Apologies for the long delay. If you want culprits, here they are: school, forgetfulness, and having trouble keeping the plot within manageable boundaries.

Also, we're diving into the realm of actual violence here, though I think the rating is okay. I'm singularly bad at writing action, so more apologies here in advance. Use your imagination a bit.

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6

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The paved road was awash with dark red fluid, and what appeared to be body parts littered the once neatly-manicured lawns. Some were still recognizable as being human or Pokémon, lying in pools of blood, while others were mutilated and charred. The walls and ground looked as if someone had simply flung red paint everywhere, in a grotesque parody of art.

Dawn's breath came in quick gasps, her widened eyes fixated upon the scene in front of her, the smell assault her senses. So much death and blood. It felt like death was all around her, crushing her down, choking the life from her. Everywhere she looked, a horrific death had occurred. The maids and their Clefairy. Mr. Backlot and his butler. The exotic species that filled his treasured garden. Trainers that had come to visit, and their Pokémon. People that she had met, had talked to, had battled.

They lay dead, their blood pooling on the pavement and grass, their limbs scattered everywhere. Their lives ended so unceremoniously, so quickly. Dawn felt faint; she couldn't tear her gaze away, the images burned in her mind and –

A hand covered her eyes, another guiding her away, holding her trembling body against a solid, reassuring strength. "Don't look," said Cyrus' voice, though it was far too late for that.

So much blood. She hated blood, and had never understood how one's life could be ended so shortly, without a chance to fight, that people could be so cruel as to extinguish one another.

/

Cyrus' hardened gaze saw something that Dawn, in her horror, would have missed; the distinctive cyan bowl cuts of Galactic grunts, and the metallic glint of firearms. It was too late to hope that they hadn't noticed Dawn or heard her scream, but as usual, their response was slow.

And good thing! Wrapping one arm around Dawn's waist, Cyrus dragged her away and flung himself onto the ground behind the thick walls just as shots rang out. It would take too much luck to rely on their hopeless aim; with so many fools shooting, one of them was bound to hit.

In desperation, he tapped the catches of all of the Poké Balls on Dawn's belt, before setting her against the wall. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, and she seemed to be unaware of what was going on; her breath came in ragged gasps. It was clear that she would be providing little help to the situation, but it didn't matter as her team had already begun to act.

Torterra, with his considerable bulk, had interposed himself between them and the entrance, effectively shielding them from any light attack. The Continent Pokémon's hard shell could probably repel the bullets; however it soon became obvious that the protection from firearms was unnecessary.

There was an electric crackle, and Cyrus poked his head around the corner to see Rotom, whose ghostly form did not fear any manmade weapon, twirling in the center of the clearing. Floating in the air with it were countless guns and pistols, wrenched out of the grasp of their owners by the powerful magnetic field the small Pokémon was generating. Cyrus admired the intelligence of the plasma Pokémon, with its deep understanding of electromagnetism, which often eluded many a physics student.

This left the door open to the considerable offensive capabilities of Dawn's team. Staraptor's aerial assault kept the grunts on their toes, as she strafed them at the most unexpected times. Floatzel's water attacks drenched the opposition, leaving them vulnerable to the electricity crackling randomly, and Torterra had stomped out to block the entrance, launching ground-splitting Earthquakes with apparent ease.

Something nudged Cyrus' shoulder, and he turned to find his vision dominated by the flame-and-cream of Dawn's Rapidash. The fiery equine circled quickly to where Dawn was and then knelt down, staring at Cyrus, who quickly took in the import of that gaze.

The sheer independence of the Champion's Pokémon astounded him; it showed how incredibly well-trained they were, and their unparalleled ability to work together as a team. But most of all, their loyalty to Dawn shone; Rapidash was ready to spirit Dawn away to safety as the rest of them covered their tracks. There was so much trust between them, and her team readily turned that trust to Cyrus as well.

His own Pokémon were slowly joining in the offensive, as Cyrus placed Dawn on Rapidash's back. "Alright, go on," he said.

But Rapidash simply stared at him further, and when Cyrus did nothing, snorted and flicked her head in impatience.

"I would only slow you down if-"

Cyrus' words were cut off as he was bodily lifted from the ground, and slung over Rapidash's broad back; he looked back in time to see the blur of green and white that must have been Gallade before Rapidash took off, and the scene was quickly fading from sight. Rapidash's strides ate up the ground, and Cyrus could feel the heat shimmering around them as her mane streamed out, though not harming them in the least. It was all that he could do to cling on, because Cyrus knew full well that if he fell off, serious injury would likely result.

And then they were dodging people, pavement ringing out beneath Rapidash's hooves. Cyrus' stomach did another odd flip as they flew through the air over a large truck, and skidded to a halt in front of the Pokémon Center. He didn't dismount as much as just drop off into a heap on the ground, as their abrupt entrance drew the attention of the nurses and the nearby police.

Somehow, amidst all the noise and chaos, the local authorities manage to conclude that there was something going on at Mr. Backlot's mansion. Perhaps it was the Arcanine that appeared to be conversing with Rapidash, or that Dawn's Poké Gear was still on and the red dot was bleeping insistently. A team of uniformed officers departed immediately, using various modes of transportation, with Rapidash leading the way.

/

A mere hour later, the police forces returned; from what he heard, Cyrus concluded that a majority of the Galactic grunts had escaped. His Pokémon, along with Dawn's, had been treated quickly at the Pokémon Center, and were no more worse for the wear apart from a few scratches and strained muscles.

But the League Champion herself still appeared to be in shock. A few medical officers had attended to her, but they all said the same thing, that she would come out of it soon. The process, they had added, could speed up if given a secure, familiar environment. Given that knowledge, Cyrus had released her Pokémon from their Poké Balls, and they currently crowded around her, but she still stared at nothing, sitting on the grass outside the police station where Cyrus had put her down. Trembling, lost in her own thoughts as she stared into nothing.

Before, he would have condemned her as weak, would have used this as a show of how her compassion was pitiful, her emotions pathetic. He would have scoffed at the deaths of a few score people, seen them as a small sacrifice in light of obtaining his goal. Indeed, Cyrus had ended the lives of more people and Pokémon than he could care to remember, even if it had been from the indirect result of his actions, and hadn't lost a night's sleep over it.

So why had he pulled her away from the scene, shielded her from the sight, and tried to comfort her? Why had he treated her as if she were a fragile thing that needed to be protected from the harsh things of the world? Dawn was no longer a child, but he found himself compelled to preserve the innocence that she seemed to represent, some sort of purity that as a young boy, he had… yearned for.

As an adult, Cyrus had been convinced that such a thing couldn't exist, and had scorned human attempts at the sentiment as irrational. The only law was to survive, and to do that one had to be strong. And again, Dawn was the one to shatter this belief. He should have hated her for what she'd done to his world, or at least taken this opportunity to escape, but he couldn't bring himself to do either.

Suddenly breaking from the group encircling Dawn, her Floatzel bounded up to Cyrus, who had been watching from a distance. The water-type placed its paws around Cyrus' hand, and tugged, not enough to actually pull Cyrus over, but to get his attention.

"What is it?" he asked. He wasn't used to Pokémon acting of their own volition.

Floatzel looked back towards Dawn, then at Cyrus again, saying something quite unintelligible to him, but...

"You want me to go over?"

Nodding, the sea weasel dashed off. Approaching cautiously, Cyrus noticed that Dawn's Pokémon had moved aside to allow him a spot as well.

Just as he settled himself on the grass, Dawn looked up at him. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?" she asked, letting out a soft laugh that held no mirth. "You'd think that as League Champion, I'd be made of tougher stuff than this."

Not knowing what to say to that, Cyrus remained silent. She stared back down at the grass.

"I've come to understand that death is a necessary for life to occur," she continued after a bit. "Preying on another for survival is fundamental, even if that other is as lowly as this grass. But hacking them apart like that… it's not the same. There was no need for them to die…"

The investigators at the scene had yet to discover the reason for the murders, and Cyrus wasn't about to inform them of what he thought. A group of reporters were there, pressing for answers, but only a few facts, such as the number of dead and their identities, along with the estimated time of the incident, had been reported. Any reporters seeking to question Dawn had been politely but firmly refused, and none had approached Cyrus, not knowing of his involvement or his identity. He wouldn't have answered, in any case.

And to her words, Cyrus had nothing to say.

/

A loud melody filled the air. Startled, Cyrus looked up; he had been sitting by Dawn's bedside, the latter having fallen asleep the moment she lay down. It was from the shock, explained Nurse Joy, before going off to tend to the other visitors of Hearthome City's illustrious Pokémon Center. Another doctor had dropped by, and simply said that rest was probably the best thing for Dawn at the moment.

Perhaps he had dozed off for a moment while sitting in the comfortable chair.

Dawn didn't stir at the sound of what Cyrus finally determined to be her Poké Gear's ringtone, showing just how drained the young Champion must have been, considering the device was on the table by her bed. Picking it up, Cyrus briefly glanced at the identity of the caller, then did a double take.

Saturn.

It shouldn't have been such a shock, he realized, considering that Dawn had told him that she kept in contact with his former underling. If Saturn was calling Dawn, then perhaps it had something to do with the actions of the Galactic grunts earlier…?

"Hello?"

The look of shock painted on Saturn's face was almost priceless. "Ma-master Cyrus!" he exclaimed, and then the screen blurred, as the Poké Gear's speakers rendered the sound of something clattering to the floor.

"My apologies," Saturn apologized, as he reappeared in the screen; he seemed to have regained his usual composure. There seemed to be a few more wrinkles on Saturn's face than Cyrus remembered; evidently the strain of running an organization filled with incompetent grunts had taken a toll on him. "I didn't expect you to answer Miss Dawn's Poké Gear. I assume she's nearby?"

"Dawn is currently asleep."

"Ah, then I guess I shall call back later," Saturn said smoothly.

But Cyrus didn't miss the strained note in his former underling's voice; how many times had he heard it when someone tried to conceal something from him? "What is it that you wish to tell her?"

Saturn seemed to be biting his lip. "Well, Miss Dawn did tell me to not divulge the information I give her to anyone else, which includes you…"

He seemed to be wavering on whether or not he believed Dawn's ordinance was a good enough reason to not say anything, and Cyrus was quite content to let Saturn squirm uncomfortably under his stare. It didn't take very long.

"Okay, okay. I was helping Dawn research into the faction of deserters that attacked the two of you, and they seem to be under the impression that…"

/

Dawn awoke with a start, bolting up in the bed. Glancing quickly around, she noticed that there was no one in sight in the room, and the half-closed blinds were dark. Cyrus' Poké Balls were on the bedside table, along with her own, though the man himself was nowhere to be seen. He was probably outside, then, assuming that this was the Pokémon Center.

Getting out of bed, the polished floorboards cool against her bare feet, Dawn noticed the message light on her Poké Gear was blinking, though the sound had been turned down. Picking up the device, she scanned the recent calls.

Saturn? He must have found out some information about the attackers, she thought, hitting the redial button even though her Poké Gear informed her that it was about one in the morning. From the call list, it seemed Saturn thought there was something urgent to tell her; there were nine missed calls over the span of three hours.

"Miss Dawn! Master Cyrus intercepted my initial call, and I fear that he may have acted rashly on his own!" Saturn nearly shouted once the call connected.

"What do you mean?" Dawn demanded.

As Saturn frantically explained the information he had told Cyrus, Dawn felt a growing sense of dread in her stomach. No sooner had he stopped his increasingly higher-pitched babbling had Dawn tossed the device into her bag, donned her shoes, and grabbed the Poké Balls on the table. And as she did, she noticed that Cyrus' Poké Balls were empty…

"Where's Cyrus?" she shouted at Nurse Joy as she ran out into the hall.

"He left about three hours ago," Nurse Joy informed her, yawning.

The sleepy look on the nurse's face turned to astonishment the next instant when Dawn spewed out a string of vulgar expletives and ran out the door.

Mt. Coronet, Saturn had said, but Dawn instinctively knew that the true location was the Spear Pillar. Events always seemed to come back to that place, as if drawn to it by its mythological significance and very real power.

Teleporting there without knowing the conditions would probably prove to be unwise, especially considering Gallade's limited teleportation distances. And flying into dark cloud during the night on Staraptor was probably not a good idea either, but Dawn wasn't in the mood to use typical methods of transportation. She yanked off the single sphere that hung around her neck on a fine silver chain.

"Giratina!" she shouted, releasing the legendary. "We're going to Spear Pillar!"

But what would she do anyway, once she got there? Perhaps Cyrus had intentions to join with them, but even so, was that bad? All Saturn had said was that the new Team Galactic had wanted to make Cyrus appease the anger of the god-Pokémon Arceus, for the actions that he had committed seven years ago.

Yet Dawn had a sense of foreboding about this encounter. This branch of Team Galactic had murdered dozens in cold blood, or perhaps even enjoyment, while Cyrus had never harmed her. If the purpose of this meeting wasn't to have Cyrus reinstated as leader, then it was obviously a trap. Most likely they wanted something, perhaps some knowledge that he alone possessed. Or, as she feared, his life.

Dawn had long ago concluded that Cyrus had no reason to remain alive. It had been the only plausible explanation for why he remained within the Distortion World for so long. He felt no reason to remain in this world, which he was unable to remake to his own liking, and since he hated the world, the only option left would be to die. But to have him die would mean that she had failed in her mission.

Flying though the clouds and over the snow-covered plains on the outskirts of the mountain, Giratina reared onto the platform that was the Spear Pillar, just as two gunshots rang out.

/

"Cyrus!"

Dawn's scream rent the air, as he was thrown back against one of the pillars by the impact. It didn't hurt, not yet.

He'd been a fool, to think that his Pokémon, weakened by their seven-year captivity within their Poke Balls, would be able to take down the rogue Galactic grunts. Had been naïve enough to think that there were only two, arrogant enough to think that they were utterly unintelligent, simple-minded enough to think that they would follow the rules. And perhaps desperate enough to come while Dawn was still asleep, in the hopes that she would not see what he knew would be the inevitable end.

"Giratina, use Shadow Force!"

The angry, powerful presence tore into the rogue Galactic grunts, surrounding them in its darkness, enveloping them in despair in response to Dawn's rage. Their screams were swallowed up, cut off as Giratina unleashed its terror. Cyrus vaguely wondered if they would survive.

And Dawn fell to her knees beside him, eyes wide at the crimson spreading across his abdomen.

"You idiot. Why didn't you wait?" she demanded, her voice uncharacteristically shrill.

Cyrus tried to smile. "I'm sorry." He couldn't even hear his own voice.

"You knew they wanted to kill you. Why did you come alone? Why didn't you wait for me?" A tentative hand that reached out, grasping his arm. He could only barely make out her features. "You can't just die…"

It still all ended with death, these emotions. And yet now he knew they were no illusion.

His capacity to feel pain seemed to have dulled, eclipsed by the effort it took to keep breathing, to keep his eyes open. Cyrus felt heavy. He wanted to reach up and wipe those tears that filled her eyes, threatening to fall down in a rain. That she would cry for him was more than he had ever wished for. In that moment, he knew that Lucas had been right, that he'd been in love with Dawn from the very beginning, but had never, ever realized it…

"Dawn," he managed to say, his breath coming in gasps, "I… I think…"

/

"…I love you."

Dawn stared at Cyrus, at his pale face, his now closed eyes. His chest still moved up and down, but she knew that would cease soon. His confession hadn't surprised her, but perhaps it was because she couldn't feel anything akin to that emotion, not at the moment. She was torn between backing away in denial, and the irrational urge to bury her face against his still chest.

I didn't bring him this far just to lose him like this!

Rage warred with grief, and both succumbed to the weariness that suddenly permeated her. It just wasn't real, wasn't fair.

She didn't know how long she knelt there in disbelief, in denial, in despair, until a gentle light drew her attention upwards.

/

They'll hold a double funeral, because a part of you will die along with me.

/