oc A Blond Ray of Sunshine [CW: Action/Adventure/Supernatural | Feedback] (8/10/2020: Chapter 33/End of Part 5)

[Antoshi]

Chapter 26

 

 

The following morning, Latoshi waited with his brother near the front door. Both boys wore the same attire as when they went to Fern Town. “I'm kinda nervous,” he remarked, rubbing his arm.

 

“Same here,” Antoshi replied. “They do seem like they're nice, at least from what Mitoshi's said about them.”

 

“I'm just worried about it being … awkward, you know?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“You guys ready?” Mitoshi asked, as she emerged from her room. She had on a casual blue summer dress with white polka dots, black bicycle shorts that were just long enough to be seen past the bottom hem of her dress, and white canvas shoes — appropriate 'flying attire' by her standards. The boys nodded to her. “Let's hit the road, then — or, the sky. You know what I mean.” The two brothers chuckled. Latoshi and Mitoshi headed out the front door.

 

Antoshi turned to Fireball, who was seated comfortably on the couch and watching television. “Are you sure you don't want to come, Fireball?”

 

"No, it's fine," the Typhlosion replied. "I don't want to be a distraction the first time you meet your family. This is something personal for the three of you. I'll meet them next time!"

 

Antoshi smiled, warmly, nodding to his friend. “All right, then. There's food in the— well, you already know where the food is.”

 

"Yes, I do!" he said, proudly. "I'll try not to eat all of it!" he added as Antoshi walked out the door, shutting it behind him.

 

The blond boy met with his siblings just outside the porch steps.

 

“Pretty strange how there was no answer again this morning,” Mitoshi said. “Maybe the videophone's on the fritz or something. Also, before you say anything — yes, I'll be able to handle flying on my own this time.”

 

“Sweet,” Latoshi replied, taking to the air. “Your hand got really clammy and gross last time!”

 

“Hey!” she shouted at him.

 

Latoshi laughed as the girl swiftly flew after him. Antoshi sighed in contentment, ascending into the air to follow behind them.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

Once again, it took the group over an hour to near close to their destination. They stayed close to the clouds as before, not wanting to startle anyone on ground level with the sight of three flying kids. Antoshi gazed down at the sprawling grasslands and farms far below. In his travels through Kanto, he and Fireball never got to see any farmland. The rich, vibrant colors of different grasses and crops, all neatly set in their divided fields was a visual treat for him. Mixes of various animals and Pokémon, from cows and horses to Miltank and Mareep, dotted the landscape.

 

“Wow,” Antoshi remarked, in awe. “So, this is Olivine City, huh?”

 

“Err, sort of,” Mitoshi replied, over the sound of the whipping winds. “We live in the outskirts of Olivine. Olivine City is over that way.” She pointed to the south, toward large buildings of varying shapes and sizes near the ocean.

 

“Oh,” Antoshi said, “hey, that's just like my home back in Saffron City.”

 

“We can land at that playground,” Mitoshi said, pointing to it. “Nobody's ever there at this time, especially on a school day.”

 

The boys followed her lead, touching down lightly upon the playground's wood mulch. Mitoshi sighed happily, jogging out toward the suburban neighborhood before them. They followed the sidewalk through the residential area. The large, two-story houses of varying architectures lined up almost perfectly beside each other on either side of the wide street. The area was quiet and peaceful, with neatly cut lawns and freshly planted trees along the road verges. They headed down a few turns before coming to a unique, brick house.

 

“Wow,” Latoshi remarked, walking up to the front door with the others, “this is where you live?”

 

“Sure is!” Mitoshi replied. She attempted to open the front door, only to find it was locked. “Aw, man,” she said, peering through the door's glass. The house was quiet inside. “They don't lock the door unless they went out somewhere.”

 

“Mitoshi!” a voice called out behind them. The trio turned to see an older woman waving to her. She held a leash attached to a pair of Rockruffs.

 

“Oh, hello, Miss Heather!” she said, heading over to greet her. The boys lagged behind.

 

“What are you doing here?” the woman asked, curiously. “I thought you'd be with your parents right now.”

 

“… With them?” the girl asked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

“You mean you didn't hear? Your parents were in a car accident the other day.”

 

A sense of dread swept over all three of them.

 

“Wh—what?” Mitoshi uttered, nervously. “W—What accident? Are they okay? Where are they?”

 

“Last I heard, they were in North Shore Hospital. I can take you, if you'd like.”

 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Mitoshi replied, a bit confused. “Sure!”

 

“All right, let me put these two away. Stay right here.” The woman shuffled off, calling to her Rockruffs to up the pace.

 

Mitoshi was very visibly unsettled. The boys tried to keep her relaxed, despite also being deeply concerned themselves. Latoshi, in particular, was fearful that he was going to lose another mother and father. The trio remained awkwardly silent, none of them certain of what to say.

 

Within a few minutes, Heather came back in a white, four-door sedan. The three siblings wasted not a moment getting in. Mitoshi sat in front, while the boys sat in back. The woman promptly drove off toward their destination.

 

“Who are your two new friends?” Heather asked.

 

“Hm?” Mitoshi uttered, lost in thought. “Oh, … it's a long story. I'll tell you all about it after we get back home.”

 

“No problem, I understand.”

 

The group remained quiet as Heather drove them to the hospital, each of the young people staring out their respective side window.

 

The car slowed to a stop near the entrance. Mitoshi left the car in a hurry and dashed inside. Antoshi and Latoshi followed behind, confused and concerned. Mitoshi asked for her parents at the front desk. She was told where to find them, and was directed to the elevators. The three siblings headed inside an elevator car, ascending several floors.

 

The elevator dinged. Mitoshi could not get out quickly enough, squeezing sideways between the doors before they had fully opened. She sprinted down the hallway, finding the room her parents were in.

 

“Mom?!” she exclaimed, rushing inside. “Dad?!”

 

To her surprise, her mother, a woman with long, vibrant blonde hair, was comfortably seated in a chair. Her father, a man with medium-length blue hair and a short stubble beard, laid in the hospital bed beside her. His leg was wrapped in a thick cast and elevated. Both of them were equally shocked to see her.

 

“Mitoshi!” her mother said. She stood up, almost immediately greeted by her daughter's tight embrace.

 

“Are you okay?” Mitoshi asked, her voice quavering. “Miss Heather told me you were in a car accident, and I was so scared. I thought— … I thought that …”

 

“Oh, sweetie,” she replied, wiping the tears from the girl's eyes. “We're both just fine.”

 

“Mostly fine!” her father interjected, guffawing. “I got a busted-up leg!”

 

Her mother chuckled. “He's in good spirits about it, as you can tell.”

 

“They gave me some pretty good stuff!” her father said. “Woo-hoo! Don't mind me if I get loopy!”

 

“Is it … bad?” Mitoshi asked her mother.

 

“No, no. They already fixed him up. He'll be here for a few more days, though.” Mitoshi sniffled and nodded. She let go of her mother, drying her eyes. “So, how have you been, sweetie? What made you want to come back home? Did you make any progress on your search?”

 

“Well, it's funny you should ask that,” Mitoshi said, offering a soft laugh, “because I … well, I found them both.”

 

Her parents were completely stunned by the revelation. They went silent for a moment.

 

“Y-you mean,” her mother stammered, “you— … you found …”

 

“You'd better sit down, hon',” the girl's father said.

 

“Yes, I should definitely … sit down.” She took her seat, staring blankly at her daughter. She blindly reached for her husband's hand, both of them grasping each other tightly.

 

“Are you guys ready?” Mitoshi asked. Both of them nodded tenuously. Mitoshi smiled and nodded back. She headed back to the door, finding her brothers curiously waiting right outside. “Come on in,” she said, waving them in. “Mom, Dad, … I have a couple of very special guests I want you to meet.”

 

Their mother gasped at the sight of the two boys coyly shuffling inside. She held a shaking hand over her mouth. Their father was in sheer disbelief.

 

“Mom, Dad, this is Antoshi and Latoshi,” she said before turning to her brothers. “Guys, … here they are.”

 

“Hello,” Antoshi spoke, smiling weakly.

 

“Hi,” Latoshi added, quietly.

 

“Oh,” their mother uttered, tears running down her face. “I can't … believe it. This can't be real.” She sniffled, slowly getting to her feet. She approached the two boys, unable to contain herself from grinning. “Hello there,” she said, politely. “My name is Anne. It's so wonderful to finally meet you both.”

 

The boys glanced to each other, both of them chuckling, nervously. Their mother's hair color was just like Antoshi's. Their father's hair was like Mitoshi's.

 

She reached down, taking both of their hands in hers. She stifled her sobs as best she could. “Your hair,” she remarked, noticing the same thing of them. “That was one thing I could always … remember. The color is just like in my memories. You were both … so small then. So tiny and so precious.” The two boys looked at her, curiously, while she uttered a joyful sob. “The one thing I've always wanted to tell you, … if I'd ever gotten the chance, was that we always loved you both with all our hearts. We never wanted to … let go of you, but, we had no choice. I always dreaded that when you found out that you were given up, that you would resent us. The very thought was like daggers in my heart.”

 

“We … don't resent you,” Antoshi said, quietly. “Finding out was … kind of confusing for Latoshi and I for a little while, but, … we understand.” Latoshi nodded in agreement.

 

Their mother grinned and sobbed, weeping for a few moments as she hugged them around their necks. Both of them grinned, hugging her in return. It was a wondrously surreal moment for Latoshi, to be able to feel the warmth of his birth mother's embrace after having lost his parents.

 

“I'm sorry,” she said, letting go of them. “I got carried away. It's just that this is something Laurence and I have dreamed of for thirteen long years. We figured seeing you both again was just an impossible dream, and that all we could do was hope that the two of you were healthy and happy and loved.”

 

“You don't have to worry about that,” Latoshi said. “We were all of those things.”

 

She sniffled and nodded, smiling from ear to ear. “Mitoshi,” she said, turning her attention to her daughter, “this is … the most wonderful thing you could've ever done for us!”

 

“Yeah,” her father added, wiping tears from his eyes as well, “we can't thank you enough for this gift, Mitoshi. We love you bunches, peanut.”

 

“I love you both, too,” she replied, grinning, “and—” she put her arms around her brothers, who smiled at her, “I love these guys, too. They're pretty great when you get to know them.”

 

“'Peanut'?” Latoshi mused, flashing a cheeky smirk at his sister. Mitoshi groaned, rolling her eyes.

 

“That's her favorite snack!” their father replied. “Ever since she was a little girl. It was one of the first words she ever learned, too!”

 

“Dad!” she exclaimed in embarrassment, covering her face with both hands, prompting laughs from the others.

 

“Well, then,” their mother said, taking a seat once again. “Why don't we all sit down? I'm sure you boys have a lot of questions.”

 

The brothers found a couple of chairs and dragged them over, sitting across from her. Mitoshi sat next to her mother.

 

“Well, um,” Antoshi began, “I guess the first question we both have is: what happened that made you … give us up? Mitoshi told us the short version of it, but, … we just want to hear it from you.”

 

Their mother sighed. “Okay, well, it was about fourteen years ago. Your father and I were living in Ecruteak City at the time. We were there for less than a month before a fire broke out. I had accidentally left some candles burning one night, and it started a fire. … We lost our home. We didn't have any insurance, either, so we were completely homeless. We lost everything — well, almost everything, because it turned out I was also pregnant with both of you. It was a very rough time for us. We were living out of our car, going to work every day, but we weren't sure if we would manage to get by for a while. Then, your father, being as reckless as he is, started buying lottery tickets. I was so furious with him when I found the stubs he'd been hiding in the car.”

 

“I know it was a terrible idea,” their father said. “I just had hope that things had to get better for us eventually. It was stupid, crazy, foolish hope. I refused to believe that things could get so bad for us without some kind of comeuppance in the end. Your mother wasn't speaking to me for a while after that. Then, … the two of you came.”

 

“I went into labor,” she continued, “and the two of you brought us both together again. I'll never forget it. First came Antoshi, then Latoshi. You were the most innocent, adorable, beautiful angels I could've ever dreamed of. You both were so cute with your little sprouts of hair. … But, we couldn't keep you. There was no way for us to support you or take care of you the way you deserved. We made the decision to give you both up. It crushed us both so much. I didn't speak or eat for a few days.”

 

“Things were so frustrating,” their father said. “I was so angry and so sad. Everything was being ripped away from us. It felt like fate played a cruel joke on us. But, as it turned out, our terrible turn of fortune came good fortune. Even though it upset your mother, I continued to play the lottery for a while afterward. Lo and behold, I … won! Not just a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, but the whole jackpot.”

 

“I have to be honest,” their mother said, laughing, “when he told me, I thought he was lying. I got mad at first. I thought it was some attempt to get me to feel better for a little while. But, he was so insistent. He kept showing me the ticket. That's when I realized it wasn't a lie. We were so elated, but, even with our new fortune, we still knew that our boys weren't coming back. After we moved into our home in Olivine, we got a little overzealous and we ended up trying to have children again, probably a bit sooner than we should've. That's when our baby girl came along.” Mitoshi grinned as her mother stroked her blue hair. “And, so, that's the whole story.”

 

“… Wow,” Latoshi remarked, after a few moments of silence. He looked to his brother. “That's more than either of us could've imagined had happened.”

 

“It was unimaginable,” she replied, “and I hope the three of you never have to feel the regret and sorrow that we did. We always wanted you to know somehow that we loved you, no matter how far away you were. I just hope that this gives you boys the answers you needed.”

 

“It does,” Antoshi said, reaching over to hold his mother's hand, smiling at her. She was surprised at first, but she quickly smiled back at him. She clutched his hand tighter, sighing in relief. “By the way, you said I was born first, right?” he asked. His mother nodded. “So, … that means I'm the older brother?” Latoshi was flabbergasted by the revelation.

 

“Yes,” his mother replied with a laugh. “By just five minutes, of course.”

 

Antoshi flashed a cheeky grin to his brother, who cut his eyes back at him. Latoshi fumed, quietly.

 

“There is one more important thing you have to explain to us, though,” Latoshi said, as mother and son let their hands fall away. “All of us, and all the people who have ever met us want to know: what is the story with our names?”

 

Their mother and father looked at each other in surprise for a moment, before grinning from ear to ear.

 

“That was your mother's idea!” he exclaimed. “Blame her!”

 

“It's true,” she added, with a laugh. “When I was younger, I had this incredible fascination with the historical culture of Ecruteak City. That's why we moved there, because I always wanted to be immersed in it. I wanted to engage in the fashion, the lifestyle, the language of Ecruteak. So, I came up with your names as a symbolic gesture of that. Your names are partially derived from mine and your father's — the 'An' and the 'La' portion. I wanted to give both you boys similar names so that anyone who met you would immediately know you were siblings. Of course, it also helped that you two ended up as identical twins, too. After that, though, we decided to give Mitoshi a similar name when she was born — part of which comes from my mother, Miriam. I … just thought it was a unique and endearing set of names to give you.”

 

“Well,” Antoshi said, sighing in contentment, “I had thirteen years to get used to the name. I've gotten plenty of laughs and strange looks and positive remarks over it. It's definitely been a unique experience.”

 

“I do wonder,” their mother said, curiously, “why did your parents keep the names for you both?”

 

“They liked it,” Antoshi replied. “Honestly, I'm very grateful to them for keeping the name. It means a lot to me.” Anne grinned in elation.

 

“As for me,” Latoshi said, “I actually had the name 'Declan' all my life. I only learned of the name 'Latoshi' when I saw the adoption papers. … It's grown on me, too,” he admitted, with a playful shrug.

 

“I'm happy to hear that,” she said, laughing softly. “So, would you boys like to tell us about yourselves? We'd love to hear everything you want to share.”

 

“That's for sure,” their father added. “It's not like I can go anywhere anyway!” He laughed, while Mitoshi chuckled in embarrassment.

 

“Absolutely,” Antoshi replied with a grin.

 

The brothers proceeded to fill their parents in on the events of their lives — from Antoshi becoming a Pokémon Trainer and his kinship with Fireball, to Latoshi's otherwise uneventful childhood growing up in Fern Town. Mitoshi joined in to give a convenient story about finding them both by chance, and to explain some of what happened after the three of them met. The sibling trio carefully omitted any remarks about their superpowers, as well as Lazarus, Collin, and all the fighting that occurred.

 

Their mother and father were incredibly proud to hear of the tales of their lives. They also comforted Latoshi after the realization that he'd lost his parents in Fern Town. Latoshi ended up becoming fairly affectionate with them. They were the only parents he had left, and he cherished the fact that he'd been given a second chance to be their son. He was genuinely happy in their presence. At some point, a nurse came by to give their father some medication.

 

“Wow,” their mother remarked, “to have a son that's a remarkable Pokémon Trainer, and another son that's a strong survivor. The two of you have lived such incredible lives already! You're stronger and more beautiful than I could've ever imagined. Seeing you here, after all this time, … it's so satisfying beyond words.”

 

“My sons,” their father said, with tears in his eyes, “I'm so proud of the young men you've grown into.”

 

“And, we're happy to have met you,” Antoshi replied, smiling at them.

 

“I definitely agree with that,” Latoshi added.

 

“Now, I am fading pretty fast,” their father said as his eyes fluttered closed. “Looks like the meds are kicking in.”

 

Mitoshi sighed, happily, as she got up. “We should probably get going now anyway,” she said.

 

The others got up as well. Their mother smiled, brimming with pride, hugging each of her children one at a time.

 

“This was the most wonderful family reunion,” she said. “Please do come and visit us every so often. We'll probably be back home in a couple of days. I'd love to hear about everything that's happening in your lives.”

 

“We will,” Antoshi replied, with Latoshi nodding in agreement.

 

The three siblings said their farewells to their mother, as well as to their father, who was fast asleep. They took their leave, all of them beaming.

 

“That was a great idea,” Mitoshi said, skipping down the hallway alongside her brothers. “I'm so happy you finally got to meet them, and that it went so well. I'm so, so, so happy!”

 

“Yeah,” Antoshi concurred. “Thanks for suggesting it, Latoshi.”

 

“I really wanted to meet them so badly,” Latoshi admitted, staring at the ground, his hands casually in his shorts pockets, “even if I was nervous about it. Knowing that I still have a family, a mom and dad, … it all means a lot to me.”

 

Antoshi put an arm around him, both of them laughing and grinning at each other.

 

“I just hope Fireball hasn't raided the refrigerator yet,” Mitoshi remarked.

 

Antoshi's eyes went wide. “… We'd better hurry on back,” he replied, with a hint of concern in his voice.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

A few days passed since the brothers got to meet their birth parents. Outside their cabin at noon, Latoshi and Mitoshi stood next to each other as they practiced punching drills. The boy wore a green tank top with a white horizontal stripe in the middle, and loose white shorts. Mitoshi wore her previous light blue sleeveless shirt with the large Marill print on the front, along with white denim shorts. She looked over at him and giggled.

 

“I'm finally starting to see your movements!” she remarked, gleefully. “You've been punching three times for each one of mine.”

 

“That's great!” Latoshi replied, grinning to her. “You're making some serious headway already. I just wish 'Brainy' would come outside and make some headway with us.”

 

“I heard that,” Antoshi said, as he headed out the front door. Fireball sat on the porch swing, with Bubbles resting beside it.

 

“Oh, hey there,” Latoshi said, stopping his training. “Finally done with all your homework?” he asked, teasing the boy.

 

Antoshi sighed in exasperation, approaching his siblings. “I told you, I have tons of free time now, so I might as well get caught up with my home schooling. My parents just sent me a new lesson this morning.”

 

"I don't get why he enjoys it either, Latoshi!" Fireball called out from the porch. Bubbles laughed, softly.

 

“Well, big brother,” Latoshi said, sarcastically, “it's good of you to finally join us.”

 

“It sure is,” Antoshi replied, hopping up and down to get his blood pumping. “I'm feeling really good. Got a lot of energy I need to burn off. I see you're liking those clothes my parents got for you.”

 

“Heck yeah,” Latoshi remarked, looking down at his attire, while Antoshi did some stretches. “Your parents know how to pick out quality stuff. … You know, Antoshi, after that chat with Serenity, I can't help but wonder how much stronger I can get. I feel like there's huge potential inside me, so, I want to keep on training hard and push my limits. Want to push the limits with me?”

 

“Actually,” Antoshi replied, sighing, with his hands on his hips, “I have been thinking about that, too. I've given some thought to how much good can be done with our powers. Refining them seems like it would only be beneficial for us.”

 

“All right!” Mitoshi squealed in joy. “We'll be like … sibling superheroes!”

 

“Don't get ahead of yourself, little sis',” Latoshi said, playfully ruffling her hair, “you've still got a ways to go before you catch up to our level.”

 

“Hey!” she exclaimed, pouting angrily. “I will catch up to you two, and I won't stop until I do!”

 

Latoshi shrugged. “If you say so,” he said, teasing the girl. “It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that you're just kind of a pushover right now.”

 

Mitoshi growled, her irises turning bright blue, her aura flaring to life with an explosive fury. She immediately went on the attack, striking and punching at Latoshi. He laughed, hopping backward while blocking her attacks with his hands.

 

“Jeez, you hit like a girl!” he continued to tease her. Mitoshi shouted again, her aura intensifying as she continued to keep up the pace.

 

Antoshi chuckled to himself, watching the two of them. “I thought they wanted me to train with them,” he muttered, smirking.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

That night, Antoshi and Fireball laid awake in their room, gazing at the ceiling.

 

"So," Fireball said, "things sure have changed for us, huh?"

 

“They sure have,” the boy replied with a smile.

 

"Do you wish anything had turned out differently?"

 

“Well,” Antoshi replied, turning on to his side to face Fireball, “… I would say that I wish I hadn't needed to fight with Latoshi. Then again, doing so made me stronger — physically, mentally, and spiritually. Everything turned out all right for us in the end, so, that conflict is just something the two of us share as part of our history now. … Are you all right with how things turned out?”

 

"I have to admit, I am a little sad to know we won't be adventuring, going to new towns, and collecting badges anymore. Still, your brother and sister and Bubbles are all really fun to be around. Watching you guys be yourselves with each other is great. It's nice to see you getting along with new people, Antoshi. Especially since, … you know, you didn't have many friends when we were younger…"

 

“I feel that way, too. It's so great to stay with my family, whom I have things in common with. Plus, I have to give you a lot of credit for making this happen. One more than one occasion, you picked me back up and gave me strength when I needed it. I was ready to … be done with Latoshi. I was ready to walk out the door and never come back when Mitoshi said she was my sister.”

 

"You were the one that always made me strong, Antoshi," Fireball replied, grinning to his friend. "I only learned how to motivate like that because of you."

 

“Well, you learned well. Thank you, Fireball. I love you, buddy.”

 

"Love you, too, Antoshi."

 

Antoshi rolled onto his back, as the two best friends breathed a sigh of relief together.

 

“Goodnight, Fireball.”

 

"Nighty-night, Antoshi."

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

In the wee hours of the morning, long before the crack of dawn, Latoshi sat on the big couch in the living room. He was illuminated by the light of the television, watching a repeat of the previous night's news.

 

Mitoshi came out of her room in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes.

 

“Latoshi? …” she uttered, groggily. “I imagine you already know what time it is.”

 

“Sorry for waking you,” he replied, smiling at her. “I couldn't sleep.”

 

“… continue to clean up the aftermath of the fallen Sun Tower in Goldenrod City,” the news reporter said. “Miraculously, all people and Pokémon inside survived, most of which with only minor injuries.”

 

Latoshi narrowed his eyes bitterly, unable to take his gaze away from the screen. Mitoshi stared at the television, before looking over at him in confusion.

 

“What's up, Latoshi? Do you know something about what happened?”

 

“I know exactly what happened. Collin happened.”

 

“Collin?” she asked, concerned, sitting on the couch beside him. “You mean … Serenity's brother?”

 

Latoshi nodded. “The very same one. I met him in the park nearby. I … may have called out his supposed strength, and, … he reacted by bringing down that Sun Tower faster than I could even see — without even moving from where he was.”

 

“But, how did everyone inside survive?”

 

“Serenity. She just showed up out of nowhere, rescued all the people in the building while it was collapsing, and kept them all safe somehow after it fell.” Mitoshi was bewildered by the tale. “I can't figure out the two of them, Mitoshi. They have unbelievable power. They're strong on a level I can't even begin to dream of. That Collin guy, … he comes off as calm and friendly and wise, … but, there's something very scary about him.”

 

Mitoshi bit her lip, watching the news segment with him until it went to commercial.

 

“Come on,” she said, getting up. “I think we should all try to get some sleep.”

 

Latoshi sighed, conceding to her request as he used the remote to shut off the TV. The two of them quietly headed back into their respective rooms.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

The next morning, the siblings shared breakfast at the counter together, having a pleasant time conversing and laughing together. Antoshi smiled, idly gazing out the window. He witnessed a shadow dart over the cabin for just a second, followed by what appeared to be snowflakes falling. The blond-haired boy furrowed his brow, staring in confusion for a moment. One of the flakes stuck to the window, promptly melting in the humid, summer air.

 

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

— End of Part 4 —

 

⁂    ⁂

 

 

Mitoshi

[Antoshi]

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

— Part 5: Frozen Summer —

 

⁂    ⁂

 

 

Antoshi closed his eyes, standing amongst the quiet of nature, inhaling the fresh air deeply. He looked to the early afternoon's nearly crystal clear blue sky. With a slow exhale, he took some time to simply enjoy the peace and splendor outside of the cabin in the woods he now called home. It was a home he shared with his best friend, his brother, his sister and her best friend. The warm, summery air rolled past him in gentle breezes, almost soothingly, as if telling him he was right where he needed to be.

 

In the large, grassy clearing outside their cabin, the blond-haired boy had finally regained his normal, sunny disposition. Antoshi was feeling much more confident than he had in past months. His new, abnormal life was finally settling into a sense of normalcy. It'd been exactly fifty days — not that he was counting, of course — since Antoshi first met his brother back in Goldenrod City and subsequently fought against him. The teenage boy strolled along the natural lawn, his hands in his pockets, enjoying the pleasant day all by his lonesome. He grinned to himself, well aware that at least one of the others would certainly join him before long.

 

He briefly turned his attention to the skies over the cabin, recalling the snowflakes that fell upon the window one morning. Three weeks had come and gone since then. He wondered if it was a Pokémon that caused such a strange occurrence. His instincts as a Trainer made his heart swell with excitement at the idea that perhaps a Legendary Pokémon had appeared before him. Such fleeting creatures have always been known to appear mysteriously.

 

His focus shifted to the front door, noticing his sable-haired brother heading outside. Both boys were wearing similar clothing: red and green tank tops in their respective favorite colors, and long, white shorts for both of them.

 

“Out here by yourself, huh?” Latoshi asked, grinning, as he approached.

 

“Yeah,” Antoshi smiled, turning his attention to the sky. Latoshi did the same.

 

“It's a great day out today. Perfect day for some fightin',” Latoshi joked.

 

Antoshi grinned, hissing, followed by a chuckle. “I don't need you using the 'f-word' around me,” he joked.

 

“Don't give me that. You know this is what you love doing.”

 

“Exactly! That's why!”

 

“Come on,” Latoshi goaded him, stepping back a few meters from him. “Let's keep the streak going. This'll be twenty days in a row. So far, it's much better training for me than anything I ever got from Lazarus.”

 

“How did you train with Lazarus, anyway?” Antoshi asked, as he started to warm up with some stretches. “Maybe you could use some of those methods against it.”

 

Latoshi scoffed, stretching as well. “Lazarus made me do this 'image training' where I would envision my opponent's movements so that I could have this sort-of … sparring session in my head. It was actually the most boring way to train imaginable. I never want to do that again.”

 

“Wow, it sounds boring. Besides, why pretend to have a sparring partner when you could have a real sparring partner?”

 

“Oh, yeah! Now you're reading my mind! If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was related to you or something.” The two brothers shared a laugh.

 

Antoshi's expression turned serious, taking a fighting stance, bringing his flaming red aura to life around him with a grunt. Latoshi smirked, generating his green aura as well while getting into a similar stance. The two boys' irises glowed brightly in their respective colors. Antoshi took a moment to appreciate his brother's aura no longer looking or feeling corrupted with Lazarus' rotten, black Ki.

 

“Let's get a little more serious for day twenty!” Antoshi said.

 

“Sounds good! I'm ready to find out just how strong we really are now!”

 

With a visible shock wave, Antoshi disappeared in a flash. Latoshi's eyes widened. The blond boy's speed was overwhelming, but Latoshi was just barely able to detect his brother's presence sneaking up behind him. He turned, grabbing Antoshi's oncoming punch, the impact digging his heels into the dirt. Antoshi could not release himself from Latoshi's grip — the sable-haired boy's strength was still incredible. Latoshi smirked at him, throwing a punch of his own. Antoshi quickly countered by firing a quick blast of his red spirit energy from his free hand, impacting and knocking away Latoshi's fist, staggering the sable-haired boy back. Antoshi flew into the air to space himself and regroup. Latoshi clicked his tongue, grinning in jubilation, launching himself up after him.

 

Fireball hurried out the front door, his maw agape as he watched the two boys fly into the air with their fiery auras trailing behind them.

 

"Aw, man!" Fireball exclaimed. "Why do they always start training when I'm not ready?"

 

“You and me both,” Mitoshi said, joining him out on the porch.

 

"Oh, have they started for today?" Bubbles asked, sliding her way out through the open front door.

 

Latoshi rocketed upward in an instant, throwing a punch at Antoshi's chest, ultimately striking an afterimage of his very swift brother. The sable-haired boy smirked and sucked his teeth, feeling out Antoshi's Ki. He flipped backward abruptly, dodging the kick Antoshi was about to land upon his back.

 

“You're gonna have to be faster than that!” Latoshi remarked, taunting him. “And, come on, the whole 'appear behind you' thing is so predictable now! You gotta come up with something new!”

 

Antoshi grinned and chuckled. “Hey, if it works, it works! What am I going to do — get below you and punch your foot?”

 

“That would be different!”

 

Antoshi laughed, vanishing suddenly. Before Latoshi could even think, his brother rained countless punches down upon him from all angles and positions. The others watching from the ground were stunned by the display of speed, though not nearly as much as Latoshi was. Once the brief volley was over, Latoshi slumped over in mid-air, groaning in a mix of pain and shock.

 

“… Ow, damn,” he muttered, holding his unhinged jaw while setting it back into place. “When did you get that fast?” he asked, his brother reappearing before him.

 

“I told you, I wanted to get serious this time,” Antoshi replied, resting his hands on his hips. “We should really keep pushing each other to our limits. You said you wanted to become better than Serenity and Collin, right? Think about it: if you can't keep up with me, there's no way you'll keep up with the likes of them.”

 

Latoshi's expression turned stern, nodding confidently at him. His irises burned brightly with the green hue of his spirit. Antoshi gestured to come at him, and his brother did so promptly. Both of them darted toward each other and seemingly vanishing in a second. Their spectators were left bewildered, looking all around for the two boys. All they were able to hear were momentary strikes landing, and the flashes of their auras clashing.

 

Mitoshi was awe-struck, constantly impressed by her brothers and their gradually increasing ability. Her eagerness to improve and evolve was just as strong, if not stronger, than the boys'. The girl's expression, too, turned serious, pursing her lips as the fire burned inside her heart and her irises glowed blue. Without even realizing it, she was able to detect their movements. They were darting at each other continuously, their fists striking each others' fists. All the while, the two brothers grinned at each other confidently.

 

Mitoshi's chest swelled with elation as she trembled with excitement. She refused to be left in the dust, unable to remain on the sidelines any longer. She took to the air to go after them, flying straight into the fray with her brothers.

 

The two boys dashed away from each other out of instinct. Both of them were surprised, jaws agape, watching the girl throw a punch through the air directly where they just were. Without wasting a moment, she charged at Antoshi with an intensely serious look on her face. She shouted and struck at him with everything she had. Antoshi's eyes were wide, irises burning bright, grinning as he blocked, dodged, and parried every strike.

 

Latoshi dashed at them from behind. Mitoshi turned to the side, shooting him a bitterly serious gaze, grabbing his fist as he threw a punch at her. She countered with a punch of her own to his face, which he narrowly avoided. Latoshi was pleasantly surprised, as was Antoshi, at just how much their little sister had improved and matured as a fighter. Still holding his fist, she gathered some of her blue energy into her palm, prompting Latoshi to rip his hand away in the moment just before she fired off a blast of Ki that spiraled harmlessly into the air.

 

Antoshi went over to his brother, hovering side by side with him. They looked to each other, nodded, and looked back at her. Mitoshi took a defensive stance, her blue aura flaring to life, remaining steadfast in the face of their oncoming coordinated attack. They dashed toward her, all three shouting and grunting as they punched and kicked at her. The girl dodged and blocked to the best of her abilities, keeping up with their combination of speed and power.

 

The brothers backed off suddenly. Almost in unison, they aimed their open hands at her, shooting dual spheres of red and green energy at her. She gasped, holding both hands out, mustering forth energy blasts of her own. She grunted and struggled, the boys' clashing energy pushed against her own mere inches away from the skin of her palms. Her energy gave out, resulting in her brothers' attacks colliding and exploding violently on contact with her body.

 

Fireball and Bubbles gasped, watching in concern as the girl spiraled downward helplessly; a trail of smoke left behind her from the exploding energy. She smacked down upon the earth with a hard impact. However, Antoshi and Latoshi showed no concern at all. They continued to hover in place, fully aware that the girl was far from down and out.

 

Mitoshi groaned as she picked herself back up, brushing the dirt off her clothing, her face scuffed and muddied. She looked up at the two boys, who were still waiting for her to continue. She huffed sharply, none too happy to be struck down, soaring back into the air after them. She immediately went after Latoshi this time, shouting and swinging hard at him, while her blond brother maneuvered off to the side. Latoshi grinned, evading her movements until she perked up with an unexpected burst of speed. His eyes widened in the moment before he took a handful of shots to the face, chest, and abdomen. As Latoshi reeled from the hits, she spun around, nailing him with the back of her heel, sending him shooting to the ground.

 

The girl subconsciously lifted an arm and dodged to the side, avoiding a sudden punch to the back from Antoshi. Her brother was surprised — even more so when she managed to grab and trap his wrist with one arm before he could move away. With her other arm, she struck him in the face with a few back elbows before spinning around once again, kicking him away with a hard shot to the sternum.

 

Mitoshi wiped the sweat from her dirt-caked brow, catching her breath for a few moments as her brothers rose back into the air before her. They all looked at each other, flashing one another their own respective grins. The trio of siblings suddenly darted at each other in unison, their bodies becoming a blurring mass of punches and kicks.

 

"Man, they're loving every second of this," Fireball remarked with a grin of his own. "They just keep on training like this every day and never get bored."

 

The girl proved unbelievably durable, even without resorting to her water form. She kept her brothers on their toes, both boys continuously impressed at her high stamina and startling ability to take a hit like it was nothing.

 

"She's getting very good," Bubbles remarked, grinning proudly.

 

"She is getting good," Fireball replied. "All three of them are at the point where I can barely keep up with their movements."

 

"Miss Mitoshi has gotten so much more confident ever since reuniting with her brothers. It's wonderful to see the change in her. She never showed any sort of interest in combat back home, but, it seems to make her so happy."

 

A short time later, all three of them descended back to the ground. Each of the siblings were drenched with sweat, totally out of breath, and yet, so very content. Mitoshi laughed as the three of them happily collapsed onto the ground on their backs, making an almost perfect triangle with their feet inches away from each other.

 

Latoshi was the first one to sit up as Fireball walked over to them. He shook the sweat of his matted black hair, ruffling his fingers through his scalp to air it out.

 

“Not bad,” Latoshi remarked, panting. “I think someday soon we won't need to hold back against Mitoshi.”

 

The girl leapt into a sitting position, looking at him in disbelief. “Wait a minute! You were taking it easy on me?”

 

Latoshi looked over at his brother, who was also sitting up. He gave Antoshi an expression that begged him to bail him out from upsetting their sister.

 

Antoshi sighed, nodding to her. “Yeah, … we did. I'm sorry to say it, but, we kinda have to.”

 

“Oh,” the girl replied, crestfallen, “I get it. You guys don't think I'm good enough yet. I thought I'd at least be close by now. Maybe I won't ever be as good as you two…”

 

Antoshi scooted over and sat next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, bringing her attention to him. “Don't ever get discouraged, Mitoshi. There's no reason to doubt yourself. You have the very same ability for growth that we do. Whatever level Latoshi and I can reach, so can you. All you have to do is find that power inside you and believe in it.” Mitoshi smiled at him, giving a nod of understanding.

 

“You actually did surprise us a few times back there,” Latoshi said, causing Mitoshi to look at him in awe. “Neither of us were expecting you to come back so hard after we knocked you down the first time.”

 

“It's true,” Antoshi said. Mitoshi grinned in elation at him. “You're getting better every day, and that's always something to be proud of.”

 

“Well,” Mitoshi replied, “there's that, and the fact that training with you guys is so much fun!” The brothers and Fireball laughed.

 

“I gotta say,” Latoshi began, as the three of them got to their feet, “training with you both is … infinitely better than sitting in the woods somewhere and listening to a voice in my head tell me what to do.”

 

“It's better than training with Fireball as well,” Antoshi added, flashing a cheeky grin up at his taller companion. “No offense.”

 

"None taken!" Fireball replied. "Training with you got kind of … overwhelming."

 

The two brothers smirked at each other, momentarily reflecting on how much things had changed for the better between them. Latoshi suddenly dashed toward his brother, throwing a punch that halted mere centimeters away from his face. Antoshi did not flinch, continuing to smirk at Latoshi. Mitoshi and Fireball were taken by surprise, the burst of air he created breezing past them.

 

“Stop showing off,” Mitoshi remarked.

 

“Fine, fine,” Latoshi relented before he took his tank top off. “Man, it's so hot out.”

 

“Yeah,” Antoshi replied, doing the same. Both boys had far more defined muscular features than before. “We're around the middle of summer now.”

 

Mitoshi smirked, holding her hands out at the two boys. She pointed her fingers at them, slowly pulling back, as if removing something. Antoshi and Latoshi watched in bewilderment as the sweat was pulled away from their shirtless bodies, hovering toward the girl.

 

“What in the world?” Latoshi muttered. His sister had pulled their combined sweat into an amorphous ball.

 

“Pretty cool, huh?” Mitoshi asked, grinning.

 

“That's … gross,” Latoshi replied. Mitoshi rolled her eyes.

 

“Also,” Antoshi said, “we kind of needed that.”

 

“I just wanted to show you guys I've been working on my own abilities, too,” Mitoshi said. “I'm starting to get the hang of being able to move liquid around that isn't attached to me.”

 

“Very impressive,” Antoshi remarked, smiling. “I'm looking forward to see how else you learn to apply your water powers.”

 

Mitoshi grinned at him, looking over at her other brother to see what he thought. Latoshi, however, did not seem very impressed.

 

“… Yeah, so, that's cool and all,” Latoshi said, flippantly, “but, I really need to take a shower.” As he walked away, he was suddenly struck from behind by the blob of sweat. He gasped, turning around to face Mitoshi, who had a very perturbed look on her face.

 

“You could at least pretend to care!” Mitoshi said, before stomping back toward the cabin. Fireball looked at the two brothers with worry.

 

Antoshi walked up to his brother, patting him on the shoulder. “She did seem kind of proud of her new ability. Don't just ignore other peoples' feelings.”

 

“I'm sorry,” he replied with a sigh, “I wasn't … trying to upset her. … It's just the heat, you know? I guess I got a little crabby.”

 

“You can make it up to her. Make her one of those … pudding cups like you made a few days ago. The one with the banana eyes.”

 

“Yeah, … all right.” Latoshi sighed again, ending up more crestfallen than Antoshi expected.

 

“Don't sweat it too much. People argue over silly things. Then, you make up and move past it. Just look at you and I!”

 

“I know, I'm … trying to be better than I was before. I guess I can still be kind of a prick sometimes, huh?”

 

Antoshi uttered an uneasy noise, shrugging, implying that was mostly the case.

 

"A little bit," Fireball also agreed.

 

Latoshi grinned and chortled. “Well, at least you guys are honest about it.”

 

“Come on,” Antoshi said, putting his arm around Latoshi's shoulder, “let's head back inside and cool off. It's hot as heck out here.”

 

The three of them made their way back to the cabin, where Mitoshi and Bubbles had already gone inside.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

All remained good, and mostly harmonious, for the reconciled sibling trio. Their very abnormal lives had begun to settle into a rhythm of normalcy. The next day, however, it began to rain — almost out of nowhere. It rained for the entire day and, for some strange reason, it began to get colder as well. The rain soon turned to hail, and that hail gave way to snow.

 

It was a never-before-seen summertime snowfall.

 

The flurries of snow continued on for two days nonstop. Eventually, it intensified into a dangerous blizzard. The weather, becoming curiouser and curiouser by the day, began to shift its pattern. The snowstorm grew quickly in size, until it started to bring its blankets of white not just over Routes 36, 35, and the siblings' cabin, but also over nearby Goldenrod City.

 

The following morning, Fireball opened the front door as he and the sibling trio single-filed their way out onto the porch. Between Fireball's Fire-type and Bubbles' Ice-type, the two Pokémon had no qualms about the cold weather. The siblings were dressed in the heaviest clothing they had on hand. For Mitoshi, that was a long-sleeved white shirt with a large blue horizontal stripe in the middle and white pants. Her long, blue hair was tied back in a ponytail. The brothers had on respective red and green t-shirts, and matching jeans. The trio shivered and hugged their chests as they looked out at the field of white before them.

 

“First thing's first,” Antoshi said. “We stop by the Pokémon Center in Ecruteak to pick up our clothing drops, then, we head to Swalot's.”

 

“I really don't want to fly in this weather,” Mitoshi whined.

 

“You'll be fine,” Antoshi reassured her. “It's not that long of a flight. Remember to generate your aura — it'll at least stop the snowfall from hitting you.”

 

“Oh, all right,” she muttered.

 

“Yeah,” Latoshi added, “and don't turn into your water form or you'll freeze.”

 

“I think I could've figured that one out myself, Latoshi,” she shot back, impertinently. Latoshi rolled his eyes in response.

 

“Let's get going,” Antoshi said. He recalled Fireball into his Poké Ball, which he placed in his pocket. The other two nodded. All three siblings took to the air, the respective colors of their auras flickering around their bodies.

 

The woods around Route 35 were completely blanketed with snow, as was the entirety of the footpath of the route. The siblings shivered in the cold winds, gazing down upon handfuls of people and their Pokémon trudging through the snow; most of them wearing layered clothing, knit caps, scarves, and mittens — all undoubtedly not summertime clothes.

 

By the time they neared the city limits of Ecruteak, the siblings' all breathed a sigh of relief. They had made it out of the inclement weather, back to basking in the brightness and warmth of the sun amid a cheerful, blue sky. The trio dropped down, out of sight, into the edge of the forest bordering the city. They emerged, brushing some twigs and leaves off themselves. Antoshi released Fireball from the confines of the ball. After which, they headed in through the gate house separating Route 37 and Ecruteak City.

 

“This is so much better,” Latoshi remarked, as all of them strolled in with the passersby upon the city streets. “I'd take the heat over the cold any day.”

 

“Really?” Antoshi mused. “I actually like the cooler weather better, just … not that cold.”

 

The group were in one of the sections of the city affectionately referred to as 'Old Ecruteak'. With its traditional Japanese style of architecture, stone brick roads, and an emphasis on more natural surroundings, the area was a living relic of a bygone age. The siblings looked around in quiet reflection, remembering that this was what their mother loved about the city and where their birth parents originally lived at one point.

 

“It really is nice here,” Antoshi remarked, saying what was on his siblings' minds. “It's got a unique charm, and a sense of peacefulness to it.”

 

“The suburbs where I live are peaceful, too,” Mitoshi said. “Although, it feels much more … empty than this.”

 

Antoshi chuckled, knowingly. “Tell me about it. Like those days when you come outside and there's no one around — no cars, no people, no Pokémon. Like it turned into a ghost town.”

 

“Right?!” Mitoshi replied, grinning. “One time, our neighbor left his lawn mower on, and he went inside right before I came outside, and it was like the mower was possessed.” She made eerie ghost noises, as Antoshi and Fireball laughed.

 

“Okay, we get it,” Latoshi replied. “You two are suburban kids. Good for you.”

 

Mitoshi huffed, staring at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe Latoshi was continually being so rude to her — and neither could the duo of best friends. She crossed her arms over her chest, all of them refusing to say anything further.

 

The mood between them remained awkwardly quiet until they got to the Pokémon Center. There, Antoshi and Mitoshi were able to pick up the packages of clothes sent to them by their respective parents from the Center's parcel delivery system. Latoshi, meanwhile, stood by the entrance and waited for the others. With both of them carrying their parcels, they headed back. Latoshi grumbled to himself after Mitoshi walked right past him, refusing to make eye contact with him.

 

A few blocks away, they arrived at Swalot's — a local supermarket based in Ecruteak City. Antoshi picked out a single shopping cart and the group wandered together through each aisle in order. They stocked up on a variety of fresh, packaged and canned foods, as well as toiletries. Mitoshi crossed items off of her shopping list, while Antoshi had to restrain Fireball from picking out nearly everything in the store.

 

Once they were done, they headed into one of the unoccupied checkout lines. Each of them smiled at their familiar cashier.

 

“Hey there, Serenity,” Antoshi greeted her while they placed their items onto the conveyor belt.

 

“Hey, guys!” she replied, grinning while scanning each of their items. “I would say it's a surprise to see you, but, …” she lowered her voice to a whisper, “I sensed you guys were here for a while now.”

 

Mitoshi laughed in response. Meanwhile, Fireball attempted to sneak a candy bar from a nearby shelf in with their items.

 

“No candy, Fireball,” Antoshi replied, turning and grinning at him. Fireball whimpered like a scolded puppy, putting the candy back. “Crazy weather we're having, huh?”

 

“Tell me about it!” Serenity replied. “I feel so bad for you guys, having to ride out that freak snowstorm in the middle of summer. If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to call me.” Antoshi nodded to her.

 

“Oh, that outfit you have on is so lovely, Serenity!” Mitoshi remarked. Serenity briefly glanced down at her clothes behind her employee apron — a floral patterned pink fitted shirt and black dress pants.

 

“Thank you! I usually shop for as little as I can. I bought this whole ensemble for just three thousand.”

 

“Wow, that's a steal! I'm so jealous.” The girls chuckled to each other, while Antoshi had moved further down the checkout line to start bagging their groceries.

 

Latoshi sighed, leaning against the conveyor belt. “Wow, girls and talking about clothes. Name a more iconic duo.”

 

“How about Latoshi and being a jerk?” Mitoshi muttered as she elbowed him in the ribs. “That iconic enough for you?”

 

Latoshi rubbed his side. “What? I was just joking!”

 

“Jokes are supposed to be funny,” she shot back, glaring at him. The others looked on in silence.

 

Latoshi scoffed in disgust. “Whatever. I'm waiting outside.” He walked off, making his way to the exit of the store.

 

Mitoshi groaned in frustration. “I don't know what his deal is lately.” She smiled as Fireball attempted to console her by patting her on the shoulders.

 

“I know siblings can be frustrating sometimes,” Serenity said, smiling warmly at her. “Don't forget, the three of you only recently found each other. It's gonna take some time for you to get used to each other.”

 

“I suppose so,” Mitoshi muttered, looking away.

 

“One thing you should always be grateful for is family,” Serenity went on. “Even if you don't get along with each other, … it's always good to appreciate the family you still have left.” She spoke with such heartfelt reflection that it gave pause to the others as they wondered what she might have been trying to imply. Serenity went quiet for a moment, ringing up their final total. Antoshi paid her, and she handed him his change and printed receipt. “Well, it's always nice to see you guys,” she said, smiling at them. “Thank you for shopping at Swalot's! Have a great day!”

 

“Bye, Serenity!” they all said, parting ways with her while cradling bags in their arms. She chuckled before turning her attention to the next customer.

 

Outside, Latoshi leaned his back against the wall of the supermarket, brooding, his arms folded over his chest. He sighed, taking one of the bags from Fireball as the Typhlosion handed them to him.

 

“Come on,” Antoshi said. He gave Latoshi a reassuring pat on the back as the four of them walked back the way they came from.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

“Latoshi!” Mitoshi shouted from the kitchen, early the next day. “I told you not to eat the pecans! I was saving those for a new dessert I was going to make!”

 

“Well, you bought, like, five different kinds of nuts!” Latoshi shouted back. He sat on the couch to the right of the largest of the three, which Antoshi and Fireball sat upon. The two best friends watched the impending argument in silence. “I thought it wouldn't matter!”

 

“Of course it matters!” she roared. “The others aren't pecans!”

 

“You don't have to bite my head off over it!”

 

“I do when you end up doing things I specifically told you not to do!”

 

“Fine, I'll just leave!” he exclaimed. He hopped to his feet, storming out onto the porch, slamming the door behind him. “Man! I can't do anything right around here!” Bubbles nervously peered her head out from inside of Mitoshi's room.

 

Antoshi sighed, getting up and following after his brother. “Come back inside, Latoshi,” he said, holding the door open for him. “Don't stay out in the cold.”

 

Latoshi humphed, turning away from him. “Yeah, well it's a lot colder in there right now.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, walking out into the field which was deeply covered in over a foot of snow. Antoshi sighed again, closing the door, heading back in.

 

Mitoshi growled, infuriated, slumping down on the third couch across from where Latoshi had sat. “I know he did that on purpose,” she remarked. “He wanted to spite me and see me get riled up.”

 

Antoshi walked past her, sitting next to Fireball again. “I know you're upset, but, be reasonable, Mitoshi.”

 

“I'll be reasonable just as soon as he is!” she shot back. Antoshi and Fireball glanced at each other in concern. Mitoshi grabbed an electric blanket, which had been draped on the far end of the couch she sat upon. “Anyway, it's my turn with the heated blanket. It's so darn cold in here!”

 

She shivered, huddling up tightly under the warmth of the blanket. The group went quiet again, focusing their attention to the program on television.

 

Outside, Latoshi ignored the numbing cold, his green aura flickering around him as he aimlessly walked into the snow-covered forest outside their house. He kicked away some of the snow in front of him, which evaporated instantly on contact with his aura.

 

‘What the heck are we even doing?’ he thought. ‘Seems so stupid and pointless for us to fight with each other when we've all been so eager to be together and be a family. … I just wish she didn't piss me off so much!’

 

He wandered around through the trees, his breaths visible in the cold air, taking his hands out of his pockets every so often to rub his arms, which were exposed by the short sleeves of his green t-shirt. As he wandered in further, he saw a small group of Swinub slowly pushing their way through the dense snow. He smiled at them.

 

‘I guess Ice-type Pokémon must be having a blast in this cold. I wish the feeling was mutual.’

 

He walked around them, reaching a small lake in a forest clearing. As expected, the lake was completely frozen over. Nearby, he saw a wild Sneasel scamper over to something in a hurry. Curious, Latoshi followed it, watching it dig at the snow under a tree as if searching for something. It stuck its snout into the hole it dug, shaking the snow off its face before noticing the nearby human approaching it. Its eyes went wide, quickly fleeing from the sable-haired boy.

 

Latoshi furrowed his brow, seeing something bright and yellow underneath a small covering of snow that the Sneasel dug at. He knelt down, brushing the snow away. His eyes went wide in horror, gasping loudly. He brushed more and more of the snow away, finding two small Pichu that had been buried under the falling snow. The wind was knocked from his lungs.

 

“Oh, no…” he whispered in sorrow. He gently picked one of them up, looking it over as he held it in his arms. It made a tiny noise, surprising him. He brought the Pichu up to his ear, catching its very faint breaths. Latoshi's eyes widened in surprise.

 

Without another thought, he picked up the other Pichu, cradling them both in each arm. His expression turned bitterly serious, shooting into the air. He soared over the forest, heading back to the cabin in a hurry.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Antoshi

[Antoshi]

Chapter 28

 

 

Latoshi's body whistled through the air, green aura blazing around his body. Within mere seconds, he backtracked the entirety of the way he'd walked. He dropped to the ground, hustling up the porch stairs and bursting into the house. The other were startled, particularly Mitoshi as he marched up to her.

 

“What?” she asked, confused. He suddenly yanked away the heated blanket from her body, angering the girl. “Hey! What's your problem?! I was using tha—” She and the others gasped in shock as he carefully laid the tiny Pichus on the couch before resting them atop the blanket. All of them got to their feet.

 

“What happened?” Antoshi asked, mirroring everyone else's concern. “Where did these two Pichu come from?”

 

“I just found them a minute ago,” Latoshi replied, quietly. He knelt down, wrapping their bodies with the sides of the blanket. “They were in the woods, covered in snow. They're … they're barely alive. I—I didn't know what else to do.” He turned to Antoshi. “You're the experienced Pokémon Trainer here. Can you do anything to help them?”

 

Latoshi moved aside, allowing Antoshi to kneel down in front of them. He touched their heads and faces, tapping and scratching the electric pads on their cheeks. Very faint sparks, not unlike static electricity, popped from their cheek pouches. Bubbles slid her way over to the living area to finally see what was going on. She, too, gasped at the sight of the unconscious Pichus.

 

“It looks bad,” Antoshi said, softly. “They're definitely suffering from hypothermia. Bringing them here as quickly as you could helped, though. The only thing we can do for them now is keep them warm and … just hope for the best.”

 

“Oh, gosh…” Mitoshi uttered, stunned, on the verge of tears — as was Bubbles. Fireball bit his claws nervously.

 

Latoshi stared at the Pichus with a look of firm resolve on his face. He took a seat beside them, where Mitoshi had been sitting earlier. “I'll stay with them and watch over them. I'm just gonna stay right here and make sure they're okay.” Antoshi smiled at him.

 

"Me, too," Fireball added. "I'll do anything I can to help. Just name it."

 

“Should I get some water?” Mitoshi asked. “I'll get some water for them in case they wake up.”

 

“I know everyone is eager to help,” Antoshi said, “but, there's nothing else we can do right now. It's all up to them to make it through.”

 

Fireball sighed as he and Antoshi took a seat again. Mitoshi sat on the couch facing Latoshi. All of them watched and waited while the two little weakened Pichu as they slept.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

As the day rolled on, the others settled back into their usual daily routine. Latoshi, however, did not. True to his word, the sable-haired boy did not move an inch from his seat. He watched over them continuously like a worried parent, paying attention for the slightest change in their condition. He leaned over every so often to check on the state of their breathing. He also made sure they were comfortable atop the heated blanket, and that it wasn't too hot for them. While the others headed to the kitchen to have dinner, Latoshi waited on the couch until his brother brought over a plate of food for him.

 

Later in the evening, everyone, sans Latoshi, played a game together on the floor in the living area. Latoshi gasped loudly when one of them slowly stirred.

 

“Guys!” he said, keeping his voice low. “Guys! One of them is moving!” The others quickly got up, scrambling over to see. To their amazement, one of the Pichu slowly rolled over onto its side with a soft groan. It remained asleep without opening its eyes. “Th-that's a good thing, right?” he asked Antoshi, nervously.

 

“Absolutely,” Antoshi replied. He checked their temperature again, as well as their cheek pouches. “I think they're past the worst of it now. They just need to rest.”

 

Latoshi sighed in relief, closing his eyes with a smile. “That's great to hear, because I really need to use the bathroom.” The others laughed.

 

“Don't worry,” Antoshi replied, “we'll look after them until you get back.”

 

“Thanks,” Latoshi said, getting up and shuffling off to the restroom in a hurry.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

After nightfall, when everyone else had gone back to their rooms to sleep, Latoshi remained awake. The living area lights overhead had been set to a low dim, keeping him from having to sit in the dark. He continued to watch over the two, ignoring the even colder temperature at night. His eyes were starting to get heavy, having stared at the Pichus nearly all day. He sighed, resting his head against the back of the couch, promising to close his eyes for just a few minutes. Quickly enough, however, he dozed off to sleep.

 

Not long after, the Pichu that had turned over earlier started to stir awake. It slowly opened its large, dark brown eyes with a quiet groan. The Pichu froze in place for a moment, slowly taking in its new, unfamiliar surroundings — particularly the big, slumbering human next to them. It noticed, however, that its counterpart was right there beside them as well. It slowly and quietly reached over, tapping and pushing the other Pichu.

 

"Wake up," it whispered. "Poka! Wake up!"

 

The Pichu continued to shake its twin for a few moments, until the other Pichu finally awoke with a groan of its own.

 

"What's … going on?" the second Pichu wondered aloud. Taking note of Latoshi, it gasped in shock.

 

"I don't know," the first one whispered. "But, we really need to get out of here before—" Its remarks were suddenly interrupted when Latoshi woke up with a startled gasp.

 

The two Pichus panicked, closing their eyes, pretending to still be asleep. Latoshi looked over at them, curiously. He could've sworn he heard something.

 

“Are … you two awake?” he asked. There was no response from either of them. He sighed, scooting a bit closer to the pair. He pulled the sides of the blanket back over them, noticing it had fallen off their bodies. Latoshi began to stare at them in concern. He went to reach out to touch them, stopping and hesitating briefly. He placed a hand atop their heads and their pink cheeks, smiling as he took note of how much warmer they were than when he first found them. Their bright yellow fur was incredibly soft.

 

“I really hope the two of you wake up,” he said, quietly. “I sure would … like to get to know you better.” He continued to pet the two of them for a few moments. “I'm so sorry that this happened to you. I only wish that … I had found you both sooner. … If the two of you make it through this, I promise I'm going to make sure nothing else happens to you both — no matter what. … The two of you have been through enough already.”

 

He took his hand away, sighing despondently. Just then, Mitoshi's bedroom door opened. He turned, looking at her from over the couch. She smiled, walking over in her blue nightgown and white socks.

 

“How are they?” she asked quietly, kneeling down in front of them. He looked over at the Pichus as Mitoshi gently pet their heads.

 

“Still the same,” he replied.

 

She smiled weakly and nodded. “I can tell … how much you care about them, Latoshi. I think it's really wonderful how dedicated you are to making sure they're okay.” He smiled at her. “… Latoshi, I'm really sorry for arguing with you lately. I didn't mean all that stuff I said, I just got … upset over those silly little things, and that was wrong. It seems so pointless for me to get mad at you after I've wanted nothing more than to meet my brothers for the longest time.”

 

Latoshi was pleasantly surprised to hear her apologize. He chuckled softly. “I was actually thinking the same thing earlier.” She chuckled as well. “Still, I share just as much blame here. I've just been trying to get used to the whole 'having a brother and sister' thing. That, and I've been dealing with living with the aftermath of what happened during my time with … Lazarus. I've been sorta … keeping all that anger inside, and it's been rough for me. I should've talked to you instead of just being a jerk and lashing out. You don't deserve that. I gotta get out of that bad habit.”

 

“Talking things out sounds like a great idea,” she replied with an elated grin. “You can always talk to me whenever you want about anything in the whole world. … Well, Antoshi's probably better at giving advice than I am, but, I love you, too — so much. Don't you forget that.”

 

“I know. I love you, too, Mitoshi.”

 

She giggled, quietly, standing up before throwing her arms around his neck briefly and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

 

“Well, goodnight,” she said. She turned to the Pichus. “And, goodnight to you two as well.”

 

Latoshi chuckled. “Goodnight, Mitoshi.”

 

Mitoshi headed back into her room and quietly closed the door behind her. Both siblings felt much better, sighing in content to finally resolve their issues. Latoshi got up to head into the kitchen for a glass of water. He headed back to the couch, taking a few sips along the way. He set his water down on the glass table in front of the couch, and settled in for the night.

 

Once the Pichus were certain he was asleep again, the first Pichu pushed the other.

 

"Come on, Poka," it said, keeping its voice low while shedding the blanket away. "We're getting out of here." The other Pichu, however, turned with tears welled in its eyes. "Poka, … are you crying?" The other Pichu nodded.

 

"Yes. … I'm not leaving."

 

The first Pichu was shocked. "Poka, please, we have to get out of here now! You know how terrible humans are!"

 

Poka shook its head. "I'm not going, Chika. This human, … he saved us! I think he really … cares about us. You heard what they were saying. Plus, they're brother and sister — just like you and me."

 

"Poka, you are my brother, and I'm not leaving you here. If you stay, they're just going to put you in those prison balls and make you their slave. We both promised we'd never live like that!"

 

Poka shook his head once again. "I'm not going out in that cold anymore. At least here we have … someone who will take care of us! I trust him, Chika!"

 

She huffed in exasperation. "Okay," his sister replied, impertinently, "fine, you can trust him all you want. I'm leaving." Chika got up on all fours, stretching briefly. She gasped, collapsing suddenly onto her belly after being racked with intense pain from every exhausted muscle in her body — the very same muscles that had previously been frozen stiff.

 

"Chika?" he mused, sitting up. He gasped as well at the very same pain, causing him to realize why she collapsed. Although the cold had thawed from them, it was still going to take some time for the soreness of their frostbite to subside. He slowly laid down on his back, wincing in pain. "Well, … we probably shouldn't go anywhere anyway."

 

"And why not?" she asked, looking at him while the rest of her body remain totally still.

 

"Because … what if the four scary people are out there?" Chika's eyes went wide with shock. "What if they're looking for us?"

 

"Good point," she replied, quietly. With a pained groan, she, too, rolled onto her back, laying beside her brother. "… I'm scared, Poka."

 

"Me, too," he replied, quietly. They reached out for each other, grabbing each others' paw. The two siblings smiled to each other. Their eyes fluttered closed, succumbing to their mutual exhaustion.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

The next morning, after breakfast, Latoshi returned once again to his spot on the couch next to the sleeping Pichus. His eyes went wide, letting out a surprised gasp when they began to stir awake.

 

“Guys!” Latoshi exclaimed, quietly. “I think they're finally waking up!”

 

The other four, all gathered around the seating area in the kitchen, clamored as they headed over to look. The two Pichus yawned and stretched. They were feeling much better and far less sore than the previous night. However, one look at the crowd encircled and towering over them caused the pair to immediately cower away.

 

“Let's back up a little,” Antoshi said, waving for the others to take a couple steps back. The Pichus relaxed some, staring at all the strange, new faces with wide, curious eyes. “Hello, there,” the blond-haired boy introduced himself with a smile. “It's nice to finally meet both of you. My name is Antoshi, and this is my best friend, Fireball.” Fireball grinned and waved to them. The Pichus lowered their heads, intimidated by the much bigger Typhlosion. “I know, he might seem pretty big and scary, but, I promise he's a gentle giant. This is my sister, Mitoshi, …” Mitoshi wiggled her fingers to wave at them, “and her best friend, Bubbles.”

 

"It's nice to meet you both," Bubbles said, gently, from behind the couch. Despite her quiet nature, the Pichus were also intimidated by the large Lapras' head hovering over them.

 

“And, lastly,” Antoshi went on, “this is my brother, Latoshi. He's the one that found the two of you in the snow.”

 

The two looked up at the sable-haired boy in awe. Latoshi, meanwhile, swallowed nervously. “Well, you know,” he said, “I … I couldn't just leave the two of you there, and … well, I—I was worried. About you. The two of you.” He chuckled, awkwardly. “I'm … really glad the two of you are awake now. A-are you hurt? Do you need anything?”

 

They looked at each other before looking back to him. "Water!" they both said, pointing to their open mouths.

 

Due to the three siblings hearing nothing more than a simple 'Pichu!' from the two tiny Pokémon, all eyes turned to Fireball.

 

"Water," Fireball and Bubbles both said in unison.

 

“I'm on it!” Latoshi said, heading into the kitchen without delay. The Pichus were momentarily bewildered — it seemed as though the humans could understand what their Pokémon just said. Latoshi poured a full glass of water, came back and sat down. The glass was too big for them to hold, so, he held it in front of Poka first, tilting it back very slowly while the Pichu held on to it with his tiny paws. “There you go,” he said while the parched Pokémon lapped up sip after sip of water.

 

Antoshi and Mitoshi smiled to each other. The two of them and Fireball headed back to the kitchen area, watching from a distance so as not to hover over them. Bubbles joined them at her own, slower leisure.

 

After Chika got her own drink of water, the entire glass was empty. Both Pichus pointed to their open mouths again.

 

“More water?” Latoshi asked, surprised. The Pichu's shook their heads. “… Oh, food?” They both nodded, ecstatically. “Okay, coming right up.” The others watched him as he returned to the kitchen. He opened up each of the cabinets below, digging through pots and pans that clattered loudly. “Antoshi, where do you keep that Pokémon food?”

 

“It's … right above your head,” the blond-haired boy replied, calmly. Latoshi paused, gazing up at the large, conspicuous bag of Pokémon food on the counter before him.

 

“I—I knew that,” he stammered, closing the cabinets. “I was … I was testing you, you know.” Antoshi raised his eyebrows, nodding playfully in response. The others snickered to themselves. Latoshi grabbed a bowl, filled it up with food, and returned to the Pichus with it. They stared at the spherical, dry kibble before them for a moment, having never seen such a thing before. It carried a very tempting aroma, however, that drew the pain to lean in and smell closer. The two gasped in surprise, grabbing the food in their tiny paws and chowed down.

 

Latoshi took a deep breath, sighing happily. Having found the two of them frozen in the snow, seeing them in much better shape, and in good spirits, was cathartic for him. Once they finished, they both fell back onto the blanket, sighing in content.

 

“You two must still be tired, huh?” he asked, smiling. The duo nodded to him. As before, he draped the heated blanket over their bodies. “Is the blanket warm enough for you?” They nodded again before closing their tired eyes.

 

With a warm grin, Latoshi got to his feet to join the others.

 

“They must still be very young,” Antoshi remarked. “I can't help but wonder if … they were separated from their mother somehow.”

 

“That's so sad,” Mitoshi responded, softly. “At the same time, it makes me even prouder of you for rescuing them, Latoshi.” She smiled at him, and he responded in kind.

 

“All I want,” Latoshi said, “… is to make up for the misdeeds Lazarus used me for. I just want to be better than how Lazarus 'taught' me I should be.” Antoshi reached over and patted Latoshi's shoulder in response.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

After lunch, the Pichus had woken up again. Feeling much better, they decided to take their own personal tour around the cabin to get acclimated to their new surroundings. They crawled under the couches, moving slowly and cautiously across the open floors. Smelling everything in sight, they wandered through the open bedrooms and the bathroom. When they finally emerged back into the living area, they sprinted out playfully, laughing as they tumbled around and chased one another. Even though it was cold inside, being in shelter was infinitely better than out in the frigid, falling snow. The others couldn't help but smile at the new pair who appeared to be quite happy to join them.

 

A short time later, there was a knock at the door. The Pichus panicked, scrambling for Latoshi. They hid behind his legs, peering out from behind him. He looked down and grinned at them.

 

“I got it,” Antoshi said. He headed for the door, opening it, smiling at the arriving Serenity. “Hey, you're right on time.”

 

“Brrr!” she responded playfully, shuffling inside while wearing a large pink turtleneck sweater and black sweatpants. Antoshi shut the door behind her. “This blizzard's getting more intense by the day. It's started to spread to parts of Ecruteak now.” She noticed the large, yellow heads poking out behind Latoshi's shins. “Oh, you have some new guests?” she asked, smiling warmly at them.

 

“Yeah,” Latoshi replied. “I found these two out in the snow. They were in pretty rough shape.”

 

“Well, that truly is a wonderful and caring thing for you to do, Latoshi,” she replied. “You've already grown so much since we spoke in Goldenrod City — and it shows.” The two smiled at each other. “Well, then,” she went on, turning her attention to Antoshi, “shall we get started?”

 

“I'm ready,” Antoshi replied, rubbing his cold hands together. “I've been looking forward to this.”

 

“All right,” Serenity replied, rolling up her sleeves. “As promised, I'm going to teach you how to use your Ki to heal.” Antoshi nodded to her. The others headed over to the couches, with Bubbles taking her usual seat behind Mitoshi. All of them were intensely curious to watch. The Pichus scampered up, sitting between Fireball and Latoshi on the large couch in the middle.

 

Serenity swiftly swiped a hand across her forearm, causing it to bleed. The others gasped in shock.

 

“Now, now,” she reassured them, smiling, “nobody panic. There's no real injury here, it's just for show.” She opened the same hand, now glowing with her pink aura, around her open wound. The others looked on as the wound was closed up and healed to perfection within seconds.

 

Poka and Chika, in particular, were completely shocked.

 

"How did she … do that?" Chika asked Fireball in a hushed voice.

 

"She's using her Ki," Fireball replied quietly, as the tiny twins looked up at him with awe-struck expressions. "Ki is sort of like … the energy inside her spirit. It's a special power that comes from within her. All of the humans here can use it." The two Pichus looked at each other. They'd never heard of, or even imagined, anything so fantastic before.

 

“You're up, Antoshi,” Serenity said. She proceeded to make the same wound on her arm before offering said arm to the young man.

 

He took a deep breath and nodded. “All right. What do I need to know?”

 

“Your thoughts and your intentions have to be pure,” she replied. “You can only focus on helping the person before you. You must care for their well-being, and that feeling has to go all the way to your heart. If you were to ever have even a shred of malice inside you, your Ki would instead injure them — the same way any of your usual attacks do.”

 

Antoshi huffed sharply. He held his hands out, hovering them inches over her open wound. ‘Focus on helping,’ he thought while closing his eyes. ‘Care about them and their well-being. No other thoughts, no distractions …’

 

He kept himself calm and relaxed as his red aura began to glow within his hands. The others on the couch looked on in suspense. Serenity's wound began to close itself at a much slower rate than when the young woman healed it, but, it was indeed progressing. Mitoshi and Latoshi grinned at each other, cheering their brother on in silence. Antoshi began to struggle and grunt, his hands trembling, holding his breath. The energy needed to perform the feat was far greater than he anticipated. By the time his energy petered out, he stumbled backward, catching himself with a gasp of surprise. He panted heavily, taking a look at what he'd managed to accomplish — Serenity's wound was almost completely healed.

 

“That was an excellent first attempt, Antoshi,” she said. She used her own healing power to finish closing the wound on her arm.

 

Antoshi fell back onto the third, empty couch, grinning and panting. “That certainly felt different from the usual, everyday Ki blasts we usually make. I never would've expected … your power would take so much inner strength.”

 

Serenity chuckled, taking a seat next to him. “As with everything that involves your spirit energy, it ultimately comes down to your resolve that determines the efficacy of your ability, and your emotions are what amplify that. So long as what fuels your ability to heal is love and kindness, then you'll be able to master it in no time. Considering how well you did your first time, I'd say you must care about me a lot.” Her response caused the blond-haired boy's eyes to shoot wide open, his face flushed red, going totally silent. Fireball, as usual, snickered in amusement. Serenity laughed. “I'm only joking!” The others all laughed in response.

 

“Oh,” Antoshi replied, glancing away from her. “Erm, so, … uh, …” he stammered, trying to think of anything else to talk about, “so, … how long will it take me to … master this?”

 

Serenity shrugged. “Not too long, I'd imagine. Just keep practicing at it, like how you and your siblings train your fighting prowess. Now you have something else to strengthen and get better at. Just remember — this ability does have some limitations. It's only useful for physical injuries. You won't be able to heal away diseases, allergies, and so on. You can't heal emotional pains, and it cannot resurrect people from the dead.” Antoshi nodded in understanding. “So,” she went on, turning to the others, “now that I'm here anyway, are there any other questions you might have for me?”

 

“Yeah,” Latoshi said, sitting forward. “I was thinking about something you told me back in Goldenrod City. You said something like, 'sleep is not a necessity', and that Antoshi managed to tap into that somehow. What did you mean?” Antoshi turned to her, also curious of the response.

 

“In some ways,” Serenity replied, “your Ki allows you to be self-sufficient for much longer periods of time than the average person. The need to eat, sleep, and even breathe can be supplied by the energy of your spirit. As you mentioned, Antoshi did this unintentionally when he was preparing to fight with you the second time around. Instead of sleeping, his Ki kept him feeling alert and awake. Without sleep, however, your Ki reserves burn at a much faster rate and, eventually, you will need to sleep in order to regain that energy back.”

 

Latoshi glanced away, briefly. “So, wait a minute. … You're saying that, when Antoshi defeated me, he was actually … weaker than he would've been if he'd been rested up?” Serenity smiled, closed her eyes, and nodded. The two brothers looked at each other. “Wow,” he remarked, both of them laughing in response.

 

“Can I do this, too?” Mitoshi chimed in, curiously. “I can just decide not to sleep one night and my Ki will just keep me feeling energized?”

 

“That is correct,” Serenity replied.

 

“Oh, cool!” Mitoshi said, grinning at both of her brothers. “Who's up for a never-ending slumber party?!” She shot her hand up, drawing a laugh from the others.

 

“Speaking of 'cool',” Serenity said, “it certainly is quite cold in here. You don't have a fireplace or a heater?”

 

“No, unfortunately,” Mitoshi replied. “But, hey, I can make us all some hot cocoa. That'll help, right?”

 

“I'm up for some hot cocoa,” Latoshi said, just before Mitoshi hopped to her feet.

 

"What's hot cocoa?" Poka asked Fireball, tugging on his fur.

 

"The best sweet treat for cold days," Fireball replied, grinning at the two Pichus. "Trust me, you'll enjoy it." The two smaller Pokémon responded by gasping in excitement at each other.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

That evening, after Serenity had gone home, the previously bedridden Poka and Chika were like little balls of energy. They laughed and tumbled around the floor between the three couches as the others sat and watched them. The pair raced around the living area, hiding from each other behind and underneath furniture. They ran up and down Bubbles' shell as the Lapras lounged behind Mitoshi, as usual. At times, they tugged and swatted at Fireball's hind feet, prompting the Typhlosion to get up.

 

"All right, all right," Fireball relented. The duo continued to squeal and laugh as Fireball chased them around for a while. Fireball tumbled over onto his back, and the Pichus hopped up on top of him to bounce around on his belly, much to the amusement of all.

 

After the little ones were finally all tuckered out, they crawled up the legs of Latoshi's pants, curling up into his lap, much to his surprise. The display prompted an 'aww' in response from Mitoshi, who was seated next to him. Fireball took a seat next to Antoshi once again.

 

“You should let them sleep in your bed tonight,” Antoshi said to his brother. “I'm sure you still want to keep an eye on them, after all.”

 

“You … really think I could?” Latoshi replied, grinning. There was a warmth and a softness about him that Antoshi had never seen from him before.

 

“Of course,” Antoshi said, smiling back at him. “Fireball used to sleep in my bed when he wasn't fully evolved.” Fireball nodded in agreement. “I'm sure the two of them wouldn't mind it one bit.”

 

Latoshi took a moment to look at the Pichus, who were very comfortable resting against him. “Well, … all right.” Cradling the tiny twins in his arms, he got to his feet. “I suppose I'll turn in early tonight. Goodnight, guys.”

 

“Goodnight,” the others responded before Latoshi headed into his room and slowly closed the door with his foot.

 

Latoshi laid them down, carefully, on the far edge of the bed, which was seated in the corner of the bedroom. The two continued to remain fast asleep, while he undressed into his white t-shirt and boxer shorts — the same nightwear his brother typically wore. He turned off the lamp on the stand next to his bed, and slipped under the covers.

 

For a while, he laid in bed, staring at the two of them as they quietly slept — a sight that made his heart melt. Having Pokémon was a new experience for him, and, for them, so was having a human. He felt so incredibly attached them already. They were so cute and so much fun to watch. Latoshi gently pet them both, smiling warmly, hoping for nothing more than for them to stay with him always.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

The Pichus eagerly scampered out of Latoshi's room as he opened the door the following morning. The sounds of Bubbles quiet humming echoed from Mitoshi's room, next to his.

 

“Okay,” he said to the pair, “go and get your food.”

 

“Hey there, you two,” Antoshi said, greeting the twins from inside the kitchen. He laid out a couple of bowls filled with Pokémon food on the floor, which they promptly dug into. Fireball stood in front of the kitchen island, eating from his own bowl of food.

 

“Hey,” Mitoshi greeted her sable-haired brother casually, seated on the same couch she sat in the previous night. The TV was on in front of her. “Man, things are getting really serious for the people affected by the blizzard.” The two brothers came over and stood near her, watching the news broadcast. It showed video from inside the snowstorm impacting Goldenrod City.

 

“… as the storm grows ever larger,” the male news reporter said. “With no end to the blizzard in sight, residents are being urged to stay indoors — which is causing major headaches for the flow of business in the city; along with serious, life-threatening situations. At least a dozen people have died so far from the combination of severe cold and paramedics being unable to reach those in need. Hundreds more are reporting a wide range of sicknesses. City officials are working around the clock to formulate a plan of action to evacuate some of the city's residents — particularly the very young and the elderly — to alleviate some of the concerns of peril. Attempts by many in the city to call upon Pokémon to combat the weather directly have, so far, failed as well.”

 

Latoshi sucked his teeth, punching his open palm in frustration. “I hate this. I hate that we have these powers, but we're powerless to stop something like this.” Mitoshi held her head down with a sorrowful gaze.

 

“I know,” Antoshi replied, quietly, taking a seat next to his sister. “Maybe it really will blow over. We just have to hope that all those people are going to be all right.”

 

Both Pichus tugged at Fireball's leg. "We know what happened!" Chika exclaimed.

 

The trio of siblings looked over at the two, tiny Pokémon with shocked expressions.

 

"You mean, with the snowstorm?" Fireball replied. The Pichus nodded in response. "Well, let me tell them—"

 

“Wait,” Latoshi cut him off. He slowly rose to his feet, walked over to the Pichus and knelt down in front of them. “I—I heard what they said,” he added, flabbergasted.

 

“So did I,” Mitoshi replied.

 

“Same here,” Antoshi said.

 

“What was it … you said just now?” Latoshi asked.

 

The Pichus, too, were dumbfounded for a moment. "We … know what happened?" Chika uttered, meekly.

 

The wind was momentarily knocked from Latoshi's lungs, overcome by a surge of joyous emotion. He composed himself, nodding to the two. “All right, … um, tell us what you know.”

 

Poka and Chika scampered over and stood in-between the three siblings. Latoshi rose to his feet again.

 

"There were … these four strange people!" Chika said.

 

"Scary people!" Poka added.

 

"Yeah! Scary people!"

 

“What kind of people?” Antoshi asked. “Why did they scare you?”

 

"They were people, … but, also Pokémon!" Chika said.

 

“People, but Pokémon?” Mitoshi mused, reflecting the confusion on everyone else's faces. The Pichu twins nodded.

 

"Two of them had black fur," Poka said, "one of them looked like us, and another had blue wings. He was … cold!"

 

"They scared us away when they saw us!" Chika added, her eyes welling with tears. "They told us never to come back or they would get us!"

 

“Cold, …” Antoshi muttered, “and with blue wings? …”

 

“What's up, Antoshi?” his brother asked. Antoshi furrowed his brow in thought for a brief moment before getting up and heading into his room. In the meanwhile, Bubbles emerged into the living area, curious of what was going on. When Antoshi came back and sat down again, he was holding a magazine retrieved from his backpack. He rustled through it while the others watched.

 

“Blue wings …” Antoshi muttered again, flipping through pages. He turned the magazine around, pointing a finger at an image of a Pokémon. “Did they look like this?”

 

The Pichus eyes widened in shock. "Yes!" they both exclaimed in surprise. "That's exactly it!"

 

“And you said he was … 'cold',” Antoshi said. “Do you mean he had a cold personality or the air around him was cold?”

 

"The air was cold!" Chika clarified.

 

"Very cold!" Poka added, shivering. "It makes me cold just thinking about it!"

 

A light suddenly went off in Antoshi's eyes. What the Pichus just told him suddenly connected with the cause of the blizzard in surprising fashion. He looked down at his magazine again, shaking his head in disbelief.

 

“What is it, Antoshi?” Latoshi asked. “Are … you gonna share with the rest of the class, or what?”

 

“There's only one Pokémon with blue wings that's 'cold',” Antoshi explained. “It's a breed of Legendary Pokémon: Articuno, the legendary bird of ice. But, you two said … it was a person. That's— … that's impossible.”

 

"We saw it with our eyes!" Chika insisted.

 

"Yeah!" Poka added. "We're telling the truth — we promise!"

 

“A person with wings like an Articuno?” Latoshi asked the Pichus, who nodded in response.

 

“Articuno's mastery over cold is part of its legend,” Antoshi explained. “It can freeze air moisture just from flying. A snowstorm like the one over Goldenrod would probably be … a simple task for a Pokémon with incredible power like that. But, how could a person be an Articuno?”

 

“What do you think we should do?” Mitoshi asked her blond brother.

 

Antoshi closed his magazine and sighed, pondering for a moment. “There's only one thing we can, and should, do. We have to go investigate.”

 

“Investigate out in that cold?” Latoshi replied in dismay. “We could wander out there for hours and turn up nothing.”

 

“Latoshi,” Mitoshi said, “you did just say you wanted to help, right?” Latoshi sighed heavily, relenting with a nod of agreement.

 

"We know where to find them!" Poka said, much to everyone else's surprise. "They're in a part of the woods where there's no snow falling!"

 

"Yeah!" Chika said. "We were walking away from them before we fell asleep in the snow! We moved in a straight line!"

 

“A straight line, huh?” Latoshi mused. “That's … northeast from where I found you. Whoever it is that's behind this is practically close enough to be our neighbor and we never even knew it.”

 

“If it's like the Pichu's say,” Antoshi said, “then, we're looking for an area of the forest without snow. If we can find that, we might be able to figure out what's going on. Once we do, we'll do our best to stop it. Whether it's a person or a Pokémon behind this, we still have a chance to talk and reason with them.”

 

“When should we get going?” Mitoshi asked, getting to her feet. Antoshi did the same, tossing the magazine onto the couch.

 

“Right away,” he replied. “The sooner we put a stop to this, the sooner people will stop suffering.”

 

“Got it,” Latoshi said, nodding firmly.

 

"What should I do?" Fireball asked.

 

"I also have the same question," Bubbles softly chimed in.

 

“Stay here,” Antoshi replied to them both. “Keep an eye on the Pichus. Err, … do the two of you have names?”

 

"I'm Chika!" the girl said, cheerfully.

 

"I'm Poka!" her brother added. The others chuckled.

 

“All right,” Antoshi replied, smiling. “Fireball, Bubbles — keep an eye on Poka and Chika for us, okay?”

 

Fireball nodded. "Please, be careful, Antoshi."

 

“Hey, he's got us to back him up,” Latoshi replied, smirking confidently.

 

“Yeah,” Mitoshi added, resting an arm on her blond brother's shoulder. “Have you seen how strong we've gotten lately?”

 

"I know that," Fireball said, smiling at them. "I just … always worry about my best friend's safety, that's all."

 

Antoshi smiled as well, walking up to Fireball to share a hug with him. Mitoshi took the incentive to do the same with Bubbles, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Latoshi knelt down, holding his arms out to the Pichus, sharing a hug with them as well.

 

"Teach those big bullies a lesson!" Chika said to him.

 

"Yeah! Make them promise never to be mean to Pokémon anymore!"

 

Latoshi grinned at them. “I'll be sure to deliver that message for you.” They both gasped in elation, while Latoshi stood up tall again.

 

“All right,” Antoshi said, opening the front door. “Let's get to it, then.” His siblings nodded, following him out the front door.

 

Latoshi took the lead, the trio's colored auras flaring around them to protect them from the snow. They all sighed heavily, braving the frigid, whipping cold, trudging through the dense blanket of snow which had gotten high enough to reach their waists. The danger of the endlessly falling snow amid this frozen summer was growing more perilous with each passing day. The three of them were not willing to sit idly by and let things get any worse, however. With equally determined expressions upon their faces, they headed into the forest.

[Antoshi]

Chapter 29

 

 

Latoshi led his siblings to the spot in the woods where he had found Poka and Chika. From there, the trio followed the Pichus directions and trekked north, toward Route 36. The snow patches between the trees fluctuated wildly, reaching anywhere between several inches and all the way up to their chests. With the radiant heat emanating from their auras, the snow evaporated on contact with their bodies.

 

After a half an hour of walking, however, the hills of white abruptly leveled off until there was nothing left. For the first time in what felt like forever, the siblings stood upon bare dirt and grass within the forest. All three of them were equally astonished at the sight. As the Pichus had told them, they found themselves in a green oasis, completely devoid of snow. The cloud cover over their head was still just as dense as anywhere else. Antoshi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Whoever was behind this didn't just control the weather — they were also smart enough to cover their hiding place so it wouldn't show up on weather radars.

 

“Be careful,” he said to his siblings. “We don't know who's here, or what exactly it is we're walking into. Don't let your guards down.” Latoshi and Mitoshi nodded, their irises glowing intensely with the respective colors of their Ki. All three of them dissipated their aura in a simultaneous effort to conserve their energy.

 

They moved slowly and quietly, staying close together. Their eyes scanned around every inch of the area around them — every blade of grass, every leaf upon each tree, every sound in the breeze. They even paid attention to any deviation in the crisp, clean, cool scent in the air. Nothing escaped their heightened senses.

 

Suddenly, all three of them turned their attention to a fixed point in front of them: the sound of footsteps gently brushing across the grass. Mitoshi swallowed nervously; all three of them incredibly tense as to who was about to join them.

 

From behind the trees emerged a young man of average, mid-teen build, and hair of pure white. The siblings, however, were shocked beyond reason at his appearance. He was covered in the black fur and accurate golden markings of an Umbreon. Tall, black, gold-ringed ears pointed out from the top of his head, and a similar tail stuck out from his tailbone. The sclera of his eyes were red, his irises pure black. His clothes — a white t-shirt, the sleeves of which torn off long ago, and blue jeans that seemed to be a bit small for him — were dirty, scuffed, and very worn in.

 

He was exactly as the Pichu twins had described: a person, but also a Pokémon.

 

The siblings were too stunned to speak. None of them knew what to say to the smiling young man, who seemed to be only mildly surprised to encounter them.

 

“Howdy there, folks!” he said, in a friendly, yet faux, country accent. “What brings ya' 'round these parts?”

 

“Uh, …” Antoshi spoke up, trying to find the words. “Hello … there. We were, uh, wondering if you could help us. We're looking for anyone who might know about the cause of this sudden blizzard.”

 

“The blizzard, you say?” the young man replied, in his normal voice. He shrugged casually. “Sorry, I wouldn't know anyone or anything to do with that. What makes you think I would?”

 

“We … just happened to be exploring nearby and found this place,” Antoshi replied. “It seems a little strange that … this happens to be the only area where the snow isn't falling.”

 

“Hey, that's true, isn't it?” he mused, gazing up at the cloudy sky. “Strange storms can cause strange things, don't you think?”

 

“Yeah, …” Antoshi replied, eying him suspiciously. “Very strange things.”

 

“Well, it's nice to see visitors around here for once,” he said, “but, unfortunately, you three are going to have to head back the way you came.” The three siblings looked at each other. Things were becoming curiouser and curiouser.

 

“… Why is it we have to go back?” Antoshi asked. “Are you trying to protect something?” The young man smiled and shrugged in response. “Erm, … why don't we introduce ourselves first? I'm Antoshi, this is my brother Latoshi, and my sister, Mitoshi.” Latoshi remained apathetic to the situation while Mitoshi smiled and waved to him.

 

“Oh-ho, cool names!” the young man replied. “Mine's Kage — and that's 'cage' with a 'k'. I know, it's awesome.” He stood proud while the others stared at him in bewilderment. Latoshi silently mouthed his name in disbelief. Having once believed his own name was made-up, 'Kage' was most certainly not a birth name.

 

“… Yeah,” Antoshi said, after a moment of awkward silence. “Anyway, we're here because we wanted to investigate.”

 

The young man quirked an eyebrow. “Investigating? Oh, sweet, are the three of you detectives?” he asked, awe-struck. “I didn't think such young kids could get hired as private eyes.”

 

The siblings became more concerned at how unexpectedly foolish Kage came off as.

 

“Um, … well, no,” Antoshi replied, “we're not detectives. We're more like … concerned citizens. We were told that whatever or whoever might be causing this snowstorm is around here somewhere. We just want to understand what's going on and see if we can help.” The other two nodded in agreement.

 

The young male Umbreon narrowed his eyes. His expression turned stern, becoming very suspicious and wary of the trio. However, his mood abruptly lightened up again.

 

“Nope!” he replied, chuckling. “There's nothing like that here. Whoever told you that is wrong. Sorry I couldn't be of any more help to you three. Have a safe trip back!”

 

Now it was the siblings' turn to be suspicious of him. The Pichus wouldn't have any reason to lie — not after what they endured. The fact that Kage, an Umbreon-like human, was standing before them was proof enough that the little ones were telling the truth.

 

“Listen,” Latoshi spoke up in an impertinent tone, “we're not stupid. Whoever you're covering for doesn't give a damn about others, and they sure don't give a damn about the innocent Pokémon that are being affected by this blizzard. Don't you even care that there are Pokémon out there, right now, that aren't prepared for this cold? They're freezing and dying out there!”

 

Antoshi held a hand out to his brother to get him to stop, giving him a concerned gaze. He was fully aware that his brother had a personal stake in this bizarre weather, but, he didn't want to upset and alienate what could be their only lead. Latoshi folded his arms across his chest, huffing in frustration, allowing his brother to take charge again.

 

Kage bit his lip, turning away to hide a worried expression. He gazed out at the snowy woods in the distance, contemplating the truth behind the sable-haired boy's words. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

 

“I—I'd like to help you, I really would. I just can't. I'm sorry.” Latoshi scowled, clenching his fists. The very thought of those two Pichu snowed over and helpless fueled the fires of his anger. “But, hey, if you guys want to stay for a little while, I've got some great jokes to tell you!”

 

“Jokes?” Latoshi mused, enraged. He let his hands fall at his sides. “We don't have time for your stupid jokes! There's nothing funny about any of this!”

 

“Oh, come on!” Kage whined. “I've got some really good ones, too! 'Why did the Farfetch'd cross the road', 'three Mr. Mime walk into a bar'. … Oh! I've got some killer 'knock, knock' puns that'll knock you off your toes!”

 

Latoshi was at his breaking point. “Look, idiot!” he shouted, catching them all off guard. “Move your ass out of the way and let us through or I'm going to knock, knock your head off! We've wasted enough time here listening to you!”

 

“Latoshi, please,” Antoshi said in concern, turning to him, “calm down.”

 

“Sheesh,” Kage replied, rubbing the back of his head. “You sure remind me of someone I know.” Latoshi snarled, stepping forward, holding up a fist in a threatening manner. Both of his siblings followed him, holding back each of his shoulders. “Okay, okay!” he exclaimed, cowering. “I'll let you through.” Latoshi sighed, calming down some. “But, before I do, you have to listen to just one joke, okay?”

 

Latoshi sighed in frustration, rubbing his forehead. “Fine. One stupid joke.”

 

“Sweet!” Kage replied, pumped up. “Now, each of you, look straight at me. You really gotta observe and appreciate the timing of a true comedic master.” Latoshi rolled his eyes, following suit with his siblings as they all did as he said. “Okay. 'Knock, knock.'”

 

“Who's there?” all three of them replied.

 

“You.”

 

“You, who?”

 

Kage grinned from ear to ear. Suddenly, his red eyes and the golden rings on his body began to glow brightly with a mysterious energy. “You thought you were getting past me, but you were wrong…”

 

The siblings all gasped in shock as the world around them began to spiral and blur before fading to black.

 

“What the hell's going on here?!” Latoshi exclaimed. He turned his attention to Kage, who grinned at him. “You bastard!” Latoshi lunged at him, only for the young man to inexplicably drift away out of his reach.

 

“It was nice knowing the three of you,” Kage said, quietly, his voice echoing in their heads. The male Umbreon faded from sight. “You're stuck in a deep, dark hellscape now — doomed to wander around forever. I don't know if you'll ever be able to come back…”

 

“What—what are you talking about?” Antoshi asked. “Why are you doing this?!”

 

“Because I told you to leave, but it's too late for that now,” Kage replied, his voice getting further and quieter. “Hey, … why don't you take a look around? …”

 

Antoshi did so, startled to realize that his siblings were gone as well. He was all alone. “Latoshi?” he called out, waiting a moment for a response. “Mitoshi? Are you there?” There was no response from either of them.

 

He started to walk around, aimlessly, through a void of complete darkness. He turned his head and eyes in all directions, seeing absolutely nothing beyond the dark. All he could hear was his own breathing, and nothing else.

 

‘Where am I?’ he thought. ‘Did he really send me to some strange location? Or, did I … lose my eyesight somehow?’

 

First and foremost on his mind was finding his siblings. Antoshi wandered for a while in the quiet, pitch black space. Fear and doubt began creeping in his mind. There was nothing he could think of to get him out of his solitary confinement. He attempted to fly, but that was to no avail — he couldn't focus his mind, let alone gather his Ki. Kage's unknown power was far beyond anything he, Latoshi, and Mitoshi could've prepared for.

 

After what felt like hours of torturous walking, Antoshi suddenly picked up a faraway shout from his brother behind him. He turned around, finding Latoshi laid on the ground. His elation to have found one of the others quickly turned to worry. He ran over to him immediately.

 

“Latoshi!” he said, getting no response. He knelt down beside him, shaking him. The sable-haired boy was on his side. “Latoshi. Are you okay? What happened—” Upon rolling him onto his back, he saw the wide, terrified stare in Latoshi's glazed eyes. The boy was totally lifeless. He paused for a moment, stricken by shock and grief. “No,” he whispered, slapping and shaking him some more. “No, please. Latoshi! Please wake up! Latoshi!!”

 

His eyes quickly filled with tears, horror and heartache sweeping through him. “No, no, no …” he whispered, weeping, placing his forehead on Latoshi's chest. “No, this can't be happening. This can't be. … Please get up, Latoshi …”

 

As the blond boy cried in agony, he was startled by another nearby scream. He gasped, jumping up to find his sister laid out on the ground just a few feet away. “Mitoshi, no!!” he shouted, crawling over to her. She was just as devoid of life as Latoshi. “Why?!” he exclaimed, clasping his hands over her limp hand. He trembled, sobbing uncontrollably, his face covered with tears. “Why … how did this happen? Mitoshi, … please say something …”

 

He sniffled, clenching his eyes shut, holding her hand against his forehead for a moment. As he turned his gaze upward, his expression turned pale.

 

“No,” he whispered, letting go of her, as he climbed to his feet. Laid before him was a trail of bodies — everyone he loved. Fireball, Bubbles, his adoptive parents, and his birth parents. They were all dead.

 

He staggered forward, before dropping to his knees from the horrible weight he felt. His entire world had shattered. “Why?” he whispered, feeling terror and sorrow unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. He grasped handfuls of his hair, shutting his eyes, straining and sobbing. “Why?!” he shouted as loudly as he could.

 

At the same time, Latoshi gasped in surprise, hearing Antoshi's voice cry out from afar. The sable-haired boy found himself trapped in a prison cell — the very same cell upon the military island base. The sterile, white room with the same blinding, white lights overhead were all too painfully familiar to him. He had been calling out for some time, hoping that anyone would hear him, but, he was alone … all over again.

 

“Antoshi?!” he shouted, looking all around. The cameras watched his every move from the hallway outside the acrylic glass barrier. He was garbed in the same plain, white clothing, and his feet were bare. Everything was just as he remembered it. “Damn it!!” he screamed, pounding his fists on the glass in rage. “How did this … happen?! How did I get back here?! I- … I can't remember!”

 

Like his brother, he attempted to dredge up his Ki to no avail. He was as helpless in his cell as he was the first time he was there.

 

“Mitoshi!” he called out. “Someone, please help! Someone has to be able to hear me!!” Just then, the rhythmic tapping of approaching footsteps against the cold, tile floor grew close. His eyes widened and his heart sank, recognizing the walking pattern. The sound echoed in his mind, growing louder and closer.

 

“No, …” he whispered, just before General Logan walked up to and stopped in front of his cell. The man smiled, cordially, holding a clipboard behind his back. “It c-can't be. … You're dead! I killed you!”

 

“Hallucinating now, are we?” Logan responded, calmly. “I never died. I'm right here, and you're right there — where you should be. You're still a threat to the security of Johto, and the world, quite frankly. So, let's not beat around the bush anymore, shall we? You already know why you're here, and you know that you're never getting out of here alive. Not unless, of course, I sign off on it. Now, why don't we start by giving me some information, huh? Your name, your address, name of your parents?”

 

Latoshi was totally mesmerized and bewildered. The man he watched go down in a ball of flames was standing before him, alive and well, while he himself was locked up in the very same prison cell he broke out of and destroyed. He started to pant, fearfully, holding his head. Did he really leave in the first place? Was everything about his powers, his family, his future … all just a dream? His surroundings were exactly the same. The prison was just as cold and white and quiet as ever. The same dreadful, sterile scent wafted through the air. The lights in the ceiling gave off their usual quiet hum. It was as if he never left.

 

“Well?” the General spoke. “Are you going to say anything, son?”

 

“What— … what happened to me?” the boy asked, as his eyes welled with tears. “Why am I back here? Where's my … brother, and my sister?”

 

“You have names for those siblings of yours?” Logan asked, clicking his pen.

 

“Their names are— … their … names … are …” he panted heavily, feeling light-headed. “I can't … I can't remember! Why can't I remember?!”

 

“Take it slowly, son. You're only going to spiral into a panic. Why don't you just … describe them for me?”

 

“Uh, … my brother, he— … he has blue hair— no, wait. That's not right. My-my sister she has long, … blonde hair. Or, … was it short hair? She liked blue! I remember she liked … the color blue, and my brother is … my brother … did I … have a brother?” He looked at the General with a fearful expression. “What's happening to me?!” he exclaimed, sobbing. “Why can't I remember anything?! They were right here! My brother was right … here!”

 

“Okay, okay. Just relax now,” Logan said, in a futile attempt to reassure the boy. “Let me bring in someone to help. I think he'll be able to 'reconnect the dots', so to speak, with your memory.” Latoshi held his head down, trying to calm his breathing and his pounding heart. “Come on over here, sir,” Logan said to an unknown party.

 

“Hello there, … Latoshi,” a very familiar, very unwelcome voice spoke to him. He froze in terror for a moment, lifting his head slowly to find the amorphous mass of black Ki known as Lazarus hovering beside the General.

 

Latoshi's eyes bulged out, scrambling backward, pressed against the far wall of the cell. “No!!” he shouted. “No, you can't be back! Get out of here! Get away from me!!”

 

“Oh, but I am,” Lazarus replied, chuckling in amusement. “ I am very much back. Now, I am here now to take care of everything. I can help you recall your memories. All you have to do is put your trust in me…”

 

“No!!” the boy screamed at the top of his lungs. “No!!”

 

Mitoshi gasped, picking up the faraway voice of her sable-haired brother. “Latoshi?” she mused, quietly. She'd wandered back out of the forest by herself, trudging through the snow, heading to the cabin. Unable to muster her Ki, the girl had been forced her to walk all the way back. She'd been calling out for her brothers the whole time, but, they were nowhere to be found. She found it incredibly strange that they would suddenly abandon her like that. Her heart had sunk in a mix of sadness and anger.

 

Mitoshi sighed to herself, rubbing her arms to warm herself amid the wildly falling snow. She stamped back up the porch and headed inside.

 

“Hey, Bubbles!” she called out, closing the door behind her. “Have you seen my brothers?” There was no response. “Bubbles! Fireball!” She looked around their small house, opening every room, finding no trace of the two Pokémon anywhere. “Poka? Chika?” The girl paused for a moment, concerned and confused. She headed over to Bubbles' Poké Ball, taking it off its usual pedestal, holding it out in front of her. “Bubbles, come on out! I really need to talk to you!” The ball remained inert.

 

She looked at it in confusion, her jaw hanging. “Bubbles?” she spoke, softly. “Are you in there?” Again, there was no response. She placed the ball back where it belonged, running a shaky hand through her long hair. “Okay, … there's no need to panic. They're all probably just teasing me.” She chuckled, nervously. “Yes, that's it. They're playing a mean trick on me. They want to see me get scared and then they'll jump out and yell 'surprise!' or something.”

 

Her breathing became markedly heavier and fearful. She again rubbed her arms in the cold and eerie silence of the empty cabin. “Come on out!” she said. “I know you guys are around, okay? You got me! That—that was a good one! … Guys? Please, come on out now!”

 

Mitoshi swallowed again, waiting a few moments in the painful quiet. “Guys?!” she called out. There was no response. “Okay. Okay, … maybe they … maybe they went to our parents house or something. Maybe they were waiting for me to follow them.”

 

She sat down in front of the videophone, dialing her home number as quickly as she could. It rang several times, but there was no answer. She stared in disbelief for a moment before trying to call again. As before, no one answered.

 

She sniffled, her eyes starting to well up with tears. “Guys!” she shouted, getting back to her feet. “Come on, stop this! It isn't funny, okay?! You're really hurting my feelings doing this!”

 

Mitoshi huffed and sobbed, quietly, wandering back over to the front door. She stood out on the porch, watching the powerful blizzard sending down blinding snow before her. Unable to use her powers, and totally lost from her loved ones, she felt so helpless and empty. She fell to her knees, crying uncontrollably.

 

“Someone!” she shouted. “Antoshi! Latoshi! … Where are you?!”

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

Back in the real world, however, Kage snickered to himself. His eyes and rings continued to glow bright. The three siblings were still standing before him, having never left. Each of them had dull, faraway looks in their glazed eyes, tears trickling down their faces. The young man sighed.

 

‘I do hate to do this to them,’ he thought, ‘but, they left me no choice. These kids are going to wander through the most painful fears their minds can fathom until they go insane. That's when I gotta drag them out of here. They'll never come back after that. Whether they live or die from their experience doesn't matter to me. I can't let anyone through, no matter what.’ His attention turned to Latoshi, recalling what the boy said earlier. ‘I just hope Ken really knows what he's doing…’

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

“This can't be real,” Antoshi whispered, gasping and sobbing. He had already started digging graves in the black void using his bare hands.

 

“I don't want this to be real,” Latoshi remarked, cowering in the corner of his cell. Lazarus was seeping through the glass, attempting to reach the boy.

 

“Please, please just let this all be a horrible dream,” Mitoshi whispered. She knelt out in the middle of the field outside their home, mindlessly raking her hands through the piled snow as more continued to fall upon her. ‘Antoshi …’ she thought, closing her eyes, as more tears fell from them. ‘Antoshi, … please come back.’

 

Antoshi looked down at his lifeless sister, cradled in his arms. He sniffled, shaking his head in disbelief, before laying her down in one of the graves he'd made.

 

‘… back,’ Antoshi heard the girl's voice in his head. He gasped in a mix of shock and relief. ‘Antoshi, … please come back.’

 

“Mi—Mitoshi?” he mused, his voice trembling. Antoshi looked down at the girl, who was still lifeless and most certainly incapable of speaking. He sighed, closing his eyes, chalking it up to some passing memory.

 

‘Antoshi!!’ the girl's voice spoke in his mind once again, louder, and with much more conviction. He unexpectedly dropped her into the grave.

 

‘Mitoshi?!’ he thought.

 

At the same time, the real Mitoshi's face lit up, gasping loudly.

 

‘Mitoshi, is—is that you?’ Antoshi spoke to her in her mind.

 

‘Yes, it's me, Antoshi!’ she thought. Her very thoughts pierced through the inky darkness that surrounded Antoshi, allowing him to both hear and communicate with her. ‘Where are you?!’

 

Antoshi looked down at the girl's corpse. He was at a complete loss for words, confused as to what was happening. He knew, however, that he was not looking at the real Mitoshi laying in that shallow grave.

 

‘Antoshi?’ the girl spoke again. ‘Are you there?’

 

‘Yes, yes, Mitoshi!’ he replied, smiling in relief, closing his tear stained eyes. ‘I'm here! What—what's going on? How come I can hear you in my mind? I thought you were …’

 

‘I'm not sure what's going on, either. But, I'm here, back at the cabin! I can't find you or Latoshi or anyone! Where did you all go?’

 

‘I—I—I never left! I'm still here in the woods, I think. I'm in some kind of … dark … void or something!’

 

‘Do you know where Latoshi is?’

 

‘Mitoshi, I … I see all of you, but, … to me, you were all … dead. You're all dead in front of me right now.’

 

Mitoshi was startled before grinning reassuringly. ‘I'm not dead, I promise! We need to find Latoshi, though! I'm not sure how to … tune this 'frequency', or whatever we're doing, to call him!’

 

Antoshi thought for a moment. ‘Could it be that … we're hearing each others' thoughts? Like, … telepathy?’

 

‘I—I guess that's possible?’ she replied, confused. ‘I didn't know we could do this!’

 

‘Neither did I. Why don't we … try to search him out with our minds? You were calling out to me when I heard you, let's try the same for him!’ Mitoshi nodded in response.

 

‘Latoshi!’ they both called out in their minds. ‘… Latoshi!’

 

Latoshi wept and trembled as Lazarus inched ever closer to him.

 

‘Latoshi!!’ he heard the voices of his siblings in his head. He gasped loudly.

 

‘An … toshi?’ he thought, finally recalling his brother's name. ‘… Mitoshi?’ His inner voice got through the two, who were equally ecstatic to hear him.

 

‘Latoshi!’ Antoshi spoke to him. ‘Are you all right? Where are you right now?’

 

Latoshi held his head, trembling in disbelief. ‘Antoshi? Is that really you?’

 

‘Hey, I'm here, too!’ Mitoshi said, grinning. ‘You wouldn't forget about your dear sister, would you?’

 

‘Mitoshi,’ the sable-haired boy replied in awe. ‘You're both really … still here. It wasn't all just a dream.’

 

Able to converse with each other and pierce the veil that had fooled them, all three siblings had their sanity slowly return to them.

 

‘Where are you right now?’ Antoshi asked.

 

‘I—I'm in the military base,’ his brother replied. ‘I'm trapped here. I don't know how to get out!’

 

‘Military base?’ Antoshi mused. ‘No, … that's long gone, Latoshi. It doesn't exist. This is all just an illusion!’

 

‘Illusion?’ both of his siblings replied in unison.

 

‘Yes, I think I understand now,’ Antoshi said. ‘Kage … used some kind of power on us. What we're seeing isn't real. He's projecting some kind of hallucinations on us. All three of us are safe and sound. We're all still here in the woods, … together.’

 

Latoshi and Mitoshi smiled, both of them getting back to their feet. The visions all three siblings thought they saw before them started to fade away, much to their shock. They were left in the same kind of empty, black void that Antoshi had been lost in.

 

‘What should we do?’ Mitoshi asked.

 

‘Concentrate,’ Antoshi replied. ‘There has to be some kind of way to break out of this spell. Both of you, try to tap into your Ki, even if you can't feel it right now. This is all just a dream — a dream we have to wake up from!’

 

‘Right!’ both of them replied.

 

The sibling trio shut their eyes, focusing on the well of emotions that had built up from the torturous visions Kage had put them through. They each grunted and strained with all their might, summoning up their Ki the same way they always knew how to. Slowly and surely, the trio found a light breaking through the darkness.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

In the real world, Kage's expression turned to shock. “No way,” he whispered. The three siblings were stirring back to life.

 

The color returned to their eyes — the colors of their respective Ki, which shone and glowed brightly; brighter than even Kage's eyes. With a sudden, explosive push that staggered Kage backward, all three of their auras flared to life. The three of them looked around in awe, finding themselves back to reality.

 

“Oh, my gosh!” Mitoshi exclaimed, laughing and sobbing in joy, as she stared at her brothers. “We made it!”

 

“Heck yeah, we did,” Latoshi replied, both he and his brother grinning. Mitoshi hugged them both, kissing them on the cheek.

 

“That's crazy!” Kage exclaimed, stepping back a few paces. “No one's ever been able to break out of my hypnosis like that!” The three siblings turned their attention to Kage.

 

“There's a lot more I'm about to break, funny guy!” Latoshi shouted, scowling at the young man.

 

“Latoshi, wait,” Antoshi said. Latoshi sighed, folding his arms over his chest.

 

“Fine. You wanted to take the reigns on this one. I'll leave it to you, then.”

 

Antoshi smiled to him, before turning to the terrified Kage.

 

“We are not angry at you,” Antoshi reassured him. “We only wanted to talk to you from the very beginning — that's all. We just want to find a peaceful resolution to this blizzard. Let's just talk, okay?”

 

Kage swallowed, nervously. These three kids were most certainly not normal. They'd just created an inexplicable set of light shows around their bodies. He was unsure if he could trust them — or anyone.

 

“I— there's n-nothing to talk about,” Kage stammered, shaking his head. “I can't let you three past me, that's all there is to it. Please, just g-go away.”

 

“What is it you're hiding?” Antoshi asked. “Help us understand! What are you trying to accomplish here? What good comes from all of this?”

 

Kage sighed and shook his head again. “You … you can't understand. You would never understand what it's like for us.”

 

“'Us'?” Mitoshi mused.

 

“The three of you are just … normal-looking kids. You don't know how it is to be like … this.” Kage held his arms out, looking down at himself.

 

The three siblings were confused as to what exactly he meant.

 

“You mean, you … really look like that?” Antoshi asked. “It's not some kind of costume?”

 

“Costume,” Kage remarked with an amused scoff. “I wish it was. I wish I could just … take my skin off and start all over.” Latoshi and Mitoshi looked to each other in concern.

 

“Tell us, what made you look like tha—”

 

“Enough!” Kage shouted. His eyes and golden rings began to glow again. The three siblings immediately took a fighting stance, preparing for him to use his powers again. “You're not going to trick me like the other humans did! You're not going to fool us, any of us, anymore! This is our time now! We're the ones that are in control — not you!”

 

“Your power isn't going to work on us again,” Antoshi said. “We already know how to deal with it!”

 

Kage chuckled and grinned. “Who said I only had one ability, huh?” Similar to before, the world around them quickly grew dark. The trio gasped, watching the darkness sweep over them. “Just as any Dark-type Pokémon, I can use the darkness as my ally …”

 

With a mischievous laugh, he skulked backward, stunning the trio as he disappeared into the shadows.

 

“Where'd he go?” Mitoshi wondered aloud. “Is this … the same spell he used before?”

 

“No,” Latoshi replied, looking around, “it's different this time. We can at least see each other now.”

 

“It's either another projection,” Antoshi said, “or, he's literally removed the light from around us somehow.”

 

“Why not both, huh?!” Kage said from beyond the darkness. The three siblings narrowed their eyes, keeping their guard up. “The three of you are trapped here for as long as I want you to be! Unlike my hypnosis, you won't be able to break out of this one, since you're all still conscious! But, that's just something I'll have to beat out of you the old-fashioned way!”

 

“Bring it on, you unfunny idiot!” Latoshi shouted, standing shoulder to shoulder with his sister as they looked around.

 

“How about I start with you, you wannabe edgy tough guy!?” Kage exclaimed.

 

“No!” Antoshi shouted. “Leave them out of this! If you want someone to beat up on, then, I'm right here!”

 

Kage laughed. “Fine, whatever! I have to take all of you down, anyway!”

 

Antoshi shouted as a sudden punch rattled his jaw from the darkness. A trail of blood trickled from his mouth. His siblings gasped in surprise.

 

“Antoshi!” Mitoshi cried out in concern.

 

“It's all right,” Antoshi replied to her. He exhaled slowly, dropping his guard completely, letting his arms fall at his sides. The red aura faded from his body, and his eyes returned to their regular chestnut color. His siblings watched as Antoshi let his overall power drop significantly. The blond boy closed his eyes, displaying no further resistance.

 

‘What's he doing?’ Mitoshi thought, communicating her thoughts to Latoshi with their newfound ability.

 

‘I'm not sure,’ Latoshi replied to her. ‘However, this is Antoshi we're talking about here. He's always got some kind of plan.’

 

‘Ohh, I just hope you're right…’ Mitoshi said, biting her lip.

 

The humanoid Umbreon laughed in amusement, firing off punches from different angles at the blond boy. Antoshi clenched his jaw as his head was jerked from side to side

 

“I've never had a living punching bag before!” Kage said. Antoshi ignored the pain from the strikes. He instead focused on what he was hearing and studied the directions each punch was coming from. “Man, you take a long time to knock out! Fall unconscious already!”

 

“Not happening,” Antoshi replied. He swiftly reached up in the instant before Kage's next punch was about to land, grabbing the young man by his furred forearm. Kage gasped in shock. “Especially because this fight is over now.”

 

His siblings' faces lit up with glee.

 

“All right, Antoshi!” Mitoshi cheered. “That was cool!”

 

To their collective surprise, the darkness seeped away from the land, returning everything to normal in a matter of moments. No longer hidden by the shadows, Kage stared at them, his eyes wide in disbelief. He grunted, attempting to pull away from Antoshi's overwhelmingly strong grip to no avail. He grinned and chuckled at the blond boy, nervously.

 

“Hey, um, … so, this is awkward, huh?” Kage asked. “How about we … break the awkward moment with a great joke?”

 

“Sure, I got one,” Antoshi replied, with a playful smirk. The Umbreon-like young man stared back at him, fearfully. “'Knock, knock.'”

 

“Wh—who's there?” Kage replied, timidly.

 

“Chop.”

 

“Chop … who?”

 

With his free hand, Antoshi gave Kage a swift chop to the side of his neck. It was a maneuver he'd learned about in his martial arts books at the library. Kage groaned weakly, promptly dropping to his knees and falling face-first to the ground. The humanoid Umbreon was left unconscious.

 

“Chop you,” Antoshi replied, chuckling to himself. Latoshi sighed in defeat, shaking his head at the terrible joke while Mitoshi hopped and cheered for Antoshi.

 

“Wow,” Latoshi remarked, walking up to his brother. “So, it turns out this guy was a big weakling after all. All he had was his little powers. Once we saw through that, he was as much of a threat as a wet sponge. If there's any others around here like him, this is going to be a cakewalk. You know what? Let me take the next one.”

 

Antoshi sighed. “Fine, you can deal with the next one. Latoshi,” he began, looking his brother squarely in the eye, “remember: we're here to try to resolve things peacefully. Let's not turn this into a melee if we can help it. Okay?”

 

“I got it, I got it,” Latoshi reassured him, grinning. He turned away, stuffing his hands in his pockets, leading the other two further into the grassy portion of the forest. His expression turned to bitterness, recalling the sight of the Pichu twins nearly dead in the snow. Unfortunately for Antoshi, his brother was not past his penchant for violence. Latoshi was far less interested in diplomacy — not with the personal stake he carried into their endeavor.

[Antoshi]

Chapter 30

 

 

As the siblings walked further into the oasis of green, they picked up on the sounds of movement nearby. Footsteps, coming toward them, moving across the grass at an incredibly quick pace, yet remaining nearly silent. When the rapid stamping came to a halt, so did they.

 

“Careful,” Antoshi told his siblings, quietly. Mitoshi nodded.

 

“I thought I was taking the lead this time,” Latoshi replied, also keeping his voice hushed. Antoshi put a finger to his own lips and shushed his brother.

 

The three of them waited for a few moments, relying on their heightened senses to detect the presence of anyone near. Like with Kage, they were unable to sense any nearby Ki, leading them to realize the group they were seeking out did not use spirit energy for their abilities.

 

“Come on out,” Antoshi called out. “We know you're around.”

 

After a brief silence, a distinctively feminine 'humph' from behind one of the trees responded to him. They immediately turned their attention to the source, being joined by a young woman — another Umbreon-like person, just like Kage. All three of them were equally as stunned by her appearance as well. She stood several meters away from them, casually brushing away the purple bangs that fell just past her eyes and behind her shoulders. She wore a white t-shirt with a purple star on the chest, long purple jeans, and white shoes. Like Kage, her clothing was worn and scuffed. With one eye purple and the other eye black with red sclera, she focused a cutting glare at the three siblings.

 

“Hello there,” Antoshi said, cordially. “The three of us are—”

 

“Hey, I can handle this,” Latoshi interrupted him. Antoshi looked at him with a disconcerted expression. Latoshi took a step forward and smirked. “So, what's your story?”

 

The young woman scoffed. “'What's my story'? Who the hell are you three supposed to be? … And what have you done to Kage?”

 

“Don't worry about him,” Latoshi replied, “he's just taking a little nap — a regular nap, not a dirt nap.”

 

Her eyes widened. “You harmed him?” she asked, clenching her fists.

 

“Hey, the guy was trying to mind control us, we had every right to fight back.”

 

Her lips curled into a bitter sneer. “Oh, you're going to regret that. Trust me.”

 

“We're throwing out threats already?” Latoshi mused, looking at his siblings for a moment in surprise. “Wow, we haven't even introduced ourselves. This is the part where we tell each other our names, our motivation, yadda yadda, the whole nine yards.”

 

“You don't need to know my name,” she replied, cracking her knuckles.

 

“… Okay, fine, I'll just guess at it. Let me see here, you kind of look like a Heather? Is it Heather?” She stared at him with an intensely serious gaze. “No? What about, uh, Ashley? … Jennifer? … S~tacy? Am I getting close?”

 

“It's Celeste,” she said, irritated. “Damn, you really need to learn when to shut up.”

 

Latoshi chuckled and shrugged. “Sorry, I'm just having too much fun.”

 

Antoshi sighed quietly, regretting his decision to let Latoshi take the lead. He and Mitoshi glanced at each other in concern.

 

Celeste raised her eyebrows. “You think this is a joke?”

 

“I mean, kind of. Might as well drag it out for a bit before we put a quick end to you and … how many other friends you have. The last guy went down with one hit.”

 

Her lips spread into an enthused grin. “Ohh, I get it now. You and your pals think because you beat Kage easily that the rest of us are going to be no challenge? Hah, that's a good one.” She got into a combat stance, smirking arrogantly. “Just think of Kage as a piece of paper. Now, compare him to me: a reinforced steel wall blocking you from going any further. I'm something of the … 'bodyguard' of our group, and it's been way too long since I got to enjoy a real fight. You won't be getting past me, mouthy little boy who never shuts the hell up.”

 

“I like the nickname,” Latoshi replied, sarcastically, “but it's not as good as 'Latoshi'.”

 

Celeste scoffed. “Latoshi? That's actually the worst name I've ever heard.”

 

Mitoshi looked over at Antoshi, taking note of the intensely focused expression he had. The blond-haired young man stared at their next potential opponent, his gaze unblinking, carefully studying and analyzing. Mitoshi had never seen him like that before. She turned her attention back to the Umbreon girl with a comparatively naive expression. She was left to wonder what Antoshi was watching for, wishing to understand how to analyze and calculate things the same way he did.

 

Antoshi took note of the girl's build. She was far more athletic than their previous adversary, and she carried herself much more confidently — seemingly to the point of arrogance. The Umbreon girl was strict and straightforward; she didn't joke around like Kage did. From that information alone, the blond boy knew that this was going to be a much different scenario — one that carried far more dangerous implications.

 

“Listen,” Latoshi went on, “I don't want to hurt you, so, why don't you run along and go play 'Umbreon dress up' somewhere else?” Celeste's eyes widened with rage.

 

“Latoshi, stop,” Antoshi said, raising his voice some, inadvertently cutting off Celeste as she was about to speak.

 

“What?” Latoshi replied, grinning at him. “She talks a big game but she's going to turn out to be the same as the last guy: a total wimp.”

 

“That's not helping our cause,” his brother replied. “You can't talk down to people we don't know like that.”

 

“I sure as hell can,” Latoshi said, punching his open palm, “when it's someone who's putting innocent peoples' lives in danger.”

 

Antoshi sighed in defeat, looking over at his sister. Mitoshi shrugged and shook her head, unsure of what to say.

 

“Well?” Latoshi said, turning his attention back to Celeste. “What's wrong? You got real quiet all of a sudden over there.”

 

The Umbreon girl's chest heaved as she inhaled deeply, exhaling slowly. “I'm just keeping myself calm,” she replied. “Things tend to get a little … messy when I get really angry. Ever since you started opening your big mouth, I've been deciding on which of your arms I should rip off first.”

 

The threatening remark sent a wave of dread sweeping through all three siblings. They could not gauge whether or not she was being serious.

 

“Listen, please,” Antoshi said to her, walking up. “We're not here to fight. We just want to know—”

 

“Hey!” Latoshi shouted, shoving him away, causing his brother to stumble backwards. “Step off!” The blond boy looked at him in disbelief. Latoshi cut his eyes, bitterly, at Antoshi before turning the same gaze to Celeste. “You want to keep threatening me? You, who looks like a complete nut case wearing stupid ears and a stupid tail? You're the one that's going to regret it.”

 

“That's tough talk coming from a shrimpy midget like you,” the Umbreon girl shot back. “Little yappy dog running his mouth off.”

 

“Okay, smartass,” Latoshi said, getting into a combat stance of his own.. “You're out of your damn mind and out of your league trying to talk trash to me. Shut your mouth and move out of our way, now, or you're getting a fistful of teeth down your throat.”

 

“You better put a leash on your little dog,” Celeste said to the other two. “I can't be held responsible for what happens to him if he keeps on barking!”

 

Antoshi folded his arms across his chest, sighing in frustration, as the two of them continue to trade barbs back and forth. The situation was well beyond his control now. ‘Latoshi,’ he thought to himself, ‘I hope you know what you're doing here…’

 

“Come on, little boy!” Celeste goaded him, waving a hand toward her. “Fight me, you scrawny, stick figure punk! You'll be dead before you hit the ground!”

 

“I thought you'd never ask!” Latoshi replied. He sneered, letting out a sudden grunt, bringing his green aura to life with an intensely bright burst. Celeste's eyes widened, taken aback by the mysterious energy he suddenly created around him.

 

The sable-haired boy darted forward, grinning confidently, throwing a punch at her face. To his shock, however, he hit nothing but air. His jaw dropped, just before Celeste reappeared beside him, creating an audible whoosh of air as she drove a powerful kick into his midsection. Latoshi croaked in pain, holding his abdomen, falling to his knees as he struggled to breathe.

 

His siblings were equally shocked not only at her speed, but her strength as well. She was powerful enough to break through the protective barrier of Latoshi's aura and inflict damage to him. Antoshi held his forehead — his fear that this fight was a terrible idea had very quickly been confirmed.

 

Celeste scoffed, shaking her head in disgust. “I knew you were all talk, yappy little dog.” She picked him up by the collar of his shirt, smirking in satisfaction. She brought her fist up, taking aim for a moment before firing off a rapid-fire barrage of powerful punches to the boy's face. Celeste smirked all the while, seemingly exerting no effort to pummel the helpless boy like he was a rag doll.

 

After she was done, the boy's face was completely bloodied. He groaned, weakly, his head falling back. She hummed in thought, looking down her furred hand.

 

“Damn, you made me chip a nail,” she remarked, inspecting her nails which had been methodically curved, hooked, and sharp. She idly shook some of the blood off her hand. “You're lucky I didn't use them. You would've had a very bad time. Now, get out of my sight, trash.” She threw him into the woods violently, sending him soaring a long distance away. He collided with some trees, which toppled over and crashed to the ground.

 

Mitoshi was horrified by the scene, while Antoshi clicked his tongue in frustration.

 

“So,” Celeste said, turning her attention to them, “which one of you wants to go next?” She folded her arms across her chest, just like Antoshi was.

 

The two siblings turned their attention to each other. Mitoshi was still visibly concerned.

 

‘Don't let worry cloud your thoughts,’ Antoshi communicated with her, surprising her. She was still not used to their new, telepathic ability. ‘You sense him, don't you?’

 

Mitoshi closed her eyes, focusing for a moment. Within her mind's eye, she was able to make out a green light in the direction that Latoshi had been discarded so thoughtlessly. She gasped, opening her eyes, replying to him with an enthused nod.

 

Celeste waited for a moment before sighing in frustration and rolling her eyes. “Come on, kids! I don't have all day! One of you step up already!”

 

“Gladly,” Latoshi replied, as he emerged from the woods. Celeste was thoroughly shocked. The boy casually patted some loose snow off of his clothing and shook it out of his hair. For all the trouble of being on the receiving end of a barrage of superhuman punches and hurled into a bunch of trees, he had no injuries to show for it. While his face was still a bit scuffed, the blood had been completely wiped away.

 

“What the hell?” Celeste remarked, turning to face him. “That's not even possible! You should be a mangled heap of death right now!”

 

Latoshi smirked, turning his attention to his siblings. “Like I said before, I'll take this fight. Both of you better not get involved.”

 

Mitoshi smiled and nodded, while Antoshi shrugged in indifference.

 

“You said you wanted to lead,” Antoshi said. “Do what you think is right.”

 

“You think you're tough, huh?” Latoshi asked Celeste, who scowled at him. “Nah, you're not tough. Let me show you just what the hell 'tough' really is!”

 

With a loud, long shout, his green aura burst back to life. He called forth more of his Ki, his aura flaring with greater intensity than before. Immense power surged through him from the power plant of energy his young body contained, causing his muscles to swell up. He flew at her in a flash, his irises glowing bright green. Celeste was shocked, covering up just before he landed a mighty punch on her forearms. She shouted, driven back several meters while keeping her guard up. He stayed on her, relentlessly striking at her with intense shots that were strong enough to be heard from where his siblings stood.

 

‘Son of a bitch!’ she thought. ‘Was he able to move this fast earlier? Was he actually holding back?!’

 

Celeste spotted an opening within a minuscule fraction of a second, grabbing the boy by the back of his shirt, spinning and throwing him high into the air. She smirked confidently, preparing to go on the offensive once he came back down. However, he spun around to right himself and hovered in the air nearly a hundred meters overhead.

 

‘What?!’ she thought, thoroughly shocked. ‘He can fly, too?! … Who the hell are these kids?!’

 

Latoshi was now the one smirking, aiming an open hand at the grounded Umbreon girl. She watched in confusion as he summoned a ball of energy into his palm before firing it at her with blazing speed. Her eyes went wide, unsure of how to react. She held her hands out to try to catch it, only to have it violently explode into a cloud of smoke on contact, kicking up dirt and dust around her. As the particles settled, Celeste was left gawking at the charred fur on her palms, her hands trembling from the pain. Her expression turned to a vicious scowl, clenching her fists, staring up at the cocky young man.

 

‘I don't know what the hell all these tricks are,’ she thought, ‘but, I'm still going to kick his ass!’

 

“Looks like you can't fly,” Latoshi remarked. “Guess that means I'm the one in control, huh?”

 

“Who the hell needs to fly?” she replied, smirking. She suddenly leapt up a succession of nearby tree limbs with lightning quickness, before launching herself into the air. Latoshi shouted in surprise when she grabbed him by the neck and held him firmly. “Fight me like a man, you scrawny little bastard!” she shouted in rage. He grunted and grabbed her forearm while she drove him back down, slamming him neck first into the ground.

 

Both of them snarling and scowling at each other, Latoshi swung at her face with his forearm. She managed to block it, grabbing his arm with her free hand, holding it in place as they both struggled for control. Celeste suddenly headbutt him a few times, drawing shouts of pain from him, smirking as his forehead became bloodied. Enraged, Latoshi let out a scream as his aura exploded to life. The force of his energy thrust her off him and propelled her backwards a short distance. Celeste landed on her feet, glaring at the sable-haired boy.

 

Just as he leapt to his feet, Celeste darted at him in a flash. She threw a punch, which he swiftly side-stepped. They dashed away from one another before running through the trees, their bodies like streaks of black and green, striking at each other while keeping on the move. They continued at it, cleaving and felling trees along the way like they weren't even there, clashing and rushing at hypersonic speeds. Latoshi had no trouble keeping his eyes trained on her through the intense pace, the rushing air, and the constantly rising and falling debris. His previous battles and training with Antoshi's phenomenal speed paid off significantly.

 

As the two of them dashed, zipped, and darted around the area, Mitoshi was struggling to keep up. She looked over at Antoshi, watching his eyes and head turning to follow their movements.

 

“Don't try to follow them with your eyesight,” he said, surprising her, aware of what she was pondering. “Feel out Latoshi's Ki like you did before. You have the ability to do whatever you put your mind to. I know that from training with you.”

 

Mitoshi smiled and nodded, turning her attention back to the fight. Her irises glowed a soft hue of blue, keeping her breathing slow and calm out of instinct. It wasn't long before she, too, detected Latoshi's hypersonic movements and, with it, Celeste's movements as the humanoid Umbreon kept on equal footing with him. Her vision became so clear that she was able to make out minute details, such as the movement of their clothing and hair, and the intensely serious expressions on their faces. She became mesmerized by the spectacle of the clash between their proficient abilities and techniques, refusing to even blink so that she could take in every nanosecond of it. Antoshi smiled at her, proudly, before turning his gaze back to the fight as well.

 

As they continued trying to outpace each other, Latoshi held out an open hand at her. In an instant, he charged a fist-sized mass of green Ki into his palm, firing it at her from inches away. Her eyes went wide, managing to twist herself away in an instant, her focus followed the glowing ball of energy, bewildered by the strange attack he performed so effortlessly once again. The Ki blast flew by, impacting multiple trees, reducing the portions hit to ashes before continuing on until it was beyond her field of view and exploded in the distance. The sheer force behind it both shocked and enraged her.

 

Antoshi watched their fight with a bitter gaze. He detested the fact that things had broken down into such a vicious brawl. They were fighting with people without even understanding why, or who they were. It was not the plan he'd set out for him and his siblings. He heaved a sigh, forced to roll with Latoshi's choice, and hope for the best.

 

The two skidded to a halt, their gazes locked on each other.

 

“You want to keep on fighting dirty, huh?!” she shouted. Celeste held her open hands at her sides, baring her sharp clawlike nails at him. “Fine! Bring it on, you little prick!”

 

“No problem, 'Fursuit!'” he shot back — a remark which cut her deeply and left her disdainful.

 

Celeste defended herself again in the instant before Latoshi laid into her with a barrage of heavy punches. She roared suddenly, grabbing him by the wrists and digging her claws into his flesh. He shouted in pain, drawing his Ki to his palms again. Her eyes widened, pointing his hands at the ground, causing the ensuing blasts of spirit energy to explode violently upon the ground. She rammed a knee into his stomach, doing so over and over again several times in succession. While Latoshi reeled from the pain and inability to draw a breath, she grabbed his torso from the side. Celeste raked her claws along his chest and back, ripping large claw marks into his shirt and flesh. The pain was enough for him to scream, his eyes wide. She leapt and spun around, kicking the back of his head with her heel, sending him darting like a bullet a short distance away. He dug hard into the grassy earth, sliding to an uncomfortable halt.

 

Celeste took a moment to glance down at her claws, now stained with blood, with a serious expression. She turned her attention back to the sable-haired boy as he sat up with a groan. Searing pain throbbed through his wounds, though dulled out by his heightened senses and his enhanced ability to heal injuries. He pressed a hand against the slash on his chest, looking down at the lines of blood on his trembling palm. With a scowl, he brought his green aura flaring back to life with a angry grunt — calling forth even more power welled within his resolute spirit. Latoshi leapt to his feet, staring her down coldly.

 

“Go ahead,” she said, “make that little light show around you and try me again. I'm going for your throat next time.”

 

“Try it,” Latoshi spat. “I'll knock your head clean off.”

 

With dueling battle cries, the two hot-blooded fighters ran at each other in an instant. They fought viciously, trading blows, giving little interest to their own well-being as they didn't bother defending. Punches to the face and to the stomach, kicks to the ribs — all constant, all at blistering speeds.

 

Mitoshi was fully engrossed in their fight. Her own muscles tensed with each strike her brother endured, her eyebrows flexing, wondering where Latoshi's focus was, wondering how much he was ignoring the pain of his wounds, and how much he could tolerate. She found the art of it astonishing — it was so far removed from what their training together was like. Both of them were fighting with everything they had; for their own survival.

 

“It's unreal how evenly matched they are,” Antoshi mused, grabbing Mitoshi's attention. He, too, had his full attention on the fight. “Still, … I can't help but wonder if this is just a test of stamina, or if they're both still getting a feel for each other's ability.” She stared at Antoshi for a moment, awe-struck at such a revelation, before returning to watching the brawl.

 

With his irises a bright, piercing green, Latoshi's right arm burned with vigor and the flames of his aura. He shouted at the top of his lungs, throwing the mightiest punch he could muster. Celeste's eyes widened, getting her arms up just in time to guard her face from the tremendous force that produced a shock wave akin to a bomb going off. She grunted loudly as she was thrown several dozen meters away, crashing into trees that snapped and toppled, before rolling violently to a stop.

 

“Whoa,” Mitoshi uttered, with a look of surprise on her face more intense than her blond brother's, “I felt that one…”

 

Latoshi panted softly, keeping the arm he just struck Celeste with extended for a short time. Upon realizing Celeste was completely motionless, his aura suddenly dissipated. He stood up tall, taking a few deep breaths, letting his guard down now that the fight was finished. His irises returned to normal. For a moment, he gazed up at the overcast sky. There was a feeling of dissatisfaction in him. He knew there were others left in the group, but, something about their fight felt … unfinished. In some way he could not explain, the fight felt too easy. Somehow, even more so than Antoshi giving a simple chop to Kage's neck.

 

“Amazing, Latoshi!” his sister cheered, grinning. Her mirthfulness slowly faded as she took note of the stern, musing expression on her sable-haired brother's face. Antoshi also wondered what Latoshi could be thinking.

 

All three of them suddenly turned their attention to the seemingly fallen Celeste. She was already rising back to her feet. She stretched her neck out, idly rubbing her forearms while calmly walking back over to the trio.

 

“Not bad, kiddo,” she remarked casually, dusting her clothes off. “You can actually handle yourself. Shoot, if I hadn't blocked there, I might have actually been laid out.”

 

Latoshi was flabbergasted. ‘What the hell?!’ he thought. ‘I just laid into her with everything I had! That was enough power to throw even Antoshi for a loop — and she's totally unharmed! … She's like a frickin' tank!’

 

“Now, the cuffs come off,” she added, with a devious grin. “No more holding back — not when you're clearly a hell of a lot tougher than a normal human.”

 

With a grunt, she leapt into the treetops faster than Latoshi could react. He attempted to follow her movements, but she was already gone. He was left flabbergasted, looking in all directions. Nothing. Nothing but the wind blowing through the leaves, at least for now. His siblings were also left unaware of her location.

 

‘Great,’ Latoshi thought, clicking his tongue. ‘She doesn't use Ki, so I can't sense her energy. Looks like I gotta use the old-fashioned senses instead. Just what the hell could she be planning? …’

 

As he looked around, he hearkened back briefly to his first fight with Antoshi — a fight that took place in a similar forest setting. Only this time, he was the one being outclassed. Latoshi closed his eyes, opting to rely on his other senses. He listened to the gentle wind, feeling for any change in the air. Mitoshi looked around, wide-eyed and curious. Antoshi sighed in frustration, paying careful attention to the last direction Celeste disappeared. The blond-haired boy folded his arms across his chest, extremely unhappy at how far this had gone already.

 

Antoshi was the first to react to the faint sound of a sudden lunge from the trees. Just as all three siblings' irises glowed in their respective colors, Latoshi shouted in pain as he was slashed across his chest again, across his back, and arms faster than he realized. He swung wildly at the air, hitting nothing, getting a barrage of punches to the face in return. He stumbled back, stupefied. It was as though he was being attacked by the wind itself, and his aura offered no protection from the attacks.

 

His siblings were forced to watch as he was smacked around by a seemingly invisible force that he could not fight back against. Even with Latoshi's ability to move and react at high hypersonic levels, Celeste's speed was on a whole different plane — far and beyond what the sable-haired boy had even seen from his brother. Antoshi, meanwhile, bit his lip.

 

‘Latoshi,’ he communicated telepathically with his brother, ‘let me swap in with you!’

 

‘Screw off!’ Latoshi snapped back. ‘I'm not giving up or running away, and you are not stopping me! I'll fight you as well if you get involved in this, Antoshi!’

 

Antoshi closed his eyes and turned away, sighing in exasperation. He didn't bother to continue watching — he didn't need to. Latoshi shouted and grunted as he was smacked, kicked, punched, and slashed from every direction. The way Celeste toyed with him made him look like a complete amateur. By the time she was done wringing him out, she finally reappeared before Latoshi, her leg extended as she kicked his back, sending him through the air with incredible force.

 

Latoshi's violent tumble came to a sliding halt a few meters in front of his siblings. Celeste grinned confidently, eager to see the expressions on their faces after witnessing how badly she'd beaten him. To her chagrin, the two siblings remained abnormally detached. Mitoshi stared with mild curiosity at her fallen brother, while Antoshi expressed his annoyance. It was as if neither of them had any interest in his well-being.

 

“What the hell's the matter with you two?” Celeste said. “I've never beaten anyone that badly before. Your brother is probably never going to walk again after that. The least you could do is show some concern.”

 

Both Antoshi and Mitoshi only responded by keeping their gazes focused on her. Celeste scowled.

 

“If that's the case, then, I'll let you both have a front-row seat while I take the time to break every bone in his body.”

 

What the two siblings saw, and Celeste did not, was the wildly flickering green flame within Latoshi's heart. It was the only confirmation they needed that Latoshi was far from beaten, as she presumed.

 

With a low grunt, Latoshi picked himself up onto his hands and knees. Littered with dirt and scratched, he coughed before spitting out a wad of blood, getting back to his feet. Celeste watched, scowling intensely, bewildered and enraged that he was willing and able to continue on fighting. Latoshi brushed his tattered clothing.

 

“Damn,” he remarked. “Looks like I need a new shirt.”

 

“How?” Celeste asked, narrowing her eyes. Latoshi circled slowly to her side, positioning himself away from his siblings. “How the hell are you not crippled or, I don't know, dead yet?”

 

“Because you have no idea who you're dealing with,” he shot back, smirking.

 

She laughed in response. “Funny — I was thinking the exact same thing of you. Don't fret, I'll just keep smacking you around until you can't get back up!”

 

With a shout, she raced at him with blinding speed once more. Latoshi narrowed his eyes, irises glowing bright green, watching her close the gap. He swiftly evaded to the side, sticking a leg out in an attempt to trip her. Her eyes went wide, leaping just enough to tumble over the obstacle with microseconds to spare. Yet, for the two of them, their enhanced senses and abilities made it seem as though time had slowed to a crawl. She scoffed at such a childish maneuver, flipping to correct herself, her sharp nails digging into the dirt as her incredible momentum carried her a short distance before sliding to a stop.

 

Celeste shook her head. “Pathetic.”

 

Latoshi smirked again, holding out an open palm at her. “Was it, though?” Celeste gasped in the instant before he fired a blast of energy at her. She leapt to the side, shouting as the intense attack struck her around her ankle, singing the ankle of her pants and black fur on impact. She scowled and growled in rage as he continued to fire at her, leaping away with almost no time to spare. She ignored the pain in her leg as she sprinted away from him. He followed quickly after, still firing upon her as she weaved between the trees. She leapt up high, racing along the treetops, using her phenomenal speed and the cover of the trees to try losing him.

 

“They're so fast,” Mitoshi remarked. Her and Antoshi's eyes moved in sync with the two combatants' movements in the distance.

 

“Yeah,” Antoshi replied, a thoughtful look on his face. “They're really starting to ramp it up now and test each others' limits. This is going to be a turning point. Whoever comes out on top after this volley might just finish the other one off.” Mitoshi expressed her concern, clenching her fists, hoping dearly for her brother's safety.

 

Latoshi watched her movements to predict where she was going next. He fired at a tree in the distance, splintering it at the base, causing it to topple over. However, Celeste was also watching him from the corner of her eye. She smirked in the instant he took his focus off of her to destroy the tree. She leapt from her current perch, flipping wildly through the air before kicking off another tree away from the one Latoshi had destroyed. Latoshi gasped as she launched toward him like a missile, firing off one last blast that caught her in the shoulder, burning away part of her shirt. She yelled through the pain, tackling him with her other shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his, trapping him while digging her nails into his back. He continuously screamed in response as she squeezed her arms around him as tightly as she could, restricting his breathing. Celeste stood up tall, keeping his feet off the ground. She grinned wildly, watching him flail and scream in pain.

 

“You think you can just ruin my favorite shirt and get away with it?!” she shouted at him. Latoshi struggled with all of his might, growling at her, attempting to free himself. “Oh, you won't be getting out of this. I'm way stronger than you, you scrawny little runt.”

 

Her nails were like fire in his back, drawing blood from each digit she had dug into his flesh. He screamed louder as she tightened her grip around him. The agony of being forced to watch was wearing on his siblings.

 

‘Please Latoshi,’ Antoshi communicated with him. ‘Let me swap in with you! I know how to deal with her!’

 

‘No!’ Latoshi shot back. ‘I'm not going to throw in the towel, and I am not your sidekick who takes orders! I am done playing second fiddle to anyone else! I decide my own fate — no one else gets to decide that for me anymore; not Lazarus, and not you!’

 

Antoshi bit his lip, deeply concerned that his brother's actions were going to get him very seriously maimed — or worse. Celeste's speed was phenomenal, as was her strength. As Latoshi continued screaming, Antoshi exhaled sharply. He could only put his faith in Latoshi being aware of what he was doing and understanding the risks. The sable-haired young teen was no longer facing someone he was related to, or someone that cared for his safety. Celeste was prepared to kill him if she found the chance.

 

“How long do you think it'll take before I start breaking some bones, huh?” Celeste asked, grinning cruelly at him. “Your ribs will probably go first. Then your arms. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll even break your back while I'm at it. You should've given up and gone home when you had the chance.”

 

“I am … not giving up,” Latoshi spat. His voice was strained, his breathing labored. “I don't care how … much you hit me. I'm not going to quit … when the lives of others are on the line, … and I'm definitely not losing … to some fursuit-wearing nut job!”

 

Celeste's expression very quickly turned to severe bitterness, panting heavily in rage.

 

“You bastard,” she said. “You need to learn when to shut your damn mouth!!”

 

With an enraged shout, Celeste slammed her forehead into Latoshi's face. He sputtered in pain, looking back at her with a bitter glare before responding with a headbutt of his own. The two of them shouted, trading headbutts back and forth until both of their foreheads were bloodied. Latoshi's green aura suddenly flared to life around him, surprising her and forcing her to reaffirm the grip she had around him. He suddenly lifted off into the air, taking her with him. His siblings watched in disbelief as they both rose thousands of meters toward the overcast sky.

 

“Damn you!” Celeste shouted, her eyes closed shut. Her tall, black ears were folded down, keeping out the cold winds that whipped violently around them.

 

Latoshi slowed to a stop before flipping over. He careened back to the ground at tremendous speed, his aura whipping around him. Celeste looked to the forest they were hurtling toward. Her taller height meant she was going to take the brunt of the impact — unless she let go. She scowled in rage, playing right into his hand until the very last moment. She shouted loudly, using her strength to pull him under her, letting go and kicking off of his chest. The unexpected move caused Latoshi to instead slam back into the earth by himself with explosive force.

 

Celeste landed light on her feet a short distance away. She heaved a sigh before looking at the fallen young man who lay face-up in a small crater. She humphed in amusement, going to check on him.

 

At the same time, Latoshi's siblings flew over to get a closer view. Mitoshi had a concerned expression as she looked over at Antoshi. ‘He's going to lose, isn't he?’ she communicated with him. The blond-haired boy sighed heavily.

 

‘The way things are going,’ he replied, ‘I think we're definitely going to have to prepare for that inevitability.’ Mitoshi swallowed nervously, turning her gaze to Latoshi while Antoshi formulated a plan. ‘Mitoshi, on my signal, you fire on Celeste with everything you have. While she's distracted, I'll grab Latoshi and take him somewhere safe. Then, I'll rejoin you just as quickly as I can. We'll probably have to wing it from there. Got it?’

 

She turned to him and nodded. ‘Got it!’

 

‘Come on, Latoshi, …’ Antoshi thought to himself, biting his lip again.

 

Celeste came to a sudden halt as the sable-haired teen slowly climbed to his feet yet again. Latoshi grunted, his face contorted in pain. Every muscle in his body was sore, his body covered in dirt, scuff marks, bloody cuts and scrapes. And still, he got back to his feet, his breathing labored, glaring intensely at his foe. Celeste shot the same look back at him.

 

“Sit your ass down, kid!” she shouted. “You are done!”

 

He chuckled weakly before straightening his bloodied back with a groan. “I'm not … about to lose to some heartless freak,” he spat. Celeste's initial shock at the remark quickly turned to cutting bitterness.

 

“You— … what the hell did you just call me?!”

 

“You heard me, … freak.”

 

Celeste was unable to contain her visible rage. She panted angrily, clenching her fists so tightly that her sharp nails dug and cut into her palms, drawing blood. “You think we're the heartless ones? No, your kind is truly heartless. After everything your kind has said and done to us, you think have the right to call me a 'freak', you ignorant little bastard!?”

 

Antoshi narrowed his eyes, taking note of Celeste's remarks. He looked away for a moment, trying to ponder what she meant.

 

“So, what,” Latoshi replied, “am I supposed to feel sorry for you now?”

 

“Screw you!” she shot back. “You don't know a damn thing about me, you asshole! I don't want 'sympathy' from any of you!”

 

‘Latoshi, …’ Antoshi thought, ‘stop riling her up just for the sake of riling her up…’

 

Latoshi smirked, cruelly. “I wasn't going to give you any. I don't have any sympathy for soulless fursuit monsters like you.”

 

Celeste closed her eyes and pursed her lips, calming her breathing in an effort to control her rage. “I knew we were right about humans. Ken's making the right decision putting you all on ice.” All three siblings were curious and confused as to the importance of who 'Ken' was. Celeste chuckled, looking at Latoshi. “Even if you somehow beat me here, … you'll never defeat Ken.”

 

“Oh?” he replied, feigning surprise. “Is Ken a freak like you, too?”

 

Insulting Ken, as it turned out, was the final straw.

 

“Bastard!!” she screamed, racing toward him. “I'll kill you!!”

 

Latoshi scowled as his irises burned bright, leaping away from her with a grunt. His green aura, visibly diminished since the start of the fight, surged to life around him again as he called forth even more of his Ki. She screamed in rage, having finally snapped, swinging her claws wildly at him with unbelievable speed. Latoshi studied her movements carefully — a trick that Antoshi had taught him. Her pattern of attack had become random and savage, topped off by the bloodthirsty look in her eyes as she snarled and panted. It was completely different from her initial, calculating movements. She was only out for blood at this point, and that became a critical shift in character that did not escape Latoshi's attention.

 

Despite that realization, he wasn't sure how he was going to counter what was currently an impenetrable offense from her. He used his own quickness to stay on the move, hopping around treetops, leaping high over the canopy, but the Umbreon-like young woman stayed mere inches away from him every step of the way. His best bet was to exhaust her, but, after several minutes of constant fleeing from her endless offensive, she seemed no worse for wear.

 

Meanwhile, Antoshi continued to mull over Celeste's earlier remarks while idly watching their fight. His eyes lit up for a moment, coming to a possible conclusion. For the moment, however, he sighed in frustration as Latoshi struggled to do anything against her.

 

‘Latoshi, please!’ Antoshi communicated with him. ‘Let me swap in! I think I know how to deal with her!’

 

‘I told you to screw off!’ Latoshi replied, turning to him from up high with a bitter glare. ‘You're not going to hold my hand through any fight I can still manage!’

 

That momentary distraction, however, was enough to give Celeste the upper hand. She made contact with him just after he landed on another tree limb, her claws raking all the way down his chest and abdomen. He screamed in agony, each slash drawing even more blood and completely shredding the front of his shirt. As she fell, she managed to dig her other hand into the tree limb itself, her sharp nails slicing through it like it wasn't even there.

 

Both of them landed on their feet. Latoshi held the gaping wounds on his chest, looking up just in time to see her close the gap between them. She laid into him with a lightning-fast barrage of mighty punches to his face and torso, rattling him around as he staggered back helplessly. His siblings were equally helpless, looking on in worry for their brother's safety. Latoshi grunted and shouted, coughing up the same blood that trickled from his very serious slashes all over his body. The trauma and shock were taking its toll on him, fading in and out of consciousness from the pain even while staying on his feet. He managed to focus for long enough to cause his aura to explode around him with a loud shout. The sheer force of his energy shoved Celeste away from him, giving him a short reprieve to collect himself. Celeste sucked her teeth, getting tired of that trick.

 

However, that short reprieve turned out to be almost nonexistent. Celeste raced behind him in an instant, causing a wave of terror to shoot through his spine before he turned around to face her. In the moment he did, she spun around and shouted, striking him with the heel of her shoe with such tremendous force that it shattered the bones in his right arm.

 

Antoshi and Mitoshi both screamed in horror as Latoshi's arm ended up limp and twisted in an unnatural way. Latoshi himself could only stare, wide-eyed, into the distance in disbelief. Celeste shot a cruel grin at him.

 

“Now, you can sit your ass down!” she shouted just before she leapt up and punched him downward with full force. She struck him so hard that he was violently slammed into the ground in another small crater.

 

“No!” Mitoshi screamed from afar. “Latoshi!!”

 

Latoshi's vision faded in and out while he stared blankly at a gap in the swaying tree branches, looking to the overcast sky, groaning in a weak daze. His breathing was shallow and labored. Celeste stood triumphantly over the defeated young man. She flashed a cruel smirk as she pressed her foot down on his throat. His eyes went wide, grabbing her shoe with his good arm, choking and flailing helplessly.

 

“Can't talk trash when you can't even breathe, huh?” she asked, chuckling.

 

Latoshi's siblings continued to look on from the sidelines, taking no action even as the situation turned dire. Mitoshi turned to her blond-haired brother with panic in her eyes.

 

‘He's choking!’ she exclaimed to him. ‘We have to do something — now!’

 

‘Not yet,’ Antoshi replied, firmly, keeping his focus on the scene playing out before them. He wasn't ready to intervene until Latoshi's Ki dissipated — the sable-haired boy's pride would not allow otherwise. Mitoshi waited a few seconds to see if the situation changed. When it did not, she became even more frantic.

 

‘… Antoshi!’ she said. She was antsy; barely able to keep herself from jumping into the fray to rescue her brother.

 

‘Wait!’ Antoshi shot back, holding a hand out to keep her at bay.

 

Latoshi scowled as he started losing consciousness for good. He thought of the Pichu twins face-down in the snow, about to succumb to the icy grip of death. He knew there were more like them; more of them suffering out there at that very moment, Pokémon and people alike, crying out for help. They needed to get past this obstacle. He needed to get past this obstacle to make things right; to prove that he wasn't a quitter, he wasn't a loser, and that he was willing to give everything to fight what he believed in — a cause greater than himself.

 

‘Come on, Latoshi!’ Antoshi communicated with him, surprising the sable-haired boy. ‘Dig deeper! You and I both know you have more power than this!’

 

“You're … damn right I do!” Latoshi strained to speak. Celeste looked on in disbelief as he lifted his good arm, pointing an open hand at her face. She gasped, jumping away in the instant he fired a blast of his Ki that spiraled harmlessly into the sky. Her expression turned to horror as he climbed to his feet, yet again. Latoshi stared her down menacingly, his left eye bruised and swollen and shut. With a long, angry, growing shout, his aura exploded to life around him, giving off enough pressure to stagger her back a few steps and shake the trees and foliage around them. Celeste clenched her teeth, using her forearm to shield her eyes against the intense brightness of his spirit energy. It kept on strengthening, as the sable-haired boy broke through his previous limits to achieve a newfound level of strength. When the brightness subdued, Latoshi stood tall and straight, staring her down with a renewed fervor and vigor in his green eyes. His siblings looked on in amazement, sensing tremendous heat and energy radiating from his aura they'd not felt before from him.

 

‘What the hell's with this kid?!’ she thought, her jaw hanging in bewilderment. ‘What is he?! It's like the more he gets beat up, the stronger he gets! What's it going to take to keep him down?!’

 

Latoshi chuckled quietly. “You're probably wondering again, …” he began, his breathing still labored, “how I'm not done, or even dead yet. My … power … is fueled by my emotions. … I have heart — something a freaky, fursuit wearing monster like you won't ever have.”

 

Her jaw trembled as she scornfully bit her lip. “Damn … you!” she shouted. “I'm not letting you beat me! You're just like all the other humans! You hate us; you look down on us and treat us like shit! You don't give a damn about us, and you know nothing about 'heart'! We're just freaks to you!!”

 

Celeste's entire demeanor became as wild and ferocious as before. As she leapt toward him, screaming and taking aim at him with her claws, Latoshi closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. He kept his mind and heart calm and still, sensing exactly where she was from the raging fire of animosity within her spirit. In the moment before Celeste was centimeters away from slashing his face, he suddenly vanished. Her eyes went wide in shock, her momentum bringing her to a long, sliding halt. Her long ears twitched as she stood up, detecting the faintest shuffle beside her. She turned and gasped to find Latoshi standing inches away. He had a deeply stern expression, glaring at her with eyes of vibrant green. His good arm was already pointed at her, taking aim with an open hand. Before she could even respond, he fired a powerful blast of Ki.

 

Celeste screeched as the attack exploded in her face, staggering her backward. She gasped and panted, hunched over, covering her eyes with trembling hands.

 

“You son of a bitch!” she exclaimed, unable to open her eyes. ‘Damn him!’ she thought. ‘How could be possibly be this good?! He was nowhere near this strong or fast earlier! I couldn't even follow his movements just now!’

 

Latoshi took a few steps back, unconcerned with retaliation from her since she was left otherwise crippled.

 

“I won't … lose here,” Latoshi said, still winded, “I can't. Not when the lives of … so many innocent people and Pokémon are … on the line.”

 

“And, I … can't lose, either!” she shouted. With her eyes still shut, she was forced to use her other senses as she leapt blindly and slashed at him. He evaded each of her wild, lightning-fast attacks which became predictable and easy to gauge for him.

 

“This fight is over!” he shouted back at her. “Enough already!”

 

“It's over when I slit your throat!!”

 

Latoshi glared bitterly at her. “Fine, then,” he muttered.

 

He leapt up high, atop the limb of a nearby tree. Celeste momentarily lost track of him, until she heard him straining to summon up his energy. She turned her attention upward, leaping at him with a frustrated scream. Latoshi held his good arm out to his side, level with his shoulder. He continued to strain and grunt as he concentrated his power into one, last, big attack. A massive field of bright green spirit energy orbs emerged around him suddenly. Celeste was none the wiser as she closed the gap, simultaneously giving him a perfect line of sight.

 

“Shoo— ting …” he called out, “Stars!!”

 

He thrust his arm forward, causing the orbs to do the same. The energy blasts took on a mind of their own, homing in on his target and exploded violently on contact. Celeste screamed in agony as the attacks sent her crashing back down to the ground with tremendous force and continued exploding, splintering and knocking down nearby trees. Antoshi and Mitoshi looked on from the sidelines in amazement. His Shooting Stars attack was much larger and more intense as compared to the previous times he'd used it. Latoshi hovered overhead, having decimated everything beneath him, watching from a distance as the explosions died down.

 

Once the dust and debris settled, Celeste was left laying in the middle of an enormous crater that was large enough to fit the length of ten Wailord — or even a massive skyscraper. And, yet, despite the unbelievable show of force and destruction, the young woman was left alive but unconscious.

 

Latoshi panted heavily as he slowly descending to the outer edge of the crater. His siblings jogged over to meet up with him. Neither of them said a word as they got a better look at his injuries. Latoshi's body was littered with scratches and bruises, as well as the more innocuous dirt and scuff marks. The severity of the slashes on his torso were apparent, as was how banged up his arm was as the sable-haired boy held it gingerly with his other hand.

 

Antoshi sighed, looking at him in concern. “Let me try to use my healing ability on you, Latoshi.”

 

“No,” he replied, calmly, “it's fine. … You should save your strength — both of you. There's no telling how many more of them we have to deal with.” He briefly turned his attention to his unconscious foe. “If they're as strong as she is, we're in for a hell of an uphill fight.”

 

Antoshi smiled. “It's about time you started using your head.”

 

Latoshi offered an amused scoff, grinning. His smile faded as he looked away for a moment. “Yeah, well, … I'm sorry about getting heated with you earlier. It's just been a while since I've had a real fight. I just couldn't pass it up — no matter how bad I got my ass kicked. More than that, though, I needed to fight on behalf of … well, you know.” Antoshi nodded in understanding at him. Mitoshi responded by walking up to him, hugging him around his torso, caring not about his bloody wounds as she rested her forehead against his chest. He smiled, putting his good arm around her. “You were worried about me back there, huh?” Mitoshi nodded in response. Both boys chuckled. “Yeah, … I could see it in your face during the fight.”

 

Mitoshi sighed, pulling away from him. “Well, maybe you should stop being such a reckless jerk,” she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

 

“Hey, 'reckless jerk' is what I'm good at,” he replied, smiling reassuringly at her.

 

“We should keep moving,” Antoshi said, getting an approving nod from his brother.

 

“Wait,” Mitoshi said, stopping them just as they were about to turn away. “If Antoshi isn't going to heal you, at least let me get you cleaned up.”

 

She exhaled slowly, her eyes glowing blue, holding her hands out toward a patch of nearby snow. The boys watched as, with some effort, she levitated the snow closer to them while also melting it down into a shifting ball of liquid. They were in awe as she moved her hands and fingers about, turning and twisting the water in time with her movements. She brought it up to Latoshi's wounds, using it like a washcloth, running it over the dirt and cuts along his arms, chest, and face.

 

“Hey!” Latoshi yelped in response. “That's cold, you know!”

 

“Pipe down, you big baby,” she replied, grinning. Antoshi chuckled in amusement.

 

Once she was done, she tossed aside the mass of water contaminated with his blood and dirt, letting it splash to the ground. Latoshi curiously looked himself over, impressed.

 

“That was pretty cool, Mitoshi,” he said, smiling. “I'm sorry I didn't say anything about it a few days ago when you did the … 'ball of sweat' thing. It's amazing how good you're getting with your powers.”

 

She smirked and placed her hands on her hips. “Well, I don't want you two to think I'm just going to sit back and nurse your wounds the whole time. I'm as much a part of this team as both of you, and I want to prove it. If that means fighting, then I want to fight, too.”

 

“I wouldn't have it any other way,” Antoshi replied. “You are just as strong and capable as we are. If anything, I feel safer having you with us.”

 

“Same here,” Latoshi added.

 

Mitoshi grinned from ear to ear. “Thank you. I … really appreciate that.”

 

The trio briefly turned their attention to the gigantic crater before them.

 

“So,” Latoshi said with a sigh, “it looks like there's more layers to this than we thought. From all the things Celeste said, this group she's a part of believes in what they're doing, and that they're doing the right thing.”

 

Antoshi hummed in agreement. “Yeah, well, I guess that was to be expected.”

 

Latoshi pondered for a moment before he spoke up again. “… By the way, I'm really sorry, Antoshi.” His blond-haired brother looked over at him, curious. “I am — I mean that. I should've listened to you. I didn't … mean to make things worse, I was just … angry. I promise that … I'll actually follow your plans from now on.”

 

“I'm just glad you weren't hurt any worse,” Antoshi said. “You could've been. You know that, right?” Latoshi gazed downward and nodded. “We can't just start swinging our fists at everyone in our way. You're right — Celeste, Kage, and the others in their group, they're all fighting for what they believe in. Whatever it is they hope to accomplish with this blizzard, they're in it with all their heart. They're just as willing as us to give everything they have. To them, we are the bad guys. But, we can't go around acting like we are. It's only going to make them dig their heels in and stop listening to us. Okay?” Latoshi nodded once again, looking at him with a sorrowful expression. Antoshi sighed in relief. “Now, you're sure you don't want me to heal your arm?”

 

“I'm good, I promise,” Latoshi replied. “Maybe a little pain settling in is what I need to get the message through.”

 

Antoshi couldn't help but chuckle. The gesture reminded him very much of his own act of repentance when he lost himself and nearly killed Latoshi. His heart, too, was troubled back then, and he felt he'd wronged those he cared about. Antoshi smiled warmly, placing a hand on Latoshi's uninjured shoulder. Latoshi offered a slight smile in return, before the trio walked around the crater and continued on through the mysterious region of the forest.

[Antoshi]

Chapter 31

 

 

As they headed even further into the forest, all three siblings couldn't help but notice the gradual shift in their environment. There was a thin layer of snow along the ground. The sky had darkened significantly, and, more importantly, a dense veil of icy mist obscured the rest of the forest before them. They looked to each other with curious looks of concern before coming to a halt.

 

“Something's definitely off here,” Antoshi remarked, speaking what was on the other two's minds.

 

“What do you think happened?” Latoshi asked. “Did we wander off the path or something?”

 

“No,” Antoshi replied, glancing back briefly, “nothing else along the way looked like this. … I think we're getting close.”

 

“I was thinking that, too,” Mitoshi said. All three of them turned their attention to the frigid mist. Just being close to it reintroduced them to a taste of the biting cold that the blizzard offered.

 

“You think you could clear this, Mitoshi?” Antoshi asked.

 

“It's a lot thinner than anything I've practiced on,” Mitoshi replied, raising her hands up toward the mist, “but, let's find out.”

 

The girl's irises turned blue as she exhaled slowly. She brought her hands together, slowly and steadily parting them away from each other. The mist came alive in time with her motions, clearing a large gap for them to pass through. They wasted no time heading through in a single file, while Mitoshi kept her hands in place. Once they reached yet another large clearing, Mitoshi dropped her arms at her sides which caused the gap in the mist to seal back up. The trio exhaled sharply — the air was so much colder on the other side of the mist. They stared in bewilderment at what lay before them in the distance: a massive, swirling vortex of icy wind that extended all the way up to the dark clouds above. They were speechless; mesmerized by the curious phenomenon.

 

“What is that?” Mitoshi whispered.

 

“The source of the blizzard,” Antoshi replied, his expression quickly turning serious. “If I had to guess, I'd say this is the work of Ken. He might be inside of that thing right now.”

 

“He is,” a female voice replied from nearby. The siblings immediately turned their attention to the source, their eyes widening in surprise. What strolled out from the trees nearby was a young woman, the same height as Celeste. She wore a sleeveless red shirt that showed off her midriff, along with blue jean shorts that were a shade darker than her shoulder-length blue hair. Her ensemble was topped off with fingerless black gloves and black boots. Like the others, she was also a Pokémon-human hybrid. Unlike the others, however, she had the form of the Electric-type Raichu. Bifurcated ears protruded from the top of her head that pointed at the top and curled at the bottom, brown on the outside and yellow on the inside. A black, long, thin tail with a yellow lightning-bolt shaped end ran from her lower back. Circular yellow marks covered her cheeks. “That's far enough, outsiders. I'm warning you — don't come any closer.”

 

“We aren't here to fight,” Antoshi replied promptly. “I seriously just want to let that be known first. That's what we've been trying to tell your friends.”

 

The young woman furrowed her brow. “My friends? What are you saying?”

 

Antoshi sighed. “Your friends, Kage and Celeste, they insisted on stopping us. So, we were forced to fight them. That wasn't our preferred scenario, though.” Latoshi looked away for a moment, hinting of nervous guilt.

 

Her expression turned deeply concerned. “What did you do with them?”

 

“Nothing. They're all right — just unconscious.”

 

She closed her eyes and sighed in relief, thinking to herself for a moment. “… I see. So, that means I'm now the only thing standing between you and Ken.” The trio of siblings expressed their surprise to discover there were only two left. She looked to the blond-haired boy with a sense of strong resolve. “That said, I cannot fail here. I won't let you harm him.”

 

“We don't want to harm him,” Antoshi insisted, earning her skepticism. “I know you don't believe us, just like your friends wouldn't. We've been trying to talk this over with them, but neither of them were interested in talking. We only want a peaceful resolution to this blizzard. I'm Antoshi, and this is my brother, Latoshi, and my sister, Mitoshi.”

 

She stared intensely at each of the three siblings for a moment. “You may call me Myst. You'll have to forgive my distrust, however. Your words and your actions thus far have been … quite contrary.”

 

“Your friends didn't give us any choice. They weren't going to let us by without a fight.”

 

“You didn't have to fight them, though. You could have turned around and went back home.”

 

“We can't do that — not when there's a chance we can help others. This blizzard's caused far too much suffering. The people in Goldenrod are trapped, and the people in Ecruteak will be as well. They're getting sick and they're dying.”

 

She lowered her gaze to the ground, her voice becoming hushed. “Yes, well, … perhaps they deserved it…”

 

Antoshi was momentarily stunned. “What are you saying? Innocent people are caught in this blizzard. We're not going to stand by and watch that happen.” His siblings nodded in agreement.

 

Myst slowly shook her head. “You say they're innocent — that's your opinion. It's where you and I disagree.”

 

“What about the Pokémon?” Latoshi chimed in, causing her to perk back up again. “Don't you care about what happens to them? Aren't they innocent?”

 

“We— … we cleared the area of Pokémon. They're not in harm's way.”

 

“There were two Pichu,” Latoshi said. “They … well, they told us, in their own way, that they recognized you. They saw you and your friends in the woods, and you scared them off.”

 

“Two … Pichu?” she mused, holding a hand to her chin. “Yes, … I do remember them.”

 

“They were lost in the woods,” Latoshi went on. “They got caught in the blizzard. They nearly froze to death.”

 

She bit her lip, turning to the blizzard's swirling source with a concerned expression. “I … don't believe you,” she replied. “There's no way that Ken would … bring harm to any Pokémon. He specifically said so.”

 

“If you'd just let us talk to him—” Antoshi started.

 

“No,” she said firmly, standing tall. “You're not getting past me. You won't interrupt Ken while he's focusing.”

 

Latoshi huffed, blood boiling, becoming visibly angry. “What the hell is wrong with you people?!” he shouted, surprising the young woman. “We're here, telling you exactly what your damned blizzard is doing to everyone, and you still cover your ears and refuse to believe us. What is it going to take to get through to you and your deluded friends?!”

 

“Latoshi,” Antoshi said, turning to him. “It's all right.”

 

“I'm sorry!” he replied, standing down. “I'm just … so sick of this already. I've seen firsthand what your actions are doing to others. Antoshi is right. We're not going to stand by and watch you do this. You are not getting away with this.” Antoshi nodded in agreement.

 

Mitoshi smiled, fired up by her brothers' words. “Absolutely,” she chimed in, stepping in front of her brothers. “If you won't move out of the way, then I'll make you.”

 

“Mitoshi?” Latoshi uttered in surprise, mirroring his brother's expression.

 

Mitoshi grinned at him. “What? I've got to show what I'm made of eventually, right?”

 

Latoshi grinned back, chuckling. “Well, far be it from me to stop you from fighting for what you believe in.”

 

“To answer your earlier question,” Myst said, grabbing their attention, “there is nothing you could say or do that would 'get through' to me. I would prefer to avoid conflict, as my genetic makeup affords me incredible power and ability that I'd like not to call upon. That said, I also fight for what I believe in.”

 

Mitoshi shot Myst a confident grin. “My genetic makeup affords me the same.”

 

Myst sighed, a sorrowful look in her eyes. “Very well. Let's see if you're as good as you think you are.”

 

The two brothers couldn't help but be proud to watch their little sister step up and prove herself. She had adopted her brothers' confidence, along with their sense of justice and the willingness to get her hands dirty.

 

Myst rubbed her gloved hands together, standing between Mitoshi and the vortex. Their gazes locked, a quiet lull briefly coming over the clearing in the woods. Mitoshi took a fighting stance, thinking back to her weeks of training with her brothers. It was the first time she was going to be in a real fight — all three of them were well aware of that. She exhaled slowly, set aside her jitters for the moment, along with the eagerness to impress her brothers, focusing only on her opponent.

 

Myst stared at the girl, studying her for as long as she could. While her defensive stance was good, the girl was notably restless. It was as though Mitoshi couldn't sit still — constantly shifting her weight, constantly reaffirming her stance. She was twitchy and overattentive, waiting for Myst to make the first move. The Raichu-like young woman made a slight shift to the side out of curiosity, watching Mitoshi's eyes widen and have to stop herself from flinching. Myst's eyebrows raised, intrigued by the response. The girl seemed easy enough to fake out.

 

Antoshi's gaze shifted between the two of them, quickly realizing Myst was testing the waters without actually having to clash. She knew what she was doing. He had no idea what Myst was planning, but it was clear that Mitoshi's inexperience was already showing.

 

Myst took a deep breath before she suddenly raced at the girl. Mitoshi gasped in shock, throwing a punch which ended up connecting with the air. Both brothers' eyebrows flinched in unison at the young woman's speed. Myst had leapt up high, into the treetops. From there, she began bounding around between trees, leaving long-lasting afterimages of herself all around — all of them with their eyes locked on the girl.

 

‘She's fast,’ Antoshi communicated with his brother. ‘Although, not as fast as Celeste.’

 

‘That's for sure,’ Latoshi replied.

 

‘Still, it's certainly enough to keep Mitoshi focused on her opponent's movements.’

 

Mitoshi, meanwhile, swallowed hard. She kept up with Myst's hypersonic movements as best she could, but they were starting to blur and confound her. She shut her eyes and shook her head, trying to refocus her eyesight. Their battle had only just begun, yet she was starting to feel in over her head. Myst took note of that.

 

“Moving like this is as easy as breathing for me,” Myst said, her voice echoing between the afterimages. “You should give up now. Turn back before things get worse.”

 

“Not a chance!” Mitoshi replied. With her irises glowing blue amid wide eyes, she pointed an open hand at one of the images of Myst's body. She took careful aim before firing a blast of blue Ki. Myst was stunned by the inexplicable energy the girl created, however, she had plenty of time to scout the young fighter's thought process. As the energy destroyed the tree limb she was on, Myst was already diving at the girl. Mitoshi suddenly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding being struck with Myst's clenched fist.

 

Antoshi and Latoshi's eyes widened, both of them spotting a perfect opportunity for Mitoshi to counterattack. The girl, however, leapt backward to distance herself instead. Myst came to a halt and stood up, staring at her with an intrigued gaze. Mitoshi looked over at her brothers who were stunned that she overlooked such an easy counter. The girl turned away and swallowed the lump in her throat, understanding that she hesitated in a critical moment. With a sharp sigh, she brushed her long hair behind her ears. She may not get another opportunity like that again.

 

Myst raced towards the girl once more, rearing her arm back and throwing another punch at Mitoshi's face. Mitoshi tensed up and shielded her face with both arms. The young woman's feint was successful, leaving Mitoshi wide open for where Myst was really aiming: her core. Mitoshi croaked in pain as the strike drilled into her abdomen, the wind knocked from her. Myst kept at it, delivering a barrage of jabs to the girl's stomach. Mitoshi groaned and grunted, staggering back with each blow that jolted her entire body. Her brothers watched anxiously, and it showed in their body language and perturbed stares. Mitoshi wasn't fighting back — too stunned to formulate a counter. Myst leaped and delivered a knee to the girl's temple, knocking her flat onto her stomach.

 

Both boys sighed in frustration as Mitoshi slowly got up to her hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air. Myst took a few steps back, gauging the state of her adversary.

 

‘This is bad,’ Latoshi communicated to his brother. ‘I'm about to jump in there and stop this — busted arm or not.’

 

‘Give her some time,’ Antoshi replied. ‘I know this isn't fun to watch, but, she wants to prove herself. Let her try to find her footing first.’

 

Latoshi sighed and pursed his lips, opting to hold back at his brother's behest.

 

“I don't wish to keep doing this,” Myst said, watching the girl climb to her feet. Mitoshi held her abdomen with one arm, straining to straighten her back. “You and your brothers are free to leave us. This doesn't need to continue.”

 

“Yes, it does,” Mitoshi replied with a determined expression. She closed her eyes and sighed sharply, opening them at the same time she let out a loud cry and caused her blue aura to flare to life around her. Mitoshi's long hair floated somewhat within the visible energy surrounding her. Myst was taken aback by the spectacle — just as her friends had been earlier. The emergence of the girl's Ki was something she'd never seen before. “I'm just getting started. Time to show you what I'm made of.”

 

Myst expressed her annoyance with the girl's stubbornness. She closed the gap between them in an instant, prompting Mitoshi to immediately guard her stomach. Instead, the young woman began to race around her in circles. Antoshi and Latoshi looked at each other in surprise, as they found out they weren't the only ones that preferred such a maneuver. Mitoshi looked all around at her opponent's blurring image. She shouted in pain as Myst delivered a strike to her face so swift, she couldn't even detect it. Myst continued to deliver blow after blow to the girl's exposed head, knocking her around yet again.

 

“Give up!” Myst shouted. “You can't even defend against me!”

 

Latoshi clenched his teeth in frustration. “Come on, Mitoshi! Fight back!”

 

As the girl shouted and stumbled around, all she could think of was training with her brothers. All of their praise and the remarks they made about her having just as much power and skill as they did seemed less and less true with every blow she took. Tears welled in her eyes, knowing her brothers were watching her fail before their eyes. She wasn't living up to anyone's expectations — especially her own.

 

The agony in her heart mixed with her undying determination to cause her spirit energy to explode in a moment of furious passion. She screamed at the top of her lungs as her aura burst, raged, and burned around her; irises burning bright behind her determined glare. Myst was staggered briefly by the shock wave of energy, but overall ignored the seemingly pointless light show. That is, until the point when Mitoshi suddenly grabbed her arm to block another punch, bringing the young woman to a sudden, shocked halt. Myst grunted, struggling in vain as Mitoshi kept an unbelievably powerful grip on her arm. The younger girl swiftly got behind her, yanking her arm behind her back with one hand. Mitoshi wrapped her other arm around Myst's throat and her legs around Myst's stomach, bringing her down to the ground in a forceful choke hold.

 

Antoshi and Latoshi's faces lit up with excitement.

 

“Yes!” Latoshi exclaimed quietly.

 

Myst grunted and strained, wringing her hand against the firm hold Mitoshi had on her.

 

“Just stop fighting and go to sleep,” Mitoshi said as they struggled together.

 

“Let me go,” Myst said, her voice strained, “… or you're going to regret it.”

 

“Not … a chance!” Mitoshi shot back.

 

The circular yellow marks on Myst's cheeks began to glow bright, followed by a loud, crackling bang. Mitoshi's eyes went as wide as they could, electricity surging around them both and tore through her — a voltage powerful enough to be visible around them for an extended period. Mitoshi's body twitched and jerked as the air was ripped from her lungs. Myst quickly freed herself from Mitoshi's grasp as the girl's entire body went limp. She panted in shallow gasps, staring blankly at the sky. Her eyes remained wide open, her body continuing to twitch from the aftershock of the electricity.

 

Both brothers were awe-struck by what they witnessed. “Mitoshi!” they exclaimed together in concern. The blue-haired girl suddenly snapped back to her senses, holding a hand out at them in reassurance.

 

“I'm fine,” she sputtered, slowly getting back to her feet and met Myst's gaze. “Just … got caught off-guard.”

 

Myst stared at the girl with a slight hint of surprise from behind her stoic expression. “That was enough amperage to kill a regular person a hundred times over,” she said, grabbing the trio's attention. “Your tenacity, speed, and strength are the real deal. You certainly are as capable as you said you were.” Electricity crackled from her cheek pouches. “However, 'capable' won't be enough to take me down.”

 

Mitoshi narrowed her eyes at her foe. She brought both hands up, aiming them at Myst while charging a much larger blast of Ki than before. Just as she fired the attack, Myst countered with powerful burst of electricity. It brought the bright blue mass of spirit energy to a halt before exploding violently into a cloud of smoke. Mitoshi was stunned in the moment before she was struck by another surge of electricity from afar. She screamed in pain, her body paralyzed with pain. As the attack finished, Mitoshi groaned weakly as she dropped to her knees.

 

“I already told you,” Myst said, folding her arms across her chest, “this doesn't need to continue. You're obviously outmatched. Give up now before you're harmed further.”

 

Mitoshi shook her head, glaring defiantly at Myst. “I am not outmatched. I'll prove it.”

 

Myst heaved a sigh of annoyance, letting her arms fall to her sides again. She took a deep breath before she raced at the girl, once again running in circles around her to continue her earlier maneuver. Mitoshi kept her stern gaze forward, focusing all of her attention to Myst's movements. Just as Myst threw the first punch, Mitoshi's body suddenly turned to water and shrunk down just enough to avoid the strike. Myst was shocked beyond words at the girl's startling transformation. The outline of Mitoshi's facial features shot her a grin, her body twisting and contorting in impossible ways to avoid subsequent hits. Her liquid body returned to normal just in time to grab Myst's arm with both of hers again, bringing Myst to another screeching halt. Mitoshi gave a shout as she threw Myst over her shoulder and into the distance.

 

Myst landed on her feet, sliding to a halt. She stood up straight, staring at the liquid girl in disbelief.

 

“What in the world?” she remarked. “What are you?”

 

Mitoshi smirked, now folding her arms over her chest. “Someone who's not outmatched by you,” she replied, her voice sounding as though she were underwater.

 

‘About time she used her water form ability,’ Latoshi communicated to his brother.

 

‘Yeah,’ Antoshi replied. ‘Now we know that Mitoshi's not the only one who can control an element. Looks like this group being part-Pokémon isn't just for show. Still think they're a bunch of 'fursuit wearers'?’

 

Latoshi sighed. ‘Look, I just said that to Celeste to rile her up; make her angry enough to throw off her focus. I know a thing or two about being in that state. It worked, though, since she start swinging at me blindly.’

 

‘Yeah, and you paid the price for it with your arm, some ribs, and a ton of cuts and bruises.’

 

‘Nothing I can't handle. Assuming we can make it out of this gauntlet alive, I'll heal up.’

 

With a grunt, Myst fired another blast of electricity at the girl, only for Mitoshi to quickly leap a few meters into the air to avoid it. Instead of coming back down, Mitoshi continued to hover in place, staring at her opponent. Myst was left stunned yet again at the girl's growing list of unexpected tricks. Mitoshi shouted, her lower body suddenly scrunching inward in order for her arms to elongate far enough to reach Myst. She grabbed the Raichu-like young woman by her ankles before ascending higher into the air with her. Myst shouted in shock, being thrown high over the girl's head before plummeting violently into the ground face-first. Myst continued to scream and shout as Mitoshi kept her grip on her and continued to relentlessly fling her up high and slam her back down.

 

‘She's gotten so good with her water ability,’ Latoshi remarked to his brother. ‘Did you ever see her pull this trick out before?’

 

‘I sure haven't,’ Antoshi replied, looking on in surprise. ‘I don't know what it was, but this fight awoke something inside her to push her to a new level of skill.’

 

While being thrown around like a rag doll, Myst suddenly lit up her entire body with electricity. The light surged all the way down Mitoshi's abnormally long arms and through her watery body — a spectacle bright enough to cause the two brothers to shield their eyes. Mitoshi came to a halt with Myst laid face-down on the ground. Myst sighed in relief, pulling away from Mitoshi's flaccid grip and climbing back to her feet quickly. She turned to the girl with a bitter gaze, continuing to attack Mitoshi with more intense beams of electricity. Mitoshi groaned weakly, falling to a knee as the current circulated through her liquid frame.

 

“That was a mistake,” Myst said, as her attacks came to a halt. “Everyone knows that Electric-types hold the advantage over Water.” Mitoshi remained silent and motionless for a moment. “That probably hurt a lot more than when you were flesh and bone. Give up now and I promise to stop.”

 

“That's … the thing,” Mitoshi spoke, weakly. She looked up at Myst, flashing the girl a cocky grin. “This isn't a Pokémon battle, and your attacks don't hurt me at all!”

 

Mitoshi thrust her hands out at her sides. Myst stared in stunned confusion as, unbeknown to her, Mitoshi was controlling a couple of large chunks of snow in the distance on either side of her. She quickly clasped her hands together, causing the cold water that became of the melted snow to wrap around Myst's head like a bubble. Myst coughed, her eyes going wide, her fingers digging into the watery helmet. She struggled remove the prison of water that was drowning her. Mitoshi kept her expression stern, her hands remaining together, as Myst dropped to her knees. Myst clenched her eyes, shaking her head, desperate for air. Her cheek pouches surged with energy before letting off a blast of electricity so powerful it dissipated the water entirely. All three siblings were stunned by the sight, while Myst gasped and panted for air. Her eyes were bloodshot from the oxygen deprivation she suffered.

 

“That was … a good trick,” Myst sputtered, getting back to her feet. “You're right, my electric attacks haven't been harming you. So, I'll just have to increase the current.” With a loud shot, she began charging a field of electricity around her. She suddenly fired off a far more powerful blast of electricity into Mitoshi's left leg, vaporizing it, before shattering part of a large tree in the near distance behind her.

 

The trio of siblings had little time to be startled at the turn of events, as Myst followed up with subsequent electrical attacks that rattled off with intensely loud bangs, almost like thunderclaps. The end result left Mitoshi as a floating head and torso, devoid of limbs. Mitoshi trembled in fear. Despite registering no pain from it, she knew she was left in a dire situation.

 

“Enough … is enough,” Myst said, heaving a sigh as she caught her breath. “Final warning — stand down now, or I'll make you cease to exist. I don't want to do this, but you've left me with no choice.”

 

Mitoshi clenched her liquid jaw, looking around for a way out. She had no limbs, and therefore no hands to control nearby sources of water. Her eyes shifted back and forth, coming up with no plan that could save her. The girl's gaze faltered, left with nothing but surrender. Being in her water form took a constant strain on her reserve of spirit energy. She needed to get to a source of water very soon to regenerate herself, or risk suffering through an agonizing and gruesome death when her body ultimately returned to normal.

 

“Well?” Myst asked. “What's it going to be?” The young woman's cheeks threateningly surged with electricity for a brief moment.

 

‘It's all right, Mitoshi,’ Antoshi communicated with her. She turned around to see him smiling warmly at her. ‘You did an amazing job. There's no shame in retreat. We need you to keep yourself alive. Let me take care of this from here, okay?’

 

Despite the girl's inability to feel pain, she most certainly felt the sinking heartache that came from knowing she had gotten so close to triumph in her first fight, only to blow it and come up short at the very end. She wanted so badly to prove to her brothers that she was able to carry her own weight without having to burden them. Her right shoulder twitched as she clenched the fist of a phantom limb. With a heavy heart, she turned her attention back to Myst.

 

“I'm— … I …” she began, before trailing off. She had an inquisitive expression as she idly gazed up at the dark clouds overhead. Her eyes followed the mass of clouds, looking to the falling snow in the far distance. She thought for a moment, as a light bulb went off in her head.

 

‘This is going to be one heck of a long shot,’ Mitoshi communicated to both of her brothers. ‘If it doesn't work out, well, … I love you both!!’

 

Antoshi and Latoshi were confused as to what she was implying, turning to each other with equally dumbfounded expressions.

 

“Stop stalling!” Myst shouted. “I don't know what moves you think you have left, but it's over for you! Now, do — you — surrender!?”

 

“I refuse!” Mitoshi shouted, defiantly, before launching herself high into the air. All eyes turned to the girl as she went for one final play.

 

Myst growled in rage, making good on her threat to end the girl's life by firing off several blasts of potent electricity. One of the attacks struck her torso, completely evaporating it on contact. The girl was left as nothing more than a floating head, her long, liquid hair waving as she rocketed toward the clouds above. Her blue aura exploded around her, increasing her speed significantly in a pinch. Myst's eyes flinched with each electric shot she wildly let off.

 

‘Damn!’ Myst thought, bringing her attacks to a halt. ‘She's too small and too far for me to possibly hit now. Just what is this girl thinking?’ Myst turned her attention to the two brothers, who were still staring at the clouds overhead. Both of them continued to sense Mitoshi's energy, even after she entered the clouds and disappeared from sight. “Hey!” she said to the two, grabbing their attention. “What is your sister doing? Has she given up?”

 

“I couldn't tell you,” Antoshi replied, looking back up at the sky. “Whatever she's up to, she's left us in the dark as well.”

 

Latoshi's attention shifted upward as well. A moment later, the brothers sensed Mitoshi's energy coming back down to the ground. However, she was invisible somehow. That was, until a coin-sized drop of hail hit the ground between the three of them. The brothers sensed Mitoshi's energy inside of it, both of them jogging over to check on it. Myst was totally confused as Antoshi scooped up the piece of hail into his hand.

 

‘Mitoshi?’ Antoshi communicated with her. Both he and Latoshi were stunned to see Mitoshi's Ki projecting a faint image of the girl's body inside the piece of hail, smiling and waving to them.

 

‘Stand back!’ Mitoshi said to her brothers, startling them. ‘Both of you! You don't want to get caught up in this!’

 

They did as she asked, distancing themselves from the Raichu-like young woman. She had the most perplexed expression on her face, all of them turning her attention upward once more. A massive downpour of icy hail, each containing part of Mitoshi's Ki, plummeted to the earth at an abnormally rapid pace. Myst shouted in pain as the first piece of hail struck her forehead with enough force to be comparable to a punch from the superpowered girl. She groaned in disbelief, holding a hand to her forehead, witnessing a trickle of blood on her fingers. Her eyes went wide in shock, seeing the girl's visage in the rest of the oncoming hail, just as her brothers did earlier. By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late.

 

Myst was suddenly showered with a gigantic barrage of countless hail that rattled her body and knocked her around with tremendous force. She shouted endlessly in agony, her eyes clenched shut, unable to defend against the innumerable attacks. Each one carried the girl's tiny voice, shouting, laughing, letting out battle cries. It was beyond anything she or the boys could've imagined Mitoshi coming up with. By the time the showering attack was finished, Myst was left barely standing, groaning quietly in pain and shock, her face and arms bloodied. She fell to her knees before dropping unconscious, face-down on the ground.

 

The two brothers watched in stunned silence as the bits of hail came to life, pulling together with a mind of their own and melted into water. The liquid shape of Mitoshi's body steadily reformed itself before their eyes. The girl turned back to normal, in a silly pose with one leg up and an arm up high, sticking her tongue out at the boys.

 

“That was … unreal,” Antoshi remarked in awe. Mitoshi giggled in response, walking over to them with a content smile.

 

“Wow, Mitoshi,” Latoshi said, his lips curling into a grin, “that was one hell of a move you pulled out. I wish I was half as clever as you are.”

 

“Thanks,” she replied, with a weak chuckle. She groaned as she suddenly fell to a knee.

 

“Hey, you okay?” Latoshi asked, as he and his brother rushed to her side.

 

Mitoshi grinned and nodded. “Yeah, just … feeling really beat. That last-ditch effort really wiped out my spirit energy.”

 

“Just rest now,” Antoshi replied, smiling, “you've earned it. You did way more than we could've ever expected.” He and Latoshi helped her to her feet.

 

“Yeah,” Latoshi added, holding his broken arm again, “that was a big, first real fight for you to be in.”

 

“'First'?” Mitoshi asked, with a cheeky smirk.

 

Latoshi rolled his eyes. “Okay, that nonsense against me on Mt. Mortar doesn't count.” Both of his siblings laughed quietly in response.

 

“Well,” Mitoshi remarked, heaving a sigh, “at least we know now that there's only one guy left: … their leader.”

 

“Same as our side,” Latoshi replied. Their gazes turned to Antoshi, who stood with a firm look on his face as he stared toward the swirling, icy vortex before them. “You're still going to try to avoid a fight, aren't you, Antoshi?” The blond-haired boy sighed and nodded.

 

“Their leader, Ken, might be willing to listen to reason,” Antoshi said. “… Then again, this whole plan was his idea. He may just be the most stubborn out of all of them.”

 

“We're here for you, Antoshi,” Mitoshi said. “We'll back you up as much as we can.” Latoshi nodded in agreement.

 

“I'll be all right,” he replied. “The two of you went through grueling battles of your own so that the others could conserve our strength in case we ran into more of them. It's only right I return the favor to you now.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Latoshi said, smirking confidently, “if either of us think you're in trouble, we're not going to hesitate to jump in and help.”

 

Antoshi turned and smirked back at him. “I wouldn't expect anything less.”

 

The three of them turned their attention to the vortex, knowing the final battle to end the deadly summertime blizzard stood before them.

[Antoshi]

Chapter 32

 

 

The trio of siblings stood in front of the icy vortex with serious expressions. Its violent, whipping winds tossed their hair and clothing about.

 

‘What do we do?’ Latoshi asked his siblings telepathically, avoiding the need to talk over the harsh wind. He continued to cling gingerly to his broken arm.

 

Standing between his siblings, Antoshi thought for a moment, turning his gaze up to where the vortex met the clouds. He held an open hand out toward the phenomenon before him. ‘Let's tear it apart,’ he replied. The other two nodded, also pointing an open hand in front of them. ‘Now!’ On cue, all three of them fired blasts of their respective energy into the spiraling winds. Their attacks, however, were flung around for a brief moment and then thrown back out. They all ducked, gasping in surprise as their energy shattered and toppled a few nearby trees amid violent explosions.

 

‘Whoa,’ Mitoshi remarked, as she and her brothers stood and turned their attention back to the whirlwind. ‘What now?’

 

‘Ken's stronger than I realized,’ Antoshi replied, narrowing his eyes. ‘Let's try it again. Give it everything you've got this time!’ Each of them gave a long shout as their respective auras flared to life, drumming up energy from deep within themselves. Latoshi and Mitoshi grunted, still drained from their respective battles. The trio held their hands out once more. ‘Now!’ Again, they fired on cue — swift blasts that were much larger and potent. Their energies merged together inside the vortex where they circled around for some time, reaching higher and higher. The trio watched until their attacks finally exploded a few hundred meters up. The end result was the abrupt severing of cyclone and sky. The spiraling winds began to quickly peter out and dissipate, until there was calm.

 

The three siblings gasped in unison as they saw him: a person with wings like an Articuno, exactly as the Pichus had described to them. Ken, their leader, sat cross-legged on the ground in silence with his eyes closed. He wore a gray t-shirt, black pants, and blue sneakers. The front of his short, dark blue hair was crowned by Articuno's signature crest of three, blue rhombus-shaped feathers. Long, blue wings sprouted from his shoulder blades, and a long, blue, feathery tail extended from his lower back. Unlike his peers, however, he was much more human-like, with fair toned human skin. With the cyclone having stopped, the air around them suddenly became much colder in his very presence. The siblings' breaths turned to frost, their muscles tensing in the sudden shift in temperature.

 

They were at a loss for words, opting to wait until he finally opened his blue eyes a moment later. He looked around for a moment before furrowing his brow at the three.

 

“Who are you?” he asked in a quiet, stern tone. “What happened to—” his eyes went wide with horror upon seeing Myst face-down on the ground. He got to his feet and rushed to her side with enough quickness to leave the trio stunned. He knelt down, cradling her in his arms gently. “Kristi, what happened to you? Wake up, please…”

 

“Kristi?” Latoshi uttered, quietly. He and his siblings looked to each other in confusion.

 

“What in the world did you do to her?” Ken asked, bitterly, cutting his eyes at the trio.

 

“She's unconscious,” Antoshi replied. “She'll be fine, though. She fought intensely to keep us from getting to you.”

 

“She did?” he mused, looking down at her with a proud smirk. “Noble as usual, Kristi.”

 

“My name is Antoshi. This is my brother, Latoshi, and my sister, Mitoshi. We can tend to her wounds, but first, we only want to talk things over. We don't want any conflict.”

 

“Your actions thus far seem to contradict your words,” Ken replied, expressing his contempt for the boy. “The four of us have found that humans aren't particularly trustworthy to begin with.”

 

“Please, I can't possibly … know what it is you and your friends must have gone through. Help us to understand. That's why we're here. What is it that you're trying to accom—” Antoshi was interrupted when the Raichu-like young woman stirred to life.

 

“Kristi?” Ken said in concern. “Are you all right?”

 

She groaned weakly, looking over at the three siblings. Her jaw hung in surprise, turning her attention back to Ken. “Be careful, Ken,” she said, softly. “They—they look like normal kids, but they're … much stronger. They defeated Kage and Celeste before they got here.”

 

Ken hung his head down in silence for a moment, pursing his lips scornfully. “Are you able to stand?” he asked Myst.

 

“Yeah, I'll try,” she replied. Myst gave a groan as Ken helped her up to her feet. Once upright, he smiled warmly at her, brushing some of the blue hair from her face. She looked up and grinned back, both of them gazing at each other with a twinkle in their eyes that surprised the sibling trio. There was clearly something much more between the two of them than just friendship.

 

Ken gave her a kiss on the forehead. “I'm gonna make this right,” he whispered to her. She nodded in response, turning her gaze away with a guilty expression just as Ken looked over at the three. “So, you wanted to understand the motivations of our actions?” he asked, pulling away from Myst. “Fine. You've earned that much for making it this far anyway.”

 

“What is it you hope to accomplish by doing this?” Antoshi asked.

 

“Newfound respect,” Ken replied. “Humans are instinctively fueled by hate. Anyone that's different from them is only worth their stares, their scorn, their contempt. … That's us. We can't show ourselves to others, as our presence only causes fear and anxiety in people. We tried so many times to talk with the people important to us. They didn't want to hear it. All we wanted was … a normal life.” He looked over at Myst, who idly wiped a tear from her eye. “However, all we have now is each other. We are family. So, now, after you … attacked my family, you expect me to just 'talk it over' with you?”

 

“I told you,” Antoshi replied, “we didn't want to fight.”

 

“Then, why did you?!” Ken shouted.

 

“We had no choice,” Antoshi said, raising his voice as well. “Your friends weren't going to let us by peacefully! We weren't going to just leave like they asked — not when innocent lives are in danger!”

 

“And what do you know of 'innocent'? We're innocent! We're the ones forced to live as outcasts from society! You have no idea what that's like!” He paused to close his eyes, calming his breathing for a moment. “… You don't understand what it's like, Antoshi. You and your siblings look like normal kids. You're not … shunned and looked down upon like we are. We have nobody else but each other to confide in.”

 

“I know what it's like,” Latoshi chimed in. “I lived that life for a while myself. I thought that humans were evil and corrupt. I believed they were parasites upon the world and they needed to be exterminated.”

 

“Well, you would've done all of us a favor if you'd succeeded,” Ken replied. “It's what they deserve.” Latoshi slowly shook his head in disagreement at him.

 

“You never explained how this blizzard was going to earn you 'respect',” Antoshi said.

 

“Humans just want to fear us, so we'll give them fear. Once their summer is ruined, their cities are crippled, and they're cut off from their friends and families like we are, then we'll make our announcement to the world. They brought this upon themselves, and they have no one else to blame for all their loss. They'll be forced to let us back in, knowing all the while exactly who we are: better than them.”

 

“That isn't the way to get what you want,” Antoshi replied. Latoshi nodded, recalling his own personal experiences. “Fear isn't going to make humans respect you, accept you, welcome you back. They're not going to see you as 'better', they're going to see you as murderers.”

 

“Well, there's only one way to find out,” Ken responded with a smirk. “We're done trying to be nice, and patient, and understanding. All we can do now is fight — and that's exactly what we'll do, to our very last breath.”

 

“Please, we can help you!”

 

“Enough!” Ken shouted. “Enough talking already! You can 'help' us by getting the hell out of our way, or I will kill all three of you.”

 

The sibling trio all looked to each other. It became clear to them that the opposing group's hearts had frozen over, becoming as frigid as the land Ken had created around them. Antoshi gazed down for a moment.

 

“I guess there's nothing left to say, then,” he said, with a heavy heart. He sighed, turning to Ken with a confident look in his eyes. “If that's how it's going to be, I'll stop you by force. I have to. I'm not going to let you do this, Ken — not to you or to your friends. It's only going to weigh on your conscience. There are better alternatives than this. You don't have to kill people in order to move forward.”

 

Ken chuckled in amusement. “It's going to feel good to prove you wrong, Antoshi,” he said. “Then again, you won't be alive long enough to realize it.”

 

“Please, be careful, Ken,” Myst said. “The three of them have some kind of strange powers and abilities I've never seen before.”

 

“Well, the reverse is also true,” he replied, cracking his knuckles. “They've not seen my powers and abilities, either.”

 

Antoshi had an intensely serious expression, keeping his gaze affixed to his opponent while Ken calmly moved to the side, away from Myst. At the same time, Latoshi and Mitoshi stepped back a short distance to give them space.

 

‘Finally,’ Latoshi thought with a sly smirk, ‘Antoshi's in a fight against someone other than me. Time to see all that planning and strategy he always does put to use.’

 

Ken's large wings flapped slowly, cooling the air in a self-contained pocket around him and Antoshi, displaying extreme precision with his ice abilities. Antoshi winced, doing what he could to ignore the increasingly frigid temperatures. The heat generated from the invisible aura radiating around him was enough to at least keep his blood pumping steadily.

 

“Well, then,” Ken said, raising his wings up high, “let's see these powers you have.” With a shout, he flapped his wings down hard, causing the air to rush wildly upward in a large vacuum. Antoshi realized his ability to breathe had suddenly been ripped away from him. Ken kept his eyes on the younger boy as he leapt into the air, flying backward, out of the cold and whipping wind. Antoshi took a moment to catch his breath, staying calm while Ken flapped his wings to meet him eye-to-eye in the air. The Articuno-like young man was not quite impressed yet, unlike his friends when they first discovered the siblings possessed superhuman powers.

 

“So,” Ken remarked, “you can fly, but you also need to breathe like anyone else. You're quite an anomaly. Very well.” Ken held his hands out at his sides. Within his palms, he created a few jagged spikes made of ice. “Let's see if you bleed like anyone else, too.” He threw the spikes, using an extra gust of wind from his wings to fire them at a phenomenal pace.

 

The speed, however, was nothing that the young teen couldn't handle. Antoshi kept the same stern expression on his face, continuing to keep his gaze focus at Ken. The ice spikes came to a sudden halt mere inches away from his face, just as Antoshi was about to evade them. Neither of the young men had caused it, and so both of them were caught off-guard. All eyes quickly turned to Mitoshi. As those who knew expected, she was indeed using her power over water to keep her brother from harm. With her hands held up, glowing with the blue hue of her Ki, she held the ice in place. Myst gasped, immediately preparing to engage her and the injured Latoshi. Despite all three of them being worn ragged, they took aggressive postures.

 

“Wait,” Ken said, firmly. His remark caused her to stand down.

 

“It's all right, Mitoshi,” Antoshi said, smiling to her. “I know you want to help, and that your abilities are probably better suited for this fight than mine. You don't need to worry about me, though. Okay?”

 

With a concerned expression, Mitoshi considered what her brother told her for a moment. She looked away in guilt, releasing her grip on the icicles, causing them to fall harmlessly to the ground. The girl gave him a nod of acceptance.

 

As the two combatants turned their attention back to each other, Ken mulled over what just happened. They appeared to be quite the tight-knit group, just like he and his friends. He cast the thought aside, going for the same attack with his ice spikes once more. Antoshi narrowed his eyes, disappearing in the instant before they were about to strike him, surprising Ken with his speed. He turned around, finding the boy hovering a few meters behind him. Ken humphed, still unimpressed. He clenched his fists tight, causing jagged ice spikes to form on each of his knuckles. He flew forward, throwing a punch at the boy. Antoshi maneuvered overhead and behind, watching Ken's movements and flying abilities closely as the Articuno-like young man threw continuous punches at him.

 

Just then, the trio who were still earthbound turned to the sound of approaching steps behind them. Kage and Celeste had regained consciousness and finally caught up. Celeste held her ribs with one arm, her other arm draped over the back of Kage's neck as he helped her stand upright. Myst was happy to see them.

 

“You're both okay,” she said, smiling.

 

“Barely,” Celeste replied in a monotone voice. She and Kage turned their attention upward. “So, the kids made it to Ken.”

 

“Sure did,” Kage replied, awe-struck. “The one in red up there is the one that knocked me out cold.”

 

Celeste had a particularly thoughtful look on her face. She was astonished at how the trio of siblings indeed possessed power beyond her comprehension. She never could've imagined there was anyone else in the world as strong as her and her friends.

 

Antoshi escaped higher into the air, while Ken kept hot on the boy's heels. Ken's frustration grew as he struggled to land even a single punch against the extremely swift boy. Antoshi took advantage of his opponent's irritation, looking to frustrate him further. He parried Ken's next punch with the back of his hand before striking the first blow with an elbow to Ken's cheek. Ken fluttered backward, looking at him in disbelief.

 

“How the hell did—” Ken began to speak, only to be interrupted when the boy suddenly came at him. His eyes widened, throwing a punch out of instinct, hitting nothing but an illusory image of Antoshi instead. The blond-haired boy again got behind him, grabbing him by the back collar of his shirt and flinging him high into the air. As Ken struggled to correct himself, Antoshi quickly threw his hands out in front of him, aiming at his adversary. He rattled off a wild barrage of red energy blasts — most of which exploded on contact with Ken, while the rest flew by harmlessly. There was little wasted motion in Antoshi's movements thus far, allowing him to conserve as much energy as possible.

 

All of Ken's friends were shocked by the spectacle.

 

“Ken!!” Myst cried out in concern.

 

“Nice,” Latoshi cheered quietly. “This is your opening.”

 

Mitoshi continued to watch the battle with an astonished expression. Her blond brother was making every movement look so effortless. She felt oblivious that she did not see the same opening that Latoshi just did. It stung her in the way her brothers stared at her in disbelief when she missed an opening of her own during her fight with Myst, and the way they stared again when she made the mistake of trying to help Antoshi defend himself when he didn't need it. She realized she was still the most inexperienced of the trio and that she still had much room to grow and learn as a fighter. Just being able to watch her brothers in the heat of a real battle was a huge learning experience for her.

 

Ken came to his senses after the attack ended, panting softly. Trails of smoke rolled off his body and wings, scowling in frustration. He gasped suddenly when Antoshi, with irises glowing red, flew at him with phenomenal speed. He tensed up in the instant he was going to throw a punch, but remembered the boy's penchant for slipping behind him. Just as he went to turn around to deal with a possible back attack, he was suddenly struck in the face with a powerful left hook from Antoshi. The blow spun him around, bringing him face to face with the boy who, with a loud shout that brought his red aura to life, laid into him with a barrage of punches to his face, chest, and abdomen. Ken grunted and croaked in pain, knocked around helplessly by the immensely swift and powerful strikes while being inched back from their impacts. Antoshi finished with an uppercut to Ken's chin, knocking him higher into the air. The boy instantly appeared above him, delivering a kick to the small of Ken's back that sent him hurtling into the ground with a mighty impact. Antoshi held his hands out again, aiming toward his opponent, charging up a large amount of energy. With a shout, he fired at Ken with a large wave of red energy. The resulting explosion devastated the earth in a wide cone around the Articuno-like young man, who laid motionless in its epicenter.

 

“Yeah!” Latoshi exclaimed, both he and his sister cheering. “This fight's over and done!”

 

“No freaking way,” Celeste whispered in astonishment, reflecting her friends' expressions of horrified disbelief. “Who in the world are these kids? Where did they even come from? …”

 

“Ken?” Myst uttered in concern, mindlessly taking a few steps toward him. “Ken?!”

 

“Hey!” Latoshi shouted, causing her to halt. “Stay right where you are. We already agreed there'd be no interference.”

 

“Don't tell her what to do!” Celeste snapped. “You don't get to speak to her like that!”

 

“I'll speak to her however the hell I want to!” he shouted back.

 

“Keep yapping, broken-arm boy, and I'll break your other arm!”

 

“Come over here and try it! I'll break both your leg—”

 

Their bickering came to an abrupt halt as they both noticed Ken, covered in dirt, climbing back to his feet. He held his head down, turned away from the others, taking a few deep breaths. At the same time, Antoshi calmly descended to the ground. Both Latoshi and Mitoshi were stunned that he got back up with ease after such a tremendous blast of energy.

 

Ken lifted his head after a moment, a calm and relaxed expression upon his face. Gone were his earlier traces of frustration. “You're fast,” he said. “You might even be faster than Celeste.” Celeste herself responded with a skeptical humph. Antoshi continued to stare him down in silence, keeping his eyes affixed to his opponent, never dropping his guard. “I see. Now you're going with the 'quiet and serious' route now, huh? That's fine. I'll just show you why you won't beat me!”

 

Ken pointed his left index finger at the boy. Antoshi narrowed his eyes cautiously, taking a defensive stance, unsure of what was happening. He was ready to guard or flee in an instant. Ken smirked, firing an icy blue beam of energy from the tip of his finger. Antoshi pivoted quickly to avoid it, watching in awe as the beam struck a tree, causing a large portion of it to become encased in ice. At the same time, Ken fired again from his right hand, connecting with the distracted boy's left arm.

 

“No!” Antoshi shouted. He watched in horror as his entire left arm, too, was trapped in ice that crawled up to his shoulder. He gasped and hissed, suffering through the agonizing, biting pain of the deep freeze. There was very limited mobility in his arm.

 

“Convinced yet?” Ken asked, standing tall and confident. Antoshi scowled at him, thrusting his uninjured hand out suddenly, launching a blast of energy at him. Ken countered in an instant with another finger beam of ice that pierced through the orb of red Ki, causing it to freeze in place. The energy frosted over and shattered into nothing, leaving all three siblings in disbelief. The beam continued onward, binding Antoshi's other arm in its icy grasp, freezing it over as well. The blond-haired boy shouted in agony, his arms draped at his sides, covered in ice. He scowled and shivered, the blood in his body struggling to pump through his frozen limbs.

 

Ken shook his head. “I've frozen both of your arms. They'll be fine once they thaw out, but, if I continue to strike them with my ice, they'll freeze even deeper and you will most definitely lose them.” Antoshi continued to scowl bitterly at him, grunting in pain as he attempted to free his arms. “I will admit, you caught me by surprise at first with your speed and power. However, this fight is over now.”

 

Mitoshi looked to Antoshi with deep concern. “Antoshi, please, let me take over from here.”

 

Antoshi shook his head, giving her a serious glance. “My … arms may be frozen,” he said, turning his gaze to Ken, “but, I can still fight.”

 

“Don't be stupid!” Ken snapped, quickly losing patience with the boy. “Don't you understand? The four of us are ready to die fighting for what we believe in. You don't think we're ready to end anyone that stands in our way? You'll never overcome our resolve.”

 

“Ken, please,” Myst remarked. “This has gone too far…”

 

“No, Kristi. It's only over once we gain the respect we deserve. Once people like them finally learn to treat us as equals!” He turned his attention back to the cold glare of his adversary. “Stand down, or I promise this is only going to get worse for you.”

 

“I knew it from the beginning,” Antoshi said, panting softly as he tried to ignore the pain as best he could. “Kage, Celeste, Myst, … none of them came off as 'bad' people to me. They fought with everything they had, but … I could tell it was for something that they believed in. Well, that's why we're fighting as well. I'd sooner die than let you continue to harm innocent bystanders so that you can make some kind of statement. It's not going to happen — not as long as I have blood left to spill.”

 

Both of his siblings were taken aback by the severity of his remarks. Latoshi in particular hadn't seen that kind of vengeful fire in his brother's eyes since they last fought — a fight that did not end well for the sable-haired boy.

 

Ken shook his head in disbelief. “A decisive strike now would shatter your arms to bits. Is that what you want? For your siblings to watch as you're maimed?”

 

“That's assuming you can even touch me,” Antoshi shot back, flashing a confident smirk. His body was suddenly enveloped in the light of his red aura. Ken scowled at him.

 

“If that's the way you want it, then fine. You can be the first human I make an example out of!!”

 

Ken shouted, rushed at the boy and swung for his frozen arms. Antoshi flew into the air to avoid him, while Ken flapped his wings hard to keep pace right behind him. Ken continued to strike at the boy, missing again and again, while Antoshi ducked and dodged swiftly.

 

The onlookers watched the fight play out high over their heads.

 

“Come on,” Celeste muttered, “stick him. Make his arms shatter like glass.”

 

Everyone's attention was focused above — everyone except for Myst. She found herself less and less interested in watching as it continued to drag on. There was a faraway, remorseful look in her eyes, her gaze slowly faltering.

 

‘What's he doing?’ Latoshi thought, narrowing his eyes as he watched Antoshi do nothing but evade. ‘What are you up to, Antoshi? I know you're planning something in that clever head of yours…’

 

Ken was frustrated all over again, as landing a blow on the boy had become an all but impossible affair. It was as if Antoshi was only getting faster by the second.

 

‘Damn him!’ Ken thought. ‘His arms should be weighed down by all that ice! Yet, he's still zipping around like nothing has changed!’

 

Antoshi, meanwhile, glanced over at his frozen arms. He was constantly trying to move and pour his spirit energy into them. He noted a wet sheen coating the ice — ice which had become less jagged after a short time.

 

‘Just a little bit longer…’ the boy thought, turning his attention back to his foe.

 

Ken furrowed his brow, wondering what Antoshi was just looking at. His eyes went wide as a light bulb went off in his mind.

 

“Oh, no, you don't!” Ken exclaimed. He changed his attack strategy suddenly, pointing at the boy with both hands and firing beams of ice at him. Antoshi clenched his jaw, increasing the pace further, creating afterimages while avoiding the attacks that Ken continued to fire off wildly. “You think you're so clever!? I see you were paying attention when I said your arms would thaw out! Well, that offer was only valid before you refused to leave us alone!”

 

The boy knew he'd slipped up by shifting his glance away from Ken for even a moment. There was not much that escaped the Articuno-like young man's attention.

 

Ken roared in frustration, firing his attacks as the boy moved in a circular pattern around him. His eyes widened upon realizing Antoshi was gradually getting closer to him. Antoshi struck Ken with a swift knee to the small of his back, launching him higher into the air. However, Antoshi noticed that his knee immediately frosted over with ice on contact. He looked at it in shock before looking to his opponent. Ken smirked confidently as he turned to face the boy once more. A pocket of chilly wind circulated around him, carrying snowflakes and shards of ice as it froze the moisture in the air, almost like an aura of his own made of pure frost.

 

“Let's see you escape from this!” Ken shouted.

 

He threw his arms out at his sides, causing his wintry aura to expand rapidly. It consumed Antoshi within its grasp before he could even react. The boy's breathing became labored, looking down at himself as he was covered from head to toe in ice — his body completely freezing over just as he gave one last gasp for air.

 

“Antoshi!!” Latoshi shouted in terror.

 

“No!” Mitoshi exclaimed, looking on in despair.

 

Celeste humphed, impressed by Ken's overwhelming ability. Kage showed a bit of concern, while Myst had gotten to the point where she wasn't even watching the fight anymore.

 

Ken looked into Antoshi's frozen expression of horror in the moment before the boy began to plummet down. His siblings screamed in response. Mitoshi thrust her glowing hands out toward him quickly, grunting with effort as she eased the frozen statue that had become of her brother to the ground gently.

 

Celeste snarled at the young girl's repeated interference, preparing to engage her in a fight.

 

“Enough,” Ken said while descending back down to the ground. Celeste eased up. “This fight is over anyway. Allow them time to grieve for their fallen brother.”

 

“Turn him back!” Mitoshi demanded with tears in her eyes. “Let him out of there!”

 

“It's already too late,” Ken replied. “Your brother's locked in a deep freeze, and I cannot undo that. His heart has stopped. He is dead.”

 

Both siblings stared at their frozen brother in horrified disbelief. Neither could feel or sense Antoshi's energy from beyond the thick, jagged encasement of ice.

 

“Ken, … why?” Myst uttered, looking to him with a somber expression.

 

“He left me no choice,” Ken replied, firmly. “This was always the plan. No one was to interfere with our goal.”

 

Myst pursed her lips, shaking her head. “It's not … supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to go this far. I thought we would just be sending a message; I thought that … we wouldn't actually kill anyone. I admit, I went after that girl with all I had, and it could've been me in this situation instead. That doesn't make it any less wrong. These kids, they could've easily killed all of us, and, … initially, I thought they were going to. Even after everything we did and said to them, they were still willing to show us mercy and understanding!”

 

Ken stared at her with an expression of pure surprise. “What— … what are you saying, Kristi?”

 

Before the Raichu-like young woman could respond, all eyes turned to a commotion brewing within Antoshi's frozen imprisonment. Water cascaded rapidly down the ice, while the boy inside twitched and trembled. The ice suddenly shattered into pieces as the boy let out a powerful scream, his red aura whipping violently around him. The others looked on in disbelief. Antoshi's skin was a cold hue of blue, particularly around his arms, his clothing and hair soaking wet. He panted heavily, racked with tremendous pain from head to toe. His stiff, aching muscles trembled and shivered.

 

“Antoshi?” Mitoshi uttered in relieved surprise. Her brother groaned and strained, clenching his fists rhythmically to get the blood flow back into his arms.

 

“Damn, that was pretty scary,” Latoshi added, laughing nervously. “Don't do that to us anymore, okay?”

 

Antoshi let out an airy laugh. “Sorry about that. He caught me off-guard with that last charge.” He stood up straight and sighed sharply, turning a cutting glare toward Ken. “It's not going to happen again.”

 

Myst stared at the boy, jaw agape, bewildered and relieved as well that he was still alive after all. Celeste and Kage were left seriously doubting their group's ability to keep the three youngsters down.

 

Ken scowled at him, biting his lip angrily. “Why the hell won't you just back down?!”

 

“I already explained why,” Antoshi muttered, bitterly. The boy closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. He gave a long, invigorated roar as his aura exploded with tremendous force around him. The others all shouted in shock, thrown to the ground a short distance away, save for Ken. The Articuno-like young man defended himself using his icy aura, yet still struggled to stand his ground. The trees whipped and swayed violently. Clouds overhead parted suddenly, casting the long-lost light of the sun over the site of their battle. Energy surged through him, his eyes glowing an intensely bright red. Ken covered his eyes from the sudden brightness of the sun, as well as the boy's overwhelming Ki.

 

Antoshi's display of energy came to an end. His aura receded to a reasonable size just around the frame of his body. His skin tone had returned to normal, an intensely serious expression upon his face as he slowly ascended into the air. Ken clenched his teeth, flapping his wings, rising to meet the boy at the same altitude.

 

“Oh, damn,” Latoshi muttered, both he and his sister remaining seated on the ground. “I guess all three of us really had a hell of lot more power stored away deep down. … It reminds me of something that Lazarus told me a while back.” Mitoshi turned him with a curious expression. “He said that my power grew so much faster during my first battle with Antoshi than it ever would have if I had just relied on training. All of us have been taken to our limits today, knowing our lives and the lives of others are on the line. It's pushed all three of us to a new level of skill and power. … I mean, just look at him.” Both of them turned their attention to their brother, his dried out clothes flapping gently within the energy of his aura. “Just feel his energy. Have you ever felt that kind of power from him before?”

 

Mitoshi's jaw hung in awe, shaking her head slowly. “I sure haven't…”

 

Antoshi didn't so much as blink as he stared at Ken intensely. A powerful sense of justice burned passionately within his young heart, sparked by the fury of everything he'd endured, witnessed, and heard from Ken and the others. He truly was ready to give everything he had, if only to bring this fight to a close.

 

“I'll bury you so deep in the ice, you won't ever break out again,” Ken remarked, coldly.

 

“No more barbs,” Antoshi replied. “It's about time to end this fight.”

 

“Fine, then,” Ken said, taking an offensive stance as his frigid aura whipped harder. “Bring it on!!”

 

Antoshi's eyes narrowed, flying at his adversary with tremendous speed that created a sonic boom. Ken's eyes widened, intensifying the cold around himself. He smirked as Antoshi's head ended up covered in ice during his approach. Ken threw a punch at him, only to connect with yet another afterimage of the boy.

 

“What the hell?!” Ken exclaimed in confusion. The ice around Antoshi's upper body shattered quickly as the boy flew around him in orbiting circles that began shifting course slightly. Ken looked all around him in awe-struck disbelief. He saw nothing, only hearing the air whipping around him. Antoshi's level of speed had exploded so much that no part of the boy's body was visible to him — save for streaks of red Ki left behind the boy. The Articuno-like young man's jaw hung, unsure of what to do. “What is it you're trying to accomplish?!”

 

Antoshi did not respond, continuing to leave streaks of Ki encircling around his foe.

 

The onlookers below had long gotten back to their feet. All of them, including Myst, also watched the spectacle in fascination. Antoshi had begun essentially wrapping Ken in what became a giant orb of red spirit energy.

 

“I … can't believe he's this fast!” Celeste remarked. “I can't even see him!”

 

‘Damn, Antoshi,’ Latoshi thought, as he and his sister looked on in shock, ‘this is your true speed when you go all-out? …’

 

Antoshi's display came to an end when he appeared suddenly beneath the orb of red energy he encased Ken inside. He threw a hand up at it and immediately pulled back down with a grunt, causing the energy bubble to solidify and tighten around Ken in an instant. Ken gasped in shock, ramming his shoulder against it, only to find himself trapped. He pointed his fingers at it, finding that his ice-cold energy had no effect anymore.

 

Antoshi threw his other hand up, pointing his palm toward the energy, keeping a slight distance between it and himself. It began to brighten and swirl violently with Ki as he poured more and more of his spirit, his emotion, his power, into the curious imprisonment. Antoshi gave a loud shout, his eyes glowing bright red. Ken found himself trembling at the energy that burned intensely all around him.

 

“Red Giant!!” Antoshi shouted at the top of his lungs. Ken's eyes went wide, screaming in agony as the bright, fiery orb of spirit energy suddenly scorched him from head to toe with no respite.

 

The others looked on in horrified amazement, none of them entirely sure of what was happening; only aware that Antoshi had suddenly and decisively grasped the upper hand in this fight. Ken's eyes bulged, screaming continuously, trapped in the excruciating inferno of swirling heat that scalded him down to his very soul. Antoshi grunted, focusing solely on the attack in order to keep it going. He gave one last shout before suddenly detonating the attack, becoming a gigantic blast of Ki that exploded violently. The explosion sent Ken careening to the ground below in swift, devastating fashion.

 

“Ken!!” Myst exclaimed, fearfully. The young man was left face-down and completely motionless.

 

Antoshi panted, catching his breath, landing next to his siblings. The sun shone down upon a quiet battlefield.

 

“Are you okay?” Mitoshi asked, holding her brother's arm with a relieved expression upon her face. Antoshi smiled weakly and nodded to her. He suddenly groaned, stumbling backward. Latoshi gasped and caught him with his good arm. The blond-haired boy was exhausted, having channeled energy from the very depths of his spirit for the insane force of that attack.

 

“Okay, easy there,” Latoshi said.

 

“No, I'm good,” Antoshi replied, standing up on his recognizance. “I'm fine. I just … need a minute to rest.” Both of his siblings grinned in elation at him.

 

“So, what's this 'Red Giant' name, huh?” Latoshi joked. “I think you're just copying me now.”

 

“Copying you?!” Antoshi shouted playfully, grinning from ear to ear. “How did I copy you?”

 

“First of all,” Latoshi replied, also grinning, “I was the one to shout a nickname when I perform some cool, huge attack. Second, that name is based on a star — like mine! You remember, 'Shooting Stars'?”

 

“Well, maybe I like the 'celestial' name idea, okay?”

 

The trio of siblings all chuckled together, relieved that the fight of their respective lives was over. Meanwhile, however, all of Ken's friends stared at him from afar. They were all too scared to check on him, believing him to be dead. Tears welled up in Myst's eyes, her jaw trembling as she bit her lip. She began to stagger toward him, wanting to confirm if he was alive or not.

 

Unbeknown to everyone, however, a large mass of ice had been forming slowly within Ken's hand.

 

Just before Myst reached him, Ken suddenly turned around and threw a large icicle at the siblings. Antoshi quickly noticed it coming toward him.

 

“Watch out!” he exclaimed, shoving his siblings out of the way. The spear of ice caught him in his left bicep, going straight through and lodging there. He screamed in pain, falling to a knee, staring at the frigid object in his arm. His siblings looked on in horror.

 

“Ken!” Myst exclaimed, in a mix of terror and relief. “You're … a-alive!” She looked on in dismay as he got to his feet slowly, groaning in pain, a contemptuous look in his blue eyes as he turned his attention to the blond boy once again. “Ken, stop! Please! That's enough!”

 

“It's never enough!” Ken shouted back, his icy aura coming to life around him, causing the young woman to stagger backward toward her other friends. “It's not enough until he's dead! I'm never giving up on our cause!”

 

With a long shout, he began to form a giant multitude of hovering icicle spears around him. They continued to grow larger and larger, to the size of cannons. Ken's group looked on in concern and worry. Antoshi clenched his teeth and shut his eyes, also shouting at the top of his lungs as his aura came to life. The spear in his arm shattered, leaving a gaping, bloodied wound.

 

“Now, die, you stupid kid,” Ken muttered, just before the barrage of pointed ice attacks fired at the boy.

 

“Mitoshi!” Latoshi shouted quickly. She turned to him, eyes wide, nodding in understanding. She used her powers to grab a few of the massive icicles, grunting with effort as she brought them to a halt and let them fall to the ground. Latoshi, meanwhile, pointed his good arm at the attacks, blowing away as many of them as he could with blasts of Ki. There were too many of them for both siblings, still drained from their own battles, to deal with in the few seconds that they had to react.

 

Antoshi huffed sharply, pouring what Ki he had left into his aura, causing it to flare wildly. The icicles that made it past his siblings were brought to a sudden halt. Ken looked on in disbelief. The boy shouted loudly, deflecting them in all directions. Ken's friends shouted, crouching and covering up to avoid them. The counter barrage ended as suddenly as it began.

 

Ken and the trio of siblings were the only ones left standing — until Ken fell to his knees and onto his side. His breathing was jagged, looking down slowly to see one of his gigantic icicle spears sticking out of his chest.

 

Myst screamed in horror, racing over to his side, turning him onto his back. The others rushed over as well, all of them horrified.

 

“Ken, no, please!!” Myst shouted, grabbing his hand and sobbing. “You can fix this — right? You always fix everything!”

 

Ken shook his head slowly. He reached up, grinning, wiping a tear from her eyes. “Don't … cry. When we … planned this, I already … accepted this as my … fate.” He gazed up at the bright sunlight. “It's good … that I got to see the sun … one more …” he trailed off, his eyes fluttering closed.

 

“No!!” Myst shouted, grabbing his hand tighter. Celeste and Kage wept just as she did as they stared at their fallen comrade.

 

“Antoshi!” Mitoshi exclaimed, turning to him. “Your healing power! You have to use it — now!”

 

All eyes turned to the blond-haired boy. Mitoshi's words gave them the slightest inkling of hope. Antoshi stared at his foe, uncertain.

 

“I—I'm not sure I can,” Antoshi uttered. “I've never … healed anything that severe!”

 

“You have to try!” Latoshi interjected. “That's what we're here for, right?! You told me we're going to make things better! You have to — and fast! He's dying!”

 

“Please, Antoshi,” Myst remarked, quietly, tears rolling down her face.

 

Antoshi huffed sharply, putting on a confident face. “All right. Mitoshi, get that ice out of him.”

 

“Right!” she responded. She held her arms out at Ken, carefully pulling the icicle out of him with the movement of her hands. The others gasped at the sight of the horrific wound it had left behind.

 

Antoshi knelt down on Ken's other side, opposite from Myst, hovering his hands over the injury. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, recalling what Serenity had told him.

 

‘Your thoughts and your intentions have to be pure,’ Serenity explained. ‘You can only focus on helping the person before you. You must care for their well-being, and that feeling has to go all the way to your heart. If you were to ever have even a shred of malice inside you, your Ki would instead injure them — the same way any of your usual attacks do.’

 

Antoshi's aura flickered gently, his spirit becoming placid, breathing calmly. He and Ken had just fought with everything they had. They may not have seen eye to eye, and he may have despised Ken's methods and hatred, but he kept his thoughts on the images of the concern and care Ken's friends held for him. He recalled his desire for peace, and how much he expressed that to his siblings. He recalled Latoshi's desire to fight on behalf of Poka and Chika — those two, little Pichu who were at home, waiting for Latoshi to return. He owed it to his siblings, to set the example for them, and to Ken's friends, to prove beyond any doubt that they truly didn't want to harm them.

 

A strange, soothing pulse of energy emanated from his aura — felt by the onlookers, who were awe-struck and oddly placated by it. Antoshi's hands glowed an unusually soft hue of red. The others gasped as the terrible injury started to heal itself, slowly but steadily. Mitoshi clenched her fists, silently cheering her intensely focused brother on. There were further smatterings of awe-struck gasps and murmurs as Ken's wound continued to heal itself with increasing swiftness. Antoshi strained and panted, sweating profusely, a pained expression on his face. He tried with all of his might to focus, to use his new power correctly and not falter. He was incredibly exhausted, tapping into the barest reserves of energy his young body could muster. The others watched in amazement as the glowing wound closed more and more. With a loud shout, Antoshi collapsed onto his back.

 

“Antoshi!” both of his siblings exclaimed in concern as they rushed to his side. The blond-haired boy was completely winded, drained of energy, trembling weakly.

 

As Antoshi caught his breath, the others looked over at Ken. His injury had miraculously healed fully. All that was left was a torn hole in his shirt. The Articuno-like young man's eyes shot open suddenly, awaking with a sharp, deep gasp. His friends were relieved and joyful beyond words as he sat up with a bewildered look in his eyes. He gazed down, patting his chest in confusion.

 

“Wh-what just happened?” he uttered. “Wasn't I— … wasn't I seriously maimed just now?”

 

“You were,” Celeste replied, with tears in her eyes. She casually pointed to Antoshi. “That blond kid saved your life.”

 

As Antoshi's siblings helped him to sit up, Ken stared at the boy with a continuous puzzled look.

 

“Good to see you're still with us,” Antoshi remarked with a weak grin.

 

“But, I—I don't understand,” Ken remarked. “You and I were— … we were enemies just now. I was trying to kill you. You could've just left with your siblings and had your victory. You ended up saving me and put a great strain on yourself to do so. … Why?”

 

“Because that's no victory,” Antoshi replied, hunched over a bit as he managed to sit up on his own. “I meant it when I said … that we really are here to resolve things peacefully, and that we didn't want a fight. Leaving you there, dying, while your friends watched and grieved over you — that's not a victory; … it's heartless. That's not what we're about.” His siblings nodded in agreement.

 

The opposing group of four went silent for a moment, crestfallen. Myst sniffled, idly wiping the tears from her eyes.

 

“We're all terribly sorry,” Myst spoke up. “You truly … did mean what you said to us — to all of us. We didn't believe you because … we didn't want to. We didn't want to be wrong. We didn't want to know … that our plan had far more severe consequences than we expected. … None of us could ever make up for the wrongs we caused you — for trying to end your lives.”

 

“But, we're willing to learn,” Ken added. “It took a lot of punches to the face for us to finally get it. There really are people out there who are … reasonable, and kind.”

 

“I have to ask, though,” Antoshi said. “Did you ever stop to ask your friends how they felt about this?”

 

“Well, of course I did,” Ken replied in confusion. “We've planned this for months, went over all the details again and again until we were finally ready to put everything in motion. It was a unanimous decision.”

 

“Are you sure about that?” Antoshi pointed to Myst, turning the young man's attention to her. The young woman had an deeply disappointed look on her face.

 

“Kristi, what's wrong?” Ken asked.

 

Myst smiled nervously at him. “The three of you were … so intent on this idea. You were so motivated for revenge. I couldn't just say 'no'. I was worried that everyone else would get angry. I was worried that you would … tell me to leave.” Ken's jaw hung agape, his eyes wide with shock. “I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Ken. I was just afraid, that's all.”

 

“Kristi, I love you,” he replied, cupping her cheek. She smiled warmly, holding his hand. “I would never, ever get angry for you speaking your mind. I've always cared about how you feel.”

 

“We've already lost so much, I was afraid of losing all of you as well…”

 

Ken's hand fell away. He sighed heavily as he turned his gaze to the ground. The realization of how badly he'd miscalculated finally hit him. “I can't believe how … blind I've been. I was blind to your feelings, blind to how much we were going to ruin peoples' lives and those of their families, blinded by my own rage and personal vendetta. I was just so … angry at how we'd been treated! I was so angry at everything that happened to us — I just … wanted to do something to help all of us feel like we were in control for once. I'm so stupid…”

 

“So are we,” Celeste replied. “We were all pissed off. We were all just … looking for some way to help us feel justified. Some way of helping us feel … like we weren't helpless anymore.” Her friends all nodded in agreement.

 

“By the way,” Latoshi spoke up. “I know that … it might not be my place to ask, but, what did happen to you?”

 

“Yeah,” Mitoshi added. “I'm sure that, if we knew your story, we could understand how you feel better.”

 

Ken smiled at them. “I thank you for asking. … That's for another time, however, when we're more comfortable with sharing more personal details. As for now, since my vortex had expired, the clouds will start to disperse. It'll probably take a couple days for the weather to totally clear up, but, the blizzard is finally over.” The siblings grinned to each other. “Truly, I … must thank you three. I know it's cliche to say, but, you really did show us the error of our ways — myself especially. I would be honored to call the three of you … our friends.” The others in his group nodded in agreement.

 

“So would we—” Antoshi began. The entire group suddenly turned their attention to the sound of footsteps approaching. Antoshi's heart leapt, grinning as Serenity emerged from behind the trees. She was quite confused by the scene laid out before her.

 

“Se—” Antoshi went to speak.

 

“Serenity?” Ken spoke up before he could, rising to his feet slowly. The trio of siblings looked at him in surprise.

 

Serenity advanced toward them slowly. Her jaw was agape, a bewildered expression upon her face. “… Ken?” she responded after a moment of silence. “Then, that must mean, the others are … Kristi, Celeste, and Matthew.” The others stared back at her with a similar sense of astonishment. Latoshi mouthed the name 'Matthew' in confusion, while looking over at Kage.

 

“Serenity,” Antoshi spoke, “you … know them?” Latoshi and Mitoshi helped their brother get to his feet.

 

“We all went to the same school,” Serenity replied, keeping her eyes focused on the group of four.

 

“Yeah,” Ken replied, with an amused scoff, “the Richmond School for 'Spoiled Rich Kids'.” His friends chuckled quietly. “That was back when we were … normal.”

 

“I—I can't believe it,” she replied with a laugh of awe-struck relief. “It's been so long since I've seen the four of you. I met with some old friends from school a while back, and I had heard that you all just sort of … disappeared together. Nobody I talked to knew what happened to all of you. I remember how you were always together, and how the kids at school used to call you 'The Clique'.”

 

Celeste chuckled and grinned, the name bringing back memories for her.

 

“You're … not going to ask what happened to us?” Kage asked, curiously.

 

Serenity smiled and shook her head. “Unless you wish to share that with me, it isn't my place to pry. Really, I'm just happy to see you again, and to know that you're all still around.”

 

Ken smiled. “You were always kind, Serenity. Beautiful and kind.”

 

Serenity grinned in response. “Well, judging by the state you're all in, it seems I missed quite a spectacle.”

 

Latoshi humphed in amusement. “I'm surprised you weren't here already.”

 

“I was stuck at work up until a few minutes ago,” she replied. “Technically, I'm supposed to be on my lunch break right now, but, I had been sensing something spectacular happening over here for a while. Then, I felt a powerful display of healing energy.” She smiled and turned her attention to Antoshi. “That was an amazing feat you pulled off, Antoshi. You output tremendous ability for someone who's only begun to practice with healing energy. I want you to know that I'm extremely proud of what you accomplished.”

 

“Yeah,” Celeste chimed in. “We're all really thankful to you for saving Ken's life — honestly.”

 

“It's no problem,” Antoshi replied with a smile. “Just, … next time, could everyone listen to me when I say we should avoid fighting?” The others burst into laughter.

 

“You got it,” Myst replied, clinging tightly to Ken's arm. The two looked at each other and grinned.

 

“Hey, Serenity,” Latoshi said, “while you're here, you think you could patch up my arm?”

 

“Absolutely,” she replied happily. “I'll take care of everyone's injuries in a jiffy.”

 

“… I just came up with a great joke for this moment!” Kage exclaimed. Celeste suddenly elbowed him in the ribs. “Ow!”

 

“Shut it, Matthew,” Celeste chided, glaring at him. He groaned in defeat, rubbing his side.

 

Antoshi breathed a long sigh of relief. He turned his attention to the break in the clouds he had made earlier, grinning at the heat of the sun beaming down upon them. They had finally put an end to the blizzard successfully — as well as all of the brutal fighting they'd endured. He and his siblings were ready and eager to welcome the dog days of summer once again.

[Antoshi]

Chapter 33

 

 

As Ken had predicted, within a couple of days, the snow clouds dissipated for good. The residents of Goldenrod cheered the return of the summer sun. Cleanup and restoration to infrastructure all around the city kicked off as soon as possible. People and Pokémon trapped in their homes were tended to by rescue officials as well as neighbors and ordinary citizens. Life within the city slowly, but gradually returned to normalcy. Meteorologists across the world were all equally stumped as to the blizzard's sudden formation and dissipation. Ultimately, it was chalked up to a powerful Ice-type Pokémon, or group of Pokémon, that wreaked havoc upon the weather — intentionally or not.

 

The trees in the forests around Route 35, which were totally covered in white, began to thaw out. Snow sloughed off the limbs and leaves, onto the blanket of snow upon the ground where it soon melted. Everything soon returned to normal, lush green foliage. The group of four Pokémon-like young people had an incredibly far-reaching impact upon the environment than they ever considered they would have.

 

At the siblings' cabin, just after lunch, the two little Pichu, Poka and Chika, laughed as they played 'tag' in the grassy field. Latoshi smiled, watching over the pair who were finally able to enjoy the sunny outdoors.

 

“Whew,” Antoshi remarked, walking outside with a glass of lemonade in hand. “Another scorcher, huh?” He and his brother grinned to each other as they stood together. The two were back to wearing comfortable tank tops in their own respective favorite colors, along with loose-fit shorts.

 

“Sure is,” Latoshi replied, looking up at the clear, blue sky. “I'm never taking another summer day for granted.”

 

“That's for sure,” Antoshi said. Both of them chuckled. “So, how's the arm?”

 

Latoshi looked at his previously broken arm, flexing it around and rolling his shoulder. “It's great. Serenity's a miracle worker.”

 

“I definitely know that from experience.”

 

The two brothers smiled for a few moments, watching the pair of Pichu play as they reflected upon their experiences as of late.

 

“Hey,” Latoshi spoke up, “I just wanted to apologize again for … being a dick to you when I was fighting Celeste.”

 

Antoshi smiled and shook his head. “No apology necessary. It's, … you know, it's a learning process — for all of us. All three of us aren't used to having siblings, or living in the same house together all the time. … I was selfish, too. When we were all learning that we were … related, I was only focused on myself; how I felt about it, what I wanted. I never stopped to think about how you and Mitoshi felt, and what both of you wanted.”

 

“Oh, yeah?” Latoshi asked, grinning in amusement. “You're telling me the infallible Antoshi can make mistakes, too?”

 

“I most certainly am saying that,” Antoshi replied, grinning back at him. “But, still, I couldn't be any happier or any prouder to have you and Mitoshi as my siblings.”

 

Latoshi's grin shifted into a warm, content smile. “Yeah, same here.”

 

"Oh, man!" Fireball exclaimed, ecstatically, as he burst out the front door to join the two brothers. "Antoshi, you make the best waffles in the whole world! That's it — from now on, you're our personal waffle chef. What's that? 'What a great idea, Fireball'? I know it is. You can thank me later."

 

Antoshi grinned, scoffing as he rolled his eyes. “Come on, Fireball, it's just waffles. It's not that big of a deal.”

 

"'Not that big of a deal'?!" Fireball exclaimed. "Antoshi, that's my favorite food in the whole world! And, you managed to perfect it!"

 

“He's got a point,” Latoshi said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “They were pretty damn good waffles.”

 

Antoshi laughed, looking at him in surprise. “Oh, were you just waiting for Fireball to mention it before you finally decided to say something?”

 

“Yes, actually,” the sable-haired boy replied with a sly smirk. “Somehow, I had the weirdest feeling he was going to rave about them.”

 

“Oh, you haven't started yet, have you?!” Mitoshi exclaimed, holding the door open for Bubbles as the Lapras slid herself out onto the porch. “Wait for us!”

 

"Yes, this is going to be quite exciting to watch," Bubbles chimed in, smiling. "Thank you very much, Miss Mitoshi."

 

“Ooh, I'm so excited,” Mitoshi said, prancing in place next to her brothers. “Come on, come on!”

 

“Yeah, Latoshi,” Antoshi added, “don't chicken out on us.” The others chuckled softly.

 

Latoshi took a deep breath and sighed. His hand was trembling a bit with nervousness as he took something out of his pocket. He gazed down at his open palm, and the two, minimized Poké Balls he held.

 

"You can do it, Latoshi," Fireball cheered, quietly.

 

“I'm really nervous,” Latoshi admitted with a soft laugh. “What if … what if they don't want to be with me?”

 

Antoshi placed a reassuring hand on Latoshi's shoulder. “It's like they say: 'you don't choose a Pokémon; a Pokémon chooses you.' Those two Pichu love you to pieces. I think it's time to make it official.”

 

Latoshi swallowed the lump in his throat, nodding in agreement. “Hey, Poka! Chika!” he called out, bringing the pair's play to a sudden halt as they looked over at him. “Come on over here!”

 

The Pichu siblings laughed happily as they scampered over to him, heading up the porch steps.

 

"What is it?" Chika asked in excitement as they looked up at him with shining faces. Latoshi smiled warmly, kneeling down in front of them. The pair of Pichu loved him to pieces, and he knew he loved them back just the same. He was ready and certain about the lifelong commitment he was about to undertake.

 

“Well, you know,” Latoshi started, “I really … enjoy having the two of you around. Even though you've barely spent any time here, you both already feel like part of our family. So, I just wanted to ask: … would you like to stay here … with us? … With me?”

 

Poka and Chika were surprised at first as he held out his hand to show them the Poké Balls he held. They looked at each other, as though conferring mentally. They had always seen those devices as nothing more than imprisonment; a way for humans to enslave Pokémon and act as their masters. The pair held a dour opinion of humans for so long. Being with Latoshi, learning how much fun and how good it felt to be with him, and becoming part of a family with Fireball and the others certainly changed their outlook. Latoshi had been so kind, caring, and thoughtful toward them. The sable-haired boy literally saved their lives.

 

The Pichu twins needed just a moment to think it over before turning and nodding to him in unison, both of them grinning. Latoshi sighed in relief, swallowing yet another lump in his throat.

 

“Well, then,” he said, pressing the buttons on the Poké Balls to expand them to their normal size. He placed them down on the ground in front of the twins. “Welcome home.”

 

"All right!" the two of them exclaimed just before they both pressed down on the buttons of the Poké Balls. The balls opened suddenly, reducing the two to flashes of light and pulled them inside their own respective accommodations before snapping shut. The buttons blinked red as the devices wiggled around for a couple moments. Once the commotion died down and the blinking ceased, the two were officially set in their new Poké Balls, under Latoshi's care. Latoshi had an omnipresent smile upon his face while the others cheered.

 

“Congratulations, Latoshi,” Antoshi said as his brother stood up, “you're a Pokémon Trainer now.”

 

Latoshi smiled, gazing down at the pair of Poké Balls in his hand. “You know, I never thought much about these things. They never seemed … all that special to me. … Suddenly, I have a whole new respect for them and what they represent. These little trinkets that I always considered nothing more than 'toy balls that kids throw around', … they're an important part of my life now. It's like … they're a symbol of my bond with Poka and Chika.”

 

“Well put, Latoshi,” Mitoshi remarked, grinning happily. “I couldn't agree more. I'll never forget that moment when Bubbles was set into her Poké Ball.” She laughed in amusement. “It's almost like her second home now!”

 

Bubbles held her head down, blushing as she grinned coyly.

 

“Yep,” Antoshi said, putting an arm around Fireball, who smiled at him, “being a Pokémon Trainer is a big responsibility. You sure you're ready to handle it?”

 

“You bet,” Latoshi replied, smirking confidently, as he prepared to throw the Poké Balls into the field.

 

"Wait!" Fireball exclaimed. The large Typhlosion headed out into the grass on all fours before standing upright. "Okay, now!"

 

Latoshi scoffed in amusement, shaking his head, tossing out the balls without incident this time. They snapped open, releasing the tiny Electric-types from their confines. The pair giggled and instantly started to chase Fireball around in the grass, as if nothing had happened.

 

“So, then,” Antoshi said, walking down the porch steps before turning to his siblings, “how's about a little training?”

 

Latoshi scoffed, following behind his brother. “Like you even have to ask.”

 

Mitoshi hopped down to the grass, giggling in excitement. “How about … first one to give up has to do the dishes tonight?”

 

“Looks like Latoshi is doing the dishes, then,” Antoshi teased. Latoshi's eyes lit up, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“Oh, are you seriously laying down a challenge?” Latoshi replied, laughing as the three of them casually began to spar.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

At the same time, miles away, the sibling trio were being watched from afar. Wearing a gray on white three piece suit and necktie, along with immaculately polished white dress shoes, Collin sat casually on one of the benches along Route 35, smiling in content as he stared in the direction the siblings. Passing travelers, people and their Pokémon, went by him in either direction. He did not need a direct line of sight to them, able to gauge what they were doing simply through detection of their Ki.

 

“Hello, Serenity,” he said without so much as glancing at his sister, who took a seat next to him. “To what do I owe the honor of your company?”

 

“I'm just here to see how you're doing,” she replied, looking over at him, her hands neatly folded on her lap. The young woman wore a pink tunic top, a pair of skinny jeans, and white sneakers. She turned her attention to the siblings' Ki as well.

 

“I'm doing just fine,” he reassured her. “As you well know, I have a new hobby to keep myself busy. Three new hobbies, to be precise.” Serenity turned to him briefly with a glint of concern in her eyes. “The three of them have such fascinating potential. You feel it the same as I do — that unerring sense of justice in their hearts, willing them forward, burning with hope and passion. Yet, all the while, keeping that same feeling of purity and innocence about them.”

 

“I do sense that,” she replied. “That's what drew me toward Antoshi in the first place. His fight against Lazarus was inspiring, as was Latoshi's inner struggle.”

 

“Yes, the two of them did well to drive off the old parasite. That group of four rapscallions they fought a few days ago offered a very unique flavor of danger to our three young heroes — and what heroes they turned out to be. Saving lives, infrastructure, climate, … they raced right in and dealt with the culprits like firefighters running into a burning building. I am impressed that they pushed through and were victorious over much tougher foes. Very impressed…”

 

Serenity stared hard at her brother for a moment. She could only wonder what it was that Collin wanted out of the sibling trio; what he was pondering behind that small, content smile of his. While she had a strong hunch, she still needed to probe further.

 

“You have something planned, Collin — I know that much. What do you hope to accomplish?”

 

Collin chuckled. “The only thing I have planned is to simply watch them grow. I am insatiably curious about their ability, where it leads them, and how much they continue to shatter their own limits. Yes, the three of them will serve as a very entertaining hobby for the foreseeable future.”

 

Serenity pursed her lips, worried. “Collin—”

 

“You know,” he interrupted her, “I've been studying them, and I realized the three of them not only mesh together so well, they also manage to cover each other's weaknesses. Antoshi's trait is speed, Latoshi's is power, and, all things considered, Mitoshi's strength is in her defense. The three of them have an unbelievable symbiosis that compliments their counterpart's strengths. I'd surmise that if the three of them learn how to fight as a cohesive unit, they would be unbeatable. Yes, … they're still so rough around the edges, but they adapt quickly. Along with their confidence and resolve, they'll become incredible fighters yet — I'm sure of it.”

 

With a content sigh, Collin rose to his feet, dusting off his clothing.

 

“Collin, wait,” she said, standing up as well. “Tell me what it is that you have planned.”

 

He grinned in amusement. “Now, now, Serenity, where's the fun in that? You know I can't very well spoil the surprise. However, you can take solace in the fact I don't intend to harm the three youngsters. They have such a bright future ahead of them.” He turned and walked away, flashing her a casual wave from behind before sliding his hands in his pockets and whistling a tune.

 

Serenity sighed heavily, turning her attention to the siblings once again. She was left to mull over the perplexing, unsettling intricacies of Collin's mindset.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

Later that evening, the sibling trio and Fireball sat at the kitchen island while having their supper of pasta salad. Bubbles was set up on the end of the island, none of them minding that she ate — very quietly, at that — directly off the plate. Inside the kitchen, Poka and Chika ate their own meal of kibble-like Pokémon food, which they'd come to enjoy, out of their own individual bowls on the floor.

 

“I have a question,” Latoshi said, amid the sounds of forks clinking against plates. “Why doesn't this place have a fireplace or a heater or something?”

 

“Because we only ever visited the cabin in the spring and summer,” Mitoshi replied. “Surprisingly, we don't need heat during those times of the year, … barring any freak snowstorms, of course.” The others chuckled in response.

 

“Speaking of which,” Antoshi said, briefly taking a sip of water from his glass, “I wonder how 'The Clique' is doing now.”

 

“I really hope they're going to be fine,” Mitoshi said, softly. “It's … probably going to take some time for them to … let go of all that animosity they had, huh?”

 

“Yeah,” Latoshi remarked before taking another bite of food.

 

“Hopefully, we'll see them again soon,” Antoshi said, smiling.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

In the woods between Route 35 and 36, Ken sat looking up at the clear evening sky, leaning back on his hands, wings folded against his back. He was still wearing the same clothing since his battle with Antoshi, including the tattered shirt. The ground around him was littered with a handful of half-eaten Oran Berries — bulbous, blue fruits with green stems on the top. The sounds of Celeste complaining at Kage for something trivial rang out in the distance, as was typical for the pair. Myst came over and sat by Ken. She was constantly elated to see him, cherishing the time spent with him even more after watching him nearly perish.

 

“How are you feeling?” she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder before resting her head atop it.

 

“Honestly, kind of bored,” he replied, smiling at her.

 

“Yeah, well, that's pretty normal for us, isn't it?” she replied, smiling just the same.

 

“That whole adventure we had, the fights against Antoshi and his siblings, it was … pretty thrilling. It reminded me of the way the four of us used to live our lives like an action movie all the time.”

 

“Those were some exciting moments — both then, and now. … You know, we don't have to stop living our lives the way we used to just because we're … different now, Ken. There's probably all sorts of exciting mischief we can get into again, … without endangering peoples' lives.”

 

“I guess, but, … thinking back on the old days, it just seemed like stupid kid stuff, you know? Those three siblings, even though they're younger than us, act more like adults than we ever have. Being around them was … different. Different and interesting. I think that was part of the reason why I even wanted to go through with our plan — because I was just so bored of the monotony, the sadness, the hatred we all shared for so long. … Anyway, I just hope those three kids don't forget about us.”

 

Myst chuckled, lifting her head up to meet his. “Well, if worse comes to worse, I'd never forget about you.” Ken grinned in the instant before the two of them shared a brief kiss. After which, Myst sighed in content, resting her head on his shoulder again while he looked toward the clouds once more.

 

⁂    ⁂    ⁂

 

In the dead of night, Latoshi found himself awake, drawn into sitting up in his bed by an unknown force. There was a cold, ominous dread in his heart that he couldn't explain. He looked over, finding Poka and Chika sleeping peacefully on the other half of the bed. He was trembling as he got to his feet, panting in shallow breaths, heading slowly toward his bedroom door. Latoshi turned the knob slowly, fearing what was on the other side. The door swung open as if on its own, and he gasped in horror to see nothing but inky darkness obscuring the living area.

 

“No,” he whispered. “It couldn't be…”

 

"Oh, but, it is," Lazarus hissed. "I told you not to forget about me, did I not, Latoshi?"

 

The boy panted heavily, sweat rolling down his face as he glared bitterly at the parasitic spirit. Its presence felt so much more honest and real than it did during the hallucination Kage put him through. He wasn't merely living a horrible memory — he was interacting with a horrible reality.

 

“Leave here — now,” he demanded, his voice quavering.

 

"My, you have gotten so stringent in my absence. What a wonderful, little home you acquired for yourself. It would be quite a shame if something were to perhaps … incinerate it." Latoshi bit his trembling lip. "Should I visit your stubborn brother again? Or your darling new sister? I might even be inclined to recruit those two little Pichu into my fold. You have so many weaknesses now, Latoshi, it will be quite a fun game to choose which I exploit first."

 

“Leave my family alone, or I will erase you for good.”

 

Lazarus chuckled in amusement. "You have no idea how to truly deal with me, though. Collin may have figured out my secrets, but you are too much a pathetic, ignorant little child to know where to look first. You will never be as powerful as Collin, and you will never be rid of me."

 

“Shut up!” Latoshi screamed, firing a blast of green energy from his open hand. Lazarus laughed loudly as the energy dissipated inside of its amorphous form.

 

"Stupid, stupid little brat," Lazarus replied. "Do not worry. Once I inevitably regain my control over you, I will make certain never to let you think freely ever again…"

 

Latoshi shouted in terror as Lazarus' spirit began to surround him like a cloak of pure darkness, cackling wildly.

 

The sable-haired boy jolted awake with a terrified gasp. He sat up, clutching his chest while his heart pounded intensely. He was covered in a cold sweat from head to toe. Latoshi glanced over, seeing that the Pichu twins were indeed sleeping peacefully beside him. He ran a shaky hand through his dark hair, taking a moment to catch his breath and look at the clock on his nightstand: 2:02 A.M.

 

‘He can't be coming back,’ Latoshi thought, shaking his head. ‘That was just … some stupid, horrible nightmare. He's no match now for the three of us.’

 

Latoshi swallowed the lump in his throat, sliding out of bed to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen.

 

After Latoshi headed back to bed, a poster carried by the breeze wafted toward the siblings' cabin. It snagged momentarily on the porch steps — a faded advertisement for an upcoming carnival and its main attraction: the circus.

 

 

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— End of Part 5 —

 

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(To be continued in Part 6...)