Something of a Tragedy
Drew - The Scientist
"Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard"
The Scientist, Coldplay
I held the gun tightly as May and I entered the path. The route heading to Mauville City was dangerous, despite the lonely feeling to it. The Fiery Path deemed the safest way, as the desert would only be hard to maneuver through because of the ongoing sandstorm and the thieves lurking there. However, the Fiery Path was also notorious for the many criminals and crazies (what was the difference between the two anyway?) that occasionally passed through.
The war had changed us. We weren't the silly, immature teenagers that only cared about winning contests or defeating gyms leaders. We couldn't do those things anymore. We had to fight, hurt, and kill for our safety. A lot has changed in eight years.
Six years ago, when I was twelve, Johto soldiers arrived in Slateport City with a mission to kill as many people as they can. May, Soledad, Harley, and I were competing in a contest, unaware of the disaster happening outside the contest hall. A troop of soldiers of ten had barged in, guns loaded, and started firing. The four of were separated and to this day, May and I still do not know whether or not Soledad and Harley are still alive.
We headed up the bicycle route after what Hoenn deemed, "Slateport Massacre." From there, we headed to Verdanturf Town, warning people on the way. We crossed through the tunnel and from Rustboro City we went to Petalburg City to meet up with May's family. According to Norman, Max had ran away as soon as he heard of the massacre. May was devastated. I may have never liked the little squirt, but I was worried... for his safety, for the Maple family, for May...
I promised her we would find him. Six years later, her whole family is dead - either wiped out by the virus or were killed by the gun of a Johto soldier. Six years later, Max is still missing and May is still waiting - for what, I don't know.
May's Blaziken grunted, then poked me in the back. I looked back at it. He was heading towards the secondary path hidden behind two boulders, pushing them aside.
"May," I whispered, grabbing her shoulder. The brunette turned around, then stopped walking, "What?"
"Blaziken's going that-a-way," I pointed to her pokemon, who was already out of our sight. She narrowed her eyes, then widened them, "Oh no. Oh Arceus, Drew we've gotta get out, like, now." She pulled me towards the nearing exit, her legs running at full speed. We passed through the secondary path, shouting, "Blaize, we gotta go!" Her pokemon darted out almost seconds after, a trail of bandits following it, wielding hi-tech guns and daggers. The group retreated back to their hiding spot, visibly disappointed in themselves for not getting us.
One of them caught eye of May, screaming at her, "You're - you're May..." She obviously didn't hear her. I turned my head to see the owner of voice.
She looked awfully familiar, with her long, red hair and deep blue eyes. She had thigh-high boots and was dressed in a dark blue top and black shorts. I couldn't put a name on her face.
We approached the path's exit in no time. May, shaken and alert, returned Blaziken back to it's pokéball. I pressed my fingers against the gun's silver barrel, then to it's trigger, then back to the silver barrel. It was a habit for me, to touch the trigger. I've killed people with a single push of the tiny trigger. I hope I don't kill again, but it's my life against their's. I don't plan on dying soon, and neither is May.
I looked up from my thoughts to see May polishing her knife. She did this often, I noticed. I don't know why, though. She had to though, every single day, for some reason. She had to take out her white cloth and wipe her already pristine knife. It was a habit. Just like pulling a trigger for me, she was used to cleaning the dagger.
"So how did you know there were bandits?" I asked. She blinked, then gazed at me. Her eyes met mine and in a way, I wanted to keep it like that; her, staring atme in a curious gaze. She tore away from my eyes and stated in a low whisper, "It was too quiet. I saw movement in the secondary path and a shadow much different than Blaziken's. It seemed obvious to me." She returned to her knife-polishing.
"You're quiet today," I observed. She scoffed, then put her knife away. "Well you're talkative today," she retorted. I nodded. I opened my bag to put my gun away, seeing as we didn't really need it. May shook her head and grabbed the gun from my hands, stating, "No. Don't put it away. If you're too lazy to carry it, I'll hold it."
I nodded slowly, trying decipher her sudden statement. Someone was in a bitchy mood today. I shrugged, deciding to let her carry it. Whatever.
I took one of the pokéballs that were hanging from my waist. After the massacre, I decided to keep them handy, as we didn't have a gun until the summer of 2010. My strongest pokemon were the easiest to reach: Absol, Flygon, and Roserade, while the other ones were still stuck inside my backpack. Even though we have a gun and a knife around us 24/7, I still keep them around my waist. You never be too careful, especially nowadays.
I released Absol from his pokeball. The pokemon stretched and ran up to me, visibly happy to see me. I bent down to pet the dark-type, "Hey, missed you too, buddy." Absol licked my hand, then ran up to May and jumped on her. She laughed, "Hey there, missed you too." My pokemon nuzzled against one of the pokeballs that were hanging from her belt. She laughed again and released her Glaceon, who then pounced on Absol playfully, then pounced on her owner.
I smiled.
"Hey, wait up! You - you! You're the one he wants!" The same red-headed girl I saw came dashing towards us. I hissed at Absol, "Get ready. May, you have the -" My companion was already aiming the rifle at the woman. She stopped, then held up her hands, "Woah, woah, don't shoot!"
May didn't move. I could see that she was already pressing against the trigger. I looked back to the shaking woman, then shouted in a steady voice, "Whatever pokemon, or weapons you have, drop it. Now." The woman slowly dropped one of her hands to her left boot, pulled out a handgun, then set it on the ground, sliding it our way. She threw the pokeballs that were hanging from her waist our direction, then pulled out another, more hi-tech gun from her belt, sliding it to May. She backed away, "There, that's all I have."
May still didn't move, "I don't believe you. I see a knife hanging from your belt, behind you." The woman dropped the dagger and put it on the ground. "Happy?"
May slowly put down the gun, then said, "What's your name?"
"J-Jessie," she said. May cocked her head, then raised her gun again, "Jessie? Team Rocket Jessie, right?" She nodded. I couldn't believe it either. I spat at the criminal, "If you're Jessie, where's that Meowth and James you're always hanging out with."
"D-Dead. Like everyone else I know," she glared at me, pain obvious in her voice. May lowered the gun, "I-I'm sorry."
"Yeah, I am too." Jessie looked away, then shot a glare to May, "Wait! You're the one the boss wants."
"The boss?" I questioned. Jessie nodded, "G-Giovanni."
"He's still the big, bad, boss of Team Rocket? He's so old now." May looked to me. Jessie shook her head, "N-No. Not Team Rocket, not anymore, at least. It's Team Johto now."
May raised the gun, "What?"
Jessie choked out a mangled sob, "Can you help me?" And then, shots coming from the Fiery Path rang out.
She keeled over, her blue shirt darkening with blood.
-A/n- Dun dun dun! What will become of Jessie and May and Drew? :O Review. Please.
Oh yeah, the titles of the chapters are the songs that inspired me to write. BUT THE REVIEWS ARE THE ONES THAT INSPIRE ME TO WRITE EVEN MORE! - Consider this, dear reader :)
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO REVIEWED THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS and/or STORY ALERTED/FAVORITED!
