The lights of the festival were bright enough to be seen from the heavens. Every color shone the different booths selling food, merchandise, and even had games to play for some prize awards such as dolls, live Pokémon, etc.

Crystal walked around in a black kimono-like dress with snowflake patterns around it. The sleeves were large and wide to express a traditional effect, and her hair was pin-up with blue and red chopsticks with beads attached to them

"You truly look beautiful, sis..." Mia put her hands together in awe, wearing a kimono that looked a lot like Jades, with a twist. They fought about it earlier but was broken apart by Crystal who said she'd design them to make them look a tad different.

She even made her own kimono in under a few hours after finding such beautiful material that'll be perfect for presenting herself to the legendary Pokémon.

The kimono was also similar to what the princess wore back when her own body gave out after making the sacrifice

"Yeah, it's no wonder all eyes are on you" Jade chuckled. Crystal blushed and stood in front of a game booth that offered plush toys. There was a Cleffa doll, remembering the seal she won in the raffle she sent to the castle.

Her heart broke, knowing that she hasn't seen West in days... The sight of cotton candy was enough to make her eyes sting. That smile he gave her back then, all those smiles he never hesitates to give her.

She held in her tears, having a hard time to stop them from flowing. Her sisters noticed them all, even if she was still trying to stop them

"Crystal..?" Mia frowned "Is something wrong?"

"Hey, if you want to tell us something, we're open to hearing you..." Jade said. Crystal wiped her tears and forced a smile

"It's nothing... I'm just worried about a friend."

"A friend?" The younger sisters looked at each other, not remembering when the last time Crystal ever accepted anyone as a friend.

Crystal nodded and started walking again, feeling pressure grabbing on her ankle but chose to ignore it.

"I'll be... meeting him soon. If you don't mind, I'm going to head to the ocean. See you later?" She walked away without letting them respond.

The younger sisters watched her leave before slowly realizing she said him... him? As in... boyfriend!?

Their faces glowed red, looking at each other before giggling for a moment, then frown at their feet.

"Oh... I think I get it now" Jade hugged herself. Mia frowned, thinking back at when she saw Crystal reading the old journal from the guest room at her home. Crystal...

Her phone started vibrating. Zachary was calling and started yelling when answered "Mia! The temple has been taken over!"

"What!?"

Crystal stared at the nearly night sky almost showing its stars to her. Her feet continued to walk with Ralts and Cleffa running around in circles around her feet.

She smiled down at them and stopped when reaching a cliff... The same one the princess met the warrior

"You've done so much for me..." she talked to herself, imagining West listening to her "Even if I didn't deserve it. I was cold towards you, and yet you stayed. I'll expect the day when you abandon me.." she smiled to herself, rubbing her shoulders "The princess did so much for the warrior, but he thought she was better off... even when she needed him the most" she held her heart, tearing towards the sky "I want to say that I need you... but that would be selfish of me. My decision to show myself to Glēgotan is my decision alone. I'm going to set the warrior's soul free, and I will take away your curse that was meant to be mine" she took out her flute she hid in her kimono and started playing the sweet melody to set the souls of this area free.

The song brought peace to her heart again... now relieved, she was ready to make her way towards the temple.

The temple was right at the view from where she was. It was gigantic in size and a bit of the building was missing, but there still was parts remaining. It was a tall temple made of rock, rock that slaves put together to build the beautiful place

"Return, Cleffa" she returned Cleffa to its Pokéball and kneeled to face Ralts "It's going to be too dangerous to come with me. I need you to stay where it's safe. I am not your master, so there's no need to come with me" Ralts looked down, digging in its cap and took out a small photo to hand over.

Taking the photo confused, Crystal gasped when seeing her grandmother smiling at the camera in her death bed with her old Gardevoir beside her

"Gardevoir..." she cupped her mouth and looked at Ralts hiding its hands behind it "You're..." she smiled and reached down to hug the small and scared creature "I see now... Don't worry, I'll be back" it shook its head and teleported to lay on her lap "You want to help me" it nodded "Very well" facing the temple glowing small lights like people were scattering the place, Froslass appeared before her.

"It's time, young snowflake" Crystal jumped on her feet and ran to confront the gang who will try to take everyone's freedom.

❄️

West leaned on the corner, eyeing those around him who were ordered to pick him up, but his dark eyes made them hesitate for the past few minutes

"Stop being so difficult" Jared said, crossing his arms next to Kyle holding an outfit in his arms specially for West "We want to make a good impression for Glēgotan."

"Screw you... like hell I'm going to let you get away with anything you're planning. I might be tied up, but my heart is still firing up with rage."

"How corny" Kyle sighed and leaned forward to speak quietly so that no one can hear him "Just wear the outfit I picked out for you. You want to show how good you look for your girl, right?" West gasped "I'm sorry... but I tried to get her away from this place. She's not budging... the most I can do is stall them."

"W-What..?" Kyle is helping him?

"Say, what are you talking about, Kyle?" Jared asked, crossing his arms

"That if he doesn't make a good impression, he's going to make things harder on himself" Kyle grabbed a handful of West hair and threw him from the chair to the floor "He should stop making things difficult, if he truly wants to know how violent this gang can get" West glared at him, seeing the sympathetic look in his eyes.

He shut his eyes, taking in the light beatings he had to make sure had a great impact on his body and groaned in fake pain.

"That's unnecessary" Jared looked at his tablet "Just get him dressed. Grunts... Follow me outside with the orb. The boss is desperately waiting..." the Grunts took the orb attached to a big machine and carefully started moving it, leaving the two boys in the van alone.

"I have to see Glēgotan before they do..." West groaned, forcing himself to sit up from the floor while Kyle removed his ropes from his wrist "They're not going to go through with this plan... Why should we become slaves while they sit around laughing at us? Are they going to enjoy everyone's suffering?" Kyle thought back when West was sleeping with his terrors and Crystal nearly dying in her cell, not liking to remember such things...

"Beside the rights being taken away from us, I don't care about anyone but Crystal right now. She deserves to live longer and be happy. I can't wait... to see the look on her face when she finds out she's cured of the illness" West rubbed his wrist in pain "I'm sure she's going to hate me for this..." he looked at Doublade floating there, "but I gave my word..."

"Why..? Why don't you just drop it? It's too risky" Kyle frowned, standing with him. West smiled

"Because I love her..." he held Kyle's shoulder "Thanks for helping me... but" he punched his cheek to knock him out and tie him down "I have my own mission to do. No one is going to stop me" he grabbed the clothes he was given and ran out towards the temple with his bag that hung on a hook.

Crystal reached the temple on time and ran into a few Grunts "hey, it's the girl! Let's get her!" They send out their Pokémon

"Oh... It's cute how you think you have a chance..." she threw out Glaceon "I'll show you the true meaning of being a gym leader!" Never had she held so much pride toward her position, but it's the only one she'll really be good at "We don't have time to play games! Hurry and use iron tail!"

The temple from the inside looked so much like some kind of fancy church without the stain glass.

Once heading towards to the closest staircase on the very east side of the building, the view was much more enchanting than it looked from the entrance... and to think the old king lived here all by himself with his son while the princess lived in another castle, all because she thought it be better to not scare anyone from her horrid screams the people outside could hear due to the echo.

Dozens of grunts stood in the middle of the large opening of the Grand Hall, talking and holding computers.

From the corner of her eye, she spotted West running up the stairs of the opposite side of the staircase on the other side of the room. In a panic, she hurried to run up the east staircase before being spotted again by Britney

West reached the top of the staircase to spot Ashly yelling at the grunts to take care of the Lucario that was trying to keep as many people away from the highest point of the temple as possible, where the sacred room was known to be spotted before.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ashly asked, "What have you done to Kyle?"

"Don't worry about him. He's fine. I just knocked him out when he untied me" he cracked his knuckles "Thanks for the clothes by the way. They're surprisingly comfortable" he ran his hands on the long gray kimono shirt and pulled on his baggy black pants "I feel almost like a samurai" he grabbed a hold on Doublade.

"You look like one too!" She giggled, taking out a Pokéball "I got you these clothes because I wanted you to wear something that related to the Warrior of Fire! You look quite handsome. It's good to dress your best when presenting yourself to a very important Pokémon that will make our lives beautiful!"

"Beautiful? Do you really think slaving people is beautiful? To see them get hurt and work themselves to death?"

"It's what they deserve for treating us so poorly."

"Poorly..." his eyes glowed a little, having part of Damian's mind in his "do you know how bad it felt when they whip you on the back for lacking work while dehydrated or sore? Do you know how bad it felt when getting your nails ripped off for doing something you wanted to do? Like reaching for a handful of water from the dirty river?" Ashly gulped, disgusted "Or how about getting your toes cut off for running?"

"Let me tell you something!" West got his voice back and sent out his Espeon "I heard about you and Britney... You guys were separated due to her parents not wanting to accept you."

"Shut up!" She glared, sending out her Swalot "Don't you dare use that as a-"

"How would you feel if you two never united?" she froze "You haven't even thought about the people who live normal lives or the ones whose life is already hell to begin with? She would be part of this gang while you were still out there, and made a slave who would rot with the millions of people working for an organization that won't even look at someone in the face. I'm surprised you're making eye contact with me."

"Why you..." Damian closed his eyes

"Thy claims of noble lineage matter not; thou wouldst have remained unnoticed regardless" he looked up "For even if my kin possessed some wealth, they cast their gaze downward upon me, extending no aid. The crucial inquiry remains... How wouldst thou feel if someone dear to thy heart found themselves ensnared in such dire circumstances? Compelled to toil... Suffering in anguish... Dost thou believe they would wish to witness their loved ones in pain? Dost thou derive pleasure from witnessing the tears of others?" She thought back at the time when she was walking around Nixa city and found Kyle carrying Crystal's lifeless body in his arms, panicking and crying... Even if he was known to be someone quite heartless towards anyone.

"You grunts make me sick..." West glared, pointing Doublade towards her, making her flinch as she stood quietly and noticed his eyes turning a lighter shade "You're going to get out of my way... I'm going to save my love from the fate her illness if it's the last thing I do! Espeon! Use psychic!"

❄️

"Where do you think you're going?" Britney crossed her arms "Do you really think you can just come here and do what you want?"

"I don't see why not?" Diane huffed, sharing Crystal's voice "This is my home after all..." Britney noticed the change in her voice but ignored it

"Home or not, this is Team Victoria's moment to shine. Soon, we'll be the ones in control, and there will be no one to look down at us any longer. Not even a princess like you can look down at me like you are now!" She sent out her Amphoros "Just try to stop me!"

"You still think you can beat me..?" Crystal tilted her head confused "You already know who I am... So why do you bother?" Britney felt a sweat coming "I come to wonder... What drives you to think slavery would be a good idea?"

"It'll be our revenge for all the things this world did to us... They don't understand how we feel... and made us feel like crap-"

"You're being a big baby" Crystal spat, interrupting her unreasonable speech "Just what exactly did that man do to poison your mind? People can be mean and misunderstood, but not everyone is like that. They fit into their own place where they belong. You can't blame everyone for your problems... That boss of yours created this group because his family kept him from my grandmother"

"W-What..?"

"They didn't accept her because she was average and not good enough. He looked for so many years, while she moved on and I'm living proof that she lived a long life, without him! He doesn't know how to move on... nobody here does! It's called growing up! I'm sick of you people thinking you can do whatever you want!" Crystal glared "I would never allow you to make a world where my family would have to suffer. Like you have a little sister, I have four little ones who I want to watch grow into beautiful young women! My two older sisters wish the same for me! I haven't seen any of them in years, and I too was separated from them because of family issues! No matter what, I'm not going to let any drama mess with anything or anyone I care about! I would handle things my own way, not in the way where you have to punish everyone who wasn't involved!" Her eyes grew paler than before as her body wobbled in place "I'm the grown up here who handles things like an adult! I'm going to stop you with everything I got!" Glaceon barked and shot an ice beam towards the electric type.

"You forgot to mention that times are not like before. People are sensitive, and if you've seen the things I have in my own terrors..." she rubbed her arms "You wouldn't want your own sister to see how gruesome life use to be back in the kingdom."

Ashly and Britney were later shortly defeated, and West and Crystal went off upstairs once again to follow where their ghosts incarnations lead them.

Battling some grunts along the way, they finally reached the top floor to the middle of the temple, where they saw each other running towards one another and ran into Rolando and a few grunts down the middle, opening the entrance to the sacred room with the technology that's absorbing the flames of the Fiery Orb.