THIRD PERSON

The sounds of something familiar drew a few people outside; the sounds of birds chirping. Any proof of life outside the mansion was already scarce, but the sound of what seemed to be a small bird species gave hope.

Galant was one to be drawn out, his bladed arms perched up against the porch as he spaced out. It was easy to tell that the Gallade was thinking about something, as it had practically taken his entire attention for about an hour.

"Are you alright?" Leon was the first to squeeze past the door and approach the bladed Pokemon with a concerned frown. "You have been outside for quite some time now."

"Ah, my bad." Galant returned his frown with an even sadder one. "Just...thinking, is all."

"About?" The jackal seemed to be complacent with listening as he took a seat on a small wooden chair nearby.

The Gallade weighed whether or not he should even say, but figured it would be useless as the Lucario had most likely sensed his feeling of dread.

"I think...I'm the reason that Sam succeeded in her plan." Galant muttered slowly.

Leon only turned his head curiously at the statement, earning a small hum of confusion from him. This caused the Gallade to promptly try and explain himself.

"In my memory, someone I knew mentioned that I was backing a sketchy project. Something about harnessing the power to resurrect someone from the dead, and they promised they would bring my father back to life." He turned to focus his ruby eyes on the jackal. "I'm sure I remember it well, it was Sam who had created this project."

Leon held still for a few seconds, his paw raising to rub against his chin in thought. He didn't act surprised in any way but did take his time to think before speaking.

"Well, that is unfortunate, but there is nothing we can do about it now." The Lucario exhaled lightly. "You must find a reason to keep going forward."

Galant continued to stare at the jackal with a small frown before shaking his head in realization. "Yeah, you're probably right."

The Gallade shifted to stare at the sky separated by the plexiglass. From this distance, he could barely make out that they were in a cage; the metal bars so far up in the sky they almost turned blurry.

Leon, seeing as how Galant most likely needed time, dismissed himself back inside the mansion.

ZANTAI'S POV

Vanta had called everyone down in the basement for a plan he kept in mind. It sounded dangerous to most, but others thought it could improve our ability to escape. The main idea was that Vince was one of the first to recall a resourceful talent, one that could aid in finding an escape.

On the other hand, you could be Loki...someone who experienced a lot of her trauma all over again. Or even Sherwood, who started hating Leon just after his memory. It's all super risky and could either make or break us, but it's all we have left.

Thinking about whether it's a good idea isn't an option anymore, especially since our break week is ending in a few days. This has to go well, or else.

"As you all may know, there is something worth searching down here." Vanta cleared his throat, announcing his authority in the situation. "You are not forced to search, but we also would like some volunteers."

As the Umbreon divided the group into sections, my main focus would be on maintaining the fire we brought alive—which would be a small bundle of wood dropped in the center of the room.

Not to many's surprise, a scarce amount of people actually wanted to explore inside the machine. I turned to check who had stepped forward; Loki, Vince, and Luster.

Due to an odd number, Vanta's idea of splitting into groups would seem to have been nullified. However, the sound of heavy footsteps making their way down the stairs would soon prove otherwise.

"Am I allowed to help?" Hydra chimed in as he walked closer to the assembled group. "I too would like to understand the purpose of this device."

"I'm not not against it." The Umbreon nodded before continuing to organize his plan.

From what I could tell, Vanta wanted us to take turns exploring inside the large device—and with a partner, too. With Hydra volunteering, things would now be even, luckily.

After a good fifteen minutes, everyone would finally get their partner to explore the machine. Vanta absolutely made sure that each of them agreed the exploration was completely optional.

The first group to be sent in was Vince and Luster, who didn't seem to hesitate to enter through the front door. As they disappeared into the pitch-black interior, I noticed Hydra pacing around the walls of the machine. Before I could even ask what the jackal was up to, he turned to me with a small frown.

"If it truly was a machine, there should be something to control it." Hydra crossed his arms and turned away to narrow his eyes at the matte-black walls. "However, I don't sense anything of the sort."

"You think it's just a dud?" I scoffed in surprise.

"Maybe...however, it definitely seems important. Why else would it hold so many memory gems?" The taller Lucario cleared his throat. "I believe its purpose lies inside."

"Inside?" I repeated. "You think there's some science shit inside the machine?"

After a nod of affirmation, my eyes locked onto the darkness that Vince and Luster had entered. If we weren't in the middle of a killing game, we probably wouldn't think much of this situation...but in this mansion, nothing is too safe.

"You guys alright in there?" Vanta leaned his head around the doorway to call out toward the two explorers.

"Yeah." I heard Luster's voice mutter through the echoey chamber he was in. "We should have brought a bag or something."

"Nah, we'll be fine!" Vince retorted with a small snicker.

It felt like the two didn't bother to look around much, their goal most likely being to return a shit ton of gems for the group.

And so, that's what they did. Luster was the first to walk out with a decent bundle of crystals on his back, while Vince trudged through the doorway nearly dropping the dozen he had shoveled into his arms.

"Hmm, was there anything else?" Loki stepped closer to look closely at what the two had brought in.

Vince confidently shook his head at the fox, apparently proud that he didn't bother to stay and look. "Nope! Still don't know what that thing's purpose is for."

"I know." The Zoroark huffed lightly and stared ahead into the darkness.

I can tell Loki was a little afraid to step in.

"Our turn." Hydra muttered to the fox as he patted her back to reassure her.

LOKI'S POV

I don't know what gave me the feeling, but I almost wanted Vince and Luster to take a while inside the machine. Not having much time to think and gather my thoughts could really throw me off balance, but here I am, entering this odd mechanism without a clue as to what it is.

"Try and be calm..." I heard Hydra whisper to me from the darkness. Suddenly, I recalled the Lucario could read my emotions.

"Huh...sorry." I muttered in response.

"No worries. It doesn't annoy me...it's just that I can sense it from here." The jackal answered with a small chuckle.

Am I really that nervous?

Trying to shake the odd feeling off my fur, I continued to walk forward into the void. By the time I made it to the end of the machine, my eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness.

The inside wasn't as different as I thought it was going to be; it was still the same stainless steel interior. For a small while, the only thing we heard was the gentle clicking of the claws on my feet as we explored the area. The room was somewhat empty until we reached the end.

I noticed immediately that the further I walked the rougher the ground below me got. It was almost as if we were walking on dust and rocks.

"Strange." Hydra hummed lightly, his scarlet-red eyes locking onto mine through the dark. "What is this?"

"Don't know." My first attempt to understand was to bend over and pick at the terrain below us. The ground felt very coarse, almost as if there were rocks scattered around below us. Everywhere between those rocks was a sandy-like texture.

"Strange...there's nothing to control this machine in here." The Lucario turned away to run his paws against the steel wall.

My curiosity had now begun to lead me further. After a few more seconds of walking on the rough terrain, I had finally reached the end of the machine. At first, nothing was blatantly different, but everything changed once I looked up.

There was a rather low ceiling above us the whole walk...except now, it reached up a few tens of feet above us. It had the same pitch-black lighting, which made it hard to see if the roof even ended.

Something was different, however. From the darkness above, I could see a small speck of light. There were two...almost as if a pair of pale-white eyes were staring back at me.

I felt the ends of my fur stand as the feeling of something wrong ran down my neck.

Was there something up there? Can it see me?

Before I knew it, the eyes snuck back into their hiding spot—which insinuates that there's a room somewhere up there. That must be where this machine is controlled!

"Hydra, I think th—" I turned to face the jackal but was immediately cut off by the pressure of something landing on my back.

I thought it would hurt, but after a few seconds to process it...what landed on me wasn't solid.

"Loki..." The Lucario's voice was audibly concerned as I patted my shoulder with a paw.

Wet...why is my shoulder wet?

I heard a hitch in Hydra's breath as I turned to gaze at his terrified eyes. I could see how wide they were from here.

Everything was happening all at once, and time felt as if it was slowing down to the millisecond.

Putting my paw up to my nose, I took a gentle drag of what had soaked my shoulder.

It was very familiar, the scent being strong and somewhat sweet.

As I felt the temperature pick up from above me, and as Hydra leaped forward to grab at my arm, I quickly realized what it was.

The liquid was gasoline.

My body was involuntarily yanked forward as a bright light sparked from behind me, reflecting an orange tint around the steel walls. In this half-second, I could see Hydra pulling me back into him, his stare full of fear. From the gleam in his eyes, I could practically see myself and the blinding light behind me.

In a matter of a second, the temperature in the room had picked up to a scorching one. It wasn't until I felt the change that I noticed the hot flame surrounding my upper arm.

This wasn't just a machine, this was a furnace.

I didn't get much time to think as I plummeted into the jackal's chest, his large paw sinking into the fur on my shoulder. He let out a small grunt in pain as he presumably suffocated the fire on my body, luckily getting rid of it entirely.

"A-Are you alright?" Hydra stammered as he held me up to face him.

I could see the Lucario completely clearly—now that the area behind us was surrounded in flames.

"Yeah...uh..." My throat couldn't get any air for a second, I probably had all the oxygen knocked out of me when I crashed into him.

"Hey!" I heard Vince's voice call out to us from the entrance. "What th'fuck is goin' on!?"

Why are they calling out to us instead of entering?

"The door." Hydra shuddered in realization. "It's locked, somehow..."

"W-What?" I gasped lightly. "I thought it was broken!"

"I don't know either." The jackal coughed out before dragging me forward along with him.

We ran all the way to find a cell-like door now keeping us trapped in the furnace. On the other side was Vince, who had his webbed hands on the sturdy bars.

"We tried breaking them." Vanta inched his head over to stare at us. "They're a lot sturdier."

"How did you not see it!?" I questioned.

"It was hidden in the wall. It seems like whatever you all did in there turned on the machine." The Umbreon frowned.

"It's a furnace," Hydra stated bluntly as he crossed his arms, "and if we don't get out of this, we'll die."

"What?" Zantai peered his head above the Greninja. "You telling me there's a fire in there?"

With a nod in response, the Blaziken groaned in frustration. "Fuck! I should have gone in..."

"There's nothing we can do about it now." Vanta cleared his throat. "Is there any sign that the door can be opened?"

"I don't see anything from this side." Hydra neared the barred door and picked at a few spots with his claw.

This is bad. If we don't find a way out of this furnace then we'll burn to death—or even suffocate!

What the hell are we supposed to do now?

"Hydra, can't you teleport us out?" I turned to the jackal, who winced at the words. It looked like he was expecting me to say that.

"Mhh...not really." He motioned to the restraints on his sensors. "These prevent me from teleporting now, and I can't take them off without Sam."

"Is there a way Vince can get in there and put out the fire? He's a water type." Vanta leaned forward past the Greninja to ask.

"I don't think it would help." I frowned at him. "It's a gas fire, it would only spread if we used water."

"Shit." Vanta's first sign of frustration was shown, as that was probably his most confident solution to the problem.

The idea would fail unless we completely coated ourselves in water, but then again, we would just suffocate in the smoke. The ceiling isn't high enough for us to crouch under the fumes of the fire.

I don't know what else to do. Looking behind me only made me grow more worried as I saw the flames catch up to the coal behind us. Everything started making less sense...why do they have this? What's the point?

"It's okay..." The jackal could sense my negative emotions and placed a paw against my back. "We'll find a way out."

"I..don't think we will, Hydra." I muttered slowly.

So this is how I go out? In flames...that's quite ironic. I want to ask what I did to deserve this, but remembering my past makes me realize that things that go around sure do come back around. Maybe that's the whole point of the Frenzy game, and that Sam was onto something.

Nonetheless, we didn't stop trying to break or pick at the door. Every now and then, Vince would slip through the door with some odd talent of his and splash us with fresh water. He would then be forced to leave since we wouldn't want another victim in here.

Vanta looked very frustrated as he worked on his plans. I don't blame him, though...trying so many things and having them all fail. Galant tried to shatter the bars on the door with his blades, but that didn't work either. Trying to put out the fire with water eventually spread it further—even though I tried to warn them beforehand.

Hope was running out, and I was growing awfully complacent. I would have rather gone out like a hero.

...

I really would have rather gone out like a hero, now that I think about it. What a pathetic way to die.

Hydra and I sat down against the wall, our eyes locking as we were seated across from each other. Thinking of anything to say, I frowned at the jackal. He hasn't shown an ounce of sadness or fear that he himself is going to die. The only time he showed fear was for me.

"H-Hydra, are you scared? At all?" I turned to narrow my eyes at him.

"I'm...conflicted." He turned to glare at his paws with frustration. "I don't feel sad right now...and I feel guilt because of that."

"I see." My voice was weaker than normal, most likely the effect of the smoke. "Well, I'm the most scared I have ever been in my life. I don't want to go out like this."

"No one ever gets to control that, unfortunately." Hydra returned my frown and rubbed at his temples. "I just wish...I would have been alone here."

Our conversation was halted for a few seconds as a small gust of smoke caught our lungs, causing us to enter a rough coughing fit. Luckily, we caught our breath once again.

"You didn't even have to join me." My eyes turned to the growing fire beside us. "You could have lived."

"It's okay." The jackal chuckled lightly. "You may not realize it now, but I don't see much value in my life anymore. I'm not depressed, but I definitely wouldn't cry if I had to die soon. It's not any different right now."

"I admire that, but I can't feel the same." I huffed.

"I don't expect you to, it's alright." He muttered as he ran his claws across the ground.

...

I didn't bother to talk much after that. Spending time thinking only made me realize that I can't even accept my death. I don't have any fond memories to think about before I die—I can't even remember any of them.

I didn't even want to look at the entrance, either. Talking to Grace once just made me break down in tears. Seeing how terrified she looked is something I never want to see ever again.

Why is it ending like this? Why am I even here? Once again, I would have rather gone out like a hero instead of this unnecessary death.

"I didn't want to go out this way." My eyes turned to Hydra once again—who never stopped staring at me. "I feel so hopeless."

"I'm sorry." The jackal only responded with those words.

As the flames grew closer, I realized something. This furnace seems to be the reason why any of the memory gems exist. From what I'm looking at, a bundle is tossed from the ceiling and into the fire where it solidifies.

Picking one up, I turned to Hydra with an odd question. "Do these work right off the bat?"

"Don't know...what are you thinking?" His ears perked at the gem in my hands.

Remembering everything that Sammy told me, I had an idea that would most likely fail. However, it was the last thing I had.

"I think..." I took a deep, yet painful breath. "I think I know how to go out as a hero."

GRACE'S POV

I didn't want to accept it. Seeing Loki in there only put me in a worse state of depression. How did this all happen? How did I miss this much in just a few hours?

The only things I could hear now were the sounds of people rowdily arguing over methods to break the furnace door. The fire Zantai had made was now stomped and put out, as the flames inside the machine were more than enough to keep the room lit.

Even from here, I was struggling to catch my breath from the smoke, I can only imagine how painful it would be inside. Arceus...why?

Why, Loki?

Even Hydra, I didn't trust him much, but to see him go through the effort of limiting his strength just to die for our sake. If we hadn't had such distrust in him, he could have had the powers to save Loki.

"Hey..." Someone was calling for me around the corner.

I ran into the corner of the room after talking to Loki in the furnace, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone was checking up on me.

After uncurling my body, I turned to see Vince standing above me. He had rolled up his tongue back into his mouth just to speak more clearly.

"Are you okay?" The Greninja half-squatted to flash me a comforting smile. His heavy accent had gone away, his tongue-scarf most likely being the reason why he had it. "I know the answer, but I don't want to just leave you here."

"I-I..." Not having the strength to answer, I just frowned at him. I probably look like a mess of dried tears and sorrows.

"Yeah..." The blue frog sighed and shook his head. "I get it...not easy for me either."

He looked genuinely empathetic, so I cleared my throat and tried again. "D-Didn't expect to see her that way."

"Who, Loki?" Vince tilted his head.

After a small nod from me, he gently swiped the top of my cheeks with a hand, his thumb absorbing the soaked tears from my fur.

"I don't know what else to tell you. It's a fucked up situation in a fucked up place. We can only hope she goes out peacefully, somehow." The Greninja pulled back to look at the ground. "I'm sorry."

I let his words sink in for a few seconds until I heard Vanta call out to most likely everyone in the room. "I think the fire is going out!"

I wanted to have hope, but they had been in there for so long that I'm not sure they could even make it.

Vince, however, turned back to me with an optimistic stare. "Want to go check?"

The Greninja spread his arms as an offer. Not wanting to get there by myself, I indulged and leaped into the Greninja's webbed hands.

He carried me the whole way there before meeting up with both Zantai and Vanta. They were cautiously staring at the door, waiting as the fire on the other side seemed to grow weaker.

Everyone was visibly hopeful, but I had a terrible feeling in my gut.

I still haven't heard anyone inside the furnace speak.