Chapter 8: Plot

How did it even come to this? Surely everyone knew there was something fundamentally wrong with this moment, this split second from the mid of a battle. But not just any, everyday battle; a faithful, blazing battle surrounded by an unnatural darkness. On the moment that attack flew towards her, the girl could remember her whole life. No, she could more than remember; it was like she was reliving it all. But reliving didn't mean actually participating it; it was like she'd be watching closely over someone, whom she simply knew as "me".

She could see her happy, childhood years, she could see the dreams she had long ago. She could see the ones she cared for, and could see them caring for the girl she was watching, the 'me' from whose eyes she was watching from. Happiness, joy, the way it should have continued, always… But she could also see the darkness of the recent times.

This was definitely not how it should have been. This image was completely wrong. Just look at it; the girl who soon will take a hit is one of the famous black-haired kimono girls, known for their dancing and elegance. She had been a star since she was born, and lived her life dancing and sharing happiness with her beloved Umbreon.

Then what on earth was this? Why was that kimono girl now in the middle of a strange battle held in the dusk coming from a being, hardly a pokemon, whom she called Umbreon? Why was she laying there on the ground, horror in her eyes, as she watched the attack come closer, while asking all this from herself? Why?

Why? Tamao had millions of questions in her head, but that was the one she most deeply wanted an answer to. Even now, that question echoed in her head. Why…? Why… and how?

While her life replayed itself in front of her eyes, Tamao couldn't see the answer, not even in the latest events. How did it come to this?

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The sunset was indeed beautiful. Even though Tamao hardly had the time (or personality, at that) to appreciate the beauty of nature, she couldn't help but to notice that wonderful, crimson sky slightly dyed in gold by the last shine from the sun. The shadows on the ground had scarlet linings, and the windows reflected a deep orange back to the people slowly returning inside, from the way of the cold of the night.

Yes, it was beautiful. Purely beautiful; there was no melancholy hidden in that sunset. It was just another natural event, which had decided to take a magnificent form.

Yet not everyone walking under that sunset was as purely happy or magnificent. A certain former kimono girl, for example, might have been hiding it well, but she was not feeling very wonderful, let alone magnificent.

As Tamao walked towards the new dance theatre with Morty, she couldn't find a reason to make her cry now, but she could find a thousand reasons to do it later. Her life had taken a sad turn, all right. Or rather, it wasn't really a sad turn; it was like she would have been given a break from her previous sad turn, and it was as late a snow that she would get over that part of her life, and then move on.

She could not wait for the 'moving on' part. Or rather, the part after that. Getting over something was never fun, but the time after it were lovely and relaxed. Free, rather. Oh, how she longed that time now. Sadness and frustration… who came up with those stupid feelings anyway?

Can a human get used to pain? If so, that was probably happening to Tamao, or so she thought. Being able to think about her own, sorrowful feelings this freely could mean that she was in shock, or something like that, but she preferred the possibility of getting used to it. After all, then it wouldn't matter what was in front of her; she'd be able to easily deal with hit, right?

Great. She was being optimistic now. And that was all that she needed. After all, there was no point in screaming in her own head and feeling depressed. She'd accomplish a lot more if she just kept her head cool, and looked at the bright side of things. Whatever they were; right now Tamao couldn't find any.

But, she was being optimistic. And that was all that mattered. Whether she had a reason to do it or not, she was still doing it. And that was finally it.

Morty probably realized she was concentrating on getting a grip, since he didn't interrupt her thinking. It was weird how understanding he was. Sometimes Tamao couldn't help but to think he was suspicious, but always ended up with the conclusion that rather than suspicious, he was just creepy. And so be it; the creepier the person she was with was, the more normal she felt.

Speaking about creepy, Morty's plan really gave her the creeps. He had explained it to her just before she got lost in her thoughts again. The plan itself was quite simple, but there was something that really made Tamao feel uncomfortable. And that something was how manipulative Morty could be when he wanted. Did he do it to her without her noticing, too…? No. He did do it, but she noticed it every time he did, she was sure of it.

The dance theatre wasn't far ahead. They had already passed the black remains of the old one, so it was just a matter of minutes until they'd be there. The more she thought about it, the more nervous she got. Morty would be able to pull it of, but would she? This seemed so ridiculous…

But it was too late to tell Morty to turn back. The dance theatre was in front of them, and Tamao had slightly seen the curtains on the window move. Just slightly, as someone peeked from behind them. Probably Sakura; she had always been endlessly curious.

Morty smiled widely, so that only Tamao could see and understand how eerie it really was. Anyone else might have said he was just happy, cheerful, excited… Anything but eerie. But Tamao knew what he was plotting.

Morty knocked the door, surely but eerily. Everything he did right now was so eerie!

" You don't need to knock, you know. I have the key," Tamao told him, hiding her troubled feelings.

Morty laughed.

" You could have said that earlier," he told her, but didn't sound accusing.

Tamao didn't even hear any steps approaching, the door just shot open. Sakura had probably gotten to the door as soon as she could, and waited a while to make it seem natural. Too bad Tamao, and probably Morty too, could see through it. Not that either of them was going to say anything.

And it was no-one else than Sakura who appeared through the door. She looked just at Tamao, and smiled widely.

" Whoa, Tama! You were out long! We were worried already…" she started, then stopped dramatically. A bit too dramatically.

She obviously pretended to notice Morty, and a calculated, surprised attention rose on her face. She opened her mouth, a little too slowly, and her voice sounded way too surprised to be genuine.

" Oh my, Morty! What a pleasant surprise to see you here! Were you escorting Tama home? That's so kind from you! Please, do come in! Would you like some tea?" she chirped.

Tamao held back chuckling. Sakura, at least, had not changed one bit among the years. She still trusted her poor actor skills to go through. No-one had the heart to tell her she didn't fool anyone. But she was just trying to be friendly, so it didn't really matter. She wasn't doing it to hurt anyone, after all.

Morty smiled widely. His smile looked genuine. It probably was, too.

" Yes please, if that isn't too much of a bother," he answered, with his ever-so-nice voice.

Sakura stepped aside, and both Morty and Tamao stepped in. Sakura closed the door, and together they all walked to the small living room. The three other kimono girls were sitting around the round table. Once Tamao stepped in, she noticed an embarrassed expression on Sumomo's face, Satsuki was as cool as ever. Koume, instead, looked Morty, who had also come to the room, straight into the eyes, and smiled her warmest smile. Tamao couldn't help but to feel a little puzzled by this. Even with Koume always being so polite, that was quite a warm…

Tamao's thoughts were interrupted as Sakura arrived, loudly.

" Well the, as you can see, we have a guest! And he's thirsty too! I'm no good at making tea, as you know, so Koume, could you…?" she shouted, friendly, but still a bit too loudly for Tamao's ears to feel comfortable.

" Why of course," Koume interrupted (politely), with her silent and soft voice. It was amazing that it could even be heard from under Sakura's shouting.

Koume got up, and Tamao noticed that she was wearing her comfortable, pink kimono. Koume liked to dress traditionally, even at home. She was about to leave the room, when Morty suddenly spoke.

" Oh, please, let me help you. I wouldn't want you to go through all that trouble by yourself," he said, and followed Koume, who smiled, if possible, even warmer than before. The two disappeared to the kitchen, and Tamao was left staring behind them. Her eyes stood wide open in her face, as she got even more puzzled.

" What the…? Since when was he this polite?" she thought by herself.

However, on that moment, Tamao was attacked by the questions of two curious sisters (who were both now standing right next to her) and the cold ignorance of one who couldn't care less.

" Tama! Why is he here? Tell us!" Sakura muttered silently enough. The two in the kitchen would not be able to hear her.

" And don't say he just walked you home! It isn't the least bit dangerous in Ecruteak city, and it's not even completely dark yet!" Sumomo continued the sentence.

Tamao could just move her mouth, without any words coming out. Unfortunately, Sakura completely misunderstood her expression that didn't know what to say.

She got a little further away, and dramatically took her hands to her face.

" Don't tell me…! He came to ask your hand in a ma…ma…ma!" she shrieked silently enough.

The three other girls in the room could just stare at her with disbelieving expressions on their faces. Even Satsuki managed to look embarrassed for her sister. Tamao looked down and wondered if this is what sweatdropping feels like.

Sumomo couldn't hold herself back any longer. She bursted into a wild laugh, which shook her whole body. She didn't even care about keeping it down; she laughed with all her might, holding her stomach.

Sakura looked puzzled by the behaviour of her sisters, and Satsuki looked down. Tamao stared at her. She wasn't sure if her eyes were betraying her, but to her it looked like Satsuki was blushing of embarrassment. Considering what Sakura had just said, it was no wonder, but considering Satsuki's personality, it was basically a miracle.

" Ow… ow, it hurts… My stomach…!" Sumomo managed to mumble through her laugh. Sakura still looked puzzled, Satsuki's blushing seemed to disappear a little, and Tamao turned her head. Her eyes hit a mirror on the wall, and she saw that her own face was red like a rose. No wonder; being accused with something like that.

Sumomo, still chuckling, straightened her back.

" Sa- sakura… haha… Think after a little. How old was Tamao again…?" she managed to say.

" Well… She's fifteen," Sakura said, looking even more confused.

" Exactly. And are fifteen-year-olds allowed to get married? Heehee…"

" Well… No, but…"

" But what?"

Sakura seemed confused, probably wondering why the three couldn't see the obvious.

" Well, she does get well along with Morty. I mean, they've been very close for years!"

Surprisingly, it was Satsuki who spoke next.

" Sakura, Morty is nineteen. There's an age difference of four years." Her voice was cool and collected.

" Love sees no age!" Sakura declared.

" That might be true, but still; I doubt Tamao and Morty are more than friends. You aren't, are you now?" Sumomo spoke, directing the piercing question to Tamao.

Tamao sighed, annoyed that she had to explain the obvious.

" As far as I know, no. Absolutely not," she said. Her voice was shaking from embarrassment.

" Good," Satsuki muttered so quietly she was only heard by Tamao, who was standing closest to her.

" Huh?" Tamao mumbled and looked at her, surprised, but Satsuki just shook her head. What did she mean by that?

Sakura and Sumomo had not noticed this, and continued their attack towards their younger sister.

" Putting that aside, what is he doing here?" Sumomo asked, whispering again.

" Right, please tell us!" Sakura agreed.

Tamao only had a split second to think after.

" Uh, he just… Came to ask you something," Tamao started, and as Sakura opened her mouth, surprised again, Tamao interrupted her.

" I told you already; we're not in love."

As both Sakura and Sumomo tried to figure out what to say, Satsuki suddenly spoke again, looking just at Tamao.

" They're taking long," she said, coolly and silently.

Sumomo understood.

" Oh yeah… No-one makes tea this slowly, especially not Koume. Wonder what's taking them?" she said casually.

" I'll have a lo…!" Sakura started happily, but Satsuki interrupted her with a cool tone.

" Tamao, go check on them."

" Ah…" Tamao, Sakura and Sumomo all let out.

" O- okay then…" Tamao muttered, and started walking towards the kitchen. Neither Sakura nor Sumomo protested; the authority of this oldest sister was sometimes amazing.

As Tamao approached the kitchen, she was feeling extremely puzzled. What was with Satsuki? She never did anything random; her words and actions always had a meaning. Now what could she mean by this…?

Tamao opened the kitchen door, and could instantly hear a loud crash. The door shot wide open, and Tamao was greeted by a very odd scenery.

Both Koume and Morty were staring at her with wide, scared and surprised eyes. Koume was standing with her back towards their kitchen table, and on her feet was a broken teacup, which she had apparently just dropped. Morty was standing in front of Koume, with his hand placed on the table behind her. Was it just in Tamao's eyes, or were the two a little too close to each other…?

" Uh… what are you…?" Tamao started, but Koume interrupted her. Her voice was still polite and quiet, but it was unusually high pitched.

" Ah, Tamao! Great timing! I was just about to serve the tea!" she said oddly cheerfully, and turned around, now facing the table. Morty drew his hand back, very hastily.

Koume picked up a small round tray from the table, with a can and cups on it, and walked past Tamao.

" I'll take this to the living room, so the tea won't get cold. Tamao, could you clean up the mess? There was a little accident," she shouted from behind her back, as she hastily left the room, leaving Tamao alone with Morty.

Morty didn't say anything, so Tamao turned towards him. He had an embarrassed, but a little considering expression on his face.

Tamao repeated.

" Morty, what were you two just doing?"

" What do you mean? Nothing, nothing at all," Morty said, too calmly.

" Stop lying. What were you doing?"

" Well…"

" Well?"

Morty looked down, then seemed to realize that Tamao wasn't angry. Actually, she had just noticed herself that she was smiling playfully.

" Well…" he muttered again, a lot more relaxed this time.

" I'm waiting," Tamao said, still not angrily.

" Well… I guess I could say that… I think that… you have a nice sister," Morty muttered, and blushed.

Tamao laughed.

" And how long have you thought that?" she asked.

" …Since last summer."

Tamao shook her head, not believing what she heard.

" Why didn't you tell me?"

" I thought you might not like it," Morty answered, again a little sheepishly.

" Morty, what do I care? It's not like it's my business who my older sister goes out with," Tamao told him, still not believing it.

" You seriously don't mind?" Morty asked, seemingly very surprised.

" As long as you don't blabber around about my destiny to her, you two have my blessing."

Morty smiled widely. He seemed speechless at first, but then managed to say just one word, a word that symbolized all his happiness. It was probably in the tone he said it, rather than the word itself.

" Great."

" Any more secrets you're keeping from me?" Tamao asked, suspiciously. She started cleaning the floor from the broken cup, but kept her eyes on Morty.

" Nope."

" Are you sure?"

" Yep."

" Yes you're sure or yes you're keeping secrets from me?"

" Guess."

Tamao finished her cleaning, and got up, slowly facing Morty. For a while the two just stared at each other, but they both started smiling at the same time.

As they heard Sakura calling for them, Tamao grinned at Morty.

" Time for you master plan to take place," she said, playfully.

" I can't wait."

Morty passed Tamao, and started walking towards the living room again. Tamao followed him, still feeling a little unreal.

So Morty was together with Koume, huh? Putting Morty aside, why had Koume kept it as a secret from her? She had acted all excited when Tamao had gone to see him… Unlike Sakura, she seemed to be good at acting. But why…?

Oh well. Maybe she too thought Tamao might not like it. It seemed that Sumomo and Sakura didn't know about the two either, and Tamao could imagine how they would react if they found out. Tamao knew how much her two sister idolized Morty, so the fact that he had a girlfriend, their own sister at that, would probably devastate them. Satsuki seemed to know, but she had probably realized on her own, rather than being told. Of course, she didn't mind. As far as Satsuki cared, she wouldn't even mind if Koume went out with Eusine, whom she liked no more than her other sisters did, even though she was cooler about it than they were.

Tamao was silent as Morty started chatting with her sisters, cheerfully. Koume was pouring the tea to the cups, and made a nervous glance at Tamao. Tamao tired to smile at her, but it turned out wrong again. She'd have to practise smiling a bit more, so she'd be able to pull it off more often.

Koume seemed to understand though, since she made a silent sigh, and smiled at her with a relieved look on her face. She then turned her attention back to the tea. Tamao looked at Satsuki, still sitting at the table. Satsuki nodded at her, and a small, satisfied smile seemed to visit her lips for a tiny moment. Of course, with Satsuki, you could never be sure.

After a while, Tamao found herself sitting by the table with everyone else. There was a cup of hot tea in front of her. On her left was Morty, and on her right was the quietly giggling Sakura. Sumomo and Satsuki sat in front of her, and Koume was on Morty's left. Everyone but Tamao and Satsuki were chatting happily. Satsuki was her regular silent and cool self again, hardly looking at anyone as she sipped her burning hot tea without even flinching.

Tamao just didn't know what to say. First off, she had to recover from the shock that her sister and Morty had just caused her, and on the other hand, she still had a bothersome task in front of her. Lying to her sisters didn't bother her that much, but Morty's plan just made her feel uncomfortable. Lying was one thing, but would she be able to pull this off?

Sumomo was the first one unable to hide her curiosity.

" Well the. Tamao mentioned you're here to ask us something. What could that be?" she asked Morty, straight forward. Apparently, she found hinting towards it a waste of time, and rather just asked.

" Oh, yes. Silly me, I almost forgot," Morty gasped (fake), and slapped his hand dramatically on his forehead (even more fake).

Tamao sipped her tea silently, and wondered why everything in the last hour had made her want to sweatdrop. The tea burned her tongue, but she managed to quietly put the cup down.

" Oh no, it's okay. We were having such fun, after all," Sakura chirped, and started giggling, just to be joined by Sumomo, and yes, as horrifying as it sounded, Morty. Tamao sipped her tea again, even though she knew it'd still be burning hot. Any pain was better than having to concentrate on Morty's giggling. Seriously.

" Yes, I did come for a reason today," Morty then said, making Tamao feel relieved that he had stopped giggling. Her sisters might have bought it, but she seriously thought she was gong to go deaf. Judging with a quick glance, Satsuki and Koume seemed to agree with her.

" To tell you the truth, I'm concerned about Tamao here," Morty continued, and looked down, as if he were really worried.

" Even though I'm glad that she has finally returned to Johto, I have to say that I think it might be too much for her to cope… You know, with all these painful memories in this city…" he continued silently, managing to sound troubled.

Tamao made a (fake) surprised gasp, and looked at Morty with wide eyes. She was pretending he had lied to her that he had come to say something else, that she didn't know what he was about to say. She wasn't very confident with her acting skills, but her sisters, Sumomo and Sakura, and maybe Koume too, at least, seemed to buy it.

" But… you don't mean…?" Sakura gasped, and Sumomo looked worried. Satsuki made a silent sigh, and Tamao couldn't help but to wonder if she saw through Morty's acting. What would she do if she realized they were lying?

" Oh, please don't get me wrong! I do not wish for her to leave, not at all. I just say, that being like this, all of a sudden, might be more painful for her than even she is aware of. It might even traumatize her, so that if she'll once leave, she'll never be able to come back again," Morty put his head down, and spoke on a low, faked troubled voice.

" Buh…!" Tamao exclaimed, falsely shocked.

" Ah… But surely not. It has been five years since… you know what. And she's been gone, so surely…" Sumomo mumbled, but made nervous glances towards Tamao.

Tamao knew what was being said, so she only listened with half an ear. Right now, she was concentrating on sitting awkwardly, and looking troubled. She had to pretend like she hoped she'd be anywhere else, like her darkest secrets were being told aloud.

Sakura looked shocked, very concerned. Hopefully she wasn't the one who was going to get traumatized by this.

" Tama? You aren't… Are you…? I mean…" she mumbled, without managing to actually form sentence.

Now the spotlight was on Tamao. She had a mission to fulfil. Due to her poor skills in letting the situation take her a san actress, she had to count on memories. So, she recalled the night when she and Glacia had taken care of the sick Leafia without getting any sleep at all. On the next morning, the grass pokemon had been moved tears by their caring. It was that tearful face Tamao now remembered, and tried to imitate, blending in with the sadness she had felt lately.

And oh, did it work! In a small moment, Tamao's eyes were full with tears, her body was shaking wildly, and she managed to look like she was really, genuinely crying. She covered her face with her hands, and muttered with a (fake) faint voice.

" I'm sorry… "

Sakura and Sumomo both shot up, to her sides, and placed their hands on her shoulders. Koume and Satsuki remained sitting. Were they buying it? At least they didn't say anything…

" It's okay Tama… No-one's accusing you, it's okay…" Sakura mumbled softly, sounding tearful herself. Tamao was really regretting that she had agreed to this; it felt really bad to fool and hurt her sisters like this.

" Tamao…" Sumomo muttered.

Oh well. The show must go on. It was too late to regret; if her sisters would find out they were pretending, they'd be even more hurt.

" I… Just wanted to be with you so bad, but… It's hard, and I wasn't sure if I was ready. But I just had to come, because I don't want to be apart, not anymore. You're my fa- fa- family…" Tamao sobbed wildly. Gosh, she was feeling so bad about this.

Sakura started sobbing too.

" You're so brave!" she shouted, but calmed down surprisingly fast. She seemed to be thinking she had to be strong for her sister. This was getting meaner every second.

Sumomo gripped Tamao's shoulder.

" I'm sorry, Tamao. We were so happy to see you, we didn't even think how this might feel to you. I'm so sorry. But don't worry. We'll support you all the way; we'll do our best so you can be home without having to suffer, okay? We'll get through this together," she said calmly, sounding very couraging. Too bad it was all for nothing. This was starting to get sickening.

" And if you want to leave, we totally understand," Sakura added gently.

Morty butted in. Luckily, Tamao had no idea what she should say next.

" And that is exactly why I came; so Tamao wouldn't need to leave. In fact, I have a suggestion to you," he said, sounding concerned, but determined. He sure had the easy role in this little play here!

Tamao lifted her face carefully from her hands, with her eyes still covered in fake tears, and followed as Sakura and Sumomo carefully watched Morty. Koume looked interested too. Satsuki was still sipping her tea. It was probably cold by now.

" I suggest, that Tamao goes on a trip. Not far away, but around Johto. She'll see how the region has changed, and at the same time get used to being here. By the time she returns to Ecruteak, she'll be happy and perfectly okay with being here," Morty declared, sounding a bit too sure. Sumomo looked suspicious for a while.

" How would that help?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

" Simple; while she's away from you, but in a familiar place, she'll get used to it in a new way, not one similar to her memories. Once she adapts this new thinking of this place, she'll be able to live here without the memories bothering her," Morty sounded like he had actual proof of this thing. He almost even convinced Tamao.

" Does this mean I won't be able to move to Sinnoh…?" Tamao wondered, and held back a sigh. She was going to keep better contact with her sisters, but she still thought a little house, maybe in Mio city, would be nice.

" And after she returns, she'll of course be very eager to dance with you too!" Morty then chirped with a cheerful tone.

Now this was something Tamao had not been aware of. She shot a disbelieving glance at Morty, who just ignored her. He had tricked her! There was no way she was going to…!

However, this little sentence was exactly what seemed to convince Sakura and Sumomo, since a slightly delighted expression visited their faces for a while.

" Well, that does make sense. Would you like that, Tama?" Sakura said thoughtfully, after thinking after a while.

Tamao nodded faintly, as well as she could.

" Well then, it seems we have to make preparations for a trip! Let's go, let's go!" Sakura shouted, and disappeared from the room.

Sumomo sighed, but then bowed to Morty and went after her sister.

" Don't forget to pack the new toothbrush we bought her!" she shouted.

" My… they sure are passionate," Morty mumbled, and Koume smiled.

" We care about our sister," she said softly, and got up. As she started cleaning the table, Tamao looked at her nervously. She had surely seen through the act.

" Koume…?" she said, sounding apologising, but Koume just smiled at her, with genuine warmth.

" Good work," she said and winked. Then she just disappeared from the room.

Satsuki got up too. Tamao looked at her, extremely nervously.

" I don't know what you're really going to do, but I have nothing against it. You should do what you have to do," Satsuki said without any colour in her voice, and then left the room.

So she didn't buy it. But at least she understood Tamao didn't lire to hurt them. She had even bothered to tell her that. With a sentence that long!

So it was just Tamao and Morty in the room. Morty smiled cheerfully.

" Well, that went well," he said.

" Don't ever force me to go through that again. It was terrible," Tamao muttered, and Morty laughed a little.

" You look like you need some fresh air," he told her, very convincingly.

" I wouldn't want Sakura and Sumomo to see how fast I calmed down. I guess we could go catch our breaths… But we won't leave the yard,"

Tamao answered, and got up. Followed by Morty, she passed her room and opened the back door of the theatre.

A cold wind greeted her as she stepped out, but the cold lasted just for a second. It had gotten dark, since the sun had long since set, but it was mild, not that cold.

Morty followed her, ever so cheerfully.

Tamao sighed.

" You never mentioned the dancing part," she muttered angrily.

" I just came up with it on the spot," Morty answered. He didn't even try to sound like he was sorry!

" Listen, you little liar, I'm not going to…!" Tamao shouted angrily, but Morty lifted a finger on his lips, and shushed her.

" But it helped, didn't it? It's not something we need to worry about now!" he whispered, sounding amused.

" Why, you little!" Tamao started again, but the starting bickering was interrupted by some rustling ahead of them.

Both Tamao and Morty turned their heads sharply, just to see a light blue legendary pokemon walking towards them.

" Oh no… Not now!" Tamao whined, and Morty went extremely quiet. Tamao could feel how he became very, very tense.

Oh, right; Morty hadn't actually met any legendaries before; he had just seen visions of them. Plus, he probably knew what this meant as well as Tamao did.

Suicune stopped in front of them, and spoke with his calm, deep voice.

" We are in need of your help."

" Right now?" Tamao asked.

" Yes," Suicune answered, without any feeling in his voice.

Tamao sighed. Morty looked at her, with panic in his eyes,

" What's going on?!" he asked, sounding very confused.

That was when Tamao remembered that Morty could not hear Suicune's voice; it was just her.

She collected her strength and courage, and tried to look calm.

" I have t go with him," she said simply.

" To… where Umbreon is?" Morty asked with a shaking voice.

" Probably yes."

Tamao stepped closer towards Suicune, and Morty took a half step after her.

" Let me come with you!" he gasped, but Tamao shook her head.

" No," she said. Her reasons were obvious; even Morty would be able to guess them.

" But…!" Morty gasped again, but Tamao just shook her head.

" Please tell something to my sisters. I wouldn't want to worry them," she said silently, and faced Suicune.

Morty seemed to be very nervous, and made several sharp breaths. Tamao turned to look at him.

" Oh come on; don't try to tell me you didn't foresee this," Tamao told Morty, annoyed by his pretence. The play was over already.

She jumped to Suicune's back, and waved her hand at Morty.

" I'll see you as soon as possible. Don't let Eusine and Crystal leave!"

She then smiled, as gently as she could. Morty could probably understand her expression.

" Don't worry; I'll be just fine," she told him.

With those words, she had ridden Suicune to the forest. Before she completely focused her mind on staying on the legendary pokemon, she heard Morty mutter something. She didn't really hear what it was, but somehow the words made fear grip her heart harshly. Even though she didn't realize it now, a part of her had heard his words.

" But… I didn't!"

As Tamao and Suicune had advanced in the forest, the familiar black mist had appeared, getting darker the more they advanced. Soon, Tamao could feel the air get hotter, and thought she could hear the sound of rattling electric. Entei and Raikou were close by. And by that, Umbreon was too.

Soon, the two arrived at a small field in the middle of the forest. Now that Tamao looked at it, it could be the same they had been on last time. Suicune ran so fast, she couldn't judge by distance.

As Tamao's eyes caught on the huge canine formed of the black mist, she felt like all strength disappeared from her body. And so, her grip loosened, just slightly, but just enough to make her fall from Suicune's back. She fell harshly on the ground, making a somersault on the ground, and landing barely on her feet, crouching and in pain, but still, somehow thinking clear.

" Umbre-!" she shouted, but that was when she noticed the giant, dark ray approaching her from Umbreon's direction. She was about to take the hit Umbreon had meant for the arrived Suicune. Suicune was out of the way already, but there was absolutely no way she was going to dodge it. No way.

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And that is how it came to this. Why, well, that is a different story.