Child of Thorns - A Pokemon Sinnoh Reimagining

Lucas let the stack of papers fall upon the table, which shook violently under the weight and earned him a few confused looks from the rest of the kids in the Pokemon Center.

His back cheered in joy as he sat down for the first time that day, the sun having already gone down hours ago. A low rumble from the pit of his stomach told him it was probably time to order dinner, if they hadn't stopped serving yet. He lazily looked down to his Pokétch; 23:30 PM. He still had some time.

Ten minutes later he sat down again with a glass of berry juice and a couple of cheese and tomato sandwiches. Tasty, even if it didn't come close in any way to Professor Rowan's cooking. Something else joined hunger in the things setting on his stomach, though he decided to ignore it. He was a fully fledged researcher now, and there was no time to be missing his old life.

He leaned back on the chair and took a deep breath, looking at the impressive pile of papers in front of him. This was it, this was his big break. Thanks to the Pokemon Saturn had given him he now had a chance to prove himself. Now that all the logistics were taken care of, all he needed was to convince Rowan to give him enough money to cover the materials and building process for his project.

A tingle of excitement ran up his spine. It was almost maddening, in a good way, having an idea buzzing around your head endlessly. But now he had the opportunity to make it a reality, to create something with his own two hands. He couldn't help but smile, even if the kids around him stared at him in a weird way.

At least this confirmed it; he'd chosen the right path to follow. That was a huge weight off his shoulders.

Thanks to Saturn…

The thought made him gulp, a pale pink tinting his cheeks. It really had been; were it not for the man saving him that day in Lake Valor, were it not for the amazing Pokemon he'd gifted him as if it were nothing…

The fork hit the plate as he scrambled for the tenth time that day to check on his Pokétch. Yep, his message was still there, as overwhelming as the moment it'd been sent. Still without reply, too, because if there was one thing Lucas couldn't deal with, it was other people, especially when they made him feel the way Saturn did.

Dear god, calm down. You've only met him once.

He shook his head in embarrassment and looked down at the screen, reading the message again even though he'd memorized the words already:

Hi Lucas! I hope I'm not bothering you by sending you a message. It's me, Saturn!

Hopefully you remember me from Lake Valor. I imagine such an experience would be difficult to forget, ha. Though now that I think about it people have told me I have a plain and forgettable face, so who knows.

Ah, sorry for rambling. Anyway, how's the little guy I gave you? Are you two getting along? By now I'm sure you already know about all the amazing properties his feathers have, but if not I'd be happy to teach you all I've learned about that particular species. As for the Drapion that attacked you; I want you to know I've been taking care of her, and she feels sorry for what she did. Even if it doesn't seem like it.

Blegh, rambling again. The reason I sent this message is because I wanted to ask you something. Remember the chat we had before, about my job and the things we wanted to do in life? Well I thought it would be nice to talk about it again, if you want to. Not professionally or anything, more like… I was thinking maybe a cup of coffee, or tea? We could hang out.

I'd understand if you're busy, but I hope you can squeeze in some time for this.

Have a good day!

Lucas breathed in deep, his hands shaking ever so lightly.

Yep, totally under control. He was absolutely not freaking out because someone as cool as Saturn wanted to hang out with him. By no means, no sir.

In any case, he had to reply sooner or later, it would've been rude not to even if the mere thought made his anxiety spike. There was nothing to lose, he assured himself. Saturn already liked him, already wanted to hang out with him. There was absolutely no way he could mess that up.

Well, he could think of a lot of ways in which he could. In fact he'd been doing so for the entire day.

He shook his head, scaring the thought away. With as much determination as he could gather, he started typing. He wanted to emulate the formal yet somewhat funny format of his message, but after realizing he had no flair for comedy he stuck to simply sending a simple reply. He'd be delighted to hang out, and wanted to know when he was free.

There, done. At least until the moment Saturn would reply back, but he'd take care of that later.

A stray whisper from one of the nearby tables made its way to him.

"…ome say that Inyssa girl was there…"

He froze for a moment, glass still half raised towards him. Had he… Had he heard Inyssa's name? No, it had to be a coincidence. Barry had sent him a message two days ago that they were heading to Pastoria, but he didn't expect them to arrive until tomorrow night at the earliest.

Still, just to make sure, he turned around as subtly as he could towards where he'd heard that. Two tables away there were two young girls around his age talking, belt full of Pokeballs and eyes set on something at the other extreme of the room.

"Really?" the blonde one said, incredulous. "How is she in the same place as them every time?"

"They say she and her friend are hunting them. They go wherever they appear, and take them out."

It wasn't just them. The entire Center seemed to come to life as the trainers around Lucas started speaking with each other in hurried tones and whispers. They were all looking at something behind him.

Slowly he rotated on his chair, looking up at the television hanging from the opposite wall.

He felt his veins turn to ice.

Massive terrorist attack in Veilstone City: Culprits have been apprehended.

The headline glowed red at the bottom of the screen, making Lucas wish he hadn't eaten so much. However the worst part of it wasn't that, but the two static images above it. The one at the left was of a tough looking girl he'd never seen before, who according to the pop up at the side of her photo was the Gym leader of Veilstone.

The second was Inyssa.

It was a somewhat old photo, surely taken from the footage of her beating Fantina a few weeks ago. For a single, horrible moment he had the chilling thought that something bad might've happened to her, until he realized they wouldn't show that kind of photo if that were the case.

He couldn't hear the announcer's voice over the chatter of the Pokemon Center, which furthered his confusion. At least until the headline changed, finally giving him the explanation he wanted.

Gym leader Maylene Avalon and local trainer Inyssa Dawn fought and defeated the terrorist commander.

It was a good thing he wasn't still holding the glass of juice, otherwise it would've fallen to the ground.

"She did what!?"

"For the last time, that name is stupid."

Inyssa crossed her arms as she walked, a giggling Barry at her right.

He sure had found his good mood ever since the incident with the Houndoom, who now walked alongside him. The beast who'd seemed so brutally dangerous now struck her as nothing more than a normal Pokemon with some spooky aesthetic to her. She figured half of what made her so terrifying before was the effect the Flame Plate had over her, while the other half was due to them walking in on her while she was eating which, now that she thought about it, was quite rude.

Still, she didn't expect such a drastic change of attitude. Sure, Wrathia still looked grumpy and somewhat cruel, but at no point did she look badly at her new trainer. As far as she knew she'd been defeated, and now she took orders from Barry. No fuss or complaining. She was happy to finally find someone who could help her harness her abilities to their fullest potential. She also seemed to have a fancy for Pedri, who gulped and looked away every time the Houndoom looked at him.

At least that's what Inyssa figured was going through the Pokemon's mind. She was a hard one to read, unlike the Togepi weakly snoring in Barry's arms. The little bugger had eaten half their food reserves immediately after the fight, only to fall asleep for… what? Had it been six hours already? Adorable as hell, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud.

"You're just being a grump like always," said Barry. "It's not a bad title at all."

"Okay yeah, what if…" She made a gesture with her hand, thinking it over. "What if they used your favorite song as your trainer title, huh? Would you be known as Disco Beauty?"

Barry curled his lips upwards in a sly smile. "Lipstick's bright and fruity, dance floor's full of cuties…!" He began singing, moving his shoulders from side to side.

She rolled her eyes, smiling, and continued where he left off. "…they call us the Disco Beauties!"

"Whoo oh!" they both yelled in unison, making the Pokemon around them flinch painfully. "Dancing is our duty, whoo oh! We're owners of this party!"

They didn't even make it until the end of the chorus before breaking into a tired, high pitched laughter. Barry's entire body shook, and yet the small Pokemon in his hands didn't show a single sign that she'd be waking up from all the ruckus. Pedri and Wrathia weren't very happy however, as they exchanged an irritated look which boiled down to:

Are they always like this?

You'll get used to it.

"Hey, hey…" Barry pointed at her with his finger, still struggling not to laugh. "Come on, you can't tell me that wouldn't be one heck of a name."

"Okay, yeah you're right," she was forced to admit. "If I had to face someone whose title was that of the cheesiest song from twenty years ago I'd probably be scared out of my mind."

They kept walking for a while, talking mindlessly about unimportant things, simply enjoying spending time with each other. Neither Inyssa's pain nor Barry's anxiety had completely gone away, and they knew they wouldn't for quite some time. It was a mark Mars left with them, one which they were more than happy to endure together.

Route 214 came to an end almost an hour later, once Mt Coronet stopped blocking the horizon at their right and the ominous mist of Valor Lakefront replaced it, filtering through the thick enclosure of trees. They didn't talk as much as they passed through, somewhat because of exhaustion and mostly because being so close to the lake made them strangely nervous.

It took them almost an hour to reach Route 213, though to Inyssa it ended up being absolutely worth it.

The soft ground beneath them turned into an endless, golden blanket of sand which spread in every direction, stopping only once it met the gentle waves of the ocean. The salty scent of the wind hit them square in the face, ruffling their hair and almost blowing Inyssa's hat off her head.

Looks of disbelief were pretty much identical on their faces as they stood before the beach. Inyssa was pretty sure she wouldn't have minded staring at the way the moonlight reflected off the dark water, waving and shifting beautifully, for hours.

What finally brought them back to reality was a sudden break in the calm of the waves. A serpentine looking blue creature jumped high into the air, catching a passing Wingull in its enormous maw before diving into the water again.

She gulped. "W-wow…"

"This is so cool!" Barry yelled, jumping in place excitedly. "Niss, Niss! You've never been to a beach before, right?"

She furrowed her brow, trying to remember. Her past was kinda blurry sometimes.

"No, I don't think so," she said. "Mom used to go to them for photo shoots, but I never went with her."

"Oh man, we used to go to the one on Stark Island all the time with dad!" he smiled, his bounciness almost contagious. "But this one is so much prettier!"

That was an understatement, she thought. She'd seen pictures of big beaches before, but being at the base of one was something a simple image couldn't convey. She took a tentative step forward, her boots sinking a few inches on the soft sand. A spur of fear went from her toes to the top of her head until she realized that was supposed to happen, and blushed in embarrassment.

"Shit, walking in this is weird," she said, both arms raised to the side. "It's like… it's like I'm slipping with every step I take, but not really."

Barry couldn't help but giggle at her comment. "It feels a lot more natural if you're barefoot! We should take our shoes off and walk the rest of the way to Pastoria on this sand!"

"What? But we're gonna freeze!" she protested.

"No way, sand absorbs a lot of warmth and keeps it until the next day," he said. "Trust me, it's gonna feel amazing!"

Slowly and with more than her fair share of doubt she took off her boots and socks, following Barry's example. The touch against the grains of sand was slightly painful at first, and as he'd said also lukewarm. She took a couple steps forward, wiggling her toes as she got used to the odd feeling.

"This is… kind of alien," she observed. "But also cool, I guess."

"Told you!" he smiled. "Hm… It's a shame is the middle of the night though, there are no Pokemon or people around."

She followed his gaze to their right, where the beach extended almost towards the horizon. From where the waves met the sand it rose slightly in the opposite direction, until it reached an abrupt end against a cliff that must've been at least thirty feet tall. At the top rested a huge row of impressive ivory buildings, possibly tourist resorts of some kind. They looked fancy.

At the end of the beach was a building that broke through the other side of the cliff, and what she figured was the entrance to Pastoria. If they kept walking they'd reach it in an hour or so, which meant they wouldn't get to see the beach during the day. More importantly, Barry wouldn't get to see it, and that was unacceptable.

"Well, what if we sleep here?" She shrugged, trying to make her offer casual. "Between Bret and Wrathia I'm sure we could make a good bonfire, and we could use our backpacks like pillows."

Her friend's eyes twinkled at her words, and he unconsciously started flapping his hands in excitement.

"I bought marshmallows!" he declared proudly. "We can roast them over the fire!"

That settled it. Without further discussion they released all their Pokemon and started working on making a healthy fire which would last the entire night.

They unfortunately discovered that the leftovers from Bret's Magical Leaf didn't burn very well and released a musky, heavy stench which was rather unpleasant. With a bit of thinking, they tasked Shadi and Pedri with going back to the forest and bring them some dry, sturdy wood. In the meantime they went looking for stones to make the circle where they would put the bonfire. Steven flew around the beach locating them, while Kitsune used his psychic powers to levitate them back. Kuro playfully ran around Wrathia, who pretended not to notice him as she lay down on the sand, wanting nothing more than a good night's sleep. Razen jumped into the water as soon as he was released, and was currently picking a fight with a couple of Tentacool who'd looked at him funny.

It took their Pokemon half an hour to gather everything inside the ring of stones, but it became worth it the moment Wrathia breathed life into their bonfire. The flames rose steadily, until they almost matched the trainers in height. It burnt with a calm, gentle heat that dove under their skin and made them comfortable and sleepy.

Everyone gathered around it, with Inyssa and Barry laying down next to each other, staring at the sea. She could feel her eyelids closing by themselves, the crackle of the fire roaring behind her.

This is just like when we were kids, she thought, smiling to herself. And we would watch scary movies and eat snacks and stay up talking in the sofa until we fell asleep together.

Something unrelated to the bonfire warmed the inside of her chest, and a terrible feeling of nostalgia washed over her. Next to her Barry lay with his hands behind his head, staring calmly at the sky. She closed her eyes for a moment, taking in everything. The rough texture of the sand under her, the sound of wood burning, the smell of sea breeze mixed with pale smoke, the varied snores of their Pokemon around them as they tried their best to fall asleep.

And Barry's slow, gentle breathing next to her. In that moment, as far as she knew, it was the most pleasant sound she'd ever heard.

"I really missed this."

The words left her mouth before she could process them, and for the first time she didn't care. She was too tired to care, too sleepy to think about what she was saying.

"What do you mean?" asked Barry, eyes barely open.

"It's been… kinda nonstop these past weeks." She sighed. "This… this is nice. I'm sure tomorrow I'll be aching to get to Pastoria and fight the Gym Leader, but…"

She felt his smile without looking at it. "Yeah, I get what you mean. Sometimes we need to take a break like this."

"Besides…" She formed a smile. "Next week's gonna be pretty hectic. It's not every day someone turns eighteen."

His eyes went wide, and he let out a gasp of surprise.

"Oh my god did you forget your b…"

"My birthday!" he said, half scream and half laugh. "I completely forgot!"

She shook her head, trying to suppress a laugh. "Ah, maybe I should've shut up. That way I could throw you a surprise party that's more of a surprise than usual."

Barry knit his eyebrows, lost in thought. "I… I think there's gonna be an actual party this weekend in Pastoria. Like, a huge bonfire one with a bunch of teens."

"How do you know that?"

"Oh right, I never got around to telling you, with all the stuff that happened."

He described the strange woman he'd encountered just before being attacked by Mars, along with the conversation he had with her. Inyssa listened carefully, her eyebrows getting closer the more he spoke.

"A Hex Maniac, really?" She shook her head. "She was probably trying to scam you."

"She said we shouldn't call her that. It's impolite or something." He shrugged. "And… I dunno, she seemed pretty legit."

"That's their job, looking legit so people buy into the crap they want to sell you. They're like shameless circus performers."

Barry shifted uncomfortably in the sand, and she realized she'd been a bit more rude than she intended. The last thing she wanted right now was to make him feel bad after all the effort she'd put into doing the exact opposite.

"Anyway… about this party," she said, wanting to change the subject. "We could celebrate there, if you want to. I'm sure Reiko and Percy would like to come too. We might have to convince Lucas. And hey, you're gonna be old enough to drink!"

"Really?" His eyes went wide as realization hit him. "Oh… yeah, I guess I will. I didn't even think about it."

"It'll just be a couple sips to celebrate, no need to worry about it. I might try some myself."

Barry let out a short lived chuckle, though she noticed a hint of nervousness in it. Was the topic making him uncomfortable? She grit her teeth and tried to think of why. As far as she knew neither he or anyone in his family had any problem with alcoh…

Ah.

Of course, Johanna. She would've been somewhat charmed at his worry if the thought didn't turn so sour inside her. It wasn't like she'd ever tried drinking or anything; there was no way she'd ever end up like her. She tried to shake that thought off her head.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." She tried to play it off as a joke. "If the night of the party has a view as good as this one I'm sure it'll be amazing. I mean, just look up there."

She raised her chin slightly, pointing upwards. The stars shone like lost beacons, brighter than she'd ever seen them before. It would've been hard to pick a spot in the sky that wasn't being at least somewhat illuminated by them.

"Yeah, I've been watching them for a few minutes," Barry said, smiling. "I wanna see how many constellations I can find."

She narrowed her eyes and tried to follow his example, to no avail. To her the stars were just dots of light.

"Wish I could see them," she sighed. "I've never been good at stuff that requires you to connect dots or look past the obvious thing."

"You just need to make your brain work differently. Look, up there!" He pointed at the northwest part of the sky, where a clump of about six stars were located. "That's Leon, the hunter. The two stars that are next to each other pointing west are the arrow, and the rest are his body and bow."

She tried her best to determine the shapes. Nope, absolutely no idea what the hell he was talking about.

"Well, if anything you're pretty good at finding patterns," she said. "I never liked Leon, though. He was kind of an ass."

Barry nodded. "He… did trick that talking Ursaring and then killed her cubs. Here, I'll find a better one…" He pointed his finger at the sky and moved it around, stopping close to the horizon. "There! See those eight stars in like, a half moon shape?"

The constellation he was pointing at actually resonated with her, somewhat. She narrowed her eyes, trying to study it better. It looked so familiar.

"Is that… Synn?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah! He has the giant fan and everything!" he smiled excitedly. "Remember when we saw that movie about him?"

"It was terribly acted and directed," she whispered. "Though the main lead was pretty hot."

She stared at what was supposed to be Synn, unblinking. It had been a long time since she'd even heard that name, even though she'd loved the man so much in her youth. Memories came rushing to her, images of Shadi sitting with a storybook next to her bed, telling her about all the amazing adventures and myths about the man, all while she listened carefully, shaking with excitement. She felt a sting in her eyes, but decided to ignore it.

Synn… the name itself felt heavy and powerful. Her sister once told her it meant likeness and unity, the two things the man embodied the most. Sinnoh itself was named after him, which she considered pretty high praise. An entire region bearing your name was a pretty good indicator that you did well in life.

According to the tales, he was the first human to ever befriend a legendary Pokemon. His sister was the second, and his best friend the third. He'd befriended Mesprit effortlessly, and together they went on too many adventures to count. It was said he carried with him a gigantic paper fan, with which he could control the wind and even create music. He had the ability to make friends with almost any creature or person he encountered, and his words were as sweet as honey.

"…wish I could be like him someday." Barry's voice brought her back to reality. "He was always my favorite hero."

She smiled at him. "You're already pretty close, honestly. All you need is a giant fan and to become famous, and we're working on one of those things."

"Ha, I wish," he said. "What about you? Do you wanna be like him also or would you rather be true to your namesake?"

Her smile fell down as soon as he said those words. Probably crashed and burned somewhere, not to be seen for a while.

"I… I don't think so."

For a while she'd managed to forget the person she was named after, which was a blessing as far as she was concerned. She didn't like the woman one bit, even if she was one of Sinnoh's legendary heroes.

Synn's younger sister, Nyss. According to an old story their parents named her the exact opposite of his brother due to how different she was from him, and boy were they fucking right. She could count with half the fingers of one hand the amount of legends starring her which didn't end in bloodshed or some kind of horrible tragedy.

It wasn't like Nyss was a bloodthirsty monster, far from it. From a young age she'd been rumored to be serious, extremely disciplined and equipped with a burning sense of justice and righteousness. It was said Synn once offered half his riches to anyone who could manage to make the woman laugh, and at the end of the day he didn't lose a single penny.

She loved her country fervently, even though she wasn't as much a people person as her brother. At the age of fifteen she'd joined the king's army, and by the time she turned eighteen she'd been promoted to be the main general. Enemies fell before her like wheat to a sickle blade, and those who met her in battle were said to be too terrified to even raise their weapons against her.

She and Synn fought together in the final battle against King Az's army, in the very heart of Kalos. With Azelf at her side it seemed like victory was guaranteed, at least until the mad king unveiled his secret weapon and obliterated Sinnoh's entire army in a matter of seconds. She was saved by his brother, who in his last moments of life ordered Mesprit to teleport her out of the battle.

Until that point it was all well and good, and Inyssa would've considered it a touching story, were it not for what happened after. In a fit of burning fury, and with Az' weapon useless after being used once, Nyss went off alone and carved a bloody crest through what was left of Kalos, burning everything in her path, all the while declaring she would not stop until she found the man who killed her brother.

However the king had disappeared mysteriously, leading her into a hopeless chase which lasted months. In the end, neither her close friends nor the siblings of the Lake Trio could stand to see her turned into such a monster, and both to maintain her legacy intact and to save the innocent people of Kalos they resorted to extreme measures. They fought her to a standstill, and in the end Mesprit took away her emotions, extinguishing the raging fire burning inside her.

There were few stories after that one, and many different rumors about what happened to her. Whether she died or kept on living as an emotionless shell, unable to ever forget what had happened. The mere thought made her shudder.

One time, on a trip with her mother and Shadi to Kalos, they found a beautiful museum in the middle of Lumiose City. There she found the first painting of Nyss she'd ever seen, and Johanna explained that she was the woman she was named after.

Inyssa stared at the painting, horrified. Nyss was in the center, her right arm forward as she led her army to finally destroy king Az' forces. Her bare arms were adorned with her iconic scars; two flowing bands of red, thorny vines traveling from her wrist to the shoulder. And then there was her face…

To this day she'd never seen someone look so angry, so utterly furious. The woman in the painting looked like she was ready to burn down the whole world, and Inyssa had nightmares about her for weeks. She could picture her clearly now, with her burning green eyes and the mask of misery and contempt that was her face. The memory was a bitter one, something she'd rather forget.

"I think I'd rather be my own kind of famous," she said after what seemed like an eternity. "I'm not angry enough to be like Nyss, or silly enough to be like Synn."

"He was a pretty big goofball," Barry nodded. "Remember that story where he tried to convince everyone that blueberries were the fruit of the devil?"

Her mouth twitched into a sudden smile. "Yeah, according to him they didn't taste nearly as good as they looked. Which is true, but on top of that he was allergic to them." She narrowed her eyes. "I feel like there's a lesson there somewhere."

"You might be right but not for the reasons you think?" he offered. "Just because you don't like something doesn't mean everyone should agree with you?"

"Go to the doctor and learn your allergies?"

They shared another sprout of laughter. A bit lighter than before, its weight pulled down by a knot that had started forming on the back of her throat.

She twiddled her thumbs, thinking carefully what to say. "I… well, to be honest I could never see myself as someone like Synn or Nyss or even the current Champion."

"You're gonna start beating yourself down again?" asked Barry, yawning. "'Cause you know what I do when that happens."

"That's not it. It's just that whenever I imagine someone being like… a hero or a Champion or whatever, the mental image I get is nothing like me." She crossed her arms, the flames behind her illuminating her sunken expression. "It tends to be more like you, actually."

"Really? You have a weird idea of heroes, then."

"I'm serious," she assured him. "I'm… trying to change into someone I could someday consider that kind of person, even if it's not going very well." She smiled sadly. "It's just… I dunno, things are kinda weird. I always go around talking like I'm hot shit, and I don't think even I believe that anymore."

The only thing she heard was the crackle of the fire for a few moments, and she realized the snoring coming from most of their Pokemon had stopped. Were they listening to them?

"I've been thinking about that," Barry said, eyes still set above. "Maybe… maybe it's just an age thing."

She raised an eyebrow. "An… age thing."

"Yeah, like… okay, you know how we hated when people told us we were too young to do this or that? What if this is kinda like that?" He shrugged. "We're not even eighteen yet, Niss. And these past months have been pretty crazy and we've changed a lot. Imagine how much more we're gonna change in the time until we get as old as… I dunno, Percy and Reiko."

She furrowed her brow. Was he implying…

"So… you really think that we are too young," she said, expression unreadable. "Even though people younger than us became Champions and heroes in the past."

"We're not them, and this isn't a race. There ain't nothing wrong with taking all the time we need to become better trainers and people."

"I… guess," she said, making a face. "Doesn't sit very well with me, but then again patience isn't my strong suit. Actually I think it's not a suit I have at all."

A soft laugh made its way towards her, which sent a tingle of happiness through her body.

"Still… there are some things being older won't help with." She turned to him. "You know, stuff. Stuff that I've been… diagnosed with." She unconsciously tried to make herself smaller, the words coming out of her mouth with extreme effort. "The anger stuff and all that. I gotta try to get better."

"Yeah, same here," Barry sighed. "Though my thing isn't really… curable."

Something heavy sat on the pit of her stomach, making her fingers curl into themselves. Her left hand traveled the small distance in the sand towards Barry's right one, until they were holding each other.

"I keep telling you," she said, "there's nothing wrong with you. Your thing doesn't make you bad or sick, it just makes you a little different."

"I don't know if forgetting stuff all the time and being annoying and hyperactive is just a little different." He laughed, an unmistakable speck of nervousness in his voice.

"Having a good memory is overrated," she stated, nodding to herself. "And if anyone thinks you're annoying then they're not worth your time. And I'm gonna punch them in the face."

"And I'm gonna stop you because that's rude." He smiled, squeezing her hand. "Thanks, though."

They stood silent for almost a minute, and Inyssa became convinced that their Pokemon were eavesdropping on them. Still, she couldn't gather enough energy to get mad at them.

"Man… you were right, being this age sucks," she admitted. "It's definitely not as bad as being fifteen, but it's not much better either. My body and my head are still a mess."

"It's okay to be a mess sometimes," Barry said with a hushed tone. She could see his eyes struggling to keep open. "Maybe when we're not this age we'll finally convince each other that we're awesome."

His yawn was contagious, and soon she and a few of their Pokemon followed his example. Her eyelids felt heavy.

"We can only hope," she said. "Though for now I think sleeping would be a good idea."

"Yeah… sleeping helps," he closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. "Gets your head all sorted right. Like things inside a wardrobe."

She had absolutely no idea what he meant by that, but decided to let it slide. Neither of them made an attempt to let go of the other's hand as they slowly sank into a deep sleep, the only sound around them that of the gentle roar of the fire and each other's breathing.

"Goodnight Niss."

"Good night, Barry."

None of the trainers around him heard Lucas' scream, too busy talking amongst themselves. The boy stared at the television screen for almost an entire minute, not believing what he was hearing.

The attack had occurred five days ago, and only recently were the news getting around? Not only that, but he'd gotten the message from Barry that he and Inyssa were headed to Pastoria three days ago, long after Team Galactic attacked the city. How were they able to escape the lockdown without anyone noticing? And why hadn't they told him?

He shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Did they not trust him? Or maybe they didn't think it was important enough to mention. Should he send them a message to ask about it? Would that be weird or rude? He desperately needed to know if they were okay but didn't want to overstep their boundaries, lest they start hating him.

While he sat there, lost in thought, the incessant chatter from the kids around him made its way to his table.

"Didn't you hear?" A tall boy with piercings on his lips and ear said to the girl next to him. "Those two blew up that building in Eterna. They said that Team Galactic was doing a bunch of awful experiments in there."

"I… I thought the explosion was because of a machine that got out of control," she said, meekly.

Another, taller teen next to her laughed. "Come on Rory, don't be so naïve. That's just what the news said to cover up what really happened."

"Then… they were the reason all the people in that building died?" Rory asked. "That's awful!"

"It's justice is what that is." The punk-ish boy shrugged. "There were only Galactic grunts inside, and they can all die for all I care. If I ever see those two I'm gonna buy them a drink for doing the region a favor."

Lucas couldn't help but shudder at their words. Was what they were saying true? Last time he'd met with Barry and Inyssa he'd forgot to ask them about what happened on Eterna, and maybe they hadn't brought it up for a reason.

He looked around; the only people not talking about the news were a pair of older trainers; one of them a slim boy with dark hair and fancy clothing, the other a beefy, redhead girl with shifty eyes. As subtly as possible he tried to eavesdrop on those around him, too anxious to even try and talk to them.

"…she has that weird Pokemon, too."

"Yeah, the one she used against Fantina! I've never seen that one before."

"They say it's a Legendary."

"They're calling her the Child of Thorns..."

"She looks like a total brat."

"…read somewhere that she's the Champion's secret daughter."

"…you think she has something to do with Nyss?"

"…he looks like a dork."

"Yeah, and she looks like a vampire."

"I heard they're both super strong!"

"Do you think she'll be the new Champion?"

"No way, she's just a fad. It happens every year; people will forget about her soon…"

"I'd like to meet them!"

Lucas stood still, hearing everything around him, too incredulous to react. Part of him wanted to remain calm and logical; there was no way even half of the rumors circulating about them were true. Even so, after what Saturn had told him about Azelf and everything going on around the Lake Trio…

Was it so out of the question that Barry and Inyssa might have something special, or even supernatural about them? Did they really have a Legendary Pokemon? What if their teams really were as powerful as people speculated?

As he pondered these questions, a mix of unease and excitement washing over him, he couldn't help but ask himself one last thing.

Was this how legends were born?