Ch. 2 Race For Time

The trees of the Petalburg Woods seemed to blur past as Crystal ran, hurrying for Rustboro City. Her newfound friend, Mason, was racing alongside her, his Eevee perched firmly on his shoulder. Crystal huffed, exhausted from the attack by the two Team Magma grunts. The short lived battle seemed to take its toll on both her and Mystic. Her Trapinch was cradled against her chest, barely moving. Scratches and bite marks covered the poor pink pokemon. "Hang in there Mystic...Please..." She shook her head, trying to chase away the tears that threatened to fall. She didn't want to show weakness in front of Mason. Finally, what seemed like a lifetime of running, Crystal and Mason burst through the trees, stumbling out onto the smooth grass.

"We're nearly there now. Just a little further." Mason says as he looks around. There are a few trainers milling around on the route. Straight ahead there is a flower shop, with large plants growing all along the outside of it. A lovely lady in a green flowing dress is watering the flowers. When she looks up she waves at them. Crystal looks around, unable to waste time. She spots a large lake with clear blue water up ahead, reflecting the dark clouds in the sky. A storm from the south was approching fast, lightning flashing in the sky. Mason watches as the lady from the shop ducks inside to take cover, and the trainers start to scatter. "We have to hurry. That storm is getting closer by the minute."

"I know." Crystal replies, her voice tight. She sees a long bridge, stretching out over the lake. "There!" She breaks into a run, racing over the bridge.

"Wait up!" Mason follows behind, his Eevee gripping onto her trainer's black jacket which was flapping in the wind, open to a white tank top underneath. The tank barely concealed his toned muscle, and often caught the eyes of female trainers he faced. Now Mason kept his eyes locked on the back of Crystal's blue T-shirt, which was stained with dirt. Crystal ran over the bridge, the lights of Rustboro growing nearer by the moment.

"There! The city!" Crystal cries out happily. Just then, there's a loud crack of thunder as the clouds explode with a torrential downpour. It doesn't take long for the rain to soak the two as they run into the limits of the city. The streets are deserted as everyone shelters inside their cozy homes. Blazing lights of white and red signal the pokemon center just a little farther in. Crystal and Mason race over to it and nearly fall into the entryway as the glass doors slide open. Nurse Joy looks up with a jolt from behind the counter while a few fellow trainers look up from their seats. The two who just stumbled in are soaked through, water dripping all over the white tiled floor. There's another clap of thunder outside as the doors slide shut behind them. "Nurse Joy! Please help!" Crystal runs up to the counter.

"Yes! What can I do for you?" Nurse Joy asks as Crystal holds up her Trapinch. "Oh my! We must act immediately! Blissey!" Joy calls her assistant pokemon, and the Blissey hurries over.

"Bliss! Blissey!" Crystal carefully hands Mystic over to the pokemon and Blissey rushes back into the emergency room.

"Please wait here. We need to treat your Trapinch immediately." Nurse Joy tells Crystal.

"Will he be okay?" she asks, extremely worried. Nurse Joy shakes her head, unable to provide a definite answer.

"I dont know. But I promise you, we will do everything in our power." The nurse follows Blissey back into the room. Crystal slumps over to a bench in the center. Everything is quiet except for the raging storm outside.

"I should have never let him battle like that. He's not strong enough to take on two pokemon at once. This is all my fault..." Crystal buries her face into her hands. Mason sits beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her.

"Hey...It's not your fault. You were just trying to protect your friend. It's Team Magma who is at fault." Crystal slowly looks up at him.

"You think so?" She asks. Mason nods and smiles at her, cheering her up.

"Dont worry. I'm sure Mystic will be just fine." Mason starts to tug at his jacket as Lily, the Eevee, jumps off onto the floor. She shakes out her brown fur, sending water droplets flying. "Man, we really got soaked, huh?" Mason takes off his backpack and slides his jacket off next, setting it on the bench beside him. Crystal finds herself staring at his chest as the white tank top sticks to Mason like glue. His skin is visible under the top, while water drips down from his jet black hair, falling onto his arms and neck. He looks back at Crystal from under thick lashes covered with sparkling water. "What is it?" he asks quietly.

"N-nothing!" Crystal replies, turning away quickly. She stays turned towards the counter where Joy was to hide the bright pink blush. Mason chuckles softly beside her.

"Eev?" Lily comes up to Crystal and nudges her leg. She reaches down to scratch Lily between the ears then picks her up, setting the Eevee down in her lap. For what feels like agonizing ages, Nurse Joy finally emerges from the room. Behind her, Blissey is pushing a small cart where Mystic lay sleeping. Crystal leaps up, rushing over to them.

"Mystic! Are you okay?!" She looks all over. All signs of the battle are gone, and he seems to be sleeping peacefully. Joy smiles.

"Not to worry. Your Trapinch has made a full recoveryHe just needs a lot of rest." Nurse Joy replies, letting Crystal gently pick Mystic up. She nuzzles the pokemon affectionately.

"Thank goodness...I was so worried." Crystal can't stop the tears this time as they stream down her dirty cheeks. She walks over to Mason and Lily, sitting on the bench. "He's okay!" Mason smiles as Lily jumps up and down happily.

"That's wonderful! I knew he would be okay. And look!" Mason points outside through the large glass windows. "The storm is clearing up." Sure enough, the clouds were dissipating, revealing a setting sun in the distance. Crystal gathered up Mystic in a blanket lent by Mason while Lily climbed back up onto his shoulder. The two walked side by side out of the center with Nurse Joy waving after them.

"Thank you! Be safe!" Crystal waved back as Mason looked around outside. The city was coming back to life after the terrible weather, street lamps giving the place a soft glow.

"So Crystal..." Mason began. But before he could even finish, a large explosion erupted from the Devon Corporation. People scatter through the streets, screaming as flames lick from the hole the explosion left behind, thick smoke rising into the evening air. "What the fuck was that?!" He suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry. I try not to curse in front of a lady." He looks at Crystal sheepishly. She shakes her head.

"Heh. Don't worry, it doesn't bother me at all. Right now, we need to find out what the hell is going on." The two of them race towards the large building, sirens wailing in the distance. I only hope it's not what I think it is.