Yet another new chappie up and running! Wooo for me! I'm actually updating! :D

Too bad it took forever. Oh well, that's YOUR problem!

Chapter 7

"I still think it's weird that you still have that ability to draw so well." Droop said, gazing over my shoulder onto the newly completed charcoal drawing.

"Well, drawing is more of practice and patience. The skills are transferrable." I said back, holding the picture up. A regal-looking Arcanine gazed back at me, through the blacks and whites of the charcoal. I set it to the side and started on a new sheet. Droop looked at the finished papers, before asking, "Remind me why you're doing this."

"Well, I can accept my death perfectly fine, with time, of course, but I need others to accept it as well." I said to him, I stuck my tongue out at the paper, before crinkling it up and flinging it at the trash can.

"I know that, I'm just curious in why it involves charcoal and newsprint."

I pulled another sheet from the stack next to me. "Well, if my family can't just open their hearts for their brother, or son, then I just have to do it for them. And I'm hoping that the memory of the drawings will be enough of a shock to open them."

"And if they aren't?" Droop asked solemnly.

"Then I'm going to have to find a different way to smack the sense into them."

This time the picture of the Glameow came out good enough for my taste. I put it onto the finished stack of papers. I let out a sigh. "This is going to take a while…"

"Didn't you used to do nothing but this?"

"Yes, but at that time I had nothing else. It was the only thing keeping me calm. Ish. It sort of backfired onto me when I saw them burn all those drawings, but it helped, even if it was only for a short while. Besides, I didn't have friends then." I said, giving him a smile. Droop smiled back, and then said, "Either way, you need to finish."

"Right…" I said, giving the stack of papers a fiendish glare.

I tried to re-draw some of the pictures in the notebook that my siblings looked through before burning them. First, the shadowed boy crying in a corner, wearing nothing but black, the only emotion that echoed off the picture was sadness. The picture was very dark as well, very little of the paper showed light at all. Once done, I set it on the picture of the Glameow. This picture was to be given to Mary.

The next was of the same shadowed figure, but he was standing up against a wall, casting a long shadow down it. His hair covered his eyes, and on his chest I drew the outline of a heart with cracks going through it. Broken hearted, as one should figure, with some proper shading, the picture was given some more emphasis, and it was finished. Droop, all the while, remained silent as I drew, watching my movements along the pages.

I set the paper on the picture of the Carvanha, which was aimed for Michael. Lastly, the picture for the Arcanine, the picture which would be given to Tyler.

I slid another paper in front of me, and stared at it. This picture wouldn't be from the journal at all. It would be filled with much more emotion. Much more hate, and anger.

I set the charcoal on the paper, still thinking hard. I traced a quick oval, and then began to draw feverishly, with the thought still fresh in my mind. The shadow boy, again, but this time, it was a close shot, a portrait of his face. An invisible wind had blown the hair from his face, showing his face, this was the hardest part; I tried my hardest to remember. The picture flashed before my eyes, and I captured it, I drew it on the page.

Once done with the facial emotion, I scribbled cuts and spatters of blood on his face and neck. To the neck, I added the faint wispy outline of a rope. The rope trailed out behind him, connecting to other shadows, the shadows of my family. Once I shaded the last shadow, I held up the picture in front of me. Before me was a hard sketched picture of me. My old self, with the rope around his neck, connecting to all the horrors and sadness of my old life. I glared at the picture, trying to focus as much hatred and anger into this one picture, trying my hardest to put an evil aura into it.

I felt feathers on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Droop giving me a serious look. "Don't lose it, Magnus. Don't let it backfire yet again."

With these words, I sighed, and put the paper on the Arcanine. I went to go sit on Lily's bed. I couldn't believe I could get exhausted from drawing…

I heard the front door open, and Droop said a small goodbye before jumping out the window and flying away. I didn't glance at his silhouette against the sky. The door opened, and Lily came in, one of her friends following her. She had short blonde hair, and she looked like one of the bohemian girls. My eyes widened as I realized the pictures were still lying out in the open. It would be really awkward for Lily and her friend to see that. I jumped up to get to the desk, but unfortunately for me, Lily's friend got one first. She picked it up, and looked at it. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Lily. "Did you draw this, Lily? Its amazing!"

That wasn't the reaction I was expecting. Lily looked at the paper, and then down at me. "Actually, it was Maggie who drew it…"

Bohemian girl just looked down at me. "Really?"

My ears fell, and I nodded, slightly embarrassed. Both Lily and her friend looked at the paper again. "Wow… This is some amazing stuff, Lily…"

She set it back on the table, and looked at Lily. "Anyway, you were going to show me that guy friend of yours?" She said, flipping her hair from her eyes.

"Yeah, he's right next door, I'll introduce you, if you want…"

"Of course!"

They walked from the room. I blinked. That was weird. No wonder guys couldn't get girls. I jumped to the desk, and gathered all the pictures. I folded them carefully, not wanting to destroy the art. Once all three were carefully folded up, I crawled under Lily's bed, and put the drawings into the leather bag along with all of Droop's things. I heard the flapping of wings.

I crawled out from under the bed, and looked up at the window. Nobody was there. Curious, I clambered up onto the windowsill, and looked around, Droop wasn't here, nor was anyone else, as far as I could see it. Even more curious, I edged out carefully onto the roof. I crawled up on top of the chimney pole, and looked around, being careful not to fall, in the chimney, or off the roof itself. (I just recovered from a similar injury after all)

I looked in all directions, up, around, even down at the bushes. Nothing moved. Nothing seemed off guard. Satisfied, I turned.

Right into a Fearow.

I nearly tumbled off the chimney, but I caught myself, and looked up at the Fearow. "Uh, can I help you?" I asked, seeming myself as innocent as possible.

"Stop the innocence, Minun; I know you're faking it." He said in a deep voice.

My face and ears fell simultaneously. I gulped. "What?"

The Fearow, whom seemed thirty times bigger than me at this moment, lowered his face down to mine. "I know you have it here."

I gulped again, before repeating myself. "What?"

The Fearow backed up a little and rolled his eyes. "The stuff you stole from me. I know it's here, so give it up." He leaned in closer to my face. "Before I make you hurt."

"Is it wise of you to threaten someone who has a type advantage over you?" I said, sounding much braver than I expected.

At this, his beak curled into an evil grin, and then launched me into the air with his long beak.

I managed to scream only halfway up and down. The other half was crying.

I was caught by what felt like a flying brick. I let out a cough, and looked at what had caught me.

Droop was speeding away from the scene like a bullet, leaving the Fearow stunned. But that didn't last too long. He lifted into the air, let out a cry, and sped after us.

This, my dear Readers, is a car chase in the Pokémon world. It's only four times scarier.

I could only compare myself to a scared Whismur at this point. I didn't know my lungs could let out this much air at one time, either. This didn't exactly help Droop, seeing as he had to try to fly as fast as he could, with a Pokémon undoubtedly three times stronger than him chasing us, with wings that were heavier than a jet, and now, a portable alarm system that could wake up a person in a Coma.

The Fearow zoned in, his Beak still twisted in the malicious grin. I shut my yap for a minute, only to scream at Droop. "This is what I get for helping you hide that stuff!!!"

Droop, still trying to cope with everything, yelled back at me. "I know! Just let me think of something!"

I took a mental note of the Fearow getting closer, before yelling, "Well unless that idea is getting murdered by a gargantuan bird ten feet away, I suggest you think faster!"

This seemed to click a cog in his head. "Magnus!" He yelled at me. "Aim a thunderbolt at him!"

"What?!"

"Just do it!" He screamed at me.

I straightened up, which nearly flung me from Droop's back. I took a small stance, and shot a bolt of bright yellow electricity from my fist at the Fearow. It missed, and he cackled at me. I ducked and held on as tight as I could to Droop, just as the Fearow attacked at me from the side. Droop, being the agile little bugger he is, did a barrel roll, dodging the attack, and dropping us about ten feet. He flew back up to his previous height, and I now noticed we had flown out over the forest. I was hoping this wouldn't last too long, who knew where in the hell we were going to show up if this lasted too long.

I was flung back onto my feet by Droop, who then told me, "alright dude, we're entering his home territory, expect recruits!"

"Recruits?!" I asked nervously.

And, just like all things cliché, several Spearow and Starly popped from the treetops, and began to follow their leader. "Fuck." I said, giving them all a glare.

"Shoot, you dumbass!" Droop screamed at me, as he noticed several of the Starly began to pour down upon us. I shot thunderbolts madly, wearing myself out steadily. Several of them connected, and the birds fell to the ground like roast chickens. For the Starly that didn't get hit, they backed up, but kept their pace with us. I noticed the Fearow and Spearow had disappeared.

"Beware of a surprise attack, Droop…" I said nervously to him.

"Will do." And with that, he flew even higher, instantly giving me Vertigo.

I gulped, and looked at the Starly down beneath us. They were cawing madly, and I attempted to silence them, and, much to my surprise, succeeded.

Unfortunately, the message got through, and a huge gust of wind struck from below, I tried to hold onto Droop's tail feathers, but the whirlwind sent us spiraling upward, the force was then too great, and I let go. I flailed upward in the continuous gust, before gravity turned back on, and I was speeding toward the ground, bawling like mad. I landed on something fluffy, and found myself on top of the Fearow. He looked at me in surprise, before his expression change to anger, and he spun in the air so rapidly I wouldn't have internal organs if I held on.

Again, I was sent soaring through the air, as powerless as, well, a Minun in mid-air.

After a quick tumble, I landed on the flying brick again. I let out a deep groan, and said, "Good to see you again, Droop."

"Same to you, buddy!" He said cheerily, before rocketing forward again. This time, I held onto his wings to prevent myself from flying off again.

Adrenaline pumped into me at this point. And in an instant, everything went into a motion slower than slow. I blinked, and looked around. Everything was still in its place. Every bird was still in its spot, their beaks' wide open, letting out a battle cry. I thought for a quick minute, this was obviously some sort of Raikou's meddling. I smiled at the gesture, and with my feet, shot out tremendous attacks of Thunder, which, surprisingly, didn't drain me at all. And before I knew it, time resumed itself entirely, and the few shots I fired fried the few birds I aimed at, sending them tumbling toward the ground.

I laughed, and then assessed the rest of the enemy remaining. The Fearow remained flying, and only a few Spearow remained. I smiled maliciously, and fired a thunder at one of the remaining Spearow. Unfortunately, I didn't have my strength anymore, and even though the Spearow fell like a fly, I didn't have the energy to take out the remaining two birds.

"Fuck…" I panted, putting my head to Droop's back. "I can't do that anymore."

"Come on buddy," Droop said worriedly, "There are only two more!"

I panted more. "Can't…"

"Dammit. Then hold on as tight as you possibly can, and whatever you do, don't scream."

"Wha-" But I was cut off. Droop began to spin rapidly, and sharp, jagged rocks flew from the ends of his wings. I didn't know what he meant by 'don't scream,' until I realized we were plummeting like, well, rocks. I did my best to keep my bile and scream in my stomach, and it sort of worked, but I still let out a squeaky noise. I heard a sharp painful scream, and in a blur, saw the other Spearow get nailed in the chest by one of the rocks. He fell to the earth; I caught a glimpse of his eyes, dull, and lifeless.

The Fearow managed to dodge most of the rocks, much to our dismay, and right when Droop straightened out, the Fearow dove, and I felt myself get lifted from his back. This time, I screamed. The Fearow cackled, before flinging me straight downward. I was speeding toward the ground, and I took aim one last time.

I released the strongest Thunder I could muster at that moment, before hitting the ground, feeling an intense pain, and losing all consciousness.

****

I heard Magnus scream, and I saw in only moments the Fearow lift him from me, cackle, and then fling him at the ground. He laughed again, before getting struck by a blue bolt of electricity.

He let out a scream, before the Thunder exploded on him, and I too went tumbling toward the ground. I screamed the whole way down, but fortunately I missed the trees, and I caught a slight wind, before I slammed into the ground, and tumbled across it.

I was lying on my face, with my ass in the air. "Wow. That was graceful." I said snidely to myself. I pushed myself off the ground, and cracked my neck. I shook myself off, and dirt flew into the air. I sneezed, and then jumped to my feet. That's when I remembered what had just happened. My eyes widened, and I jumped around. "Magnus!" I screamed out. "Magnus where are you!?"

No answer. That wasn't a good sign.

I jumped into the air, and soared through the trees, trying to find my lost friend. All the while I called out to him, knowing the all the possibilities of falling from great heights.

I shook the thought from my mind. That couldn't happen to him. They couldn't possibly let him die; he was just reborn for crying out loud! The world stopped, and all around me turned a shade of red-gray. I tumbled to the ground, as my wings turned to lead. I tumbled head over heels, and landed on my face yet again. "Mew Dammit." I muttered. I sat up, and cracked my neck again, before turning around.

In front of me, a majestic bird was touching down. She waved her fiery mane, and then smiled at me. "Long time no see, Preston."

I nodded to Moltres. "It certainly has been." I didn't care anymore that she used my old name; it reminded me of whom I was.

"What is your commotion this time?" She asked, offering a wing to me. I settled next to her, and sighed. "I've done nothing but trouble my new friend. I'm sure that he isn't dead, but I don't know. It's all my fault he's been through this mess." I started to breathe heavily and fast. This was the last thing I needed, to have a panic attack.

Moltres took a deep breath, and her beak curved upward. She looked down at me, and said, "Raikou isn't heartless enough to let his chosen little one die like that. Believe it or not, behind that rough exterior, Raikou is a very soft and loving creature. He thinks of himself as a father of your friend now. Just like I am your mother." She nestled me closer to her. I let out a deep breath, the panic was still in me, but it wasn't as intense.

Moltres released me, and quietly said, "He isn't going to die, Preston, but you do need to help him." She gestured toward a group of trees. "He's in there. And don't worry, He'll be fine."

She leapt off the ground, and flew up into the sky. The sun enveloped her silhouette, and the world's color returned. I blinked several times, before jumping to my feet and heading off in the direction that Moltres told me to go.

After several seconds, I saw a blue and yellow lump laying in the tall grass. I shooed several Hoppip off of him, and they scattered away into the grass. I looked down at Magnus. He wasn't in the best shape, but it didn't look like he was in the worst, either.

I poked him several times with my beak. When this didn't work, I looked around. Several herbs and grasses were growing nearby, but they wouldn't help me at this point. I looked at the ground, and (much to my total unbelief) found a potion bottle laying there, looking perfectly untouched. I jumped over to it, picked it up in my beak, and hopped back over to Magnus, who attracted several Hoppip again. I glared at each of them. One looked at me. "What?"

"Why are you guys surrounding him like that?"

"Dude, who WOULDN'T take advantage over an unconscious thing that you can mate with?"

At this, I shooed them all away again, cawing like an insane bird. They scattered again, and I pointed the bottle at Magnus. The purple liquid sprayed out of it, and at once Magnus sat up yelling. Once up, however, he yelped in pain, and fell back down. "Shit, that stuff stings…" He moaned. I smiled, and sprayed the rest of the bottle onto him. Once done, he laid back down, and closed his eyes. "Where are we?" He muttered to me.

"I don't know." I said, gnawing at my lower beak.

"Lovely…" He said, taking a deep sigh.

I sat down next to him. "Well, now you should know what it means to be friends with me."

At this, he glared at me, and said, "Fuck, you."

I smiled. "Glad to hear it."

We sat there in the small field for a little while, listening to nothing but the wind blow, and we watched the sun begin settling its way down the western sky. Magnus blinked, and then I saw his eyes widen. "We have to get home."

"Why?" I asked, looking at him like he was an idiot.

"I need to get home. That's why." He said through gritted teeth.

I took this as a signal to obey, and he slowly crawled onto my back. I bounced into the air, and started to fly at a slow pace, scanning what lay in front of us.

It was nothing but forest. It didn't help that his town was small, and had a lot of trees in it as well. So, we were flying around for quite some time, trying to look for the town.

About an hour or so later, I saw a town on the horizon. I flapped my wings harder, and we were soon hovering over it. I let out a breath. At least we weren't totally lost.

Too bad we were totally lost. It turns out that I had gone the wrong direction, and we ended up in Azalea City. Just my luck.

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Wow. This is pretty long for one of my chapters… Unfortunately, it was supposed to be a page longer in Microsoft Word…. -.-

Dammit.

Anyway, leave a review if you have the time, and if you don't, leave a review anyway. MmmK? :D