Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Chapter 9

I woke up on the cold, wet floor to a person nudging my side. Blinking with fatigue and confusion, I looked up into the blue eyes of Elin, the same boy who quite literally pushed me into the safe house. His face was stoic and he stood staring at me with his arms crossed.

"Don't just sit there gaping like a Magikarp; get up and follow me. Everyone's been looking for you and the creature," he said disinterestedly. Sitting up from the wall, my back ached from who knows how many hours of resting I had done. Goosebumps covered my skin, and I shivered in the cool breeze that somehow flowed through the maze. The only warmth I felt was radiating off of the Shinx sleeping peacefully on my lap. Smiling lightly, I picked up the Pokemon gently in my arms and stood up, facing Elin.

His face softened a bit as he, too, gazed at the tranquil Pokemon. "How strange that the fate of Unova rests on one so weak," he said, shaking his head slightly. I raised my eyebrow slightly, silently challenging him to say another word against the Shinx. I might have been happier to see him instead of Cheren, but he had no right to insult this Pokemon. Luckily, he caught my challenge and turned around, dropping the subject entirely. "Stay close to me. It's easy to become lost in this place," he softly said. "Come on, Litwick; we need to actually see where we are going."

I gazed in wonder as a bright Litwick zoomed past my head, screeching to a halt beside Elin, who I guessed was the trainer. It turned around, shot me as much of a glare as it could, then floated a bit ahead of us, shining a light in the tunnels. I should have known that the rebels would have Pokemon, but it still surprised me.

We walked for perhaps another couple of minutes until we finally reached the entrance to the Main room, and I heard the murmurings of other rebels located inside. I tightened my grip on the Shinx, making sure that I did not wake it. Looking down, a gentle peace settled in my heart and mind as I watched the repetitive rise and fall of its breaths. Steeling my nerves, I strode into the Main Hall, ready to turn away anyone who dared take the Pokemon from me. But to my surprise, everyone merely looked at me with skepticism in their eyes, then returned to their previous affairs. That was easy. When I started to slow down, Elin grabbed my shoulder and pulled me in the direction of Cheren's and Roxie's office. I could handle some rebels that looked down upon me, but I was definitely not ready to face Cheren's wrath.

Upon entering the small room, my heart leapt in my throat. I was absolutely and undeniably shaking in fear of Cheren for what he might do to me and the Shinx still sleeping in my arms. But when he looked up from the table where he was studying a map, all I saw in his eyes was exhaustion. The other people in the room looked to be just as tired as well. Roxie rested in a wooden chair in the corner, dozing off. Themis, although her shoulders were slumped, simply gazed at me in apathy before resuming petting the equally-apathetic Growlithe in her lap. Amy, however, looked like she was about to burst from the anger pent up inside of her, but before she did explode, she sighed and stared me straight in the eye.

"I would yell at you, but I see that it never seems to faze you," she said tiredly. "You are one stubborn, obtuse person, Fallow." I simply smiled at her in reply. She had grown on me in the few days we knew each other.

Cheren cleared his throat and stared at me pointedly. "I apologize sincerely for my conduct earlier last night. It was rude and unbecoming of a leader such as me," he said. I could hardly believe my ears. "Whether you choose to accept my apology or not is entirely up to you, but we have bigger problems to tackle now than yours and my pride." Ahh, appealing to what we have in common. Could be effective, but I was still too pissed at him for any sign of forgiveness. When someone wronged me, I tended to hold on to that anger for a long time. It was one of my fatal flaws. The other was my righteous self-reliance. Living practically on my own taught me to take care of myself. Not that I found it hard to trust others, I just preferred solitude and seclusion. I trusted myself.

"Now it has come to my attention that Tavon and Arabella have not told you everything, from the information I have gathered from Amy," he said, suddenly authoritative. Roxie jolted awake, only to fall asleep once again. Man, I wish I was her right now.

"What else is there? I mean, I already know that someone has to take down the government, that someone has to lead you all into victory with this Shinx by his side," I said.

Themis narrowed her eyes at me. "Why do you speak as if you are not the one that will lead us?"

I found it easy when I told Amy about why I couldn't do this, but I suddenly lost my confidence when I faced everyone in the room. I had a horrible sinking feeling that I was letting down the Pokemon sleeping in my arms. "It is unquestionably obvious that none of you are pleased with the selection of me as your leader. I have to agree with Cheren when he said earlier that I was unimpressive, that much is true, I mean, look at me," I said, gesturing to myself as best as I could with the Shinx in my arms. "I lack the confidence and the skill to lead people like you. Whatever Tavon and Arabella saw in me that spurned the decision to appoint me is false. I am no leader. I would much rather stay in the shadows, supporting the savior along with you."

A heavy silence filled the room. Roxie, awake once again, pursed her lips whilst Themis appeared to be confused by my explanation. Amy, already having heard this conversation, suddenly found some sort of interest in her fingernails. Elin stared pointedly at me, poker-face never wavering. But Cheren's face began to morph into something indescribable.

"Excuse me? You say that you refuse?" he asked in a sarcastically rude manner. "I'm afraid that's impossible."

"Actually, it's really not. You have plenty of other rebels who would be perfect for this job," I said, becoming frustrated. "Just look at Themis. She could probably take down the government with a single look."

"Oi, don't bring me into this, Red," she yelled indignantly. "I may dislike you a lot, but that doesn't mean I want to take your position."

Cheren just looked at me with a disappointed scowl. "You really have no idea, do you?"

Now it was my turn to scowl at him. "Maybe if someone would actually give me a straight answer around here, we wouldn't have to go through this." My patience was evaporating and my sanity was far from intact.

"Cheren, explain it gently. The last thing we need is for you to blow up at her and then where would we be? Back to square one. Don't screw this up," said Roxie, putting particular strain on the word 'gently.' Cheren sighed deeply.

"Everyone, please leave Fallow and me. Do not let anyone interrupt us," he finally said. Elin, Roxie, and Themis immediately nodded, filing out to the passage with Themis's Growlithe trailing behind. Amy appeared a tad uncertain about leaving me alone with Cheren. "That's an order, Amy." I looked at her, smiling slightly, letting her know I would be okay. She nodded as well and hesitantly left the room. An awkward silence settled around Cheren and me. He gestured for me to sit in the wooden chair in the corner. Sitting cautiously, I watched him pace around the small room in a circle around the table.

Stopping in front of me, he asked, "What, in your own mind, do you think is the reason for your being here?" Wasn't it obvious?

"To take down the government."

"Don't just tell me. Explain."

Huffing slightly, I further elaborated. "For some reason that I am still unaware about, I was appointed by Tavon and Arabella to seek out your group of rebels and, along with this Pokemon," I signaled with my head to the sleeping mass in my arms, "to foil the plots of the NatPol and eventually, break apart the government. But I do not know why I must be the one to do it. Surely there are others better suited for this."

He nodded along with my explanation. "True, there are many rebels who would gladly rise to this position, especially the one that leads us to victory. But everyone lacks something. Something that you have." Noticing that I was thoroughly confused, he leaned against the table, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. He then continued on.

"Eighteen years ago, a girl younger than you took it upon herself to seek out the legendary dragon of Ideals, Zekrom, in order to defeat the newly-formed Team Plasma, who sought the legendary dragon of Truth, Reshiram." Why was he giving me a history lesson? Apparently, he could see my distaste, because he scoffed before continuing on. "In a decisive battle, the girl and Zekrom defeated Team Plasma and Reshiram. Because of this defeat, we expected Team Plasma to be completely eradicated.

"But two years later, they returned once more, in search of the dragon, Kyurem, who was thought to be the one to finally secure power for them. Then, another girl, also younger than yourself, accepted the responsibility to bring down Team Plasma. She succeeded, and Team Plasma has been gone ever since," he paused slightly before continuing on. "The only way those two girls overcame these challenges is because they had help. Legendary help."

I interrupted him. "So what you're saying is that we need either Zekrom or Reshiram to be able to take down the government?"

"If you would like to state it simply, then yes," he replied, slightly perturbed that I had interrupted him. "The two dragons will only follow whoever they deem is worthy enough, one who is guided by truth, or one who is driven by ideals."

"What does this have to do with me?" I asked.

He sighed in displeasure before explaining. "Tavon and Arabella's task was to find one who sought the truth and pursued his or her ideals. Apparently, they saw something in you that reflected the same natures of the two girls long ago. Personally, I do not see it now, but that doesn't mean you do not have the necessary qualifications. For too long have we been sitting dormant on the sidelines, waiting for one who embodied these things. And now you have come, yet you refuse to accept this. You do not understand that you are the only person that can possibly harness the power of the dragons."

This information was too much. Too heavy. Too excessive. Breathing became harder. Panic coursed through my system.

"I am not the person you are looking for," I said adamantly, hoping to sound authoritative. Cheren laughed pityingly at my pathetic attempt at an excuse.

"Fallow, you alone can save us," he said. Couching in front of me, he continued. "A passion lives inside of you, buried deep within the confines of your mind. Together with this Shinx, you can turn that inner microcosm into action and mirror it in Unova. With time, others will begin to see the potential you possess, and they will follow you. Even I believe that," he comforted in an awkward way.

All too eager to be out of that suffocating room, I asked, "Well, can't you just give me one of the dragons so we can destroy the castle and everything it holds?"

That earned a pathetic chuckle from Cheren. "If only it were that easy. But people would see us as a tyrannical group obsessed with power. They would fear us, even if we had one of the dragons on our side. Which that presents us with another problem."

"Oh please, enlighten me with another dilemma. It's not like I have enough to think about already," I said with a sarcastic smile. But he just stared unwaveringly at me.

"In an attempt to sever herself from her traumatic past, Touko, the first girl, reverted the Zekrom to his dormant form. Eventually, Mei, the other girl, did the same. They hid the dragons' dormant forms together in a place where no one could find them. But when President Javan took over and started his urbanization projects, Touko and Mei lost them."

Oh.

Great.

"For fifteen years, we have searched for the dragons, but have never been able to find them. So for the past eight years or so, we have devoted all of our time and resources into smuggling a powerful Pokemon into Unova, and finding one who was worthy enough to lead us all. You and this Shinx are the result," he said resolutely. "We do not expect for you to lead us right away, but we will in time. For now, though, you and your Pokemon need training."

I nodded tiredly. My brain was pounding with all of the information I had just absorbed. Petting the Shinx absentmindedly, I was envious of its sweet ignorance. My mind was turbulent with an inner turmoil. My thoughts were a tornado that swept up everything that was ever true and right in my life. My blood was a raging river coursing through my veins, rushing through my body. My heart was thunder, pounding against my ribs, rattling my foundation. My lungs were a hurricane, with violent gusts of air blowing apart my sanity. Too much.

It was all too much.

Sometime during my inner conflicts, Cheren had slipped out of the room, returning with a young girl of about fifteen years with a bright, carefree smile on her freckled face. I jolted in shock when Cheren suddenly snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"This is Faith Greenfield," he said, gesturing to the dark-skinned girl beside him. "She will take care of you and your Pokemon for now." Faith, her green eyes staring sympathetically into my own lost, grey eyes, gently grabbed my arm and pulled me into a standing position.

"Fallow, is it?" she asked kindly. I simply nodded, causing a fresh pain to reverberate in my mind. "Just follow me. I will fix you and Shinx right up," she said. I didn't even feel my legs moving. I just trailed after her dark, afro-like hair and bubbly personality. As well as Amy, she was taller than me, but I was too distracted to care. I needed to sleep. Or cry. Maybe even both. I knew that if I held on to my emotions any longer, I would have a complete meltdown.

But leaders are strong. They have no weakness. So I did my best to reign myself in, and followed after Faith.

Eventually, we ended up in a well-lit cavern, a couple of beds against the far wall and a table and some cabinets full of supplies of the left wall. On the right side, many plants grew in the dark, reflecting brilliant colors into the shadows of my mind. It was all so comforting.

Faith, noticing my relaxed expression and eased shoulders, smiled lightly at me. She said, "If you will please go to one of the beds in the back, I will be with you in just a second."

I nodded, then proceeded to the bed with the still-sleeping Shinx in my arms. It was a wonder that it was still asleep, but I guess if you don't understand what's going on, you would sleep in delightful ignorance as well. Sitting criss-crossed on the surprisingly plush bed, I waited patiently for Faith to come. She walked over a few minutes later.

"All right, let's see how this Shinx is doing," she said sweetly. She was so nice and kind that I instantly felt comfortable with her. After assessing the sleeping Pokemon, she said, "It seems to be in perfectly good shape physically. And judging from the length of the hair on its forehead, this Shinx is a male." I smiled happily at the creature in my lap. He was mine to keep. Even though I was by no means ready to accept one of the legendary dragons, much less step up into a position of leadership, I took comfort in the fact that this Shinx would be beside me through it all, supporting each other, training for whatever challenges we would face, and most importantly, changing the fate of Unova. We would do it together.

Faith then began to examine me, mentally recording everything she saw, her eyes seeming to read me like an open book. After she was done, she smiled and handed me a sky-blue berry. Without a second thought, I devoured the fruit, satiating my empty stomach and some of my emotions faded.

"You both appear to be healthy. A tad shaken up, but healthy nonetheless," she said, reaching under the bed. My trusty backpack dangled in her hands. Stretching my aching arms toward it, I placed it beside me and unzipped the secret pocket, taking out my tattered notebook and a pencil.

Whenever I underwent extreme periods of stress or seemingly impossible trials, I always turned to writing. Before I discovered writing, though, I was subject to frequent panic attacks. My parents always called me weak whenever they were around when I was suffering through one, but I always had Herdier to comfort me. They became particularly insurmountable after Audun left. Eventually, I found a different way to avoid such attacks: through pen and paper. My notebook was filled with pages upon pages of desperate words and helpless feelings, words and emotions that no longer filled my mind. I hadn't suffered an attack in months, and I didn't plan on having another anytime soon.

Faith stared at me in wonder as I put pencil to paper, bleeding my thoughts out. I assumed she would get bored with watching me, but she stayed obediently by my side, never moving an inch while I wrote line after line.

After a while, I finished. Placing my pencil in the secret pouch once more, I was about to close my notebook when she asked in a small voice:

"What did you write about?"

I smiled softly before I answered. "About me. And how I have longed for freedom, for the chance to change the world." Feeling particularly confident, I asked, "Do you want to hear it?" She nodded eagerly, so speaking in a slow, even tone for dramatic effect, I read aloud:

"'I want to be the wind. I want to race through the sky. I want to fly past people, creating a wave of wonderful chaos in my path. I want to be the gentle breezed, the calming zephyr, that heals with my simple presence. To be locked forevermore in a perpetual dance of freedom, no longer tied down by my petty obligations. Too long have I sat stagnant, subjecting myself to exploitation, and for the sake of what? What have I gained? Was I under the false impression that I, too, could possibly benefit from a nonexistent passion still lingering in my exhausted abilities? But even chains are comforting when the prisoner ceases to be what they were created for.

"'I say no longer. If I should flee the rest of my life for this, I welcome it. If I am running, at least I'm running free.

"' I am the wind. I am racing through the endless sky. I am flying past people, stirring up the peace, like I was created to do. I am the gentle breeze, the calming zephyr, bringing assurance for the peace to come, like I was created to do. I am that which has no home, for I am free. To where I am going, I know not myself, but rest assure that I am going. I am a force of nature.

"'And nothing is stopping me.'"

WHEW. That was a long chapter. And it's all thanks to you guys, I mean: 70 reviews? 800 views? This is everything beyond what I could have every hoped for for my first story. I am so thankful for everyone.

That thing that Fallow wrote is something that I actually wrote a long time ago to deal with really bad family problems. I'm still having a really tough time dealing with everything, but writing is helping me. I just hope you guys like it.

Shoutout to these lovely humans for reviewing: Tabos, emosewa-13, OPFan37, Swag Giraffe, AngelxofxChaos, Cottonmouth25, PepperMentShock, ChrystalDragoness, and gamergirl101.

Faith belongs to PepperMentShock.

Please don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts on this latest chapter, so you know what's coming next:

REVIEW. I REALLYREALLYREALLY LOVE REVIEWS. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST.