Child of Thorns - A Pokemon Sinnoh Reimagining

West of the dry, inhospitable rocky plains which one shielded Veilstone City from invaders stood what some called the Barren Forest. It was stuck between the northern, most remote part of Mt Coronet and the sea itself, which meant access to it was both difficult an unrewarding. All anyone could gain from exploring such land would be cold winds, tall trees and frozen dirt. The ground was not fertile for any kind of plant native to Sinnoh, and very few Pokemon called such a place their home.

The only location of importance lay near the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea; a tall grey edifice built for stoutness more than appearances. Its walls were reinforced with the strongest steel and every angle was carefully monitored by the latest, state of the art surveillance cameras. A round, yellow "G" adorned the top floor and announced to the entire world that this was the main headquarters of Team Galactic.

Such display was in vain, however, as the building itself was invisible to the normal eye. A cloak of psychic energy bent the light around it to ensure no ordinary human could lay eyes on it.

But an ordinary human was the exact opposite of what the hooded stranger was, and as such she spotted the building as her silent steps left the forest behind. She raised her chin slightly, and her eyes set on the two figures guarding the entrance. She formed a tired, satisfied smile and walked towards them.

About three hundred yards away, Orion shifted his weight from one foot to another, mist escaping his lips with every breath he took. His partner Pyxis leaned against the wall of the indentation which led to the main gates, arms folded and teeth clenched.

The tall man rubbed his hands together and breathed into them as he spoke. "Cold like this should be illegal. This is not okay."

The young girl laughed, although judging by the way her body trembled it could've been confused by her ragged breathing.

"We do illegal shit all the time, Orion. Your statement doesn't mean anything."

"I'd tell you where to shove that semantics of yours, Pyxis," he shot her an annoyed look. "But I have standards on cursing around teenagers."

"Now that's a good one. If you told jokes that funny more often maybe Jupiter wouldn't have put you on night patrol."

Orion grumbled something about Jupiter and a few less than gratuitous curses as he turned his sight towards the forest once more. His eyelids felt heavy with exhaustion, and he'd been fearing catching a cold standing out here against such frigid winds. He exhaled again, and the mist in front of his mouth reminded him of the smoke of a cigarette. How he missed those.

His mind was too busy fantasizing about the warm beaches of Sunnyshore when a dark silhouette appeared at the edge of his vision.

His body sprang up and he took a couple steps forwards, one of his hands hovering close to his belt. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" Pyxis answered curtly. "There's nothing there."

He blinked repeatedly as he tried to focus on the exact point he'd seen that shadow at. After a few seconds however his shoulders dropped and he let out a sigh, walking back towards his spot.

"Guess the lack of sleep is making me paranoid," he whispered. "Could really use a beer or a snack right now."

She clicked her tongue at him. "You know that ain't happening. We barely get enough food from the supply ships that the boss buys from. Those don't even carry proper condiments so what makes you think they'll bring alcohol or sweets?"

"Wishful thinking," he shrugged. "Some of the grunts bring stuff with them after missions, but only a couple of them sell shit and it's really expensive." He took a step forward and spat into the floor. "The hell do they need the money for? It's not like we'll have a use for it after we accomplish our goal."

She simply looked at the sky and balanced on the ball of her feet, hands deep in her pockets. "It's the weight of the bills in your pocket, man. Makes you feel good, like a belly full of food after a long day of work." She smiled to herself as she closed her eyes. "It's emotionally fulfilling in a way you wouldn't understand."

"Weirdo," he whispered under his breath. "Only thing that matters is…"

"Hello."

They felt a vacuum of air between them, a person appearing from nothingness.

Pyxis choked on a scream as she slammed the back of her head against the wall. Orion made a few sounds that could've been interpreted as a mix of a gasp and a curse. Both of them were too shocked to say anything coherent.

The stranger answered their reaction with a smile.

Orion blinked twice, and the hope that the stranger was just an illusion vanished. He could barely make up her outfit even though they were only a couple feet apart, almost like his eyes were seeing a blank space where most of her body was. The only thing he could pinpoint about her was the long, black cloak which covered her shoulders and went to her ankles, a dark hood over most of her face.

"Is this a bad time?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Orion grabbed one of the Pokeballs from his belt and pointed it at the stranger. "Who are you!? How did you…" He tried to come up with the words but his mind was too hazy to get them out properly. "How did you find this place?"

The stranger looked at him, though it was hard to tell due to her eyes being hidden by shadows, and then looked at the young girl whose body was leaning so hard against the wall that it looked like she wanted to melt into it. A line formed across Pyxis' forehead, and her trembling limbs told the stranger she was scared. She smiled. Scared was good, it was something she could work with.

"I'm here to speak with your boss." She dragged her words slowly, like it was a chore to even speak. "I'd appreciate it if you could let me in."

Both guards looked at each other in disbelief, while the stranger showed no sign of wanting to move from her spot.

"How… did you find this place?" Orion's voice quivered as he spoke. "You can't be here."

"D-did the barrier fail?" Pyxis added.

The hooded woman raised her left hand and started scratching her cheek. "No, nothing like that. I'm just good at scurrying between forgotten places."

"Answer my question!" he demanded. "Who are you!?"

"Oh, right. Sorry for not introducing myself before" She said, as though just remembering something. "I've spent a long time on the road and I guess my social skills are more than a little rusty."

"Get to the point."

"Sorry, sorry. You could say that I'm one of your boss'… somewhat close friends," she said. "Yes, let's go with that. I'm here to have a chat with him. As for you two…" She left the sentence hanging, but after seeing that the guards weren't responding she spoke again. "What kind of terrible constellation name did he give you? I have to call you something."

The grunt's postures seemed to relax after hearing the stranger's words, but their eyes were still set on her with a grim look.

"Pyxis," said the girl.

"Orion," the man added. "And… I'm sorry, but I feel like the boss would've told us if he were expecting someone."

"Oh, he wasn't."

Orion raised an eyebrow, "Ex…cuse me?"

"He doesn't know I'm visiting him. I couldn't contact him before so I decided a surprise meeting would be best."

They exchanged another look, and Pyxis took a couple steps towards the hooded stranger.

"Sorry pal, we can't let you in." She tried to sound as non threatening as possible, since her legs were still visibly shaking. "We kinda… have to guard these gates and if we left someone in without…"

The woman raised her left hand toward Pyxis, open palm facing forward. "Tell you what. Go inside and tell the boss his good friend is here. I'm sure he'll understand and make an exception just this time."

"I…" Orion looked at his partner, who simply shrugged. "I guess we can do that. Pyxis, go in and ask the other grunts if they can let you in to the boss' office. And you…" He pointed at the hooded stranger with his Pokeball. "Stay right there. Any sudden movement and you'll be in trouble."

"I'll behave."

"Y... yeah, I'll be right back," said Pyxis, not taking her eyes off the stranger. "So... yeah."

Pyxis shot the stranger another iffy look, and without saying anything else she turned around and walked through the gates into the darkness of the inner hallways. The woman was left alone with Orion, who seemed more than a little uncomfortable in her presence, feet tapping the ground anxiously, erratically.

The awkward silence stretched for about a minute, in which the stranger did nothing but stand there, to the point where Orion feared she might've fallen asleep on the spot. But after a while she raised her head ever so slightly, and opened her mouth to speak.

"I changed my mind," she said, her deep voice suddenly sounding raspy with tiredness. "Can I sit down while we wait? My feet are killing me."

Orion stammered, not knowing what to make of her behavior. "I, uh… yes? As long as you don't try anything."

The stranger whispered a Thanks and walked into the small depression in the front of the building, falling against the wall with a sigh of relief which sounded just a bit exaggerated. She searched the inside of her cloak and pulled out a metal flask the size of her palm, which she proceeded to open and take to her lips. Nothing came out of it however, judging by the irritated growl she made.

"Piece of shit…" she whispered, lowering her head even more.

She put it back inside one of her pockets and stayed still again, leaving Orion with about a million questions buzzing inside his head. He didn't ask any of them, because a far back part of his mind deemed appropriate that he should be scared of this woman. So he simply observed her as she breathed in an out, the fingers on her left hand gently tapping her leg.

Narrowing his eyes, realized there was something strange about her silhouette. Her right side seemed almost… empty, like something was missing. The dark cloth flapped against her side with each gust of wind, showing no sides of her right arm. He wondered if she had lost it somehow, and then also wondered if he should feel bad about it.

In the end, he didn't have time for any of that. Pyxis came through the gates as soon as his mind had arrived to that conclusion. His partner looked at him with a worried expression, her back arched and her lips stretched thin. The stranger got up slowly as she approached them, with a difficulty that surprised Orion.

"The guards on the upper floor didn't let me pass," she explained, voice thin. "They said I didn't have the privilege to speak with the boss. Sorry."

For a moment Orion thought the stranger would react negatively and he prepared to let his Pokemon out, but she simply let out a dry laugh.

"Should've expected it," she said between chuckles. "Don't worry, you did what you could."

Orion shifted in place, nervous. "So… are you going to leave?"

The stranger tilted her head, forming an awkward smile that he would've expected from someone much younger than her.

"No. I apologize if this causes you any trouble, but I still have to go in."

This time her words were charged with an undertone of threat they couldn't ignore. Both grunts moved until they were shoulder to shoulder, Pyxis producing a Pokeball as well.

The girl's voice shook as she tried to give a warning. "W-we're gonna use our Pokemon on you if you keep insisting!"

"Leave," Orion ordered. "We're done playing games. Take one more step and we'll be forced to hurt you."

The stranger first looked at Orion, then at Pyxis. Then she lowered her shoulders and let out a deep sigh.

"I don't want to fight my way in, but I'm not above it either," she said dreamily, as though she weren't talking to either of them. "My shadow is reluctant to hurt others, but I... am not."

The simplicity of her threat, the utter lack of care and warmth in her voice, all of it sent a painful shiver down both of the grunts' spines. Orion acted first, spurned by fear just as much as anger, raising his Pokeball and hovering his finger over the button.

"Listen you little-!"

It was the work of an instant. A limb of shadow the size of the woman's whole body emerged from inside her cloak, and before Orion had time to react his body was slammed against one of the walls, the dark fingers of the stranger's ghostly right hand closing around him.

Pyxis wanted to scream, but she felt the air evaporating around her as the ghostly hand squeezed Orion harder. A purple glow traveled from the stranger's cloak to the shadow arm and to Orion's body, and after only a moment the man went completely limp. She let go of him then, and he fell to the ground as if he were a rag doll.

Looking down at him, Pyxis choked on something akin to both a sob and a scream. The white of Orion's eyes had turned completely black. He was still breathing, but barely.

"Now…"

She shivered at the sound of the stranger's voice, and would have slammed against the wall once more if her body weren't frozen by fear. She looked up to her, and felt something pierce into her very soul.

Before, she'd been able to steal a glimpse of the dull green that were the woman's eyes, but something had changed. They were a soft blue now, as peaceful and expansive as winter itself. She felt her limbs falling asleep, and she struggled to keep her eyes open as darkness swallowed the edges of her vision.

She wanted to sleep so badly. To fall onto the cold ground and let the world disappear around her. She was about to do that very thing until the stranger's voice brought her back to reality.

"Will you let me in?"

Pyxis tried to speak but only non coherent sounds came out of her mouth. The woman's shadow limb was completely gone now, and she looked as clueless and goofy as she'd done less than a minute ago. She gulped, and tried her best to answer.

"Y-yes," she whispered so low the stranger could barely hear it. "You… you can pass."

"Thank you."

And just like that, the stranger walked past Pyxis like nothing had happened, giving her a pat on the shoulder and disappearing into the darkness inside the building, stepping over Orion's unconscious body.

Team Galactic's boss sat behind his desk, one hand holding up a sheet of paper and the other one typing into the keyboard of his laptop. His office was located on the highest floor of the building, and behind him a pair of massive windows opened to a view of the expanding sea, moonlight parting it in half with what seemed like a spear of white.

It had been a long time since the man had felt the desire to look back at such a view.

Screams and the sounds of battle reached him from the floors below, and yet this did not worry him. He then heard the two guards outside his door whimper in pain and fall to the ground, and this did not worry him either. He barely looked up when a stranger opened the door to his office and let herself in, face covered by a black hood.

"Sorry for the noise."

Even glancing up at her was a struggle. The man tried to summon that feeling of frustration he barely remembered from his past, to no avail.

The woman took a few steps forward, staring at his office with a bit of jealousy, "You know, you could've made it easier for both of us if you told your grunts to let me pass."

"I'm busy," he said with a calm, toneless voice. "What do you want?"

"I'll get right to that, but first…" She took a deep breath and sighed, shoulders dropping. "Do you have anything to drink?"

Blinking a few times, he suppressed a groan and put the papers down atop his mahogany desk.

"A drink," he repeated.

The woman shrugged. "Cyrus, it's been two days since I ran out of supplies and you have no idea how thirsty I am."

Two fingers closed around the bridge of his nose as he let out a sigh. Another one was raised and pointed at the cold storage unit at his right, a tall metal rectangle covered in finely crafted wood.

"There's water there."

Not being very subtle about her desperation, she made her way to it and opened the door. "No alcohol, eh?"

"I have no use for that," was his response.

She shrugged and pulled down her hood before grabbing one of the water bottles inside. Beneath it was a curtain of ash-colored hair that reached just beneath her shoulder blades, tied into a hastily done ponytail. Her face was pale, hawkish, and her skin the slightest sickly glow to it. Her eyes were a dull and colorless green. A thin, red line of maimed flesh went from her cheek to her neck, the same scar he'd seen the last time they met.

He continued to study her carefully as she opened the bottle with difficulty and drank all of it in one go. She proceeded to do the same with another bottle, and then another. When it seemed like she was finally satisfied she grabbed another five from inside the refrigerator and hid them in different pockets beneath her cloak. Cyrus looked down at his clock with a bored expression.

"You are a life saver," she said as she closed the door, leaving two of the bottles laying in the ground. "Well, not really. Not in general at least."

"What do you want, Shadi?"

She shone him a smile which didn't extend to her eyes, and slowly walked towards the other side of his desk, sitting down in front of him. He couldn't help but look down at the spot beneath her cloak where her right arm was missing.

"I thought we could have a talk." The dull green of her eyes set on the view behind him as she spoke. "Regarding some recent events that have transpired."

He didn't react in the slightest to her words, and after a few seconds of his silence Shadi sighed and shook her head, disappointed by his lack of enthusiasm.

"So…" She clicked her tongue at him, brow furrowed. "It has come to my attention that my sister ran across some of your associates a few times now."

A cold gust of wind hit Cyrus' back as she spoke. He decided to choose his words carefully. "That seems to be the case, yes."

"And for the purpose of making this meeting as pleasant as possible, I'll choose to assume that you weren't aware she was my sister until recently."

Cyrus narrowed his eyes as he felt the air turn thicker around him. Shadows began to dance at the edges of his vision and the lamps hanging from the ceiling blinked as if they were about to go out.

"I was not aware, no," he said. "I only realized that when she shouted her name at the end of her match against Fantina."

Shadi's eyes widened as a smile started to form at the edges of her lips. "Wait, she already beat Fantina?"

"Yes, she did so yesterday. I was carefully studying the Gym Leader's schedule when I came across the broadcast of her battle," he said, his voice devoid of any emotion. "She won, and right after she made a declaration of war against the Champion."

Shadi broke into laughter. She placed a hand over her stomach and lowered her head as waves of fruity giggles sent spasms through her body. She kept it up for about ten seconds and then leaned back on her chair, wiping a tear with her finger.

"Oh boy… isn't that fitting as hell. Shouldn't have expected anything else, to be honest."

"Naturally," he whispered, feeling a pint of impatience build within him. "Would you mind getting back to the subject at hand?"

"Right, right. As I was saying…" She leaned forward into the desk and looked at the man sitting across. "I also noticed that she almost died twice fighting Team Galactic."

The weight of her last words fell on top of him and turned his shoulders heavy. He swallowed and tried not to show any sign of weakness.

"She tried to interfere with our plans, and my commanders acted accordingly," he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah… that's not an excuse I'm willing to accept. I personally had to bail her out in Eterna, which drained me pretty badly and got me some... unwanted attention."

"So it was you back then." Cyrus whispered, stroking his chin. "I imagined that was the case when they all escaped unharmed."

"And I'm not in a position to repeat a feat like that, reason why I came here."

Cyrus steepled his fingers together as he tried to believe what he was hearing. "Would you really waste a bargaining opportunity on something as feeble as family?"

Shadi laughed again, although this time he could feel waves of cold hit him with every chuckle that came out of her mouth.

"Ahh… no, I'm sorry Cyrus but this is not a bargain." Her voice danced around him and his limbs suddenly felt heavier and less responsive. "This is an ultimatum."

"Is it now?" he whispered, trying to keep his eyes from closing. The cold aura exuding from Shadi's body was starting to affect him.

She blinked once, and the green of her eyes turned into a soft blue. Her tone turned cold and her words sharp.

"You will send a message to every one of your subordinates, and you will tell them not to harm my sister," she explained. "Not even if she actively looks for them. Not even if she tries to stop them."

Cyrus's fingers interlaced together, pressing hard against each other. "And what makes you think I would agree to something like that? I am not afraid of your power."

"I thought you'd say something like that."

She raised her left arm and snapped her fingers. Immediately, Cyrus felt eyes on his back.

The urge to admire the view behind him finally struck him, and he turned slowly, carefully, glancing over his shoulder

The head of the Pokemon staring at him was easily the size of his entire body, and her glowing red eyes made his hurt from just looking at them. A pair of massive orange wings beat powerfully behind her draconic body, sending power gusts of wind into the room, scattering the papers atop his desk all over. Her long, scaly tail moved behind her and the tip burned with a flame so hot it changed from a dark red to a blue color as the wind caressed it.

A bead of sweat fell down Cyrus' forehead.

"You can either accept my demands…" Shadi said behind him, the sharpness of her voice cutting into him painfully, "or I can tell Midir here to turn this fortress of yours into a pile of molten metal and rock. Your choice."

Slowly, he looked down at the ball slotted into his belt. It was different looking than the rest, with two red circles atop a pale violet color, and a small M in the middle. He studied his options as he felt the gaze of both Shadi and the beast on him. Could he…?

He sighed. No, it would be foolish and unnecessarily dangerous to try to fight her, even with the Pokemon which resided inside that ball. He had no choice but to submit to her demands for now.

"I can give the order to everyone in Team Galactic, but that will not guarantee her safety." He spoke after what felt like a minute of silence. "I've come across her and her friend twice already, and just from looking at them I can tell they're impossibly naïve and determined."

Shadi shrugged. "I was never able to shake it off her."

"She has made enemies of some of my grunts already," he continued, ignoring her words, "and if Mars finds out she's related to you… no power in this world will be able to save your sister from her."

Narrowed azure eyes and a cold smile met his words. The unrelenting pressure Shadi had been exuding vanished, and for a single moment Cyrus thought he'd never seen someone that looked as tired as her.

"Don't you worry about Mars," she said, voice low and raspy. "Just make sure you get the message across to all your subordinates."

Cyrus shook his head, feeling the empty embers of frustration rising from his chest. "That's not my point. She will not stop coming after us, Shadi. I can't promise something won't happen to her."

Unceremoniously, she pushed against her legs and rose up from the chair, giving Cyrus a soft pat on the shoulder. Her eyes were set on the Charizard still staring at them from outside the building.

"You're an intelligent man. I'm sure you can think of a way to stop her without physically harming her or her friend."

He swallowed and looked down at the Pokeball once more. He knit his eyebrows together as an idea formed on his mind.

"I might be able to think of something."

"Wonderful." Shadi's shoulders dropped, and so did the darkness that had been forming around them. "Glad we could come to an agreement."

Without even looking at him she walked towards the balcony and set foot on the handrail separating her from a fall to her death. The Charizard at the other side moved her head in what almost looked like a nod, and began flying lower until her head was inches away from the ledge.

"Wait."

Shadi looked back as she was trying to set foot on top of her Pokemon. Her face was obscured by the pale light of the new moon behind her, and wild locks of black hair danced around her. The green had returned to her eyes, and with them came back the tiredness of her expression. Cyrus furrowed his brow as he spoke.

"I hope you know that threatening me is in violation of our truce." He straightened up, hands behind his back. "I will accept your orders for now, but you will come to regret what you just did. Actions have consequences, Shadi."

The woman smiled, showing her ivory teeth, and he could almost see the underline of a shadow which didn't belong to her rising from her body.

"We'll see about that," she whispered into the wind just before jumping on the Charizard's back. "Take care, Cyrus."