PARAGON

  Hisui Incursion Arc [27]

  Chapter 79 : The Four Clans of Hisui

  Hisui Region - Alabaster Icelands

  A sour scent filled the air as a long, violet feather whipped in the wind.

  Fiery gravel fluttered to the snowy ground with the shake of a rocky hide.

  Arcanine and Sneasler glowered at each other, neither showing a hint of fear or submission in the face of the other. Arcanine’s nostrils flared and a cloud of embers snorted out. At the same time, Sneasler raked her claws together, releasing a high-pitched keening. She pulled her foot back and smirked.

  A low roar echoed through the icy slopes as a column of fire ripped toward Sneasler, pouring out of Arcanine’s maw in a merciless stream. Sneasler hissed and leaped just as the flames screamed past her, leaving a crater of snow in her wake as she somersaulted over Arcanine. Once she was right above him, she twisted in the air and jammed her spiky fist into Arcanine’s back. The ferocious lion-dog growled as his hindleg buckled beneath the assault, blood-red poison seeping down his dark back.

  However, before his knee touched the ground, he suddenly rolled away, spraying snow as his massive body tore up the landscape. He glared at his assailant and blitzed forward. Sneasler’s eyes widened as Arcanine careened into her like a truck, sending her barreling across the snow. Her claws found a handhold in the ground, and she flipped back to her feet, licking her lips as she wiped her face with her arm.

  “Stand down, Arcanine!” Rei commanded.

  “That’s enough, Sneasler!” Akari said.

  Their pokémon kept their eyes trained on each other several seconds longer, before breaking it off and lowering their guards.

  Ash started to clap, and the others soon joined him, leaving both Rei and Akari blushing in embarrassment.

  “Their strength has multiplied,” Laventon said in awe. “Not only are their attacks stronger, but they can also endure far more punishment.”

  “Their Auras are burning like fire,” Riley agreed. “The push to evolve them has clearly paid off.” He glanced back at Sabrina and nodded approvingly.

  Sabrina smiled and looked down, though she glimmered proudly.

  “Now it’s Pikachu’s turn!” Yura declared.

  Upon Ash’s shoulder, Pikachu’s ears drooped and he chuckled timidly, not wanting to rebuke the young girl as forcefully as he usually would when someone suggested that. Ash grinned at his partner’s unease.

  “Nah, Pikachu doesn’t need to,” Ash said, scratching behind his ear. “What do you say, Rei or Akari? Do either of you want to battle me now?”

  Both young trainers suddenly found the surrounding landscape very interesting.

  “Oh, ha ha, I don’t know…” Akari said, kicking up a bit of snow.

  “Maybe later…” Rei offered.

  Sneasler rolled her eyes and Arcanine’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. But before their pokémon could protest any further, their trainers recalled them.

  Ash shrugged. “I’m down whenever you are.”

  As they started moving again, Sabrina rapped him gently on the arm. “Leave them be.”

  “Overprotective of your students?” Ash smiled, and an embarrassed smile broke across Sabrina’s face.

  The perpetual drizzle of snow in the northern Icelands had long since covered the tracks they’d made when they first crossed the mountains to reach Raphael’s abode, so an unbroken expanse of white stretched out all around them, rolling over hills and short mountains. Spruces trees crowned in snow and sleet pocketed the rocky plains, standing tall amidst various wild pokémon who were wise enough to avoid the powerhouse group.

  They’d departed from the hot springs this morning after bidding farewell to Raphael. He waved them off with a stoic sternness, his massive Altaria behind him, watching them warily as they left. Good luck, he’d said. I’ll be watching from afar.

  A couple hours later, once the springs were well and truly behind them, and the wild frontiers once again surrounded them on all sides, Rei and Akari released their ace pokémon to trigger their evolutions. And of course, after they’d taken a few minutes to adjust to their new bodies, Rei and Akari immediately challenged each other to a battle, with a caveat from Laventon that they couldn’t be too serious, lest they impair their ability to repel wild pokémon attacks.

  In front of Ash, Laventon distributed rawst berries to Akari and pecha berries to Rei that he’d dug out from his pack in an anxious hurry, and the two young trainers accepted them with sardonic nonchalance.

  However, Ash understood Laventon’s concern. The two pokémon still weren’t used to their newfound strength. A serious tussle between the two could’ve easily incapacitated either of them for days. That was the extent of their power.

  Not to mention, they were huge.

  Sneasler was a full head taller than Ash, and Arcanine was even taller. The Weavile back in the present time were dwarves in comparison, as were the Kantonian Arcanine. They were a breath away from reaching Alpha Pokémon size. For that reason and more, Ash was serious about wanting to battle them. Their eyes held a wildness that modern pokémon simply didn’t have, and their ferocity gave them a significant edge in battle. He’d seen it firsthand even before their evolutions. And that aggression would only fuel greater strength in their fully realized bodies.

  Evolving pokémon to make them stronger was a given.

  But that Sabrina had explicitly recommended it for Rei and Akari suggested that she’d somehow known they’d turn out this way. She must have sensed their latent ferocity and realized they’d need to reach their final forms to take full advantage of it.

  She was walking next to him and he glanced over at her, but looked away just as quickly.

  Sabrina…

  Just when he thought he was starting to know her, she’d thrown a complete curveball…

  “A…A Mew,” Ash repeated breathlessly. “What do you mean you have a Mew?”

  “I have a Master Ball that has a Mew inside of it,” Sabrina said very matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah, I get that part!”

  Or did he? How did she get a Master Ball? Those things were supposed to be extremely rare, an urban legend, practically. Exorbitantly expensive for the genuine article, and finding replicas and fakes online were far more likely.

  “When did you meet…him? Her?” Ash asked.

  “Her…I think. I met Mew when I was ten.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  Sabrina blushed. “It’s…kind of embarrassing, isn’t it? It’d feel like bragging…”

  Fair enough…but also, a crazy secret to keep hidden. Ash wondered if Cynthia knew.

  “How did you meet her?”

  Ash himself had met a Mew before, and befriended Mewtwo. He was less surprised that Sabrina had caught a so-called legendary pokémon. Anabel had a couple, Cynthia had a couple, and N had Reshiram. He was far more surprised that she’d encountered one. She wasn’t a well-traveled trainer like he was, and based on her story, it sounded like she hadn’t ventured around outside very much at all until she joined the Paragon Organization.

  Sabrina twitched and her face suddenly reddened. “Sorry, I can’t tell you that, actually.” Her eyes darted across the surface of the water. “Um…” She rubbed her arm and glanced over at him. “O-One day, I’ll tell you,” she murmured. “I promise.”

  Given how forthcoming she’d been thus far, that had surprised Ash, but he suppressed his curiosity and didn’t push the topic any further. Evidently, her Mew had not made it back in time with them like Pikachu had, and though Ash asked, Sabrina said she’d been unable to contact the mythical pokémon from here. Nevertheless, the existence of her Mew, along with everything else she’d told him yesterday, weighed heavily on his mind.

  “What?”

  Ash blinked. “Huh?”

  “You’re staring at me,” Sabrina said, her dark eyes alight with suspicion.

  “O-Oh.” Ash swiftly glanced away. “Sorry.” This was getting bad. He hadn’t even realized.

  “Look at those two,” Sabrina said, pointing ahead.

  Ash breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he’d successfully covered himself.

  Ahead of them, Akari and Rei walked together, leading the pack. They were so close to each other that their arms brushed against each other as they walked, though neither seemed to notice. They kept their eyes glued to the terrain, for the most part, alert to any potential wild pokémon, though every now and then, one would lean even closer to the other to say something in a hushed tone.

  “What do you think?” Sabrina said, her brows furrowed as she studied them.

  “What do I think?” Ash asked. He scratched his head nervously. “What do you mean?”

  “You know…” Sabrina’s shyness crept back up.

  Ash felt his face heat up. “I told you, I really don’t know anything about…that.”

  Sabrina whipped toward him, scowling. “‘That?’ What is ‘that?’” Her cheeks seemed to brighten as she pressed him.

  “I mean…,” Ash said, sweating. “Romance…of course.”

  Sabrina nodded in approval. “I sensed something when we first met again at Raphael’s. Remember they came in a bit after us?”

  “Yeah…,” Ash lied. No, I didn’t notice that at all.

  “Something happened. What do you think it was?”

  “Who can say?” Ash said, stretching nonchalantly. He was not liking where this line of questioning was going. Good for Rei and Akari, whatever had happened, but Ash wanted off this train as soon as possible before it turned on him.

  Pikachu snickered on his shoulder and Ash tried to keep a poker face.

  “Hmmm.” Sabrina muttered to herself as she stared at them, as if actually trying to deduce the current state of their romance through some empirical method.

  Ash sighed silently, a puff of steam wafting out before him. This was going to be a long journey to the Platinum Settlement…

  Two weeks later, Coronet Highlands

  “It should be just through here,” Laventon said.

  “Yes! Here! Here!” Yura said excitedly.

  Cold winds blew around them but the group pressed on through the rocky cliffs of the Coronet Highlands. Waterfalls roared on either side of them, crashing down into basins far below. Wispy grass lined the balding ground, though they got denser and denser the further south they traveled.

  It’d taken them a week to get back to the Pearl Settlement, moving at a brisk clip courtesy of Yura and her depthless drive to return home. Laventon’s warnings that the town itself no longer existed, save for Cogita’s cabin, did not dampen her spirits at all, and every day, she awoke with a fiery vigor to press on even faster. Once at the Pearl Settlement, they resupplied and headed out once again. They were told Irida had already departed to meet them there.

  The second leg of their journey was also supposed to take longer, but as they neared the southeast edge of the Alabaster Icelands, a certain someone descended to accompany them.

  “Hey, slow down, Enamorus!” Rei called, panting as he took each step. His and Akari’s packs were both slung across his back and Akari and Yura walked hand in hand, carefree, at the front.

  Enamorus was far ahead of them, and she glanced back and stared at the boy for a few seconds, before resuming at the exact same pace. According to Laventon, this was exactly how she’d acted with him.

  “Ignored,” Riley sighed. “Ah, well, we can’t complain too much. How many obscure mountain paths did she lead us safely through?”

  “Enough that I can probably toss one of these packs full of extra food,” Rei huffed. “We’re days ahead of schedule at this point.”

  “Don’t toss the food,” Ash said sharply, and Pikachu squeaked in agreement on his shoulder.

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  Rei nodded in defeat and pressed on. He probably would’ve told Ash to carry all the extra food if he wanted it, but Ash was carrying his and Sabrina’s both already, like before.

  Initially, Ash had been shocked by Enamorus’ arrival, despite Laventon telling them all about her. Based on appearances alone, she appeared to be related to the Forces of Nature from Unova, but he couldn’t tell what force of nature she was supposed to represent. Flowers and unicorns and rainbows, if that garish pink was any indication.

  Eventually, the path narrowed and the fog thickened, but Laventon waved them forward. Akari had to physically hold Yura back from running ahead, so Ash could tell they were close.

  As they passed beneath a curtain of vines hanging from a stone arch, the fog seemed to fade. The furious mountain winds died down and the thundering falls ebbed away. Sunlight peeked through the vines shyly, and the grass at the feet was thick and smelled of soil.

  Ash frowned and glanced at Sabrina, whose interest looked just as aroused as his. Pikachu’s nose twitched and he jumped down to run ahead.

  “Do you hear that?” Sabrina whispered.

  Ash took a second to listen, but shook his head.

  Shadows and sunlight fell upon the clearing in an elysian blanket. The grass and trees both shined with an emerald verdance, and the whole clearing was resplendent with flowers and streams.

  Pikachu scampered back and smiled awkwardly, pointing ahead.

  Ash blinked. “Actually, yeah. I do hear that.”

  As they got closer, the voices did too.

  “—would think that. That’s just a bunch of nonsense from the swamps. Obviously, a mudbrain like you would think that.”

  “Is snow all you eat in the north? Your stories read like they were written by infants. No, stillborn fetuses!”

  The two voices didn’t cease even as the group walked closer, neither person noticing the new arrivals.

  Riley cleared his throat. “Sorry, I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

  Adaman and Irida swiveled on their heels at the same time.

  “Riley!” Adaman exclaimed, unflapped. “You all made it!”

  Irida’s face, however, was scarlet in embarrassment. “Everyone! It’s good to see you again. I’m sorry I left ahead of you. But I knew this guy—,” she thumbed Adaman and scowled, “—would never let me hear the end of it if I was late.”

  Adaman smirked and shrugged dramatically. “And yet you were still late. Lost in the mountains. I didn’t even know such a thing was possible for a woman of the north.”

  “Shut up! You just got here early, you childish twat!”

  “Ooh, not in front of the kids!” Adaman chortled.

  Rei chuckled nervously. “Er…what were you guys arguing about before?”

  Irida scoffed. “This guy actually thinks Father Sinnoh’s true identity is Dialga!” she said, glaring. “The evidence isn’t just circumstantial, it’s nonexistent!”

  “The same could be said of your far more ludicrous claim that Palkia is Father Sinnoh,” Adaman cooed, actually sounding a tad serious.

  Ash smiled politely. Neither of them are right. And I thought Laventon said the modern Diamond and Pearl Clans didn’t really care about this argument anymore.

  As the two continued to bicker, Yura walked between them aimlessly without a care, looking around at the overgrown remnants of her hometown. As Adaman and Irida noticed her, they quieted down.

  She continued to pace forward, glancing all around. Surely she was imagining where all the houses and streets used to be, before Enamorus’ overgrowth swallowed up their charred remains.

  “Irida,” Ash said. “Adaman. Can you tell us where Cogita is?”

  Adaman and Irida glanced between each other, and Adaman pointed back at the lone cottage.

  “Hope we didn’t disturb her,” Irida mumbled.

  Yura walked toward the cottage slowly, everyone behind her forgotten. Ash stole a glance at Sabrina and noticed she seemed to be holding back from following Yura; her lips were tightly pursed and she held her bare wrist in hand.

  The sound of the door unlatching stopped Yura in her tracks, and a moment later, it opened.

  A woman with platinum blonde hair tied up beneath a wide brimmed black hat stuck her head out. “Oh, are you two done for today? I—“

  Then her eyes fell on Yura.

  Yura dashed across the field as fast as her short legs could carry her. “Old miss!”

  “Yura!” Cogita cried, racing out to meet her.

  The two embraced, Cogita clutching Yura so tightly it looked like she was choking the life out of her. Her slender arms held Yura in an iron hold and she nestled her face on the girl’s shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh…dear girl.”

  Yura’s sobs could be heard from behind Cogita, and again, Ash glanced at Sabrina. This time, she was biting her lip, but her eyes were glassy, tears already welled in them, waiting for a singular blink before they fell. Her nose was red.

  Ash felt a slight nudge from behind, and he looked back. Riley glanced at Sabrina, then nodded at her hand. He looked at Ash with an expression that said nothing, but the suggestion was clear.

  Ash steeled himself and, facing forward, grabbed Sabrina’s hand. She flinched, but like him, kept her gaze forward. She sniffled, then wrapped her fingers around his hand, accepting the gesture. Ash felt a bit guilty, feeling like he was taking advantage of the situation, but his heart was hammering too hard for any prolonged thoughts to take root.

  Eventually, Cogita and Yura pulled apart, and they smiled at each other, both of their faces stained with tears.

  “You’ve grown taller, Yura,” Cogita said, looking her up and down. “You must be eating your vegetables.”

  Yura smiled proudly. “Yup! You need to try our adventure soup! It has lots of vegetables, but it’s still really good for some reason! Akari and Professor Laventon make it! And you have to see Rei’s Arcanine! He just evolved and he’s huuuuge! Oh, and look right there! That’s Pikachu!” she exclaimed, pointing.

  “I already met Pikachu!” Cogita giggled, and she waved at the mouse. Then she glanced around the group. “Yura, where’s Shieldon?”

  “Oh!”

  Yura unclipped her pokéball and released her stoic companion. As expected, he had no reaction to Cogita, or the fact that he was finally home.

  “Shieldon!” Cogita cried, dipping her head. “Thank you for protecting Yura! You did such a wonderful job! You…You’re incredible!”

  Shieldon snorted and Yura rubbed his head affectionately.

  “A heartwarming reunion… I am ashamed that it took this long.”

  In the doorway of Cogita’s cottage stood a man in dark iron armor, a violet cloak draped over his broad shoulders. A katana of the same hue sat tied to his belt, alongside numerous pokéballs.

  “Leader Kamado!” Laventon said, surging forward. “I’m glad you came!”

  Kamado grunted and crossed his arms. “I’m the one who should be glad you’re all okay. You’ve been on quite the journey as I understand.”

  Cogita pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. “Oh, yes, that’s what I was going to say! I’ve prepared lunch inside, if you’re ready for it. I wasn’t expecting you all to arrive today, but please do come inside. I’ll make sure you’re all well fed!”

  It was a tight fit, but they all had a seat at Cogita’s roundtable. The lunch in question was an array of handmade onigiri accompanied by a pot of tea, and Cogita was at her counter hard at work making more, joined by Yura, and Akari, who’d offered to help. Laventon sat beside Kamado and Rei, and had already begun the lengthy debrief, while Riley kept the peace between Adaman and Irida, engaging them in what sounded like questioning about the history of Dialga and Palkia in Hisui.

  Ash stared at Cogita’s profile as she worked, before turning back to Sabrina, who sat beside him.

  “I know they’re cousins but the resemblance is uncanny,” he said, a bit unnerved.

  “Strong genes,” she agreed. Leaning closer, she covered her mouth. “She looks exactly like Cynthia,” she whispered.

  “It’s crazy,” Ash said, suppressing a shudder. “Who do you think is Cynthia’s ancestor? Volo or Cogita?”

  Sabrina scowled. “Obviously Cogita!”

  Ash chuckled. “Right.”

  “Plus, if you’re about to defeat Volo here, hopefully that means he never has kids.”

  Ash sighed wearily. “I’ve long since given up thinking about what sorts of paradoxes we may be causing. Whatever happens, let’s just hope it aligns with whatever the universe has in mind.”

  “Or whatever Arceus has in mind,” Sabrina added.

  “Or that.”

  Ash scooted aside as Yura pushed past him, helping Cogita place a second tray of onigiri down on the table.

  “Sorry for the wait,” Cogita sang, untying her apron. “Now we can get started.”

  “Let’s eat!” Rei declared, digging in.

  Several minutes passed as all assembled scarfed down their lunch with varying levels of decorum. But Kamado finished his first and leaned back, signaling the beginning of their meeting.

  “So,” he began. “Volo is the menace behind it all then, hm?”

  Cogita placed her teacup down and fixed Kamado with a stern look. “Yes.”

  “I’d like to know how exactly he was able to accomplish this,” Adaman said. “Not only is he capable of ripping open a hole in reality, but he also has some sort of memory manipulation ability which caused us all to forget about the existence of the Platinum Clan and its leader.”

  “Not only that, but this ability affected everyone in Hisui,” Irida said. “No one, from the Obsidian Fieldlands to the Alabaster Icelands has any recollection of the Platinum Clan or Settlement. Mentions of those names also appear to have been wiped from our maps and other records, leaving no trace it ever existed behind.” She turned to Cogita. “I’m sorry, Miss Cogita. Everything you’ve told me over the past few days of our past meetings… None of it is familiar to me.”

  Cogita waved her hand. “Of course I don’t blame you. I held out hope for a time that maybe some part of Hisui was spared from this mysterious amnesia, but those hopes were dashed a few weeks ago when Enamorus brought Professor Laventon here and he treated me like a stranger.”

  “Sorry…” Laventon murmured.

  “But someone was spared,” Sabrina said. “Yura wasn’t affected.”

  Cogita nodded, and all eyes turned to Yura, who smiled awkwardly in her seat, her face full of rice.

  “I’ve been thinking about that, and I have a theory,” Ash said, raising his hand. “The Plates respond to the bearer’s intentions. That’s how it works for me, anyway. I imagine the reason has to do with the way he went about manifesting his intentions. Probably, Volo commanded the Plate to ‘make all the other Settlements in Hisui forget about the Platinum Clan,’ or something like that. Since he believed he killed everyone in the Platinum Clan that night, he would’ve had no reason to include the Platinum Clan in his command.”

  “But…could he really do something like that?” Akari asked. “Erase the memories of everyone in Hisui…?” She raised a hand to her head. “So easily?”

  “She’s right,” Rei said. “It’s not like we even noticed it happened. Is there anything else he could have made us forget?”

  Ash’s eyes narrowed. “With the power of the Plates, it’s definitely possible.”

  “By a twist of fate, however, the three of us arrived in Hisui through the rift, and were never affected by Volo’s influence,” Riley said. “You can use us as a point of reference.”

  “Can we?” Kamado rumbled. “What’s stopping Volo from erasing your memories too? As a matter of fact, why didn’t he purge your memories of his treachery the moment he could after your battle? How is it that all of us still know about his true identity?”

  “Two points,” Ash said. “First, he was severely injured after our battle and would’ve needed time to recover. For a technique that affects an entire region, he’d need lots of energy. Though he’s certainly capable of it, it’s probably not a technique he can use often. Second, and this is just an educated guess, but I don’t think he could wipe my memories as easily as everyone else’s, as a fellow Platebearer. And if I can keep my memories, then there’s no point in wiping everyone else’s.”

  “And third,” Sabrina said. “I would have sensed his power immediately if he used a technique like that after we arrived in Hisui. I’m sure even if my memory was erased, I’d at least realize something had happened. But nothing like that has happened since we arrived.”

  Cogita rubbed her fingers, staring listlessly down at the table. “The question I haven’t been able to answer is why he would do this. To burn the Platinum Settlement and massacre everyone here…even that I can chalk up to power-hungry psychopathy. But why erase everyone’s memory afterwards? What purpose does it serve?”

  The table fell silent, but even after a minute, no one produced an answer.

  “You said the Platinum Clan worshipped Giratina in the past, correct?” Riley asked. “We recently learned that it is none other than Giratina who created the portal over Mount Coronet and is likely working with Volo right now. Did your clan have any history on Giratina that Volo may have wanted to purge?”

  Cogita frowned. “Maybe. But those memories were not erased. I still remember everything about what our ancestors wrote about Giratina, even though the murals were destroyed.”

  “You think you know everything,” Kamado said. “But you may have simply forgotten, and forgotten that you’d forgotten.”

  Cogita blushed and nodded. “I suppose you’re right. But I still remember Giratina’s primary mythos. Giratina is said to be an ancient dragon. One of the first, if not, the first pokémon ever created. A creature of unparalleled power who seeks to spread its influence across all of existence, infecting alternate dimensions and realities with its presence almost like a plague. Our ancestors believed all life in Hisui emerged from Giratina’s shadow as it moved through the cosmos.”

  “Humble beginnings,” Rei muttered.

  “If Volo is as strong as you make him out to be, you will need our help,” Kamado said. “I can muster the rest of the Survey Corps and the Security Corps to march on the Temple of Sinnoh.”

  “The Pearl Clan has warriors as well,” Irida said. “For the sake of Hisui, I pledge them to this cause.”

  “The men of the Diamond Clan can be at the summit of Mount Coronet before month’s end,” Adaman said.

  Ash and Riley glanced at each other.

  “No need,” the Guardian said, a smile tugging at his lips. “Tell your men to stay home. Ash Ketchum will defeat Volo for you.”

  “Absurdity,” Kamado snorted.

  “It’s not,” Ash said. “We’re the only ones who stand a chance against him. I’m sorry, but you all would only get yourselves killed.”

  “Defending all of Hisui from a madman… Is there a more noble way to go?” Adaman said.

  “It’d be purposeless,” Riley said sternly. “I understand putting your life on the line to defend your home, believe me. But there is no honor in throwing yourself upon an enemy’s blade.”

  Kamado crossed his arms and scowled. “Are you telling us to stand back and let outsiders clean up his heavenly mess for us?”

  “Don’t worry, Leader, we’ll be there too to represent Hisui!” Akari said, pumping her fist.

  “Uhh, no you won’t,” Ash said. “You guys are staying behind too.”

  “What?!” Rei demanded. “After everything we’ve been through? We took out that Avalugg, remember?”

  Laventon closed his eyes and smiled nervously. “Come now, Rei. Akari. There are times when the Survey Corps must retreat, you know that. But above all, in the Survey Corps, we trust our comrades. Especially when they’re asking us to rely on them.”

  Rei and Akari both glared at the table.

  “If that is the plan, when is the confrontation?” Irida asked. “Are you setting out for Mount Coronet later today?”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Sabrina said. “We’ll take the rest of today to rest. Then, tomorrow, I can take us to the summit immediately. Hopefully we can catch Volo by surprise and avoid any traps he may have set on the path up.”

  Ash stared at Sabrina. Sabrina… You mean your teleportation…? She’d said she could only teleport to places she’d been to before… Just how much strain was she about to put herself under?

  Cogita’s brows wrinkled, clearly torn on the decision being made. Surely she was glad Yura wouldn’t be accompanying them, but as the former leader of a clan herself, she probably shared Kamado, Adaman, and Irida’s feelings too. “I did not expect the fate of Hisui to be decided at my dinner table over tea.”

  Ash leveled his gaze at the table. “Hisui’s fate will be decided tomorrow. By this time then, I promise the nightmare will be over.”

  The next day

  Cogita of the Platinum Clan, Irida of the Pearl Clan, Adaman of the Diamond Clan, and Kamado of Jubilife Village, stood in a row, their cloaks billowing in the wind—black, red, blue, and violet.

  “Hisui has your thanks,” Kamado intoned. “You have my thanks.”

  Ash nodded. “Time for us to pay you back for your hospitality.”

  He walked away from them, toward Laventon, Rei, Akari, and Yura. Arcanine and Sneasler both stood sentinel behind them, glaring at Ash, Sabrina, and Riley.

  “Keep them safe for me, yeah?” Ash said, nodding back at the four elders.

  “The clan leaders are strong in their own right, but another layer of defense never hurts,” Laventon smiled. “Please, take care, you all.”

  “Volo is in for a rude awakening,” Riley said, winking.

  Taking a deep breath, Ash turned away from the Survey Corps and stalked toward Mount Coronet, where Sabrina was waiting. Pikachu purred softly on his shoulder and he forced himself to remain calm, lest his anxiety transfer over to his partner.

  “No big goodbye for Yura?” Ash asked.

  Sabrina shook her head. “I plan on seeing her again.”

  Ash grinned. “Right answer.” Smashing his fists together, he rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. “Time for the Paragon Organization to go to work.”

  The gauntlet around Sabrina’s wrist began to spin faster, and when she opened her eyes, they were nothing more than pits of scalding deep purple light. Ash felt a powerful psychic energy take hold around his body, and a moment later, he vanished.

  Next — Chapter 80 : Voidestria

  Next chapter will likely be late.