the twenty or forty other people we killed? I wasn't counting. Didn't their souls taste good?

Not the same. Those were mere scraps. Snacks. Regular human souls are so hollow, and they all tasted… fanatical. No sense of individuality that gives them flavor. Origin souls are heftier, more filling. Delicious…

I think you might have a problem.

Efrain's eyeballs somehow squinted. Hasei felt a lecture coming up.

Oh, I'm the one with a problem? I died and became an eldritch creature. It's the opposite of what happened to you. Let's see how you react when I judge you for losing your mind and becoming a rage monster. Which you were tempted to do because, like the Prince, you hate losing and won't admit it, even when you were on the verge of dying.

One of the ends of Efrain's sashes curled up into the shape of a finger and pointed accusatorially. Some days it really seemed like the ghost was a crotchety old knight possessing a pair of swords. A real far cry from the days when the ghost sounded more like a mystical blade of prophecy that knew things. The illusion had worn off completely.

"Alright, you have a point," Hasei surrendered out loud. "But your obsession with souls is still weird. My problem at least makes sense."

No, no it doesn't, Efrain shot back. You literally eat feelings. That doesn't make any sense. They're not supposed to be tangible.

"They are in the Other Flow, and we've no idea how that place works, do we?" Hasei shrugged. "Besides, pot meet kettle. You're supposed to be dead, and instead of frolicking in the afterlife, you're a floating pair of swords with a list of grievances a mile long. How's that for nonsense?"

Bah. Go get something to eat, fool. The Prince at least entertains my illusions.

"He literally gave you to me so your complaints didn't drive him insane."

I don't believe that for a second. I am excellent source of locomotion, and better company, the ghost said, then turned his blade sideways. That was the Doublade equivalent of turning away dramatically. Hasei chuckled to himself.

Leaving the ghost to quietly sulk in his shadow, Hasei got to his feet, wondering where he was. Still on Route 7, judging from the forest he could see. Emerging from the stone cottage he'd been laying in, he recognized parts of the roughshod camp they had originally destroyed, but not the shelters made of solid stone that replaced them. The field, which once had been blown to bits from their assault and littered with corpses, was smoothed over and clean as if someone had paved over it. Not a single dead body was left, and much of the burned detritus had been removed as well.

He blinked.

"Was I asleep for days, Efrain?"

No. About three or so hours.

"Huh. That's some thorough cleaning for three hours." He noted the rough stone shelters, running a finger along the side of the wall. "Did Isabella do this on her own?"

"Of course not. She had help from Benjamin and his rock types. It's a wonder what they can do in an empty field out in the middle of nowhere. Reminds me of our ice walls from back home," a voice said, rounding the corner. Isole stepped into the shelter and walked up to him, a bowl of roasted meat and rice steaming in her hands. She held it out to him. "Ieia looked crankier than a Lairon at dawn, so I assumed you woke up. I see getting beat within an inch of your life is consistent among iterations of Riven. How you feeling?"

He took the bowl eagerly and rotated his shoulders, feeling an ache between his shoulder blades that was being a persistent bastard. He stretched and large cracks came from his back. "Like a horde of Tauros played football with my body. And I'm tired. I hate being tired."

"I hate the summertime, chafing, and most of Hoenn, welcome to physical reality." She leaned on the shelter wall. "The healing might be why you're feeling like you were on a bender for two days. Ieia had a tough time healing you, but she managed with a bit of hyper potion poured over your wounds."

He tilted his head skeptically. "A bit?"

"Yes, a bit. Several bottles worth of 'a bit'. You don't look as much like shit compared to when we found you, but you should eat. Accelerated healing tires out the body more than usual, doubly so for you, I assume. Others are by the fire. Ben wanted to come instead, but I warned him off. I didn't think you'd care for his apologies. He has a hard time separating you from Riven."

"Thanks. Benjamin… no, Beyu. Guess he was some sort of princeling too. Was everyone that got saved a privileged kid that happened to be born out the right womb? Seems par the course."

"In times of crisis, it's always the elite and their children that get out. Never the poor with no power. That's been true in every country in every age. Besides, Riven's a princeling of sorts too, don't forget. Just because his silver spoon ended up thrown in a gutter of blood and filth for most of his life doesn't mean he wasn't lucky enough to be born important," Isole shot back, sounding a bit indignant. "I say that because our silver spoons don't matter much now either. Who knows how many of the others got kicked somewhere through time where our stations mean nothing anymore. Most of the Origins you know from our era just happened to get dumped here around the same time. Well, within a few decades. Some came together, like Ben and Isabella, or like... What are you doing?"

Isole trailed off as she watched Hasei sniff the bowl repeatedly. He wasn't checking for poison, the smell was just nice. She pretended he wasn't sniffing the bowl like an inattentive Poochyena, shifting her focus on another question that would get his attention.

"Why didn't you Awaken? You could have beaten her with the extra power. In Kalos, that transformation was more powerful than a regular Awakening, considering Riven's command of his own element was horrible. He shouldn't have given Nera and I trouble at all, yet he did."

"You mean me," Hasei corrected. "I did that. He didn't do anything but watch and struggle when I took over. I remember fighting both of you. Like a hazy memory from my youth."

"Youth… right. Whatever you did made up for his atrophied powers. It was… terrifying. Should I guess what you can do now?"

"Probably not. It's not a pretty sight." He stopped sniffing the bowl, set it down, then picked up his goggles from the floor beside his makeshift bed. Putting them on, he grabbed the bowl again. He took another sniff. Isole's right eyebrow arched further. "I could have beaten her, but it wasn't worth it. Wouldn't have stopped with her surrender if I loosed my restraints. I get carried away. Then we'd all be dead. Her emotions nearly made it happen anyway. Hey, this smells really good. Is that Pignite?"

She eyed his odd behavior and took a moment to answer. "…Miltank, I think. You said something about her emotions?"

"Yeah, I can eat them to get stronger. Ability. Some sort of offshoot of Dark Aura? Dunno. Only works with the stronger emotions though, the so called negative ones. The ones strong enough to spurn action. Joy or love or greed don't really do much for me. But passion works very well. She really likes to fight. Those emotions kind of influence me, and Awakened Origins have very strong emotions comparatively, so I may have gotten more carried away than I intended. I may have suggested some things to Isabella mid combat. The embarrassing kind."

"She's a pretty girl, no shame in that. Explains why she's looking at you differently. Or maybe she's trying to figure out who you are, I'm not sure." She didn't seem to find that strange. "As for eating emotions… I heard some pokemon over in Paldea or some such are able to do that. Grimmsnarl and its line. Half fairy and dark. Also ugly. Sound similar?"

He grimaced sourly. "Ugly?"

Isole eyed him and chuckled.

"No, not the ugly part. I suppose Nightmares care about vanity too, that's comforting. But you say it's an ability? I suppose it's in line with most dark type abilities. They tend to be on the weirder scale on pokemon. Pressure always was a weird ability most dark types manifest. Prankster is just as weird. Only thing that comes close human wise are psychics. Never seen a fairy type Origin to know what they're like. I bet their abilities are weird too."

"I've seen one. Recently converted, but he kind of blew himself up so there wasn't a chance to observe what his ability did. What about yours?"

"Show me yours and I'll show you mine type of deal, is it?" Isole asked, cocking an eyebrow. A pressure descended as the Other Flow showed him an increase in emotions. He stared blankly at her, knowing full well what she was doing. She could feel the disapproval through his goggles. Didn't take the bait.

"Now isn't the best time to go experimenting with my mysterious dark type ability. Also, your lust needs a lot of work, it's terrible," he scoffed. "I can literally see your emotions. It helps when some of the feeling is real. You're about as attracted to me as a dead fish, all the colors were washed out. Real ones are more detailed. Vivid. Like a painting, of sorts."

Every bit of color above her head vanished as she looked taken aback. "Didn't take Riven for being an art enthusiast."

"He isn't. I am. Black and white gets stale when your entire world is composed of it for years. Makes you appreciate color."

Isole didn't quite know what to say to that.

"Hence the color analogy. Maybe that's why the emotions present like colors?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps. Can't quite explain it. The dark is a bizarre element."

"I'll take your word for it. Well, it was worth a try." She made a tiny ice sculpture of a Glalie appear in her palm. It formed instantly. With detail. "Anyway, I get stronger the colder it gets, and it takes me less effort to use my techniques below a certain temperature point. Winter is my favorite season for a reason. I'm not constantly overheating, either. I call it Wintersong. The first draft was a mouthful."

"Wintersong… Fancy name. Eku would've liked it."

"Who?"

"One scary woman I… Riven used to know. Don't worry about it. It's fancy but beautiful. A fitting name for an ice-based ability."

"Oh. Uhm… thank you," she said, slightly surprised at his sincerity. She reddened too, the color spreading quickly on her pale face.

"Still blush easily, huh?"

"It hasn't been that long since we've seen each other last. Since I saw Riven, anyway," she said awkwardly. "I'm not an ice queen, I like compliments!"

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's just… it's been six years for me and him. Time travel really messes with your head. Personally, I haven't seen you in a while."

"I… can see why that'd be off-putting."

"Yeah." Hasei looked around at all the fresh snow that had begun to fall as a silence stretched out between them. Aiming to bridge that silence, he looked at his thick coat and her lack of one. She was strolling around in a comfortable shirt like it wasn't freezing outside. Then again, it was probably as comfortable as a mild spring day for her. "So… Wintersong. Maybe you should've fought Isabella. It's a winter playground this time of year."

Isole laughed ruefully at the thought.

"Yeah, no. Her powers would literally smash mine to pieces. And that Sawk together with her?" She shook her head. "No, I know when I'm outmatched. The Girsu clan and its subsidiaries never had an interest in fighting those with a disadvantage on their side, unless they were really good. Nera tells me that Isabella was an Earth Sentinel, a Girsu-Ahm, so she was as top class as you could get, or raised to be, anyway. I can fight well enough with a sword, but she's far better with that spear. I'm no Remnant soldier like Riven was. Speaking of cold, we should go join the others before that bowl you like smelling gets cold."

"Did anyone see my face?"

"No. Nera made sure of that. Wouldn't do to let our enemy know you have the gym leader of Nimbasa's face. It'd be a pain to explain, and we hardly get it ourselves. Coming to eat or you gonna keep smelling that bowl?"

Hasei stood up and followed her to the center of the camp.

The rest of them were seated on hastily cut logs and stumps by an impressively large bonfire, with Isabella's side on one end, and Nera's on the other. As expected, the situation was awkward, because her people still outnumbered Nera's four to one and their pokemon were still out of their balls. Precautions, most like.

Isabella herself was covered in bandages, and she raised a hand as she saw Hasei approach. So did a bunch of others, speaking in excited voices. A strange reception considering not a few hours earlier Hasei had been trying his best to kill everyone in this place.

The bodies may have been gone, but there were still blood stains in the dirt, darkening the soil. Isabella's energetic voice called out to him.

"Hey, you're awake! Sorry about Remis hitting you so hard. That was a great fight! And you didn't Awaken, you're amazing!" She got up and walked over to his side of the fire, scooting close enough to be friendly, but not enough to be intrusive. He was still standing holding his bowl while everyone watched them, so Hasei found it easier to do what he'd always done: he remained silent and stiff as a board. Most people usually left him alone, but the woman was determined to get an answer out of him.

"I never got your name. You can give me a fake one, if you want. Isabella's not my real name either. Can I see your face? It's hard talking to a mask and a pair of winter goggles. I doubt you're shy. I know you're not."

She held a suggestive grin on her face for a moment until she settled for a small giggle. His face burned under the mask, and he appreciated that she didn't call him out in front of everyone for saying some suggestive things during their fight.

He thought she might be lying or angling for something more nefarious, but there wasn't a single hint of malice above her head. Just genuine curiosity. Maybe she was blocking her emotions, given what he'd done during the fight, but he guessed it was more that she really just didn't care all that much. No harm done. Hasei didn't remove his goggles, but he did remove the mask. Couldn't eat with it on, after all. She eyed him like she was trying to frame a face to his mouth and failing. Or admiring his jaw? He couldn't tell, electing to clear his throat first.

"My name is Prime. I'm assuming you already knew that from my swords, though. Not many shiny Doublade around to get mistaken. I do appreciate the effort to keep it friendly, though." She gave him an apologetic smile, and he returned it with a small one of his own. Her people murmured amongst themselves, some pointing at him. "I enjoyed our fight. You're very skilled with that spear and the training you've given your pokemon is phenomenal. Did you know you hit like a pissed off Onyx?"

There was snickering from Styx, which Isole shut down with a glare. Isabella didn't seem to mind, her face flushing slightly from the praise. She laughed it off, and Hasei began to see the subtle tones of pride above her head. Without her armor, she looked like a young woman that was more interested in a walk along the beach than vicious combat. She also wasn't covered in blood. That messed with his head a bit. "Thank you! That's very kind of you to say. Remis is a great learner, and I've spent countless hours trying to improve his rock manipulation. Looks like it paid off. But sit, sit! Warm up by the fire and we can talk, I sense you have questions for me. Well, Nera does. She always does."

Hasei sat down on the log, tearing into his food. Isabella returned to her own log and everyone else had begun to produce plates of food themselves. Their meals weren't any more fanciful than his was. They were all camped out in the middle of nowhere just the same.

"Okay, I guess I'll start. Why are you letting us through? Why help us?" Nera asked. "Your boss wouldn't be pleased if he found out you let us go through to the cave unimpeded, let alone allow most of Singularity's men to die with no retribution. Does Charaph not care about what's inside?"

"We don't have a single voice," Isabella said dismissively, more at the prospect instead of the question. "I'm not some pet they can order around at their leisure, and the Director did give me this job for some reason. He's our client, so his wants are more of a priority as long as I'm not being ordered to do something I hate. And I don't much like the others enough to care what they want. Except maybe Ally, but she runs with Tesla, and I definitely don't trust him. This is his interest more than mine, so I'm more than happy to disappoint him by finding nothing. I'm also not doing you any favors, the Swords won't let us go deeper and I'm not risking my people for a chance at finding something of interest. Several of the Director's squads went in there and never came back out, I doubt you'd do any better. You want to walk into a grinder, go ahead. I just wanted a good fight, an uneventful watch, and I got it. Fighting a Remnant and his pokemon is a dream come true. I can die happy right now. Well, almost."

Someone handed her a bowl of rice. She quietly began to eat, staring at Hasei with interest. He continued shoveling food into his mouth and was infinitely more thankful for the goggles. She was staring intently.

"You're just guarding the entrance, then?" Isole asked, noting Hasei's stiff posture and discomfort. At the rate he was eating, he was going to choke on a rice clump.

"Mhmm. The Swords have the advantage close up and in the tunnels. Out in the open they're much more manageable with our array of pokemon raining down attacks from afar. We've been kind of locked in a stalemate since Castelia, that really riled them up for some reason. That attack had been interesting. Oh, that reminds me! I can just blame the Director's people for stirring up the Beedrill's nest. Which they have, multiple times. We got attacked, they all died, and I made it a point to protect my people. Then I buried the goons he sent me because they were useless and set up my own fortifications instead. I told them they were going to die, shame they didn't listen. But the Director wants me here because I don't care for his schemes like the others, so here I am. Simple as that."

She shrugged and took another spoonful of rice. Despite her cheery disposition, her callous disregard for people definitely set her apart from modern day thought processes. Most, if not all, Origins that came from the ancient past had something a little wrong with them, Riven and Hasei definitely included. That must've included Isabella's retinue of older trainers, considering they were about as unbothered at the sight of blood and death as he was. Mercenary work was a grim business at times.

"Why work with them, if you're not aiming for the same goals?" Benjamin spoke up. Now that Hasei paid attention, they did look similar, except Benjamin's eyes were a lighter shade of brown than near yellow gold. Isabella must've been the family prodigy, if old world eye color obsessions still made sense. Alteans did make a big deal about the purity of blue eyes after all. Maybe there was a grain of truth to that?

"Because our goals align most of the time, regardless of the end result." Isabella gestured to Hasei. "Where I draw that line is when what they're doing starts to make less sense. What are we trying to retrieve? For what purpose? I asked but all I got was a bunch of misdirection. They don't seem to want to include me in anything that isn't a straight up fight. They think I'm an idiot because rock types aren't very smart and I like to fight instead of engaging in pointless mind games. What a stupid assumption to make. Any way you slice it, disturbing powerful pokemon for a reason they don't want to share with me is a poor incentive for me to follow orders like a good little soldier. I think the Director doesn't even know. It's not like we need it anyway. Whatever is in here is either irrelevant or too dangerous to bother with. I'm just glad sitting out here than dying in there. My powers would do nothing against a mythical pokemon that can use one of the strongest fighting type moves in existence."

"Why don't you need it?"

Isabella gave her brother a smirk. "Nice try, but I'm not going to elaborate on that. Especially not when the man I fought won't even show me his entire face. You guys are enemies, after all."

Her brother returned a frown at her usage of his own logic at him.

"She means their sphere research," Hasei piped up in between another bite of rice. He chewed as Isabella paused, realized she paused, and cursed. "Ways to make the process of charging the spheres for Origin conversion more efficient. She's right about whatever's in there being unnecessary to that, with the mega evolution method, they don't need some ancient technique to get what they want. They have the machine and the sphere templates. Their Director is just a greedy scumbag, his transhumanist fanatics shouldn't even be here. He already took something he shouldn't from in there and did something absolutely stupid with it. Am I somewhere along the mark?"

Everyone stared at him. He kept eating, pointing a fork in the air.

"She knowsh I'm right. She's 'quirming."

"How do you even…?"

"I know things," Hasei stated firmly. There was a rice grain stuck on his lip. "No, I will not explain."

"We've had him with us for less than two days, and it's already driving me up walls," Nera added. "Join the club."

Isabella practically deflated, the air of mystique shattered. "Ah, damn it! Wait, if you knew that already… Nera, why are you here? Apart from trying to get yourselves on the wrong end of a Sacred Sword."

Nera forked a thumb over to Hasei. "His idea. Apparently, the Swords made their home in a trove of ancient texts of some sort and he needed one of my guys for something technical. We just met up nearby and didn't really expect anyone to be here. But I am curious about what's in there. I've grown a soft spot for ancient history and having a Remnant in your pocket when we inevitably try to kill the rest of your merc outfit is a good card to play. My boys really want to get back at Scarface and Loberia, so I win twice."

She twitched at the mention of the man the twins had named Scarface. Her mood blackened further above her head as Loberia was mentioned. She didn't have a glowing opinion of either.

"Okay," Isabella managed, hesitating. "I get that, but the Swords are kind of… strong? I'm sure your guys are enough for most fights, just not this one. I have numbers on my side, you don't. I'm warning you like I warned the others. We got a chance out here, but in there? You might die. Horribly."

"Yeah, possibly. But that's a given anywhere, isn't it?"

"You're still like this? Jeez, Nera. I'm not going to rush in there to help if it goes sideways. Even if my little brother is going too and people start screaming." Benjamin faced her, nodding gravely. She sighed deeper this time and actual sadness crossed her face. "I'll honor my word. I won't stop you, but I won't help you. All I can say is good luck. Please don't die. There's so little of us left as it is."

"Caring about us already?" Styx pointed out. "I'm touched. You've known us for less than four hours. Must be my charm."

"Who are you, again?" Isabella immediately moved on. Styx looked devastated as Cormac started to laugh. "How long I've known you hardly matters, you're all a part of Nera's outfit, aren't you? She's my oldest friend, and if you all die, I won't get to fight Prime again! That'd be a shame. I want to see you Awaken!"

"I don't quite think you do," Hasei assured, then paused. "You're not going to tell your psychic friend you saw me here, did you? He has a bit of a grudge with me."

"I'm sure he does," Isabella cackled, as if savoring it. "And he isn't my friend. Has a grudge with anything he can't outright control, that includes me. Cocky fuck thinks Arceus shat him out himself because telekinesis makes him hard to kill. He's lucky he's hard to pin down or I'd have speared him through that pretty face of his already."

She spat, then broke out into a wicked grin.

"When I heard you almost killed him, I quite nearly couldn't stop grinning. Don't worry, I won't tell, and neither will my people. After all, you gave them the experience of a life time today. One we may just replicate in the near future. That's enough for them. Rest well, but I will need all of you gone soon, or the Director will wonder why none of his men have checked in and a bunch of our rivals are camping out here. Then I'll have to lie… and I'm a bit lousy at that."

"Thanks, Briem," Nera said, a rare, affectionate smile on her lips. Hasei found it horrific, and now began to understand why the two had gotten along so well as children. "A courteous enemy is a rarity these days. Hopefully we don't have to fight to the death the next we meet either."

"We?" Hasei repeated, turning to her and waving a finger between himself and her. "What's this we?"

Nera purposely didn't acknowledge him, while Isabella giggled.

"I hope so too, but I can't guarantee it. If it happens, let's make sure the strike that does us in is quick. I'd hate to kill my oldest friend. To a swift death!" Isabella raised a metal cup into the air. Then more cups rose as her side followed. Matching her salute, Nera and her people raised their own cups of water. Hasei was the only one without a cup, which left him feeling very left out. Everyone looked at him. He raised his bowl with a tired sigh instead.

"To a swift death."

---

Rested and clean of any residual blood and dirt, Hasei stood before the entrance to Mistralton Cave. His body still ached something terrible and he wondered why in the hells he was still going through with this. There was no guarantee the Swords would listen to him at all, and they clearly didn't care for humans. What about super powered ones?

As if reading his mind, Cormac asked him a moment later. "Uh, you sure about this? Awfully cramped in there. And dark. Probably doesn't bother you, but I can't see in the dark and it's a little scary. How many people have come in this place before us? How do we know they haven't found what we're looking for?"

"That cave in Dewford you sent Benjamin to. How many trainers and archeologists have been there over the years?" Hasei pointed out. "Hundreds? Thousands? All those visitors and it took one visit from a kid who's not supposed to be alive to uncover a secret hidden for thousands upon thousands of years. I'd say that seems deliberate."

Benjamin and Nera looked at each other. She squinted into the darkness. "These ancient people… could they really hide something from everyone except whoever it was meant for?"

"Yes, and they did it often. But even the strongest of shells or illusions might not stand up to the constant shifting of the earth. Earthquakes are powerful things and no matter what way you slice it, putting something in a cave always risks collapse. Granted, they did build very durable safes. And their crystal tech was much more responsive than anything this era produces. It could recognize an Origin by the nature of who they were. Some tools even by lineage. Be on the lookout for anything that feels odd to you. Doubly so for the Origins."

He stepped inside, disappearing into the dark. Reluctantly, the others followed, pokemon in tow. They traveled cautiously for more than an hour until the narrow tunnel began to grow wider, leading to bigger chambers within where stalactites that glowed a faint blue hung from the ceiling. When looking right at them, the color seemed to fade.

"The latent aura here is potent," Apollo mentioned, his eyes glowing blue. "The power comes easily. This would be an excellent place to train and reflect."

"This is the home of the Swords, so that doesn't surprise much," Cormac said, ducking under a longer, sharply pointed stalactite. "Explains the blue color, I guess?"

The cave was eerily quiet, and an undercurrent of energy that wasn't aura flowed through the place, disturbing the skin on the Origins in the group. Cormac and Styx felt nothing, however. Apollo mentioned his aura senses starting to behave strangely, as if redirected or dispersed differently. No one knew how aura really worked apart from the Lucario, so they took note and pressed on. They walked for half an hour, going deeper as the feeling grew stronger until Isole stopped and took a breath. She leaned against the cave wall.

"I'm not the only one that's been feeling something, am I?" She asked, shifting her body slightly. Given her resistance to the cold, she was the only one that had removed her jacket to prevent overheating. When her bare shoulder touched the stone, something shifted behind her with a soft crackling. "It's almost like—oh shit!" She backed away immediately, ice already crackling in her hands. Nothing had grabbed her though, finding instead tiny ice crystals blooming in the exact spot where she'd pressed her shoulder.

"Did you do that?" Aero asked. He held up the fire in his hands to the spot. The ice melted quickly. Isole shook her head. "Cormac, Styx. You feel anything?"

"Nothin', mate."

"Not a thing. Isole, you good?"

"Yeah. Just surprised me a little."

Aero shone his flashlight at the spot and squinted. The rock looked… well, like rock. Upon closer inspection, it glowed a faint blue, like the rest of the cave. "Could be a trap. Apollo, Yan, Yuvir? Anything odd?"

The Glalie, Charizard, and Lucario all shook their heads. They even tried to touch the same stone Isole had, with no response.

Cormac and Styx tried as well, and predictably, nothing happened.

"Origins only then?" Benjamin asked, unsure.

"Everyone, find a glowing stalagmite. If that doesn't work, find a wall." Nera ordered. "Do the same thing Isole did. Only a brush, don't hold it."

Nera, Benjamin, and the twins split off and found more of the glowing rock, tentatively hovering their hands over them. When the fire Origins touched them, tiny flames sparked to life, tracing the path their fingers left. When Aere gripped one with his entire hand, the stalagmite burst into red color, fire flaring into odd patterns along the surface before dying away in a sputtering of sparks. Isole followed, the stone growing a paler blue as ice crystallized around it, flowing into a different pattern than Aere's had, and even less orderly. The pattern didn't seem uniform, and tended to end in loops that ate into each other, like a shitty ouroboros.

Nera bent down to peer at the stone from multiple angles, prodding at it with her finger to see how the flames appeared. Upon closer examination and use of her sensitivity to flames, she gasped slightly. "Fractalized patterns. Like some of the other ruins we've seen. This seems reactive, though. Less like markings and more like… machinery trying to weave patterns? I've never read about this happening in Mistralton. No one has ever reported it. Is this natural?"

"Can't be," Cormac said. "If it was, someone would've wrote a paper about it by now. The Swords used to be friendlier, and we're not that deep in. High chance people have been through here before. Which means this is an Origin thing. And let's be honest, there's not exactly many of you around. Much less interested in cave delving."

Hasei watched them, a hand on his chin. His entire body was tingling, even more so in the crystals fused in his bones, almost resonating with the cave. He got an idea. "Thern."

The man turned to look at him, his hand still hovering reluctantly over a stalagmite. "Y-yeah?"

"Touch it. See what happens. I've got a feeling you'll get more out of this than us."

"Uh… okay?" The man turned to Nera, who nodded eagerly for him to continue. With a thick swallow, Benjamin lowered his hand onto the rock, and the entire cave burst into yellow light as fractalized patterns of rock traced every edge of stone and continued deeper into the tunnels wherever it could find paths. Wild pokemon that had watched them from the edges scurried away, startled. Benjamin staggered back, and the yellow light receded just as quickly as it had appeared, returning the cave to a dimly lit expanse of faintly blue stone.

He hurriedly lifted his sleeves to find the Origin circuits along his fingers and arms fading. Everyone saw it.

"So that's how they did it…" Hasei murmured, marveling at the cave. "Rings... But they're all tangled…"

"Tangled? What do you mean? Who did what?" Nera asked, hungrily. "What do you know? What was that?"

Instead of answering, he told Benjamin to touch the node again. "This time, reach out to it. Try to command it with your will. Try resetting it, like thinking about a computer rebooting. It's closer than you think."

Nera tried to do it instead, but Hasei hit the back of her hand with a pebble.

"Careful. That might kill you."

She froze. "Will it?!"

"No. Stop touching things you don't know anything about. Thern?"

"Asshole," Nera said through ground teeth.

"Don't cut in line." Hasei had turned his attention fully to the rock Origin, waving her off like he would a stray cat. She hissed out air in a heated breath.

Benjamin collected himself after a moment of consideration, concentrating on rebooting the "computer". The cave section lit up once more. Except this time, the patterns shifted and reorganized, reorienting themselves into something that resembled orderly rather than dysfunctional. Lines and patterns flowed smoothly, forming connections throughout the room until the chamber resembled a weave of patterns and shapes that glowed yellow underneath layers of earth and rock. Benjamin sucked in a breath, laughing incredulously.

"Holy— I can feel everything around this part of the cave. Vibrations everywhere. All the pokemon, all of you… What if I—"

He lifted a hand and stone shifted, liquifying and reforming into a chair in seconds. He moved again, this time forming a set of table and chairs. Then the yellow fractals shifted and the furniture melded back into part of the cave, as if the stone had never been moved. Styx went over and tapped at the spot with a foot, finding it rock solid.

More shapes shifted from the earth: a spear, a sword, a makeshift hut, then a stone replica of a motorcycle. Taking the longest amount of time yet, he carefully focused as a detailed statue of a woman assembled itself from the stone, complete with detailed strands of hair and the folding of clothing. Hasei didn't recognize the woman, assuming that was a past girlfriend of his. Still, the work was impressive, as if the stone had really followed every detail of thought in its creation.

Benjamin crushed a fist, and the statue sloughed away back into the ground and reintegrated itself into the cave.

"That's a little unsettling," Isole mentioned, eyeing the rock floor with a grimace. "Isabella's didn't quite look like that."

"It's certainly different from how we normally do it. Earth molding isn't as easy as my sister makes it look. It's an advanced technique and tiring. At least for me. Rock doesn't like behaving like water. But this… It's like lifting a pebble instead of a boulder. I can barely feel it taxing my body. How?" He remarked. Nera and the others crowded around him, asking rapid fire questions. They all stopped when Hasei began to chuckle.

"Hasei… A clue? You said you weren't dramatic like Riven," Isole reminded, a hand on her hips. "Be a regular asshole, please?"

"Sure. I'll try not to be too vague."

"Ugh. Fine. Why's this reacting differently to Ben and not us? Please enlighten us, wise one."

He directed their attention to the nearby cave wall.

"Simply put, your elements are incompatible. Sure, they'll have some reaction thanks to the residual stuff floating around, but not much else besides that. This isn't regular stone and minerals mixed together. See how the stone glitters white from time to time? Crystal fragments. Those crystals were the basis for the Nauer Empire's technology. We're definitely in the right place if it's still active. They're reacting subtly to aura, that's why the whole place looked kind of blue." He took off his snow gloves and ran a hand down the rock face. It turned black as night. "I see, I see… They wove it into the rock to increase its resistance to seismic activity and make the surroundings more pliable. Earth-aspected for the rock Origins to work as tunnelers… Interesting. Riven never went to the rock class' mining operations because he disliked their leader on a visceral level, but I heard they did this to make cave systems deep into the earth in mere weeks. This was important to them, given how much of the stuff there is. It was unbelievably expensive and time consuming to produce. This reminds me more of a vault than some sort of a mining operation."

"This cave is man-made?" Cormac asked. "Doesn't look it."

"Not anymore, but once it might have. Parts of the rock have melded and broken away from others. It's not uniform. That's why the patterns were all tangled and damaged. The crystals got jumbled up and scattered over the years. Benjamin just gave them the order to reorganize themselves to something that works with whatever is left. It's a mechanism that works on a level I don't really understand, so I won't explain how it does the things it does because I can't."

"These crystals… what exactly are they? I assume they're not naturally formed?" Nera asked, coming far too close in her haste for answers. She saw the smug sneer on his face and soured. "You're not going to tell us much, are you?"

"I can impart tidbits if needed. Don't want all of you running along so only I get screwed if I share too much. What I can tell you is that they react to Origins uniquely, boosting their efficiency. The crystals could be infused with an aspect to exhibit different properties. What you're seeing there is the earth variant mixed in with regular unaspected crystals to boost performance. Whole cave seems to be. Not surprised nobody discovered this prior now. Not many rock Origins running around besides the siblings. No one normal would have noticed a thing; when it's inert, it looks just like rock, behaves just like rock. Nothing special about it. If Isabella had come in here, she likely would've discovered the connection before us, possibly earlier. Her powers are stronger and more sensitive than Benjamin's. The stronger the Origin, the higher the resonance."

The man flinched, and Hasei saw the color of doubt spread above him. A deep, lingering doubt followed by self-doubt and resentment. Bad mix for someone's mental state.

"Are there more?" Nera asked, her voice growing more excited. "Of the crystals, I mean. Potentially… some for study?"

"That you can take? Not anymore, most likely," Hasei said, backing away. "Most of them were lost or destroyed, I assume. Pure crystals didn't last more than a few years outside containment or linked in an array mechanism like this one."

"Why?"

"Because these things aren't supposed to exist in this reality. World breaks them down into something more stable. Every moment they exist they go against the grain of what is supposed to exist naturally, unless they're infused with an aspect that roots them into reality. It makes little sense, so don't think about it too hard." Everyone's eyebrows rose. Hasei shrugged. "You could say we share similar traits. This is the first time seeing so much of them in this time period, and even then it's only trace amounts compared to the earth crystals. Literal particles. Their weave as a whole with the earth variants have prevented decay, otherwise these things would be long gone already. Take them out of the array and they'll likely dissolve in minutes if not seconds considering how long they've been active. World's itching to get them out of here. So much of it has probably wasted away already."

"This material is like an alloy then," Isole observed. "It's not radioactive, right?"

"Not that I know of. The material reacts to living beings, but it doesn't give off any noticeable damaging radiation when it decays, either. Kind of just turns into dust. Silica and other things, mainly. There was a physicist that explained most of it for Riven, but even she was stumped by its properties. In some ways, it seems alive. These crystals love humans, if you can believe that. Strangely much less reactive to pokemon, though, not that they need it."

"If we're just discovering this, then that means Singularity hasn't sent Charaph in here to investigate," Aero concluded. "Just lackeys. Otherwise, they'd have known. Did they not send their Origins in here?"

"Shite I can probably answer that. Too dangerous, yeah?" Styx said. "You works of nature are rare compared to us powerless folk. Can't be throwing them away at the hands of the Swords. Makes sense. You can always throw more cannon fodder at a problem until it stops being one. Eventually. Might take 'em a while with the Swords, though. I'm not the only one that saw the grooves in the walls, aye?"

"Battle scars," Aere noted. "Some recent, too."

Benjamin focused again, and the circuits along his arms flashed briefly. "I can feel them. Like pieces missing in the array. Hmm. What if I…?" At his command, the dark spots that stood against the yellow gold light began to patch over, like the healing of a wound, though it was imperfect. "Oh, god. It's so efficient I could cry. I can do this for hours! This is incredible! I don't think the rest of you know how hard it is to mold rock, especially this kind of rock. It should have me winded, at least a little."

"I wonder what a fire array can do," Nera said with a wistful tone.

"It explodes. That changed things once they got it working. Fire is a bit testy, tends to go boom," Hasei replied, immediately souring her mood. "Hey, not my fault the things enhance what an element is already good at. Rock arrays were more versatile than anything fire could do. They were mainly meant for cave excavation or fortification. Moving rock like malleable clay was one of its functions. Beats putting up wooden support beams and shelters."

"Good, that solves the cave-in concern," Nera said, pivoting to optimism with that. "Hear that, Yan? If we have to fight, go nuts. Ben here will keep the roof from falling on our heads."

The Charizard snorted smoke, grinning in content.

"Umm, don't get too carried away. How durable is this? Against attacks, I mean." Benjamin asked Hasei, who motioned to Apollo and told him to test whatever Ben wanted. Everyone covered their ears. When Apollo hit a structure that Ben hastily built with a whirling kick, everyone whistled at the small crack along the surface. Barely a fracture really. Most rock tended to pulverize under a fighter's ki enhanced kicks. The array had dispersed most of the kinetic and ki-based forces. Had that been a person, the blow might crack a rib, but would prevent the entire ribcage from being turned to fragments and mush.

"Might last one hit against Terrakion, I reckon," Styx proposed. "That thing's a bloody tank. Makes me feel a bit safer though. Like… ten percent more. Side note, wasn't that a bit loud?"

"Only as loud as a gunshot in an enclosed room," Hasei assured unhelpfully. Styx slowly glared at him. "I'm sure the Swords either already know we're here, or they did when Thern activated the mechanism. The aura around the room changed, didn't it? My skin stopped feeling like someone was needling it. They'd feel that difference for sure."

The Lucario nodded. "It receded. As if parted. If the aura of the Swords is strong enough to blanket the entire cave, then they would feel the fluctuation much like a spider feels a vibration along its web."

"Yeah, I thought as much. If that didn't clue them in, then the bright yellow light did. Look at all the poor Zubat and Woobat cringing over there." There were many Zubat and their fluffier Unovan counterparts hurriedly trying to shift away from the light. "We should prepare to get attacked soon, or at least confronted. Get your pokemon ready. Thern, you as good handling a spear as your—" He paused, eyebrows furrowing. Even Nera looked wryly expectant. He rephrased that. "Are you better at using a spear over a sword? You're all a bunch of children, by the way. Disgusting."

Styx openly snickered. Cormac joined him.

"My family specialized in spears, yeah. But a spear in these corridors would be a bad idea. Can I make a weapon out of this stuff?"

"It wouldn't break as easily, but it won't be any sharper than rock you can shape yourself. It wasn't meant as a weapon. Though it would allow you to interface with the rest of the mechanism in the cave easier. Could give us an edge. A small one, but every man knows it's how you use it, not how big it is. Right? That's how it goes?"

Isole and Nera exchanged knowing glances. Isole couldn't help it. "Whatever keeps the boys' confidence afloat, sure."

"Ouch," Cormac mumbled.

Benjamin wasn't listening, focusing on the array instead. A sword formed out of the rock, stone shaping smooth and sharp along the blade while glowing golden fractals traced the length. It looked like a longsword of legend and myth. Its presence even seemed more stable after forming it, compared to when it was just rock, or was that because he was holding it? Benjamin saw them staring and flushed. "Hey, don't judge me! Come on, you have to admit it's a little cool."

"Someone's been reading too many fantasy books," Aere said wryly. Isole shoved him. "What? It's ripped straight out of those fantasy novels with the eye and all the short people. You know the one."

"You're just jealous you don't have a pretty glowing sword."

"Damn right I am. Where's my mythical fire blade?"

"If we make it out of here alive, you can make a tent spike of legend instead," Hasei suggested with just the same amount of wryness Aere had used earlier. "Call it a fire poker."

"You motherfucker," Aere bristled. Even his twin laughed.

"I think it looks great. Very magical, very fantasy," Nera said, admiring the blade. "If we leave this place with nothing to show for it but an ass kicking, at least we saw Ben create an artifact in front of our very eyes. That's something. We could sell it to an archeologist and convince them it's some ancient find. Does it do anything special?"

Ben used the sword like an oversized glowstick.

As they continued deeper into the cave using Benjamin as a light source, they started to come across bones. Some were unquestionably pokemon of some sort, but many were humanoid, with skulls and proportions close to that of humans rather than something close to it like a Gallade. Their clothes had been ripped away or broken down by the elements, but crushed scraps of metal were scattered carelessly around sections of the cave, along with belt buckles, keys, and other spoiled supplies. Some were more recent than others too, picked clean by scavengers or still stinking of rot and decomposition.

Cormac picked up a piece of metal and shined his flashlight on it. He blew some dust off it. "Pokeball fragments. Some of them are pretty messed up. Looks like we found our previous cave delvers. Some pins and insignias here too. Singularity for sure. Idiots."

"The scarring in here is worse," Benjamin added. "There's so much damage the array can't fix it all without spreading more of itself out too far. There was a serious fight in these tunnels and chambers."

Hasei, his sight unperturbed by the darkness ahead, noticed the line of rock on one side of a branching tunnel ahead. Something had dragged a blade through it with enough force not to stop. For several meters. Doing that against stone wasn't easy to do. Some of the bodies, while chewed on by the local inhabitants of the cave already, showed signs of what had killed them. Clean, severed bone spoke of a swift end at the hands of a very sharp, very large blade.

One, perhaps, made of condensed ki that could cut through armor like it wasn't there. The body laying in two halves was only a few feet from where the trail of the furrow in the wall disappeared. Poor bastard.

"Lads, this is not filling me with confidence," Styx said, putting down the skull of the poor sod. "This is right fucked, we should turn back."

"What we should do is be more careful," Nera advised. She pointed at the skull. "They weren't." She clung closer to her Charizard, as did the others with their pokemon.

They proceeded slowly, with Benjamin dimming the blade and switching to his flashlight instead. The others followed tentatively as their anxiety rose. Deeper and deeper they went, with signs of battle becoming even more apparent and more destructive. Some of the more expansive cavern spaces were decimated. Pieces of the array that had been placed through the cave had been rendered inert from the sheer damage, their crystals dissolved and eroded away.

Whoever had fought here had been fighting to retreat, though many didn't make it. Bones and stains littered the stone around them, and the smell wasn't flattering. How many people and pokemon did Singularity send to their deaths? Whatever they had done must have really angered the Swords. Which didn't bode well for their own chances if the mythical pokemon didn't care to distinguish people from each other. Legendaries and their lesser brethren didn't think like humans did, after all. Regular pokemon barely did.

They came to a nexus of branching tunnels in yet another cavernous expanse, though this time, Apollo's sensitivity to aura had him gravitate towards a particular crack in the rock. It appeared like he was pointing to a random section in the wall. There were tunnels ahead leading to a more obvious direction, but the Lucario insisted. Everyone saw a near solid wall of rock and understandably casted doubt on the idea.

"That is a wall, Apollo," Cormac noted sagely. The Lucario, glowing blue eyes and all, managed to somehow match the man's doubt with even greater irritation.

"I am fully aware it is a wall. I am simply saying I sense a concentration of aura into the rock. It is faint, like water seeping through rocks. Yet strong and deep. Cable where it should be thread. It leads far deeper into the cave, away from the other paths."

"You sure it isn't the Swords?" Isole asked, dubious. "Their aura signatures must be off the charts too, right? Could be a shortcut to ending up like the others."

"Their auras permeate this entire cave," Apollo confirmed. "Even for beings such as them, that should be difficult to do."

"Auras in living beings are often confined to the spaces around them, unless they're aura users themselves," Nera recalled. "They get stronger the closer they are to the source. Or unless they get boosted by something, like the rocks near the entrance. More crystals, perhaps? Whatever he's sensing, I'm betting it's more of those crystals. Could be what we're looking for. Besides, we have someone that can open tunnels without having to reinforce them as they go along. Most of the other delvers didn't. Ben, can you open it up?"

"I can but there's no array formations in there. I'll have to expand the walls myself and I've never been that good at it. Luckily, the rock shouldn't fight me much if I don't try to do a lot at once. It'll take some time and it won't be very wide. Maybe only a shoulder's width apart unless it widens out naturally. We'll have to shimmy. Any more and it'll really wear me out. I don't want to Awaken if we get into a fight. My limit is a lot lower than my sister's. And if I lose control…"

A rock Origin overloading inside a cave wouldn't just be a bad time, it'd be a disaster.

"Slow and steady is the move. Space is going to be really tight. Rules out our bigger friends," Cormac stated. "Yan definitely won't fit. Sorry big guy, you're too wide. Nera's been feeding you too many steaks."

Cormac nudged the Charizard's belly, who snuffed at Cormac's head with some heat, but otherwise didn't look thrilled at the prospect of such a tight space. The cave was enough to give the Charizard second thoughts. Not that he could fit if he wanted to come, anyway. Nera conceded with a frown, returning him. In exchange, she brought out Ieia, which immediately gave Hasei the stink eye. Her ire increased when Nera gave her the plan and bickered with Nera about it until she crossed her arms in a huff.

Benjamin opened up the section, widening it bit by bit to see it become a tunnel one person wide. They followed the tunnel in a line with Apollo and Benjamin leading them, the path growing increasingly more perilous as nature showed what happened when seismic activity met reinforced material and lost. Rocks jutted out unnaturally and walls had shifted to form pockets of empty space that were full of sharp stone. Ordinarily, trying to get through this place would be a very painful affair, but Benjamin's presence removed much of the annoyance. Progress was made steadily, taking upwards of an hour or two or three as Benjamin had to catch his breath from time to time. They had no idea how deep they were going. The tight tunnel, packed with a line of people and pokemon in a single file gave everyone a very human sense of discomfort and anxiety, at least until bright light shone ahead, a faint haze of sapphire through the dust.

That radiance almost looked like sunshine filtering through rock, but that was impossible. They were hundreds of feet deep by this point, weren't they?

When they reached through, they stopped to wonder at the sight before them.

A massive door nearly melded into the stone met them, built using the same stone of the cave and reinforced with old lines of the fractal array that were frayed out and barely holding on. But it wasn't intact. The door had been damaged somehow, wrenched apart and bent inward by forces several magnitudes greater than most man-made machines could muster. Seismic damage, most likely. Anything of value inside was likely paste by now, or chunks.

That was when they realized that they had emerged from a literal hole in the cave wall that Benjamin had needed to wrench open, skipping no doubt hours of cave delving to come here properly. Anyone else willing to take a similar path would have needed to tunnel through the old way, risking collapse or worse. Worse, given the state of the door there.

The residual aura had led them directly to one of the biggest spaces in the cave that they had ever seen. A cavern that extended for several hundred feet and boasted enough greenery to be considered a mini jungle, along with a subterranean stream of water that pooled into an impressive lake. It shimmered beautifully, reflecting light along the cave wall as pokemon lounged around the rock formations and made nests of the plants, trees, and shrubs. Far above, strange orange crystals encased in a sheet of reflective, nearly translucent glass provided warming light that seemed to act as some sort of artificial sun. That was where the light was coming from, producing warming rays that were neither overbearingly hot, or too weak to properly heat the space. Perfectly regulated.

Nera, Aere, and Aero were immediately drawn to it. Her more so than them, the very cells within their bodies absorbing the energy readily. They sighed in relief, unknowingly relaxing in its presence just a little.

Nera shot Hasei a look that asked a hundred questions. "Is that—"

"Yeah. Like Benjamin with the earth type crystals. I know I said flame arrays were good at making things go boom, but I'm a forgetful liar, I guess. The Naueilhi used some of this for farming underground, now that I remember some of the things they told Riven. Flame crystals produce light and heat similar to the sun's light without the complexities of star formation or incredibly costly materials. More efficient in smaller spaces than the damn sun, as you see. Which, I've been told, should be theoretically impossible. Extra-dimensional metamaterials don't seem to give a shit."

"Metamaterials? Whoa, look at you. Lots of fancy words for the shade of an Altean grunt," Aere said. "Thought you only knew how to swing swords and kill people. Didn't think the kid was that smart. Prince or not."

"Considering who his father was, I wouldn't make that assumption," Nera chided. "Don't underestimate Alteans. Ever. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy opened up a few physics books and took to the information like a fish to water. He just happens to be very good at violence."

Hasei found the image of Riven buried face first in a textbook amusing. He'd only ever gotten a cursory read through, and he hardly bothered with all the complex math, going for general concepts instead. "His attention span is more Emolga than Dunsparce, if you get what I mean, but you'd be surprised at the things you pick up when you have one of the best physicists in the world jabbering in your ear for years. Anyway, I'm willing to bet that lake there isn't natural either, along with the soil. These plants wouldn't last very long in a natural cave. This was made to sustain life. For a very, very long time. This place is practically vibrating with energy, even the air. And just look at all the pokemon."

The place was filled with pokemon—some cave dwelling, some not. There were even some Herdier and Stoutland, along with Cottonees and other grass types that loved the sun. They never lived in caves. Odd.

"Are some of those roots… glowing?" Cormac noted, squinting his eyes.

"Yes, they are," Isole confirmed, holding up the stalk of a nearby bush. She let it go as a baby Woobat swooped in and started to munch on the berries, which were glowing with some form of energy. She took one from another stalk and chewed on it experimentally, her eyebrows rising in astonishment. "Sweet. And kind of energizing. I feel a bit less tired already. Wow, you should try this."

Cormac wandered over. "Really? Let me see that."

"Come on lads, don't eat berries you've never seen before. I didn't expect Isole to be the first one to bloody do it. That's the first thing they teach you about wilderness survival," Styx warned, sighing after absolutely nobody listened. "Do Origins not have to worry about foodborne illnesses as much as us regular folk? No? Keep eating your fucking mystery berries then."

"We still get the shits," Aero artfully informed him, taking a berry for himself. "Hmm. These are good." He picked some more, angering another Woobat that chittered at him for stealing its food. He gave one up, flicking it at the flying fluffball. Styx finally relented and went to get one for himself, complaining about the runs and leaf rashes on the bum.

While the others combed over the strange berries, Benjamin took his blade and experimentally drove it into the ground an inch. A pulse of golden yellow moved through it with his command and the entire cave wall flashed gold. The array was everywhere here. This time, however, the patterns on the walls were interlocked and ringed, forming sheets. No… nets? Or… was that chainmail? Scalemail? It resembled armor more than anything, and it was more complex and painstakingly woven together than anything he'd seen in the cave previously. Something to hold structural integrity perhaps? The strength of it all was palpable in his mind, giving credence to the theory that it could hold against the earth itself. "Incredible… This was here this whole time? An entire ecosystem? And this array cage? How has nobody discovered this… wonder?"

"The Swords likely don't let anyone get this close. Much of Mistralton Cave has never been explored in recent times," Nera recalled. "We took a shortcut. A big one. Makes you wonder what other wonders people have missed."

Pokemon fled and panicked at the sight of the sudden light, scattering into different tunnels that seemed to converge here. Just as Hasei had speculated, Cormac released a Floatzel into the lake, who'd confirmed the existence of some sort of crystal bubble within where blue lattices glowed, like the fire ones above. They hadn't tried digging up the soil that was strangely accumulated here, but they knew enough to know that these types of plants would've long dried up the nutrients, unless something deep within was providing them—unnaturally or otherwise. There were too many pokemon here, which meant that they received sufficient sustenance and water to live down here and didn't have to forage above for essentials. It explained the Cottonee, Whimsicott, and other overland pokemon..

Any botanist and agricultural expert would've twisted their brains into knots at the sustainability. Most cavernous ecosystems didn't tend to have the kind of support structure those on the surface had in case something went wrong. Normally, only the hardiest and least nutrient hungry species survived, mainly fungi and other plants that thrived in lowlight conditions. Not here, though. Hasei wasn't surprised, however.

The entire layout of the place, down to the glowing plants, reminded him of Naueilh's grand spires, where they grew plants and crops in levels using much smaller quantities of grass and water aspected crystals, with pumps and tubes to act like a crystal hydroponic system. Grass type Origins also had, unsurprisingly, green thumbs. They'd never needed specialized chemicals to replace the nutrients in the soil like modern farming practices. Their lifetenders were highly specialized in revitalizing soil, turning barren dirt into lush, fertile ground perfect for plant life. Of all the Origins living in the past, they were the ones most connected to the natural world. The crystals they infused and empowered, made from the Creator itself and given their properties by the most skilled of their lifetenders, gave near miraculous growth to anything that grew beside them. That included crop yields that would make the biggest agricultural companies in the world slobber at the mouth.

He bent down near a patch of soil and reached in.

A fistful of it revealed tiny glimmers of green light, as small as grains of sand but shining brightly all the same. Shards of Hala'vi. Crystals that nurtured pure life. A marvel. Each one would be worth millions if the surface world ever examined them and determined just what they could do. They were the longest lasting of the Creator spawned crystal variants, because life was ever changing. It grew, it thrived, it wilted, and died. And it would restart anew, unlike the others. Their forms were static, or fleeting. Always and forever. Without constant maintenance, they would disappear or become inert. But life? As long as it remained with more life, it functioned in a cycle. Life and death in balance.

When it was removed, or destroyed by careless usage of extreme heat or cold, then it died and never returned, even faster than the decay of the regular Caas'vi crystals. Elemental aspected crystals followed their elements closely.

He smiled bitterly. Riven had never seen the Grand Noltan Forest in his time, nor any of the grass clan that had been eradicated. What wonders did they create that he never got to see? Their forest was proof enough—one that had outmatched Fortree's even in ancient times. Standing not too far away, was a favored daughter of the man who'd personally carried out its immolation.

But children were not their parents. Pasts did not define futures. Something he hoped the Swords would see if they caught up to them. Just as they emerged from the other side of the grove and set about to go back and explore the broken door, Apollo stood bolt upright, aura flaring and body shining with blue light. Ieia likewise spun to face the other end of the cavern, where various tunnel entrances led further in or out.

Green illuminated the entire space.

A hiss of energy hummed throughout the entirety of the cavern as a twenty-foot wide blade of solid energy traveled through the air, arcing downwards like gravity had been pushing it down. Nera's Charizard, having been resummoned, bellowed a blast of fire to meet the attack as Ieia raised a palm to slow it.

The Gardevoir grunted with effort as her psychic power just managed to disperse the ki surrounding the attack, causing it to lose its strange homing properties. That explained the parabolic movement; a skilled aura user was controlling its trajectory much like a psychic could their attacks. Fire met grass a moment later, with the former unable to instantly overcome the latter, defying the difference in typing before both attacks violently detonated several meters above them, rocking the foliage and dust within the space and unleashing a bang of noise that reverberated throughout the cavern.

Coughing and waving apart the dust cloud, the humans couldn't see through the obstruction at what had attacked them. Hasei could see in the dark, but not through smoke clouds.

"A leaf blade layered with aura? Powerful too," Cormac said, awed. "Combining types in a single move is not some rookie move. Could be a trainer?"

"It clashed with Yan's Fire Blast and had a layer of powerful ki around it. That's no damn trainer. Apollo?" Isole ground out. The Lucario gave a terse nod, his ears flat against his skull and an unease in his stance. Fighters didn't get nervous very often. That usually meant something bad. "Spread out!"

The human group did so, a shiver starting to crawl up their spines as the dust cloud was parted smoothly aside, like a curtain being retracted by a gentle hand.

"Time's up," Nera whispered, getting closer to Yan. Heat already began to build around her in a haze, while a cold mist started to form around Isole and condensing water vapor into ice. "They found us."

On the other side of the cavern, a green stag stood at the entrance of one of the larger tunnels, a brilliant green blade-like horn protruding from its crest. Its eyes glowed blue with psychic power before returning to an unflinching red. It was beautiful; femininity and elegance overlayed a lithe frame that was built for speed and fast-moving combat. Virizion, the Third Blade. From two other tunnels, two others followed, Terrakion the Second and Keldeo, the Fourth. One pure power, the other flexibility. Both their crests glowed with blades of their own.

Then the last of the Swords, their leader, emerged from the largest cave. Head held high with more regal poise than most human monarchs had ever hoped to achieve, and a gaze more piercing than a tyrant's, was Cobalion. He held no blade atop his crest. Not yet.

Hasei watched as Nera's heat and Isole's fire caused the plants around them to shrivel, and he suddenly remembered why the Swords had gone to war with humans in the past. "Shut that off!" He commanded. "We can't hurt the forest. Take that out and there'll be no mercy for us, no matter what we do."

"They don't look merciful already!" Styx pointed out.

"Nera!" Hasei growled. "Stop. If we have the forest to our backs, they won't use more ranged attacks in fear of hurting it."

Isole and Nera, about to unleash their elements to evolve their pokemon, clamped down on the power gathering in their bodies as they saw the Swords group together, watching them.

Even if they could mega evolve their pokemon, in a wide open space like this with their numbers, fighting them would be a chaotic death sentence, not to mention the damage the surroundings would sustain, from battle or the residual energy that the process released. The Swords of Justice had become hostile to humanity after their wars spilled into the environment, endangering the lives of pokemon. How pissed would they be if they used this space as a battleground? How many pokemon depended on this place for sustenance? It would only prove their point that humans were deserving of death.

"We're in a situation," Cormac realized. "What was that plan again? Fight them off? Seems a little too ambitious at the moment. Think we can make it back to the tunnel?"

"No luck with that," Aero replied. "They'll cut us down before we make it there, even with our pokemon. Going through the forest is a bust, if we're just going to end up shimmying slowly in a line while Terrakion can just crush Ben's control and then us to death. If we take the tunnels behind them… they'll chase us down otherwise. You've seen the tunnels. They must've had three times our number and barely made it out."

"Yeah, that's a negative too. Teleport out?"

"Can't, or the Nightmare's gonna die, regardless of his tricks. His fancy sword transmission and regeneration won't help him in a cave with Virizion's speed after him. One Sacred Sword and he's fucked."

"You also only have one psychic," Hasei said. "Are you confident Ieia can take everyone?"

"No, she can't. And we're not leaving him," Nera said to the others with a frustrated growl and a hiss of steam. "If that bastard dies, I'll never get my damn crystal. That's out of the question. But we can't manifest either. Not here. We'll destroy this place if we do, and if we run into the tunnels with our forms active, we'll do more harm than good to anyone not fire or ice resistant."

"So cooked alive or frostbitten to death? I'd take me chances with the tunnels. Only problem is they're on the other side of the bloody cave, next to them," Styx pointed out, enlarging a pokeball. "We'll have to get past 'em… somehow."

"Shit." Isole bit her lip nervously. "Our pokemon won't stand a chance in a prolonged fight without mega evolving, much less us."

Nera judged the distance to the tunnels. "Then don't prolong it. Fight to run. Slow them down. Hasei and Styx's ghosts are invulnerable to Sacred Sword, they could buy us some time and can escape if they're in danger. Mega evolution using Manifestation is suicide at this point."

Hasei agreed. If Nera or Isole were forced to Origin mega evolve their pokemon, or Manifestation as Isole and Nera had coined the process, the wave of elemental energy in a confined space would either give the rest of them serious burns, or a life-threatening case of frostbite.

Origin mega evolution was nowhere near as safe as regular mega evolution using stones, for the Origin, and those around them. Steven had deduced as much after his visit to Kalos, but Crystallization and Manifestation were linked, not mutually exclusive, like he thought. Perhaps the restrictions Manifestation had right now could be mitigated with further practice when mythical pokemon weren't trying to kill them, but for the moment the technique was more a hazard than a benefit. One wrong move could trigger Crystallization, kill the Origin, and subsequently cause a very bad time for everyone else in the vicinity.

Watching the group of humans and their pokemon, Cobalion looked down on them all with utter contempt. Then he spoke, his voice resonating with the aura in the cavern itself. Blue light briefly lit the space as the crystals corresponded to the power. His tone was completely remorseless, like a king passing judgment.

Again, you come after what you took. What should have remained dormant, you awoke. Again, and again, you have sent more to die. This will be no different.

"What we took? What does that even mean?" Aere asked.

"Doesn't matter. Singularity got away the first time, then sent more fodder constantly. They must think we're just another troupe foolishly trying to delve for more artifacts," Hasei said. "No time to convince them otherwise. There might be an option to get out of here in one piece, though. One that doesn't involve trying to get past them."

"Then do it!" Nera ordered.

"Stall for me while I talk to our friend Benjamin. Put up walls, obstructions, whatever you can."

The man gawked. "Wait. Me? What the hell can I do against… that?!"

The First Blade joined the other three as blades of light moved as one, ready to make mince-meat out of them. Wonderful.

Hasei moved to place a hand on Benjamin's shoulder as Efrain uncoupled behind him. "Forget them. Thern, reach into the rock. Feel the potential in it. The Swords may live here, but rock Origins built this place. This is your domain, not theirs. And be quick about it, or we're fucked. You have about ten seconds. If I suspect I'm right about who you are, and you've got a shred of the potential your sister has, then you'll know what to do. The crystals were always intuitive. They'll know even if you don't."

Benjamin wasn't listening or acting. That was a problem. Doubt threaded through the man's mind as he saw the Swords approach. Hasei could see it easily in the colors above Benjamin's head, frowning as he saw emotion and the man's own thoughts paralyze him into inaction. At this rate, he would be useless, and the others would likely meet the same fate as the people in the tunnels. Time to fix that. Hasei didn't have Riven's half of their power. Unable to empower, unable to inspire and stir the passion in people. Their ambition, their drive, their willingness to strive for more. Taking power, now that fit Hasei, because it sounded like a right pain to do the reverse. Riven may have promised Gale not to mess with peoples' heads, but he'd promised no such thing.

"For fuck's sake. Hey, don't resist. I'm going to eat your emotions."

Benjamin stammered in surprise. "You're going to what?"

Deliberately and more overtly than he'd done before, Hasei saw the mass of insecurity and doubt that plagued Benjamin Thern and tore into it, funneling it into himself, suppressing the emotions and consuming them for power. There was quite a lot, and strong too. Not as strong as passion or bloodlust, but any scrap was better than none.

The emotional toll was nearly absent and tasted terrible, like biting into a lemon. Isabella's had been much sweeter, given what those emotions entailed, and affected him so strongly because of similar feelings within him, leading to a resonance of sorts. Benjamin's on the other hand… not so much. A Nightmare had no business ever feeling inadequate about anything family related, especially not about siblings. Riven had never had any to compare to.

He held Benjamin by the shoulders, watching his unfocused eyes blink as his mind tried to settle the imbalance.

"Listen, I get it. But now isn't the time. You need a clear head. Push aside all that shit and focus. You're not her. Remember that. Listen to the crystals, let them guide you."

The rock Origin nodded dimly as Hasei left, twin swords uncoupling behind him to join the others in a desperate bid to not be cut to pieces.

---

Benjamin Thern, once known as Beyu Girsu-Ahm of the Earth Sentinels of the old world, had always been overshadowed by his sister. She had always been the prodigy their clan wanted: gifted, a natural talent with a spear, and more power condensed in her body at birth than him. The Rock Clan didn't care to distinguish between female or male heirs like the other clans. No, their purpose was combat. To crush the enemies of Curia, and aid the Rosans in their burning crusades against opponents too sturdy for their flames and steeds. All just an excuse to test themselves against the strongest the realm had to offer. In the end, it had devolved to mere bullying than actual, glorious combat. Subjugation tended to do such things. The Rosans were very good at killing dissenters. That made most forms of resistance weak and easily put down. No fun at all.

Briem was only two years older than him, yet with every passing year her accomplishments mounted within the clan and as a ward of the Rosans, while his trailed. The divide only grew and the judging gazes along with it. He wasn't as gifted, wasn't as strong… wasn't as driven with combat. Song, dance, and a longing for a life that wasn't plagued by war and conflict were his desires. He'd even lamented the loss of the Grass Clan upon learning how they tried to aid the Alteans out of a humanitarian sense of compassion. Beyu agreed, it was cruel. All they had done was care. The Rock Clan had not approved of such thoughts, however. They didn't like the elemental advantage a bunch of tree huggers had over them.

When the world had ended and they'd been transported here, his life had begun anew. And fresh breath of air it was. His sister had gone off to be the closest thing to a free-spirited battle crazed maniac this world could offer, as was her tendency, while he became Benjamin—a normal guy with no expectations of him, free to pursue what and who he wanted. Yet the clawing for answers gnawed at him like the rest. For more than thirty years, he'd helped Nera search for clues about what had happened to their distant world, but only when seeing Briem fight with Hasei did those ugly feelings of inadequacy—instilled in him from years of verbal and oftentimes physical beatdowns from his parents and tutors—resurface.

Even now, facing down four glowing blades of ki across the cavern, Benjamin thought that his sister would appear and somehow step in, take control of the array, and save him from yet another fight he couldn't win. Just like she did on the training yards against his more vicious older brothers. The thoughts were irrational, but they consumed him. He saw the four blades of death approaching and yet he couldn't move a muscle.

Then… then Hasei's eyes had grown a more vivid red, terrifying and unnatural at the same time, and yet Benjamin straightened as he felt the emotions leave his mind. That had left an odd absence in his mind, allowing the easygoing confidence he usually carried like a mask to spring forth in a wave that surprised him. The dissonance was deafening, yet freeing.

That paralyzing insecurity and years of terrible memories were all gone now—like a far-off dream. What had he been so hung up about? His sister could no more stop the Swords of Justice than he.

But what if he could?

He stared at the stone blade in his hands and felt the tingling sensation of power around him, tracing it to the ground beneath his feet. If he wanted to, he could make it sing. Unburdened by guilt, he wanted it more than anything. To do something his sister couldn't. To stop living legends in their tracks. To make them listen to him. The crystals seemed to sing to him, telling him how as they brought forth sensations from deep in the earth, of strength and solidity, an unwillingness to yield, and a foundation of shelter and support that defined his element.

Nature's bulwark. He didn't know how, he didn't why. He just did.

"The crystals were always intuitive."

Fingers closed around the handle of the blade, bringing it down just as the Swords of Justice lunged forward to meet his crew.

I always hated fighting, Benjamin thought idly.

Circuits flashed brightly against his skin until they burned a golden yellow as Isabella's had. A wave of energy came off him as he Awakened, causing Terrakion to slow in confusion at seeing a human wield power. Stone walls and half-formed glaciers of ice made by Isole's Glalie rose before the mythical pokemon in an attempt to obstruct. They were cut apart in seconds, barely able to break the pokemons' stride. More rose, followed by shadow balls, psybeams, plumes of fire, walls of icicles, and aura spheres. The entirety of Benjamin's sword had sunk into the ground, sending one final pulse of seismic energy into the ground. An order.

"Fight, fight, fight, that's all anyone ever does. Why don't we all just…TALK!"

Yellow-gold flashed, Benjamin's outstretched fist clenched, and the ground itself burst into fractals of light, obeying an ancient Origin's call as the array, dormant for ages, sprang to life.

Beyu Girsu-Ahm, the Earth Sentinel that lived in the shadow of his older sister, finally got his chance.

---

Efrain's twin swords slashed out with claws made of concentrated shadows, weakening a leaf blade that tried to snake its way into their formation. Yan's flame covered jaws bit into the remaining grass type energy, shattering it into glimmering specks of green. The cavern had quickly been covered in dust, yet neither side had touched the precious soil and plants, preferring to fling ranged attacks over a stretch of rock between the lake and the greenery. All the other pokemon inhabiting the cavern had fled quickly.

The Swords' advance was slowed just enough for them to nearly close into melee when the ground shook, a wave of yellow light pulsing throughout the entire cavern like a flash. Still Virizion's green blade marched forward, faster than the rest. Coming at Hasei.

The others could only watch in horror as they saw the green stag barreling towards him, dodging through rising Stone Edges and evading blasts of fire from Nera's Charizard without breaking stride. If the rest of the crew stopped to help slow Virizon further, then the other three would arrive and tear them to pieces before Ben was finished doing whatever it was Hasei had tasked him to do. Nera tried to move toward him, her circuits burning a red-orange in an attempt to Awaken until Aero wrenched her back, urging her to focus on Cobalion. Cormac turned at Isole's insistence, spotting Hasei's predicament and giving an order. A Night Shade from Cormac's Ariados struck Virizion in the flank, drawing blood and only managing to make it buck slightly. The next beam it deflected with its glowing green blade, now more green and less white as grass type energy repelled the ghostly power.

"Move back, kid!" Cormac bellowed as he shouted another order to a Floatzel blasting Terrakion with a torrent of water. Angling its head, its own golden-brown Sacred Sword cleaved through the pressurized water without much difficulty.

Efrain moved forward to try and contest Virizion as it got closer, but Hasei began to chuckle, relaxing and ordering him to stand down instead. The ghost sent back confusion, but acquiesced. He must have looked insane, staring down approaching death with idle amusement, but he was confident.

The rock Origins of the Nauer era may have been gruff, rude, and very unpleasant compared to the stoicism and bloodlust of those in the old world, but Riven would never have called them unprepared. They built defensive measures into everything, even here; all someone had to do was access them. Someone like Benjamin. Singularity really had dropped the ball, not bringing Isabella here and relegating her to guard duty. Then again, he'd fed on her emotions, he knew intimately what that one would have done if she'd taken leave of her senses and followed them in here. Cornered and without an ability to flee, she would've fought with a smile on her face, spear held high. She would have died for it.

Her brother wouldn't. When a volley of arrows flew at you, another sword would be useless. What you really needed was a shield. And they were standing in one.

A brilliant green blade sped forward at him, poised to split him from head to groin. Hasei only grinned, his smile wider and more crazed than Riven's had ever been as the rock beneath his feet rumbled further. He saw doubt bloom above the mythical pokemon's head for just a second at the too relaxed demeanor of the human daft enough to stand in its way. It turned to full blown shock as Hasei held up a single finger and it felt the impossible energy the human brought to bear.

A Dark Pulse formed in an instant, backed by a momentary flare of pure malicious intent as Hasei's circuits briefly solidified, empowering the attack into something that could injure even the Swords' most vulnerable member, pulsing an angry red and black. Hurt would be a strong word for it, to be honest. Still, it could do some damage in the right place.

Except he didn't aim at Virizion. He aimed at the ground in front of it, where its legs would be. Running into sharp protrusions of rock would hurt anyone not made of metal. Darkness erupted, forcing the mythical pokemon to slow and defend its legs from jagged rock and corrosive darkness; an action that made it just a second too slow despite the power and luminosity of the horn suddenly growing brighter and more solid than before. Blood came away from its legs in splotches.

Green light reflected in Hasei's eyes, and yet his smile only grew wider at the sight of the Justified empowered blade. Against that, his flesh would be like tissue paper against a steel saw. Most flesh would be, actually, but was it more like wet tissue paper? Liquified tissue paper? Eh, didn't matter, he'd be dead just the same.

What are you doing, shade?! Efrain demanded at the speed of thought, moving to protect his stupidly suicidal not quite human.

Theatrics? Hasei replied with a deadpan tone, just as gold fractals lit the space. Get back, you rusty toothpick. You'll get stuck on the other side otherwise.

The cavern shifted with the sound of rattling chains, just as Virizion's blade came less than a foot away from his face. It stopped dead. A loud boom blew through the cavern as ancient technology met the power of mythical pokemon, one after another, and didn't budge.

A gigantic fence of interlocking stone neatly divided the cavern in two, formed directly from the array filled walls, the floor and the ceiling. Between the links fractals pulsed a bright golden yellow, emitting a forcefield of energy that seemed as impassable as the Earth itself. Four very confused Swords of Justice only stared in confusion at having been stopped, let alone knocked back.

They eyed the structure in complete bewilderment. They must have never expected something like this to be hiding in the cave they'd been living in for decades.

Uncovering his ears, Hasei chuckled, kicking at the defensive measure that had been the Keruv—the rock— class' supposed pride and joy. It pushed his foot away, returning the force back like a proper, solid wall. He turned his back to look at Nera's equally gob-smacked crew, entirely aware that four incredibly powerful pokemon were practically right behind him, rightfully pissed, and that the wall of golden light made him look incredibly impressive. "Well shit, I guess that craggy fuckstick Felc didn't lie after all. Legendary rated indeed. Too bad he's not here to be smug about it. Good job, Benjamin. Just don't drop it, or we're dead."

Four blades reappeared with a vengeance. Hasei covered his ears again.

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So, I did say I was going to release this a week after the previous chapter, but I went back and did some more edits and touch ups, so my bad. Anyway, the aim of these chapters is to be concurrent within a similar time frame. Riven is dealing with his stuff while Hasei is here in the cave, they're happening simultaneously. Just throwing it out there in case someone somehow missed it.

Continuing the trend, I dislike how easily some teenager can just catch mythical pokemon of immense power like its nothing. No sir, you're going to fear them, even if they aren't world enders like Dialga and co. Mythical pokemon are still a step or two above most regular pokemon, and as such, should be treated with utmost caution. The Swords of Justice were described as being able to hold back armies, so they're getting the respect they deserve, damn it.