To Cutlerine: Thank you so much!!! Sorry I took such a long time to reply; it's been super busy over here D: I'm glad you liked these chapters!! Just like you say, Barry might be a goof and super clueless sometimes but when Niss needs him he always steps up to it, he's a great friend. And yeah these two are my dumbs and I love them... as for Shadi, I hope you'll like the following chapters :3c once again thank you so much for your grammar fixes!!! You're the best.
To Firaga: Thank you as well! And yeah I think you put it better than anyone; these kids' sense of preservation is simply terrible. But that's exactly why I love them. And yes, Fantina does tend to be quite... aggressive in her way of helping people. Once again thank you and I hope you enjoy the next chapters!
Chapter 19: What you Lack - Part 1
Barry roamed through the streets of Hearthome, head down and path aimless.
He passed the ice cream store, barely paying any attention to it before walking past it. He'd lied to Niss; any cravings he might've had for the cold, sweet dessert had been replaced with that bothersome feeling of unease setting in the pit of his stomach.
He kicked a can of soda laying on the side of the street. It went flying towards a nearby trash bin and scared a couple of Starly, who flew away at the sound of the crash. That felt good. Kicking, walking fast, stomping his feet on the ground with every step he took, it all helped to slowly get rid of the unusual heat running through his body. It took him a few minutes to realize why exactly he felt that way, and by the time he got the answer he regretted it.
Niss had been given permission to speak with the Gym Leader. Of course she had, he felt stupid just thinking that for once people would treat them equally. Why would they? She was the better trainer, as everyone who met them immediately realized. Infinitely more dedicated and smart than the sidekick she brought along with her everywhere.
He wondered why the Champion didn't just surrender the title already, since Niss was so friggin great and all.
His shoulders dropped, fingers curling strongly into fists. He shouldn't think those things; none of what was happening was his friend's fault, and being bitter about the situation wouldn't help. Niss had been through a lot of really bad things, and the least she deserved was getting some recognition for her effort.
A sudden gust of wind hit him from behind, ruffling up his hair and bringing him back to reality. He blinked, standing up straight, and looked to his right to one of the most stunning buildings he'd ever seen.
He had somehow arrived to what seemed like a cathedral, standing painfully out of place between two tall skyscrapers. Its main tower rose to at least forty feet, not quite as tall as some of the structures he'd seen in the city but certainly impressive. It was built with smooth, pale stone which reflected the light of the sun. The enormous windows at the side were made of stained glass, depicting shapes that he couldn't quite recognize from afar.
How had he gotten there? Where even was he? He figured he was heading towards the Pokemon Center and just let his feet do the walking, but he would've remembered such a place if he'd seen it before.
He passed through the steel gates, too curious to turn back. A short path lead to the oval shaped hole that was the cathedral's entrance, and two small but impressively laid out flower patches rested at his side coating the air with a sweet, musky scent. As he approached he noticed that the walls and pillars were each engraved with distinct, spiraling patterns only visible from up close.
The inside was quite a contrast, though equally impressive. To his left was a marble pedestal about half his size, with a bowl on top of it full of what he assumed was holy water. To his left lay another one, holding a small box with a stamp that read
Donations. He washed his hands and deposited some change in that box before proceeding.
In front of him two rows of ornate wooden pews ran through most of the length of the room, stopping just a few feet before the altar. He made his way towards it, the sound of his feet against the ceramic echoing all around him. In between the thick stone pillars at the sides of the seats he spied some of the stained glass he'd seen from outside.
Most of them were people he didn't know, dressed in robes and garments from times long past. Others he recognized easily, like the cheery Mew or the three pixie legendaries, their piercing golden eyes staring down at him with an intensity which made him nervous. With the exception of Uxie, of course, whose eyelids remained always closed. He felt a strange warmth behind his eyes, which disappeared as soon as he blinked.
Before he knew it he arrived at the feet of the altar, and his eyes went directly to the opposite wall, where the last glass picture stood. It clearly showed the peak of Mt Coronet, as seen from the city, standing proud and mighty as he'd seen it just a few days before. At the very top a blinding light shone all over the mountain, parting the sky in half. He looked at it for what felt like minutes, mouth slightly agape and a stunned look on his face. What was he…?
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
He shook his head, mind clearing of that strange fog. He blinked a few times, disoriented, and turned towards the voice he'd just heard.
A tall woman stood a few feet from him, posture rigid and hands behind her back. She wore a long, black coat that reached to her ankles, with puffy frills at the neck and base of it. Her straight, blonde hair reached to her hips and part of it obscured her left eye. She was pale, slightly more than Niss, and her skin seemed to reflect light the same way the stones of the cathedral did.
She must have realized how long Barry stared at her, and tried to stiffle a laugh. He felt heat run up to his cheeks.
"H-hi!" he stammered, bowing to the woman. "I'm… I'm Barry, hi."
"Hello Barry," she smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I apologize for ruining your concentration, it's just that I don't see many kids who are interested in these sort of artistic pieces."
Her voice made him flinch. It wasn't unpleasant; far, far from it. It traveled through the still air between them and hit him gently, easing the knot that had formed in his stomach and washing it away with ease. He felt painfully aware of every word she spoke, every movement of her mouth; the way her lips gave shape to those sounds and turned them into something calming and powerful. The moment that thought appeared in his mind he shook his head, aware of how much he was blushing.
"I… just kinda ended up here by accident," he admitted. A small wrinkle formed at the edges of her stormy grey eyes. Another smile. "I just got to Hearthome so... uh…"
"You still looked very interested in it, and I think that's what matters. This really is one of the most striking places in all of Sinnoh." She looked up at the stained glass once more. "I like to come here whenever I pass through this city. It feels like a memory from a world that's no longer with us."
He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're not... from here?"
"Not technically." She crossed her arms beneath her chest. "I consider all of Sinnoh to be my home, but I suppose if we were to be technical you could say I'm from Celestic Town."
"Oh yeah, the place with the ruins, right? What's it like?"
Her expression changed multiple times within a few moments, ranging from a deep momentary sadness to a prideful smile. He blinked in confusion, not having any idea how he'd managed to notice all that.
"It's a small town, and not many people visit. It holds an ancient history that few places do, and even without the polish and grandeur of a city like this…" She looked around, taking in a deep sigh, "...it's still beautiful in its own way."
"O-oh," was his well thought out response. "I'm from Twinleaf. It's cool there, lots of trees and stuff. Kinda quiet."
The woman's laughter forced him to take a step back. The tingly feeling behind his eyes came back and for a moment he seemed to understand, at least somewhat. There was a subtle, latent strength to the way she carried herself. Every movement of her body looked perfect and premeditated, every word seemed so carefully built, and every laugh was a small ember escaping the raging fire he felt burning inside her.
Then the feeling disappeared again, and that understanding left him completely, leaving an aching void inside his chest.
"I've been to the Twinleaf pine-tree plantations and the outskirts of Lake Verity, they really are a sight to behold. I enjoy traveling the region, and seeing with my own eyes each piece of beauty my dear Sinnoh possesses. All so different, and yet the same in essence." A wistful sigh escaped her lips, and Barry had to force himself to stop staring at them. "Oh, sorry for my rudeness. I didn't even ask what you were doing here in Hearthome."
The question caught him by surprise, and he went through a lot of lies inside his head before he realized he had no reason not to tell her the truth. Why did he feel so defensive all of a sudden?
"The Gym," he said, only a moment later realizing she needed more context. "I'm a trainer, I'm taking on the League challenge. Wanna become the Champion and all that."
She turned her eyes to him, lips curling into a smile. "Oh, really? How interesting."
Barry felt as though lightning had struck him. The grey of her eyes came to life, bringing the whole strength of their inner storm on top of him, paralyzing him completely. That was not the gaze of an old (was she old? He honestly couldn't tell if she was twenty or forty) woman who was slightly interested in him, but the glare of a Pokemon about to jump on its prey.
He realized then what was so entrancing about her. She was beautiful, yes, but not in the same way as Niss or Gardenia, not in the subjective and biased way a person would judge her. Her beauty was something deep and unshakeable and dangerous that one had to admire from afar. Most beautiful people he'd seen were like the painting of a fire; this woman was the fire itself.
She blinked once, and that oppressive feeling disappeared. He could breathe again.
"I'm a trainer too, you know," she said, breaking eye contact. "Perhaps one day we'll meet in battle. I certainly hope so."
"Y-you do?"
"Absolutely. You have the spirit of a true trainer, something very few possess. I can feel it burning inside your chest. Warm, expansive and very gentle." She tilted her head to the side slightly with each word, enjoying them like a delicacy. "A pleasant feeling indeed."
Not a single thing she said made sense to him, and even though he should've been doubting the woman was even sane he found himself clinging to her every word. Especially…
"T-thanks." He smiled back. "But I'm not that good. My friend Niss is much better than me, you should see her."
"Is she? Then I'm even more excited." She moved forward and backward on the ball of her feet. "But please don't sell yourself short, Barry. I am not joking when I say I feel a tremendous strength inside of you. And when the time comes…" She paused for a second, and formed a daunting smile. "I'm sure you'll show the entire world what you're capable of."
He didn't know what to answer, didn't think he even could. An entire minute seemed to pass before she spoke again, right after turning around towards the exit on the opposite side of the room.
"Now I'm afraid I have business to take care of," she said. "But it really was a pleasure to meet you, Barry. I am certain we will see each other again, but until then…"
"Y-yeah!" He came back to his senses, once again bowing slightly to her. "Thanks for the kind words… uh…"
She smiled with her back toward him, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"You can call me Cynthia."
And before he had a chance to say anything else she walked out of the cathedral, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
-----------------------------
Inyssa would've liked to say she came back to the Pokemon Center with fire in her eyes and determination in her gut, but that couldn't have been further away from the truth. Her feet hurt, her heart pounded just a bit too strongly and her mind was a royal mess from the events of the day.
So she decided to make a list to keep herself in order. Buy food, something nutritious and with some vegetables sprinkled in, something that would aid her sleep that night. Talk to Barry, inform him of the trial situation and pretend not to notice that something was bothering him. She would address that later, right now she was in no condition to have another emotional talk. Take a shower, heat turned up to the highest setting and the sound of the pouring water distracting her from her thoughts. Let the scalding water hurt her just enough for that.
And finally tuck herself in bed early, so that she'd be ready to train when the morning came. She went about these steps almost automatically, her mind wandering someplace else and herself feeling not entirely within her body. She hung her white cotton hat on top of the night lamp and threw herself beneath the sheets, taking in the fresh, lavender smell of them. She closed her eyes, extinguishing everything, and finally felt the weight of that day falling on top of her.
She remembered Fantina's advice. She remembered her mother's letter and how predictably sappy it ended up being once she gathered the courage to look at it. And she remembered her sister, and that email.
It didn't hit her until that moment that she'd been walking on the same steps as her those past weeks. She'd been to the same abandoned house, met the same Pokemon and even managed to catch it. She'd met people who knew her, who knew Shadi and what an incredible person she was. And even after meeting Inyssa, someone so unqualified to even reach her boots, those people seemed to believe in her. Believed that she would one day surpass her and leave all of her accomplishments behind.
She turned to the side of the bed, half her face buried in her pillow. Her eyes stung, and she could hear the beating of her own heart in her ears. She tried to retreat to her sleep, where none of those thoughts would reach her, and finally accomplished it after only a few minutes of crying.
It ended up being a pleasant night, at least when compared to the past weeks.
-----------------------------
The remaining six days passed by quickly for Barry, or at least quicker than he would've expected with a deadline hanging above his head. He'd always been bad with those, the pressure of a time limit making the days longer and unbearable and him a nervous wreck.
But he had Niss now to get him through it, or at the very least part of her. His friend seemed somewhat out of it during the time they spent together in Hearthome.
He knew their Pokemon needed to get through the training of their lives if they were to have a chance of beating that trial, but she seemed to be taking it just a bit too seriously. Every day they woke up at seven and headed to the outskirts of town to work on their basics and fight wild Pokemon, and they wouldn't come back until at the earliest two in the afternoon when their stomachs started growling. They would have lunch, their Pokemon would recover and a couple hours later they'd be back at it again until nightfall.
He had to practically drag her then to explore the town and at least make an effort to enjoy their time there. But with only a couple of free hours a day the best they could do was a movie, an ice cream date or a short time at the local arcade. She seemed to enjoy it, but not to the extent he expected.
She was caught up in her own head again, and he hated himself for not knowing how to help her. He was sure something must have happened when she talked with the Gym Leader, but when he asked about it she simply told him that the woman had personally invited them to the trial, and nothing more. Another thing for the pile of stuff Niss didn't trust to share with him, another lie. Part of him felt like he should've been getting used to it, but he wasn't.
Something strange happened the day before the trial. They were roaming the outskirts of Route 208 as usual, and all of their Pokemon were concentrated on a specific exercise they've prepared for them. Pedri and Shadi used their fins and scythes respectively on small boulders, attempting to cut them in half with a single blow. And close to them Enma coated himself in fire and used Flame Wheel on a row of pillars with empty bottles on top of them, trying to maneuver between them without knocking any over.
They practically had nothing to do for the moment, which is probably why Niss addressed him.
"Hey, Barry," she said with a low tone, walking towards him with her arms crossed. "Can I ask you something stupid?"
He stared at her stunned for a moment, then composed the biggest smile he could and threw his arms behind his head, attempting to look casual.
"I thought stupid questions were my thing, but sure."
She looked to the floor, and a heavy shadow fell her eyes. She stammered for a few seconds before finding her words.
"Do you think… I mean, when you look at me…" She bit her lip, eyebrows knit together, "can you… imagine me as the Champion? Do you think I can really do it... as myself?"
The question caught him off guard, so much that he had to drop his lighthearted façade.
"What? Of course I do," he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You're the strongest trainer I know, if you can't become the Champion then no one can."
"Even if I'm a huge asshole?" She curved the side of her lips into a half smile. "I feel like you'd be a better candidate. You have the attitude for it." He couldn't help but notice a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"No one cares about attitude," he shrugged. "You just gotta be strong and people will follow you anyway. That's what you've always said and it's still true."
Niss opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. She turned around towards her Pokemon, shoulders firm.
"I guess we'll see," she said, dryly. "I'll give it my all tomorrow. You better do the same."
"Don't feel bad if you fall short compared to me."
He immediately regretted those words, especially since there had been no hint of teasing or joking about it. He was completely serious; he wouldn't fall behind her anymore.
Niss nodded, and went back to training without another word.
-----------------------------
The morning of the trial came and Inyssa arrived at the Lost Tower almost before anyone else. Crossing half of Route 209 barely after the sun started rising in the horizon proved to be difficult, although not for the reasons she imagined. An expansive fog covered the fields of grass and the main path, becoming thicker the more they approached the structure. The tower itself wasn't as impressive as she imagined, barely a couple floors tall and with the shape of an old obelisk. Cold seemed to emanate from its stone entrance.
Not counting herself or Barry, there were eighteen other trainers around them by the time the clock struck eight. She'd seen a few of them hanging around the Pokemon Center.
Most of them looked weak, with the exception of two people standing at the edge of the path, engaged in a conversation she couldn't quite hear. Fancy boy and redhead girl, the two trainers she'd seen her first day in Hearthome and hadn't ran into since then. Their belts carried six Pokeballs each, and their eyes and posture told her they were ready to tackle any situation, just like her. She felt a jolt of excitement.
"Greetings, everyone."
The voice made her jump, the back of her head clashing against Barry's chin and causing him to whisper a soft curse. Most kids around her gasped too, one of them even dropping their Pokédex to the ground.
Fantina stood in front of the dark entrance to the tower, looking up at all of them. Her hair was styled the same way as when she met her, but she'd changed from the frivolous dress to a more practical purple suit with a yellow tie and white shirt. Very simple, and yet Inyssa couldn't believe how easily she pulled it off.
"Oh my gosh, is that Fantina!?" A girl asked at her right, tone full of excitement.
"The ghost master…" another boy added from someplace within the fog.
"She's so pretty!" One of them gasped.
Barry couldn't help but chuckle after hearing that, and Niss rolled her eyes. She looked again towards the two mysterious trainers; they didn't seem very impressed with the Gym Leader either.
"Oh please, please." Fantina raised a hand, and everyone stopped talking. "You are all too kind. It is true, I am Fantina, the Gym Leader of Hearthome. I assume all of you are here for the trial?"
A vague cacophony of nods and affirmations resounded through the air.
"Fantastic. We will begin shortly, but first I must explain the rules and the objective of this particular test." She started walking towards the middle of the group, hands behind her back. "Does anyone know what this place is?"
There was a short silence before one of the girls in front of Inyssa answered.
"Isn't it a cemetery?"
"Almost, but not quite. Anyone else… yes, you?" She looked left and pointed with her pale finger at the dark haired boy Inyssa had been keeping an eye on.
"This used to be a temple, but it was turned into a memorial recently," he replied, hand still raised firmly. His voice was deep and rich. "No people or Pokemon are actually buried here, but there are plenty of engravings depicting and honoring the victims of the seven year war with Kanto."
"Correct, and very concise may I add. Since this is such a sacred place none of you will be allowed to go to the upper floors, instead the trial will take place entirely within the underground tunnels. Your task is to make your way through its labyrinthic layout and reach the very bottom. As for what waits for you inside…" a soft, cold chuckle escaped her lips. "My disciples have trained plenty of ghost Pokemon to halt your advance, so ready yourselves."
Inyssa bit her thumb softly, foot tapping on the wet grass. She figured the test would be something like that, and indeed she'd prepared herself for a fight against multiple ghost Pokemon. The only problem was the maze part; for one she didn't have a very good sense of direction, and worse of all tunnels weren't entirely different from caves so she wasn't sure her claustrophobia wouldn't kick in the second she set a foot in there.
"Oh, I forgot to mention something."
Everyone stopped talking amongst themselves and turned again to Fantina, who shot them a dubious smile, her eyes glistening with malice.
"You will be entering the tower in groups of four, and you'll each be permitted only three Pokemon."
She felt her blood run cold, and next to her Barry's eyes opened wide. Groups? She couldn't mean…
"Does that mean that if one of us fails, we all do?" One of the boys close to her asked the question in everyone's mind.
"Indeed," said Fantina, one hand raised and the other one on her hip. "Think of it as a team building and leadership exercise; these are things that you will need in order to become a great trainer. You will have an hour to complete the trial. And talking about time, you have five minutes to choose your team and the Pokemon you'll use. Pick wisely."
Everyone started moving and running around while Inyssa stood still with more than a few
****s and
shits and
you can't be ****ing serious running through her head.
Groups. They had to complete the exercise in groups. Her sight turned towards Fantina and she caught her smiling, and while it wasn't directed at her it sure felt like it was. Was it on purpose? Was that why she'd given her that talk about what a true Champion should act like? She felt her ears turning hot and had to stop herself from going over there and smacking that perfect face of hers.
"…are obviously gonna form a team," she realized Barry was talking to her. "But we need two more people, who do we choose?"
"I… am not going to lie, I have no idea," she shrugged, perhaps a bit too strongly. "I didn't think… I thought we'd do this alone."
Just as she was about to go ask Fantina if they could form groups of two she saw something approaching her from the mist. Fancy boy and redhead girl locked eyes with her and she froze in place. Were they…? No, they couldn't…
"You two," spoke the guy, arms crossed over his white shirt. He had a slight accent that she had trouble locating, "join our team."
A few moments passed where Inyssa made sure she didn't suddenly develop a hearing problem. She tilted her head to the side, mouth slightly open.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, like… an introduction, maybe?" Barry added, tone sardonic. "Nice to meet you and all that?"
The girl formed a lovely smile and put a hand over fancy boy's shoulder. Her bare arms were thick like bars of steel, and Inyssa imagined she could easily pick her up and tear her in half.
"Sorry kids, Percy here ain't exactly a people person." Her voice was high and raspy, full of strength. "You can call me Reiko. What he was trying to say is that we'd like to have you on our team, since you look like the only other barely respectable trainers around here."
She didn't know whether to feel honored or insulted, so she went with a mix of both.
"And what makes you think you're good enough for our team?" she asked, curling her lips into a smile. Truth be told she had no problem with teaming up with them, but she couldn't pass the opportunity to say that.
"Hah! Half pint over here has some nerve, doesn't she?" Reiko leaned forward until their noses almost touched. Her smile was just a bit too willd for her taste.
"My name is Inyssa," she didn't back down an inch. "Call me that again and I'll…"
"We both have four badges," Percy interrupted, putting a hand between her and Reiko. "We saw you train from afar. Judging by your Pokemon you can't have more than two, which is why it would be to your benefit to team up with us."
Barry furrowed his brow, "Wait, hold on. You were spying on us?"
"We just happened to be walking by," said Percy, smiling for the first time. His teeth were as white as the impeccable shirt he wore.
"And we were impressed," nodded Reiko, jovial tone. "That Monferno of yours is what I call a real Pokemon, yes sir."
"And that Prinplup has a grace and technique I've hardly seen before," added Percy. "Now, do you want us in your team or not? Five minutes are running out."
Inyssa looked at Barry, looking for confirmation. Her friend simply shrugged and shot her a look that seemed to say
they seem good enough.
She gave them an unenthusiastic thumbs up, "Alright. Hope you can pull your own weight."
Percy gave her a short nod accompanied by a satisfied smile, while Reiko let out a hearty laugh that showed her sharp teeth.
"That's the spirit, shortie!" She punched her palm and Inyssa could swear sparks came out of her eyes. "We'll beat those ghost ****ers so bad they'll have to bring them back to life a second time."
Inyssa smiled. She liked this girl, she decided. She then looked at Percy, and thought that while he seemed to have a stick up his ass the size of Mt Coronet he wasn't that bad either. She could work with people like that.
"One minute until the trial begins! Get ready!" Fantina shouted, her voice filling the entire field. For an insant her eyes seemed to meet Inyssa's. "I hope you're able to learn inside what you all lack as trainers."
-----------------------------
They were the first group to enter, not due to luck but because Niss plunged into the darkness of the tower's maw the moment Fantina asked who wanted to start things off. Barry followed behind their two new friends, a jolt of excitement running through him. This would be his chance to prove himself.
They took the stairs down, leading towards the underground path according to what Fantina told them. With each step he felt the light from outside vanishing and by the time they made it to the base the only thing illuminating their path were a row of iron torches hanging from the stone walls of the first subterranean floor.
The room couldn't have been bigger than the Pokemon Center lobby; entirely empty except for the aforementioned sources of light and a few round, white rocks scattered across the feet of the walls. He narrowed his eyes; there was something familiar about
Oh dear God those are bones.
"Cheery," whispered Niss.
"The path is that way," Percy took a few steps forward and pointed at the south wall, where a small opening led to a narrow corridor.
They started walking towards it, the sound of their feet echoing, and Barry knew something was wrong the moment he was a couple feet away from that hole in the wall.
Again, for only a moment the warmth came back and he felt like he could truly see. The darkness covering that passage was too thick for the lanterns not to breach it. He also felt a strange sense of claustrophobia which accentuated the closer he walked to Niss.
The warmth disappeared again, but this time he was able to remember how it felt.
"There's something in there," he spoke before realizing it. "I mean… I think there might be something."
Percy and Reiko turned towards him, the first one being a lot more subtle about the fact that he found that statement odd. But Niss didn't even flinch at his words, instead her eyes studied the corridor from up close. She took one of her Pokeballs and released Enma, whose tail lit up the moment he materialized. This light, however, didn't seem to penetrate those shadows either.
"Huh..." she whispered to herself. "Enma, use ember on the corridor, make sure you get all of it."
Enma inhaled deeply, arms raised to the side, and breathed a striking torrent of flames towards the darkness in front of him. A gust of burning air hit all of them and forced them a few step backs, the exception being Reiko who stood still staring directly at the attack, her ponytail waving behind her like a flag.
It took him a few seconds to run out of breath, and by then the attack had managed to turn black the walls, floor and ceiling of the corridor. A pale steam came out of them, and part of it seemed to start taking form. He narrowed his eyes, were those…?
"Two Gastly," Percy's voice made him jump. He set a foot inside and approached the two unconscious ghost Pokemon who now floated aimlessly close to the walls. "I'm guessing they were supposed to lay an ambush for us."
"Nice one kid." Reiko gave him a thumbs up..
"We'll need more light than that Pokemon's flame…" Percy pointed with his head towards Enma, "if we want to have a good idea of what's around us. Prince, come out."
He took an Ultra Ball out of his pocket and opened it, releasing a flash of light that materialized into a tall, chubby yellow Pokemon with thin arms and legs and a long tail which ended in a glowing red sphere. The creature looked at them and formed a goofy smile.
"Ampharos here will light the way," Percy said. "Let's go."
Niss followed along with Enma, elbowing Barry gently as she passed and shooting him a smile. He was the last to enter not because of chivalry or anything of the like but because he was still confused about what had just happened. How'd he know those two Pokemon were in there? And what the heck was that feeling behind his eyes that'd been appearing so often lately?
"Does anyone else feel like it's getting colder?" Reiko asked after what seemed like an entire minute of walking through that passage.
"Yeah, it's called
we're getting away from the sun and going underground," Niss replied, her voice not lacking sarcasm. "It's a fascinating natural phenomenon, you should look it up sometime."
"You know what I mean, jackass," Reiko tried to hide a laugh and tilted her head towards him. "How do you stand her, string bean?"
"It's… Barry, actually," he stammered, trying his best to avoid looking at her. "And don't let Niss fool you, she's super sweet once you get to know her."
"How dare you spit such disgusting slander in front of me," his friend replied. "I'm honestly offended."
The conversation came to a halt when Percy stopped, extending one his arms to the side so he could get everyone's attention.
"If you're done playing out your favorite cheap sitcom…" he said, "we're here, and you might want to take a look at this."
The room they entered was easily twice as wide and cold as the previous one. The walls seemed to be made of darker rock and this time there weren't any bones around, thank goodness. The walls at his right and left had two person sized holes which led down towards something he couldn't see even with Ampharos lighting the way, and the remaining wall at the other side of the room had another three, even bigger entrances which also led to darkness.
In the middle of the room stood a wooden pedestal with a metal plate bolted on top of it. Some words were written on it, although he couldn't make them out from that distance.
"Anyone else thinks this looks like it's overdoing it a little bit?" Barry mentioned as he walked inside the room, cold clinging to his body. "Like okay, there's no way all this stuff was here before, even as a memorial. The bones, the carvings, the pedestals, the tunnels, they probably added all that later to make the trial creepier, right?"
"Well I'd like to think our ancestors didn't have such a tacky sense of decoration." Inyssa nodded. "So I'd say that yeah, this was all Fantina's work."
Percy took a tentative step forward, eyes set on the wooden pillar. The moment he was close enough a powerful gust of wind erupted from the four openings at their sides, almost knocking them off their feet and obscuring the light coming out of the Ampharos' tail.
"****, what's g…!" Reiko started talking but the wind turned her ponytail around and it hit her in the mouth. "Blegh!"
"Prince, use Flash!" Percy screamed, his voice barely audible over the sound of the wind.
The Ampharos stomped the ground with his tiny feet, a furrowed brow appearing on his adorable face. He let out a high pitched scream and his tail lit up like never before, bathing the entire room in such a strong light that Barry could even feel the intensity of it through his closed eyelids. The dark wind evaporated almost immediately, revealing four floating figures close to the ceiling. Three of them were familiar; the same orbs of darkness that had attacked them earlier; but next to the Gastlys was a Pokemon he'd only seen once in a book. Small, dark green and with flowing, gaseous hair and wearing a strange red necklace. The Misdreavus stared at them with an intense glare.
"There they are!" Inyssa pointed at them. "Enma use…!"
"Stay put," Reiko interrupted her. She walked forward, Pokeball in hand and a wicked smile on her face, and released one of her Pokemon, "these are mine. Stain, Night Slash!"
A flash of green flied by them with a speed that made him dizzy and turned the creature's form into a blur. The only thing he saw was the shine of a sharp blade before it crashed against one of the Gastlys, knocking it out instantly. It landed on its knee, one of its scythes extended to its left and the other one buried in the ground. Its four wings moved furiously, and as it stood up Barry saw the burning, bloodshot red of its eyes set on the three remaining ghosts. Fear and excitement ran through is body as he recognized his favorite Pokemon right in front of him, and he couldn't help but form a huge smile.
"Scyther!" he curled his hands into fists and leaned forward, voice high pitched. "Oh my gosh that's so cool! Where did you get one!?"
Reiko formed a smile full of pride, "He's just a childhood friend, nothing special. Now, Stain! Use..."
"Wait!" Percy put a hand on her shoulder. "Tell him to back up. We should all attack at once to…"
"Don't insult us! I can take care of this myself," Reiko complained, her voice more a growl than anything else. "Stain! Get rid of them!"
The Scyther jumped with his strong legs towards the ghosts, reaching them before Barry even had time to blink. He extended one of his scythes back, brimming with dark energy, and with a forward slash he sent the remaining Gastly flying towards the wall where their bodies disappeared. His wings changed direction and he veered in mid air, preparing a second attack. The Misdreavus' collar started glowing.
He didn't know what he expected; perhaps to see the poor, small ghost Pokemon cut in half or be hit so strongly that its form would entirely dissipate. What he didn't expect was that the moment Scyther touched it his entire body went limp, and the bug Pokemon fell to the ground with a loud thump.
A few heartbeats of silence passed, and he didn't move again. He was completely unconscious.
"W-wha…" Reiko stammered next to him, the cocky attitude she'd displayed a second before gone. "What... the hell?"
-----------------------------
Inyssa pressed a hand against her mouth in an attempt not to laugh. Enma on the other hand, had no problem chuckling loudly at what had just happened. Reiko's face turned almost as red as her hair and she was surely about to say some less than flattering things to both of them before Percy interrupted her.
"That Misdreavus must've had Destiny Bond, and it took Stain down with her," he explained, scowling at her. "We should have analyzed our opponents before attacking blindly."
Reiko lowered her head and bit her lip, and Inyssa had to remind herself that making fun of her wouldn't help when they were all trying to work together. She still laughed internally because honestly, seeing that blood thirsty beast fall to something as small as a Misdreavus was one of the funniest things she'd seen all month.
"It's okay, we still have eleven usable Pokemon between all of us," Barry said, working in that charming smile of his that was surely meant to raise the mood around him. "We can still do this."
"Y-yeah…" Reiko whispered and returned the Scyther to his Pokeball. "That was a fluke, nothing else."
"Let's hope it doesn't repeat, then," Percy said as he turned around towards the pedestal. "Now, let's see what's written in here."
They all approached it, and thanks to the light being emitted by the Ampharos' tail they could read the message clear as day. It was written in what seemed to be oily, purple ink and the calligraphy was perfect and beautiful. It read:
Three paths lie before you:
The Path of the Unwary; he who is blind to all except those in need.
The Path of the Victorious; she who weaves rage with vine-shaped flames.
The Path of the Guardian, he who patiently waits, forlorn.
Only one of these holds a light at the end of the tunnel.
Four other paths lie at your side.
One of them contains a clue, the rest hold nothing but more shadows.
Choose wisely.
Inyssa rolled her eyes. Dear god did that woman had an over the top aesthetic for these kinds of things.
"So there's one correct path and the rest are probably dead ends," she summarized to the rest of the group.
"And one of the tunnels at our left or right must hold a clue over which path we should choose," Percy nodded, his eyebrows knit together.
"So we can either choose one of the paths at random and hope we get the right one or we explore those openings and try to find the answer." Barry said.
"Either way we'll be here for a while, huh." Reiko scratched the back of her head.
Silence spread through the room as they all stood there, thinking over their options. She didn't like the idea of leaving the choice of the main path to luck; this was a trial for them to prove themselves after all, but she knew those side corridors must've be packed to the brim with even more ghost Pokemon ready to weaken their team. It wasn't an easy choice.
Which is why she was startled when Percy started laughing. It was a short and quiet laugh, the one she'd expect from a snob like him, but it still caught her off guard. He turned to them and smiled, which did little more than unsettle her.
"We don't need to do any of that," he declared, moving another Pokeball between his fingers. "I'll find the way myself. Pierre, come out!"
From the light he released appeared a… thing, that she had trouble identifying. It looked similar to a Butterfree, but its wings were bigger and more colorful, showing an uniform blue and white square pattern, and its body and eyes were smaller and thinner.
"That's so pretty…" Barry whispered, a small gasp escaping his lips. "What is it?"
"A Vivillion, there's lots of them in my home region."
"You're from… Kalos, then," she deduced, and then turned her head towards Reiko. "And you… judging from your name and that Scyther you must be from… Kanto."
She tried to suppress any sort of anger or disgust at pronouncing the name of that region, but some of it must have slipped through judging by the sour look Reiko gave her.
"Any problem with that?" She perked up her nose, arms crossed.
"No, of course not," Inyssa lied. "Anyway Percy, you were saying?"
There was a small, awkward pause before he cleared his throat and continued speaking.
"Yes, right. There's no need for us to look for any clue," he turned toward his Pokemon. "Pierre, use Supersonic on all three of the main paths. Tells us which one leads to the deepest part of this dungeon."
Oh, thought Inyssa,
so that's what he… damn, that's pretty ****ing smart. The bug Pokemon flied towards each one of the openings and released a strange sound wave into every one of them. She deliberated for a few seconds before flying to the one on the right.
"That was really cool." Barry said.
"Thank you," Percy replied dryly. "This will probably save us around twenty minutes, so let's make use of the time we have."
So down they went, for the third time. The path was even narrower and darker than the ones before, but although that would've been a perfect chance for an ambush none came. They simply traveled through what seemed to be about half a mile of a path in complete silence.
Inyssa would've been quite disappointed if that was the end of the trial and they just won without any further challenge. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, and what waited for them in the next room took the air from her lungs.
"What the…" Barry gasped in front of her the moment he came out of the corridor.
"What? What is it?" she managed to pass to the side of his skinny friend and entered the room. "O…oh. Holy ****."
She could barely see the other extreme of… whatever place they'd just walked into. She figured the room must've had the size of a football stadium, and that was hardly the strangest thing about it.
Rows and rows of what appeared to be metal stakes with engravings on them ran from where they were in all directions, covering the majority of the length of that cavern. And in the center…
She felt her throat drying up. That had to be the absolute biggest Pokemon she'd seen in her life. Even when kneeling down its body towered over everything around it, making the stakes look like toothpicks in comparison. It looked like a golem; not the Pokemon Golem but the actual earthly puppet from the myths she read as a child. Its torso was oval shaped and formed most of his body, made of grayish blue rock and with an undulating scar in the middle of it covered by a patch of leather. Its head was quite small in comparison, with pale yellow eyes that also resembled cracks.
Its muscular arms formed a cross in front of it, and while she couldn't quite see its legs while it was in that position she imagined they would be equally gigantic. Inyssa could feel her lower lip trembling, and she unconsciously took a couple steps back.
"W-we're not supposed to fight that, are we?" Reiko asked, her voice breaking slightly. "What even is that ****ing thing?"
Whatever it was Inyssa was sure glad it wasn't moving, nor conscious for that matter. The light in its eyes was dull, almost inexistent. Percy took a step forward and grabbed his Pokédex, which had a different design from hers. A small beeping sound filled the room followed by the electronic voice of the device.
Golurk: The Automaton Pokemon - Ghost/Ground type. It is said they were created by an ancient civilization to protect the people and the land, and they have outlived it by hundreds of years. The energy which fuels them is something scientists haven't been able to study. If the patch covering its chest falls off this energy will run wild, and Golurk will destroy everything in its path.
"Thank Mew the patch is still there," Reiko couldn't help but laugh. "So, are we supposed to…"
The ground shook. The sound of the Pokédex seemed to have reached the Golurk, since the light of its eyes flickered to life and the dust covering its body started falling around it as the behemoth stood up. It stomped one foot on the ground, and Inyssa could feel the vibration hitting her and traveling to her bones. Its head almost touched the barely visible ceiling now, and the crystals in its shoulders began to glow with power.
The only consolation she could find at that moment was the horrified look on Percy's face.
"W-we need to get all of our Pokemon out now!" He took a step back. "This must be the final boss, which means that if we beat it…"
He didn't have time to finish his sentence because something erupted behind them. Enma's body flew up towards the ceiling, the Monferno using the explosions of fire in his hands to propel himself towards the giant in the middle of the room.
"****, Enma!" she moved Percy out of the way. "Come back here! You can't fight that thing alone!"
But her words and eventual profanities did nothing to convince her Pokemon of changing his strategy. When he was less than twenty feet from the Golurk he coated himself in flames once more and turned his body into a ball, headed directly to his opponent's face
The Golurk moved its head slightly, as if it'd just been woken up from a nap and barely registered the rolling inferno about to crash into it. It raised its fist and held it at eye level with the Monferno. A white glow covered its entire body.
"
Heavy Slam," Percy's Pokédex came to life once again, startling them, "
a steel type attack that becomes more powerful the more the user weighs in comparison to the target."
Her veins turned to ice. She'd felt the vibrations that thing caused just by stomping the ground. If its fist hit Enma…
She opened her mouth to scream a warning that would've been useless, but she never got the chance to. The Golurk's fist clashed against her Pokemon with such force that his flames were extinguished before they even made contact, and Enma went flying backwards like a bullet, landing only a few steps from Inyssa.
He wasn't moving.
"O-oh my god…" Barry whispered behind her. "One… one hit?"
"That Monferno should've resisted that attack," Percy's voice shook with fear. "So if any of our Pokemon gets hit by that thing…"
Inyssa barely listened to him, eyes glued to Enma. Her best Pokemon, defeated in less than an instant.
In the furthest part of her mind, she heard a faint laugh that reminded her of Fantina.
oh and don't worry, this was far from a filler chapter. I hope you'll see why in the future