Chapter 12

It wasn't a long fight—eevee weren't the kind of daemons to keep going until they were bloody and exhausted. It only took a few seconds for Liz to end up on top, holding Loch down under her forepaws. But they did have a lifetime of practice.

Eleanor stared, glancing between the daemons then back up at Hayden. "H-how? I've never seen anyone else who can do it. Everyone else is stuck."

Hayden shrugged. He didn't want to look too proud in victory, or else she might still try to avoid him. For better or worse, she was the only other person his own age in the whole house. He had no way of finding Cody in the woods—but Eleanor was right here. As a ditto, she could probably teach him all kinds of incredible things!

"What you said made sense," he said. "About part of it being for me to figure out. Maybe the other kids who tried to copy you just weren't listening very good."

Liz rolled off of Loch as soon as the fight was over. The contest had its winner, so there was no more need to hold him down. He bounded back over to Eleanor, then changed again. This time the process took him much longer, even if he was shrinking. He got smaller, rounder, with a coating of leaves on his back, and a little red flower behind his ear.

Eleanor scooped him up a second later, suddenly taller, proud, elegant. "Can you do that?" she demanded. Despite her new strength, she started panting now, leaning. "We were just going easy on you with the first one. But copying a legendary, that takes effort."

Liz glowed bright white again. This time the transformation was much quicker—in seconds, she lifted into the air, becoming a much bigger pokemon. Strange to think of a mew as being larger.

Liz floated over, squinting at the shaymin. She bobbed up and down, focused on every part of his body. Before they settled, it usually took her less than a minute to figure out a new pokémon. It didn't even feel like figuring out how to take a new form, so much as learning that they existed in the first place. Once she learned, mastery came naturally.

This time, she was silent for much longer, utterly focused. "Put him down," she asked. "Could you move around some? I need to see how all your parts work."

Eleanor didn’t.

Loch stuck his tongue out. "Mom never made it easy on us. You gotta figure it out yourself."

After another minute, the mew drifted back into Hayden's arms, sagging in the air. "He's too… complicated," she finally said. "I need a lot more time around them."

He caught her out of the air, running one finger under the mew's chin. "It's okay, Liz. You already did great today. We don't have to figure everything out on our first try." 

"Don't think this changes anything, kid. You're still annoying."

He shrugged. "You could at least use my name when you make fun of us. And maybe give us something easier to practice. We might be able to copy a simpler pokémon."

She surged towards him, moving with a sudden burst of legendary speed. She caught his jacket in tight fingers, yanking on him. "No one is going to go easy on you here, Hayden. You're so far up that you can't see the ground, and you're having trouble breathing. You don't even realize how much danger you're in."

She let go, waving him off. "You'll see. Our Unity lesson is waiting. If you think Mrs. Boylston was hard on you, you have no idea what you're in for."

He scampered after her. Despite the anger in her words, she'd still used his name. Maybe there was hope for Eleanor after all. "Isn't Unity a good thing?"

"Sure," Eleanor laughed, returning to the bitterness she usually radiated. "Sure it is, lots of advantages. But to share the strength of your daemon, your daemon needs to be strong. You know what that means? Training. Exhausting, painful, endless training. And when you think your daemon is about to collapse, when they can't go on another second more, it's your turn to hurt. If Unity was easy, everyone would have it on their own. There's a reason the Great Families can keep it for ourselves."

Eleanor took him to a far livelier section of the house. There was no dust here, no locked doors. Instead, there was a locker room waiting, with separate sides for both of them. "I've never gone in there," Eleanor said, pointing at the men's door. "But if it's like my side, there's a shelf with clothes, and lockers to stick what you're wearing now. Go in, get dressed, and come out the other side. Go where I go."

He nodded, then made his awkward way into the lockers. They looked more or less exactly the way he expected, with a tile floor and the thick stink of sweat. There was nowhere private for him to change, nor was the change of clothes particularly comfortable. The outfit was made of stiff, thick cloth, and had looked like something a priest might wear for the lunar festival. Oversized pants tied with a rope, then a long trailing vest open at the front. There were no shoes, so he just left his on. 

He probably would've gone out that way, if someone didn't come back in through the distant exit door a few moments later, wearing the same outfit, only drenched with sweat, and covered with small cuts and bruises. 

The young man stopped beside the bench, his umbreon daemon turning one bright yellow eye on Ahuiliztli. 

"Hayden?" Holland stumbled towards him. His expression swirled through a half-dozen different feelings, flowing from amazement to fear and back to confusion in the space of a few heartbeats. He dropped to one knee beside Hayden, resting one hand on his shoulder. 

Hayden's older brother was changed from the last time. He was more muscular now, with a handful of scars on tanned skin. His hair had gone from the family's dirty brown to stark black, with a few yellow highlights near the tips. "What… how are you here? Why are you—" Then his daemon pointed one paw up at Liz, and he fell completely silent.

"Hi Holland," he said, looking away shyly. "If I knew you were stationed at Shaymin Manor, I would've tried to find you."

"I should've noticed." Liz landed on his shoulder, though quickly grew uncomfortable on the rough fabric and took off again. Lucky her, not having to touch that awful stuff. "But there are so many people here. If I don't tune out all their thinking, I just get a headache that never goes away."

Holland stumbled to his feet, then dropped into an awkward bow. "Y-your Eminence. I heard there was a miracle child from Sunyshore. But I never thought—it couldn't be you."

Hayden groaned. "Don't bow, come on. Nobody's here…" Not at that moment, maybe. But there were doors leading in both directions. If he was here training, how many others might follow? "I think Mom and Dad were gonna write to you about me. But now you already know!" 

He stumbled forward, wrapping both arms around his older brother in a brief hug. "I haven't seen you in… a year? Feels like longer." Hayden let go a few seconds later, and Holland seemed relieved. 

When his expression finally resolved, it was mostly fear. "I had no idea," he said. "I never imagined—of course, it would be you. Being an eevee wasn't enough for you, little brother. You've gone on to bigger things. I bet there's even more in your future now."

He glanced nervously around the room, as though searching for an escape. There were none, at least nothing obvious. "That isn't how you wear the belt. Tie it like mine, see? One loop, then pull through. And the vest—there are little ties to keep it from coming off. Around the back."

Hayden copied Holland. He couldn't reach some of those ties, but Liz could, and soon she had them tied with psychic powers. "I know they're waiting for me out there," Hayden said, as soon as Holland was satisfied with his outfit. "But maybe I'll see you again? Are you going anywhere?"

"Not anymore." Holland gestured vaguely at his hair. "Only the Great Family's personal guard get the honor of Unity. I won't work another border post or import inspection shift again."

Hayden touched his hand, then darted out the waiting door. A morning of harsh criticism from the tutor obviously did very little to make him feel welcome in Shaymin House. But learning how to transform, and knowing his brother would never be far away—that helped.

Then he made it out, and Hayden's growing confidence evaporated. Through the door was a pokémon gym, quite similar to the one he'd left behind in Sunyshore. The theme here was different—short grass grew on the ground, soft and comfortable on his feet. A darker grass grew to mark the boundary lines, perfectly manicured. A spectacular glass dome surrounded the whole arena. It also covered raised platforms, standing in a spiral with no obvious connection between them.

"No red flowers," Liz thought. "Don't the Shaymin need them?"

The huge space wasn't empty—a group of soldiers made their way past Hayden as he emerged, probably the same group that had been training with Holland. Smaller groups of servants practiced all wearing the same costumes. Well, the guys had the same costumes.

The girls had a sleeveless dress, too long to be practical for real combat, and tied with the same rope Hayden's used. Eleanor wore that exact outfit, where she sat on her knees near the center of the arena. A woman stood over her, arms folded as she watched Hayden approach. Behind her, a Lucario daemon stood on one leg in meditative repose, both eyes closed.

"Any minute now!" she yelled. "Go ahead, take your time. No urgency here!"

Hayden broke into a sprint, clearing the distance in a few quick strides. He would've flown it if he could. "Sorry, I—"

"Do not apologize," the woman snapped. "And do not wait for me to bow to you, either. This is a shrine—all who visit are equal while they study here. There will be no consequence delivered for any action taken within these walls. Do you understand?"

He nodded. "I don't like it when people bow to me."

A thin smile crossed her lips. Physically, she was stranger than anyone Hayden had yet seen in Shaymin House, with the possible exception of Lady Gracidea herself. She had bright blue ears emerging from atop her head, with a black streak running right down the center. Strangest of all was the spike emerging from her chest, a chunk of glittering metal that should probably be interfering with important organs somewhere. It didn't seem to bother her. She had a blue tail too, but compared to the strangeness of the metal spike in her chest, that almost seemed mundane. 

"You've figured out one thing, Hayden. Look into the mirrored glass, and see that you are nothing. The Great Families receive their reverence because they are the creative powers of Arceus manifest in the world. Perhaps one day you will wield that power, if you are diligent at shrines like this one. If not, you will swiftly fade into irrelevance."

Hayden's eyes wandered across the room. Of the other groups, most were engaged in some kind of training exercise. They wrestled, or did push-ups, sit-ups, or other calisthenics. A much smaller subset sat in stillness beside their daemons, engaged in peaceful meditation.

"I am Maylene, but you will call me Sensei within these walls. Outside them, I will use all the proper titles, and act with humility—in here, none of that will help you. Instead, I will make you act in ways that cause you pain. I will inflict pain. But when you leave here, that pain will cause you to grow. Do you understand?"

Hayden nodded. It was useless to argue with her—of everything Shaymin House expected of him, Unity felt like it was the most important. Lady Gracidea would give him free rein to wander wherever he wanted, after he had mastered mew abilities. His classes only represented a few hours every morning, while this training continued "until evening or complete."

"I think so. Neither of us know what we're doing, but we'll try to cooperate. Try to be… what's expected of us."

Maylene crossed the distance between them in an instant. Suddenly her cold hands were on his face, holding him still. She met his eyes, expression intent. "Don't lie to me, mew. I see you have practiced already. Your left eye is bluer than the right, did you think you could hide it?" She let go, shoving him back. He almost tripped, but Liz caught him with her levitation, and he didn't fall.

"I haven't!" he yelled, insistent. "I learned what Unity was yesterday. I've never seen a shrine before. I don't know what we even do here."

Maylene folded her arms again, sizing him up in silence. Finally the lucario nodded, and she spoke again. "If that's true, then I will be even harder on you than your adoptive sister. Those with natural talent make for the worst students. Eleanor here knows that she has no Unity of herself—she knows she will only amount to anything through her study. But you? You'll be tempted to neglect your discipline, and rely on your unearned aptitude. If you are not careful, you will be eclipsed by the diligent, and find yourself far less than you should've been. That is not the future I want for you, nor is it one that Shaymin House will tolerate."

She snapped her fingers, gesturing to the ground. "Eleanor will lead you through your meditation for today. While she does, your daemon will float into the arena. For your first week, your mew may train with her ditto, defending herself however you see fit. In a week, my lucario will take his place. I suggest you train hard before that moment."

"Train, like—pokémon battling teams? I've seen them come through Sunyshore before, challenging in their league… but they never look like pokémon. Not like you."

She caught him by his shoulder, shoving Hayden to the ground. He stumbled, but it didn't hurt. The grass here was soft, perfect for unexpected falls. "The strength of a daemon is required for Unity to be useful. It does not produce Unity in itself." She circled around, before dropping into a cross-legged position directly in front of Hayden and Eleanor.

"Begin, Eleanor."

She did, settling both arms under her, then lifting into the air with perfect balance, while leaning backward. Hayden tried to copy her—but his arms were weak, and his back unsteady. He started to shake as soon as he was in position. His sensei acted like she didn't notice. 

Off to one side, he watched Loch transform again—this time into a taller black pokémon, with sharp claws and bright red tail. While Liz was still watching in fascination, he attacked her. 

Not the friendly contest of two daemons deciding which person would take charge in a situation, either. This was a battle, and he didn't hold back. Liz dodged, her flight unsteady. But Loch didn't slow down, and his second attack was more ferocious than the first. 

Liz responded with a burst of psychic power, throwing him back—but he was a dark type, and he hardly even stumbled.

"Off the ground," Sensei ordered. Before Hayden could react, a switch of bamboo emerged from her dress, and she smacked his belly with it. Not hard, just enough to sting. "Stay up. Your daemon has her own brain, let her fight her own battle. You must focus on me."

Hayden lifted himself up, and instantly his arms started shaking again. "Close your eyes, student. Your body grows distant. Dismiss your straining muscles, your pain, the grass beneath you. Allow yourself to relax, until you have eliminated all distractions, and feel only your own thoughts."

Hayden closed his eyes, gritting his teeth against the pain. Pain came from both bodies now, as Loch took this opportunity to bully Liz with little restraint. It was still just a battle, without any underlying intent to kill. But that didn't mean they wouldn't leave the arena bloody.

"Focus on me, mew. Your aura is strong enough, I feel it. You will not leave this arena until I am satisfied with you. Eleanor, show him the second position in the routine. Hayden, imitate."

So began the most painful hours of Hayden's life.