P4..::..Unwilling Goodbye


Note: From here on out, I will address characters as their game names for the sake of clarity, unless otherwise stated. Example, Marina = Crystal, Cal = Gold.


It was the crack of dawn, and Gold and Crystal where up and about. As much as they both wanted to sleep, neither had really been able to get there. Crystal had slept even less then Gold. He'd managed at least six hours, but when he'd gotten up she had been laying staring at the ceiling. Her faced had been exhausted, but when Gold had gotten up, so had she.

Now they were out a ways from Azalea. They walked along the path, mud sucking at their bare feet. They'd both thrown away their shoes at the evening before. What with walking through embers, ash, glass, toxic sludge and whatever else, they'd definitely needed an upgrade. Together, they walked until they reached the Slowpoke Well. They stared at the well, remembering past days where they had triumphed against Rockets. On that day they had felt like heroes. They had ended the suffering of Slowpokes. All they'd really done had been to help an old man, and chase away some punks.

Gold stared off for a moment and grimaced. He remembered that hair suddenly, the bright blue blazing dye. One of those punks had been one of those crazy goons that had chased them out of Goldenrod. One of those monsters in man skin that had burnt everything to cinders.

Him and Crystal maybe have been prodigies, but that didn't mean they could do jack shit. Those punks just became something worse. They were bullies with power. Bullies that had found their way to the top. Gold stared, his face slowly twisting into rage. They hadn't managed to change anything back then. Only put off the inevitable. The Slowpoke were gone. The man had obviously come back for them. And if that blue haired man hadn't, some other punk had.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRHHHNN!" He stomped over to the well and started trying to kick a stone loose. He stomped, and stomped and didn't manage to move a thing. He switched tracks and went over to the forest line and planted his foot on a trunk. He grabbed a branch and heaved, jerking it back and forth. He managed to rip it away, and chucked it into the woods. He huffed angrily, and then walked back over to Crystal's side, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Crystal just stood and stared at the top of the ladder that went down into the well.

"If they are willing to come back here for some measly Slowpokes… they probably will for Elm. I mean, they don't know we moved him here now, but… this is one of the cities well known on the map." Crystal said.

"Yeah." Gold twisted his cap on his head and swiped at his forhead, aggravated, "But he's not going to run again, he's too cowardly. He already had to run once. He ain't gonna do it again." Gold said. Crystal didn't say anything, she knew that it was true. Elm was definitely smart, but he wasn't tough. He didn't have the stamina and grit to fight off the world when the world's burden got heavy. Especially when the world came in the form of violence.

"We cannot let them get his work." Crystal stated, her eyes shifting to Gold, "And he won't protect it, no matter how important it is. With the stuff he's been working on lately, it could be really… bad." With heavy looks at each other, they turned back around.

"We should just drag him along with us." Gold grit out, already aggravated at the idea of Elm resisting.

"He won't go, Gold." Crystal said softly.

"But he HAS to go, he's going to die!" Gold growled and frustration. He leaned down to pick up some rocks and started chucking them in the woods, picking branches to hit.

"... He may know that. I think... he's just tired and looking for an excuse to quit. He's never been a fighter."

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Gold yelled.
"Gold!" Crystal glanced at him, "Be quiet. Someone may hear and make his end sooner than later." Gold quieted down grumpily. They carried on for a minute before Crystal began again, "I know you don't understand. Something happens to you, you fight back no matter what. But to Elm, that is despair. Having to fight every single time, in a time where it doesn't stop. He doesn't want to live in a world like this. He's a pascifist. More than likely, this world is a Hell to him. Him having to keep hiding. Seeing the children he gave Pokemon to having to do the fighting. It's not right."
"It's not right, but it's gotta be done! I mean, who else is gonna help fight? And he should fight too, he's got knowledge! He's a freakin' Professor!"

"And what are we going to do, drag him like we had to do Kotone?" Crystal answered wearily. Gold didn't have a response to that.

"DAMMIT!" This time when he screamed, Crystal didn't say anything to scold him.

"Let's go back Gold." Crystal said. Gold didn't say anything more. He just walked behind her sulkily. It pissed him off that he felt like crying.

Back at the house, they found Elm staring at the screen of the TV. All channels had been cut since the attacks, except for the news. No way was an entertainer going to keep playing for gold star entertainment when this was going on. Most of the stations were in Goldenrod, both TV and radio. So all that was left was him. They both had niggling feelings crawling up their spines when they heard Giovanni on the screen. It freaked them out in unimagineable ways to see him finally starting to reveal himself. Giovanni was on the screen, alebeit shadowed. They knew what he looked like vaguely, having seen him from a far in fights. They had tried to avoid him and that mammoth of a Pokemon Nidoking. That thing was the biggest they'd ever see. Only Red and Gary had managed to fight him face to face and live.

"Now is the time, Johto, to bend the knee. Give your Pokemon up, or there will be death." There were panning shots of trainers and Pokemon on the ground, obviously dead. Gold just about threw something when he saw that blue haired punk standing with a whip taunt between his hands, his boot upraised on a Dragonite's head. Another one stood beside him Goldmly. The Goldm deamnor was diminishe by the fact that his Houndoom had a broken looking Marowak in it's maw, "As you can see, you don't have many options." The camera switched back the man. He may have been in shadows, but the camera panned right past him to his view of the city from his tower. Their were fires everywhere. Little ant like people were scurrying around, but not many. Most were probably in hiding. It cut back to Giovanni, when there was static and another, newer video.

Professor Oak was on the screen. He looked chipper and was grinning.

"Hello Kanto!" He exclaimed. Elm sat up in his chair, almost quivering, "Fear not, for our Task Force is working to root out the evil Team Rocket! Just hold on, and we- The Elite Four-" This time, Oak's camera panned to the Elite Four. Lorelei was standing beside her Dewgong Goldmly, Agatha with two Gengar floating subserviantly behind her. Will and Karen were standing side by side, Xatu and Houndoom standing beside them gallantly. Finally, the camera went to Lance. Lance was standing casually, grinning. He was surrounded by his fierce looking dragons. Three Dragonites, a Gyaorodos, a Charizard and Aerodactyl, "-Will rescue you! Stand up to them! Forces are on the way- we-"

The video cut off to show Giovanni standing Goldmly, the grin still on his face.

"How cute. A show of force. You have been warned." The video cut off to static.

"Kids, it's fine! Oak's got this under control. He has always been a magnificent fighter!" Elm turned to them, his eyes shining brightly. Crystal and Gold exchanged glances.

"I know Professor but-" Crystal started.

"No, he has to be working with the Elite Four! He knows all the Champions!" He said smiling. Crystal looked at his smile, seeing the strained emotions there. Sure Professor. Pray to the people who will save you, but dig a well while your doing it.

"Professor-"

"No, Crystal." Elm said and turned back to watch the footage. It was repeating now. Crystal stared at it. She thought for sure that she had seen him saying something very similiar back in another shop in a previous city.

"Crystal?" Gold said and distracted her. She turned to him, and damn did his eyes seem dark. Crystal stood up and walked to him, making sure to keep her voice low. She didn't want to have the Professeor try and fight them. She just didn't have the heart for it. And she knew that if they took both, they'd have to choose between saving his research or him. She didn't much feel like she could live with herself right now. She remember helping him in the lab since she was a young tot with an aptitude for science.

"Come on Gold. Let's go and... get his stuff. I have a nagging feeling that this town won't be here much longer." They left Elm stared at the screen, that was no static. He couldn't seem to quit staring, hoping for another message from Oak.

It didn't take Crystal long, in the next room, to get his research gathered. She'd been there since she was young. It was mostly her wading through the stuff. Gold had never really been allowed in here. She went through Elm's researching, saving all of it on zip drives. She stuffed these in a fire and shock proof case for safe keeping. She riffled through his books, but decided that these would have to stay. They were too heavy to make it. She stared for a long time at them, before getting Gold to move them, tell them to hide them in the Slowpoke cave. They moved them throught the window, so Elm wouldn't see. While he was gone, Crystal looked around the room quietly. Shen then heard Gold climb through the window. It was done. Anymore lingering would be done for her own emotional weakness, and not for any clear purpose. So, they had to go.

When Crystal turned around, Gold held out his hand to her. There were two Pokeballs. Crystal's eyes narrowed. She wanted to slap them out of his hand, but took them instead, and attached them to her waste. They were to replace her fallened comrades.

"I thought you should have a flyer, and another fighter. Just in case." He stared into her eyes solemnly.

"Thank you, Gold." He nodded at her thanks. He took the bag from her and rolled it into a roll, and put it into his backpack. With that, they walked out of the lab. Elm didn't even ask what they had been doing in his lab, he just turned to them with a tired smile and waved his hand at the table. Perhaps he didn't want to know, or he was too weary to notice. Either way, they counted it towards good on their part. There would be less drama.

"I supposed that you would be going. Here. Some new shoes." He smiled at them, and Crystal went over and hugged him tightly. She lingered, hot misery stuck in her throat. She didn't want to let him out of her sight. It felt like she would never see him again. He was like a father to her. After all, her own mother was emotionally unstable, and her father was gone. Probably for good reason, with her mother acting so crazy. But the Professor had always spent time with her.

"Good bye Professor... Thank you. For everything." She stopped herself from spilling everyting. The thank yous for giving her her first Pokemon. For allowing her into his lab, and letting her see Pokemon she had never dreamed of seeing- even those from other regions.

"Bye, Elm." Gold came up grinning, and knocked arms with him. Elm laughed a little when Gold did that with him.

"Goodbye kids. Off to get some more supplies?"

"Yup." Gold said and grinned. He backed up, waving at the Professor. He nudged Crystal out the door. On the way up the Route, away from what could very well be the last of their family, Gold put his arm around Crystal's shoulders. They were shaking from her sobs.

"I don't want to leave him, Gold."

"I know. But I know you were right. He won't come." They walked miserably up the Route slowly, for Crystal to collect herself. FInally, she hitched up her backpack, ignoring the painful blisters that were still on her skin.

"We have to make sure this counts, Gold. We can't let him- we can't let his research go to waste."

"We will. Now come on kid, let's go make 'em pay!"


**"Sure Professor. Pray to the people who will save you, but dig a well while your doing it." Paraphrase of "Pray to God for rain, but dig a well as you do it." Meaning, go ahead and pray but don't rely solely on it.**