Amongst the hand to hand combat with Hariyama, Crystal sent subtle sparks of flame in both directions of Tsuki and James, attempting to hit the rope and burn it away.
"This is getting.. difficult.." Crystal moaned as she was getting tired of multitasking while fighting the incredibly fast Hariyama, it getting more and more hits on her, finally able to send her flying back into her chair.
It came charging at her with an enlightened palm but moments before it approached her face, a Gardevoir appeared before her and used Protect and commenced hand to hand combat with it.
Crystal finally turned focused on the scene before her. She could only see in black and red. Her glowing, enraged Quilava was even with Manectric. James and Tsuki were finally emerging from their roped wrists, starting to participate in the struggle.
A wave of voices hit Crystal and she stumbled off the chair onto the floor to her hands and knees. The pain of the overwhelming surge in her head made her grasp her head and hang it to the floor, not able to hear her own screams.
A scene of a control room entranced her mind. She could hear quiet echoes of indecipherable plans being shot back and forth from voice to voice, only one of them she could recognise from years ago. Amongst the hurricane of assaulting voices, she could transcribe one thing "we got what we needed".
...
Tsuki finished off the Manectric with Quilava's help but could only stand there helpless as James crouched over the burning Crystal. Her body crouched on the floor, emanating the same colour her eyes had.
Over the screams of the girl, Tsuki's torture of the 'captain' was inaudible to James.
She got so overwhelmingly hot that she even set off some fire alarms. The real crew, as well as some more Rocket members were on their way. James and Tsuki were running out of options.
...
Jay and Hiro emerged from the hall from their battle with the rest of the groups Pokémon, all of their Pokémon out. Once they caught sight of Crystal, fear was eminent in their eyes.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Jay screeched in the midst of chaos, no one caring enough to take notice
Tsuki threw the 'captain' to the other side of the room with his other fainted Pokémon. James returned Pikachu and Eevee to their pokéballs once they had enough fighting, also worried they would get lost amongst the panic.
"We need to get off this fucking boat right now!" she yelled at us, with the utmost urgency as she ran out of the room. "Gardevoir, bring her! Hiro, call the mountain!"
Everybody too scared to disobey her followed her lead through the boat. She skillfully manoeuvred them through the boat without getting caught by the crew, to the top deck. Hiro just getting off the phone looked up to the sky, awaiting something.
James was less overwhelmed than he should have been, getting so caught up in just getting off the ship and getting Crystal help.
As soon as everyone reached the deck Tsuki released her giant Charizard, pulling James along with herself on top of it. Gardevoir flew beside them holding Crystal in her arms.
Hiro released his Honchkrow and tried to pull Jay with him but he hesitated. "Are you coming or not?!" Hiro yelled as he jumped on Honchkrow
Jay slowly started backing away with his hands up. He was stuttering.
Hiro impatiently sighed. "We can't have you talking about this," He said as he started to take flight. "Honchkrow!" He called, commanding him to pick up Jay with his feet, earning a boyish yell.
Once they caught up with the others, Tsuki took notice to what Hiro did. "What the hell? Are you trying to petrify the boy?"
"He wouldn't get on!"
She sighed as well "His own fault, I suppose"
They could hear terrified cussing coming from below.
"Stop being such a baby! Man up and embrace the flight!" A pissed off Tsuki yelled through the sky
James watched the whole exchange from behind Tsuki and pitied the guy, but still didn't care enough to take his eyes off of Crystal. Her screaming may have stopped but she was clearly in distress.
He was starting to cry down there and they finally started pitying the boy and started contemplating possible solutions. They both knew they couldn't just leave him on the boat after seeing so much.
"…I think I have Shiro's Salamence" He started scrummaging through his stuff and finally found it and released it.
Honchkrow released Jay in such a way that he stepped on Salamence before he was released by his claws, gentle with the boring, unadventurous boy in its claws. He was terrified at the exchange at the extreme speed they were traveling at but was forcibly dropped anyway.
Annoyed at the constant care of Jay, James finally asked Tsuki what she thought was going on with Crystal.
"I don't know. I truly don't. I can't get into her mind. This is endlessly frustrating for me too, James" She said as they kept flying to wherever it was we were going. A mountain?
Endless questions were digging into James. Did she have control of anything? Why was she caring of Crystals burning eyes? If she was, then why go that far in the first place? Does this have to do with Entei?
.
...
.
...
..
"And here I thought she'd have a pleasant start to her journey" muttered Lance "At least the first few days" He paced back and forth in front of the couch she slept on. Her Quilava snuggling in her neck and Eevee, her chest.
The large meeting room was filled with only the people involved plus Lance and her father. The stone carved meeting hall had silk draperies depicting Pokémon of legends across the walls. The long rectangular table had chairs enough to fit at least thirty people. The room branched off to fit five small corners- each section big enough for a few couches and a big window.
"You said she'd be safe" Ryu muttered, the light of the sunset reflecting off his casual dress clothes.
Lance smirked to himself, "You know very well that this is your daughter we're talking about"
"Will a room be ready soon? It's been twenty minutes,"
"You know we barely ever use these guest rooms,"
Ryu stared at the long rectangular table across the room with two bickering teenage boys almost shouting at each other.
Tsuki stood from her chair, "Sir-"
Her father interrupted, turning his attention from the boys "Quit 'sir'-ing me already, Tsuki!" he sighed and apologised. "I don't know what to do… Do I keep one of mine with her while she goes on her journey?" He frowned and nodded as he looked to the window again, "Why can't Giovanni just get a damn life" he muttered to himself rather than the others
She hesitated, "They have no idea what they're interfering with…" she muttered to herself as she sighed back into her chair
Lance finally chimed in "Gods greater than they know"
A hard impact of flesh on flesh made Tsuki look back across the room to the two boys; the two men noticed as well
Ryu sighed "Break them up already, would you?" he impatiently looked back out the stone framed window. Beyond the vast mountain range, the sun was starting to set.
Lance chuckled as Tsuki away from them, "Your daughter really does know how to stir up a storm, huh?" he watched as a lightning storm flash on top of a mountain not too far away, his eyes narrowing at the oncoming angry looking clouds. "We need to figure out how Giovanni did that"
Ryu nodded, staring at the same oncoming storm
…
"Tsuki! Remind me why we brought this gallant knight along with us?" James mocked.
Jay furrowed his eyes and tried to swing another punch. James caught it and pushed his body to the floor, crashing him into a chair. "Even a Mankey learns faster than you," James remarked, grinning down at him
Jay cried out in frustration, "Can someone please tell me what in Giratina's abyss is going on here!"
"Mr. Cool doesn't give a Rattata's ass about anything. Why's he even here?"
Jay exasperated, "For Arceus Sake! I just want to know if she's okay!"
"She's fine." She looked down at Jayson and sighed, "What are you guys going to do when she wakes up, huh? Magically become best friends?!"
They both looked at each other, then to their feet. Tsuki offered Jay a hand. He took it as she helped him up.
"Jayson. I don't know whether to really trust you. No one here does" She stared at him, "But we do know Crystal trusts you enough to go on her journey with you-"
"-She wasn't going to, actually. He just tagged along" James muttered, "As I was saying. He doesn't care about her,"
Tsuki looked Jayson up and down, "I see."
He looked down, took a seat at the table and looked to his hands. "Of course I care about her. I thought we'd have fun together..." He muttered to himself and stared
"You knew she was coming to meet me! You think she'd ditch me for you? She said no for a reason!"
Jay just glared at James as he spoke.
"You don't understand," Jay muttered
James opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself and sighed.
Jayson looked up at Tsuki, gave her a look and looked back to his hands on the table. Tsuki looked to Lance and Ryu for a few moments before turning back to the two boys.
She crossed her arms, "We are going to stay here for a couple days, I want you guys to share a room"
They widened their eyes and looked at each other, "What?!" they chorused
"We need to trust each other, especially now. So might as well tell James what he doesn't understand."
Jay looked as confused as he's looked this past day
"Come with me," she started walking out of the room, they had no choice but to follow. They both looked back at Crystal. They noticed the other doing the same and glared.
She opened the wide wooden doors and stepped through into a hallway with even more Pokémon draperies and carvings, "James" she didn't look back, "Tell him all he needs to know"
How in the world would I know what he needs to know? he thought as they kept walking
"I'll let you be the judge of that," she responded
He shot glares at the back of her head
They passed door after door and even climbed a small flight of stairs before stopping at a door
Jay straightened up. He opened his mouth but then closed it, confused
She looked to him, "What goes on in this building and this mountain cannot be known to any person, Pokémon or anything down below us" She took a small step closer and looked Jayson dead in the eyes, "And you will stay in this building until we learn to trust you"
He gulped and waited a moment until he spoke, "But… but you trust him?" He gestured to the boy behind him
"Yes." she turned to James. She gave him a look then walked away.
James opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. He bit his lower lip before he raised his arm, "Tsuki!" James called.
Tsuki turned around and rose an eyebrow
"Will I be able to see Crystal when she wakes up?"
.
...
.
Crystal quickly pushed the blanket off of her and rushed to her feet, panting heavily, she felt sweat drop from her cheeks. It took her a moment to take in the scene around her. Her Quilava groggily pulling its head from the scattered sheets, purring. She was in a room. She looked to her left. The room had a balcony that stretched from the wall to the balcony door in front of her. To her right there was a narrow corridor leading to a door.
Beside her bed, there was a desk with a man groggily lifting his head up. Her Eevee was curled beside the man's arms.
She suddenly noticed her Quilava starred at him. The Quilava quickly jumped in her arms and licked her cheek.
They stared at each other for a moment. She then looked to the man on her right.
"What happened… Where am I…" she looked in his eyes, "Lance?" she narrowed her eyes
She slowly started soothing her feet from beneath the silk blanket, her toes familiarising themselves with the warm granite floor.
"I'm glad you're awake," he seemed to rub the tired from his eyes.
Her Eevee jumped off the desk and smiled in her lap, nuzzling in her stomach. She hesitantly scratched behind her ear, earning another purr.
"I was hoping to show you my home in different circumstances. But since we're here there's a favour I need to ask," He sadly smiled at her.
She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing a soft purple silk gown. "… what is this" she mumbled to herself then looked back at his hand on her knee, then his face.
His palm remained there, "You're safe right now. That's all that matters"
"Right…" Her eyes finally taking noticed of the dark stone carved room.
Silk draperies hung across the stone walls where the head of her bed was. Rain pattered on the glass window. Faint flashes of light in the distance.
"Welcome, Crystal" he smiled
She simply stared at him and suddenly remembered her dreams.
The balls of her feet leapt to the bed, balancing her as she drew a sword of fire from nowhere. She suddenly realised what she did and stared at it- awed.
"Who…What's… Where are… My…" She dropped the sword then looked at her Pokémon, startled by her sudden movement, "My friends"
He bowed. "They're safe. As you are- you must remember that" he starred at her. But all she could look at was the sword she summoned. "Now please, I'd like to apologise" He put his hand out again
She finally looked at him for who he was, "Lance," she gasped as she finally took him in. He smiled at her.
"What's going on?" she asked as she let him help her down and the two sat on the bed.
"The favour I need to ask." He sadly looked down at her, "You're still awfully young for it. That's why I'm very sorry. But it seems you need protection,"
She furrowed her eyes and instinctively retracted her hand from his. She realised what she did and apologised.
She looked down at her hands. She sighed. She took a few deep breaths, "I do. You're right,"
"There's so much I haven't told you about your powers,"
She looked up at him confused.
"But there's someone who can help you understand better than I,"
She looked down for a moment. She felt the silks uncomfortably soft on her skin, "Can I change?"
He laughed to himself, "Of course"
He got up from the bed and opened a closet to their right, one she did not notice before.
"This building…"
"It's a castle actually, my lady"
"A castle?" She watched him rake through gowns.
"Yup. You'll like it. I bet you don't want a gown, do you? We have pants and boots, don't worry"
She muttered a thank you, "How did I get here?"
"Tsuki and the rest flew you here from the ship on their Pokémon"
"Why do you call me a lady? You've been doing it for years…"
He flinched, but quickly resumed searching, "You are a lady"
"Not a very lady-like one"
He smiled, "The best sort of ladies"
"You smile a lot"
"Yes, I do" He pulled out a pair of lightly rough cargo coloured pants along with a grey yarn top.
She slid them on around the corner as he looked for boots.
"I'd rather go barefoot for now, actually"
He smiled at her again, "As you wish" and took his head out of the closet.
"Why are you talking to me like that?"
"A slow transition is the best kind"
"Transition to what?"
"Your…" he started, his eyebrows furrowed
"My what?"
He smiled a beautiful smile, "Let me show you"
He led her out the door. The hallway was a richly decorated hall of ornaments of all sorts. Her Pokémon trailed at her feet.
She couldn't help but get distracted by the draperies "Are you sure I'm not dreaming?" she let Lance take her hand and guide her across the hall.
"Yes." he paused as they kept walking, admiring the medieval decorations as they passed, "Now you're doing remarkably well, better than your friends actually"
"My friends?" Her eyes widened "James. Tsuki. Jay…"
It took them a few minutes as they walked through a few corridors and staircases.
They finally stopped at a grand door. A light was shining through the edges of the door frame.
"Now do me a favour" They stopped as his hand gripped the door, "Don't faint on me again," he smiled