Chapter 10: In Times Passing

Farlo knew he couldn't feel anymore.

Ever since Snow's death three days earlier, Farlo had been in a state of insanity as Xena and numerous other fighters tried to get answers out of him before they returned to the Masters. whenever anyone talked to him, it would remind him if her; whenever anyone spoke of her, which was rare, he would fight his bonds and scream for hours on end in sorrow and anger.

Now, as the camp began to leave, he was released and let to walk. At this point, Farlo's world was already gone, and he felt that turning himself in to die would only mean he would be going to wherever Snow had gone. He followed the fighters as they headed slowly back to the fights group he had escaped from almost two weeks ago, completely nonresistant and numb. He couldn't feel as he had felt with Snow ever again.

Farlo opened his eyes, dulled and heavy from sleep and pain. He felt his ankle throbbing, and remembered when Xena had whipped it harshly after one of his non- responsive torture sessions. He stood, wobbling a bit, and felt the raw cut on his ankle heal unconsciously as he padded into the sunlight.

The fighters weren't keeping him on any restraints, as they saw he would cooperate without them, and Farlo felt no urge to run anymore at the sight of Bone and the awful Absol Darkness that had attacked him that day; in fact, he really felt no urge to do anything, just curl up somewhere and die.

Farlo heard whispers around him as the younger fighters spotted him, and he stared at them blankly. There was a dark Honchcrow and a Swellow who were known as Kroon and Surveyor. Not that it mattered to him wether or not he knew them. He passed by dismissively, picking up a bit on their conversation.

"I just don't know, Kroon," Surveyor was saying doubtfully, absently preening her wings. "I have this feeling that we're being followed."

"As the lookouts, we look ahead and behind for anything suspicious. You haven't seen anything, have you?" Kroon responded. Farlo noticed the insides of her wings were orange instead of red like normal Honchrow, and he saw a beautiful flower tucked atop her hat-like crown.

"I haven't, nothing at all." Surveyor's voice wavered. "I just can't shake this strange feeling. Like...something bad is happening, somewhere." Surveyor's feathers fluffed up at bit at her worry.

"Don't worry." Kroon cooed, patting down her anxious friend's feathers down with one wing. "If anything happens, we can always take to the skies."

Farlo left them behind to talk, pondering what he had just heard. Could there be unrest somewhere close by? Farlo mused this thought. If there was, he could find a way to join it, thus continuing his mission he had started with Snow...

Farlo blinked dimly. What was the point? He would just get caught and killed sooner anyway, so why not just get this dying thing over with now? He knew he could never do it without Snow, thus letting her down.

Only Jet and Maston know of what we were doing before now, and could possibly continue it. Yes; once I'm dead, they'll have to start the rebellion themselves. Farlo wondered briefly if he would go down in history as the Leafeon that couldn't, but it drifted away with the breeze as the fighters finished packing and moved on their way back home.

Or, in his case, back to Snow.

Jet pushed his way through the underbrush, wiping sweat and blood from his forehead.

Stupid. He had been so stupid. If he hadn't bickered with Maston in the first place, him and the stupid Swampert wouldn't be in this mess.

Jet looked back to where Maston was picking is way through the trees, an elephant in a mouse home, completely out-of-place in this twisting and turning wood. Jet saw that the scars on the Swampert's back had been opened, but he saw the bleeding had almost ceased. He met Maston's tired eyes with his own, looking away angrily.

No matter what had happened, they were stuck with each other; and, frankly, the Buizel didn't mind having company. He scowled at the thought.

"Don't you think we should be finding shelter soon?" Maston said pointedly. Jet didn't feel like replying, but he reminded himself about how tired he was. They had been on the run ever since the ambush three days ago at Maston's hut, and Jet had secretly been terrified of stopping and letting whoever was probably tracking them catch up to them. Still though, he was starving, and both of them needed to rest.

Jet nodded his head, not turning around to look at Maston. He heard his companion sigh behind him, and they continued their trek.

They had stayed relatively close to the riverbank, not daring to go out into the open but instead staying just inside the trees. Occasionally, they had strayed from their steady path east, and it had taken them almost whole afternoons to get back on track. At night, they took shifts to keep watch, and oftentimes they had had to flee due to Pokemon chasing them out of their territory. Jet hated being on the run, but by now he was used to it.

Jet touched the scar on his cheek, feeling its smooth texture so foreign to his short fur. Ever since the day when those men had killed his family, he had vowed never to get close to anyone else ever again. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew what Farlo and Snow had been talking about when they said they escaped from a fights group. In fact, he hadn't even been surprised when Farlo had mentioned himself almost being sacrificed. Jet thought it typical of the humans who killed his family to kill innocent Pokemon to sacrifice to a god. Typical for the humans to always destroy, take, conquer. Typical of them to take Farlo again.

After what seemed like another hour of walking, Maston spoke again. "Look. I think there's a cave." Jet looked up from where he had been staring at his feet, seeing a small indent in a rocky cliff ahead of them. Sand and dirt lined the entrance and was caked on the ground ahead of them, and Jet soon found himself running toward the rock and collapsing on its cool surface.

After days of endless walking, they had finally found somewhere to rest, at least for a little while. Maston walked up behind him, sitting down in the cave. Jet sat up quickly, brushing sand off of him in embarrassment, but he saw that Maston wasn't looking at him.

He turned around to follow his gaze, only to find that he was just staring at nothing. Jet looked at the Swampert, and saw sadness in his eyes like deep pools. Dark circles bagged underneath his own eyes from nights of insomnia, and seeing Maston like that as well made him feel more exhausted.

Jet wasn't really the mushy type to go out and ask someone about their "feelings", so he sat beside Maston and waited for the Swampert to speak.

After a pause, Maston began. "I can't believe you left them." He didn't even sound surprised; just disappointed.

Rage bubbled inside of Jet. "And what's that supposed to mean? I'm guessing you would've stayed and gotten killed, given the chance?" Maston turned to look at him, and Jet suddenly felt deeply ashamed of himself. The look of exhaustion and sadness that Maston gave him made Jet feel extremely selfish. He knew this Pokemon would've put his life on the line to save their new friends, as he had grown attached to them like a family in the short time they had known Snow and Farlo.

After years of being alone, Maston had finally found Pokemon whom he could trust and depend on to have his back, and then Jet had left them all behind to die.

That night, Jet had fought hard to protect his friends, for he himself had felt the pain of loneliness ebb when he was sitting by the fire, listening to Snow's and Farlo's tales and adventures beside an unlikely friend who had been battling him not hours before. When he had felt that all of it would be snatched away, he had fought hard and brave to protect it.

It turned out to be inevitable in the end. He had seen Snow being dragged away unconscious, through the woods, and had seen the Pokemon pushing Farlo around. He had seen Maston struggling with the Absol on his back, and he, Jet, had even been close to death himself. The first chance he got, he fled into the woods, saving whatever strength he had left in him for flight. Maston had managed to find him but a day ago, and they had been on the run ever since.

Jet looked out into the trees. "...I know. I...would've stayed too." Jet was suddenly angry with himself for not being so truthful before. Here they were, on the run, no food, water, anything, and he still found it necessary to be secretive.

Maston nodded, looking out into the trees as well. "I wonder what happened to them. I hope...I..." He closed his eyes, a silent tear sliding down his cheek. He brushed it away simultaneously with the back of his hand.

Jet found himself gripping the edge of the cave rock, struggling to keep his cool. "Me too."

Later that evening, Maston had gathered a good pile of firewood and was working on starting a fire while Jet scavenged for food. As he looked through the dead bushes, he heard a small, muffled, sobbing sound coming from nearby.

Jet tensed, his muscles getting ready to run at any second. He froze, not daring to even breath as the sounds of rustling and sobbing came nearer.

A second later, a grimy looking Eevee limped out of some nearby bushes, tears streaking his dirty brown cheeks.

"Please help me." He squeaked, "I'm l-lost, and I d-don't know w-where my m-mommy is..." The little Eevee broke into another fit of sobs, and Jet was left standing there dumbfounded at the little creature.

Being the oldest of five siblings, he knew how to take care of Pokemon younger than himself, but he wasn't at all sure about what to do with this Eevee. It could be a trap, some kind of dastardly plan that the humans thought up, but for some reason he felt a strong instinct to protect this child.

Jet swallowed the lump in his throat. "Um, it's okay..." He tried soothing the little pup, and he opened his arms slightly. The Eevee suddenly rushed at him, and Jet made a little oof sound as the Eevee rubbed itself against him while sobbing again loudly.

"Easy on the coat, will ya?" Jet said uncomfortably. He pushed the Eevee away from him gently, seeing that the pup was beginning to hiccup as it calmed down.

Seeing it so alone and afraid, Jet came to a decision. "Hey, come with me. I'll...let's take care of you." The Eevee nodded, taking the Buizel's paw in his own.

As soon as Maston saw Jet coming back carrying more than just food, he raised his eyebrows in question. "I knew you were softer now, Jet, but..." He stifled a laugh as Jet shot him a dirty look.

"I found him in the woods. He said he couldn't find his mom." Jet said, keeping aloof. The Eevee stared up at Maston in awe, sitting beside him in the cave.

"Whoa, you're a dirty fella, aren't you?" Maston laughed at the Eevee's expression, a new cheer in his eyes. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up while Uncle Jet gets some dinner going." Maston winked at Jet, who scowled back at him, about to protest; he saw the Eevee smiling back at him excitedly, however, so he kept his mouth shut and started roasting some apples he had found over the now steady fire.

A couple minutes later, Jet had successfully roasted two apples and a Sitrus berry for dinner. Maston soon returned with the Eevee, both of them soaking wet and happy.

"Hey, hey, no sopping wetness in here! I just cleared it away for, well, food." He felt that saying dinner meant that this was their new home, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy about the thought of living here in hiding for a while. However, Jet had made three little piles of sand for each of them to sleep on at the back of the small cave, leaving a large open space for them to sit while they ate.

"Mommy! Yay! Dinner!" The Eevee squealed. Before he could react, Jet found the Eevee rushing him and bowling him over, scattering some embers from the fire. "Yay! Mommy, I'm clean now. Can I eat?" The Eevee's chest fur smothered Jet's mouth, and he found himself spitting out balls of hair.

"Geroff!" he grumbled. The Eevee stepped off of him, Jet brushing himself again. The Eevee hopped back outside to where Maston was shaking off water, and the Eevee shook himself thoroughly before stepping inside again.

Jet rolled his eyes at Maston's laughing gaze. "Come on. Eat." Jet shoved the Sitrus berry over to where the Eevee was sitting patiently. The little fuzzball stared at the food in amazement.

"All this for me?" He asked in awe. Jet felt a pang of pity, but he pushed it aside as he took a bite of his own apple.

"Yeah. Dig in." Maston smiled, biting into his own apple.

After all of them had finished, the Eevee yawned hugely and curled up on the floor. Jet and Maston exchanged a look, and Maston gently lowered the Eevee into a sand pile. Jet watched him cooing at the Pokemon, and he had a sudden realization that Maston acted a lot like a father to this Eevee. Once he was sure he was asleep, Maston tiptoed over back to Jet.

"Kids." Jet and Maston looked at each other, for they had spoken at the same time. Maston looked down at his feet, his loneliness returning to his eyes.

"His name is Garret, by the way." Maston grumbled, looking again toward the Eevee. "He told me his mom had left him and never come back; poor kid. He was wandering for days, no way to take care of himself..." Maston trailed off.

Jet sighed. "All I know is that this morning I was Jet, bachelor on the run, and this evening I'm a mommy. What has the world come to?" Jet smiled as Maston chuckled softly, heading over to curl up in his sand nest to sleep soundly for once. Jet followed suit, closing his eyes as darkness enveloped him.

Bone stared at Snow's body, disgusted and disappointed.

"What were your orders, Xena?" he growled fiercely at the Weavile in front of him. Xena was leaning back against a tree, smiling.

"To get answers out of Farlo. No exceptions." Xena replied cooly, inspecting her claws. "I only did what you told me to do."

"I never told you to harm the Glaceon! I told you beforehand that she was mine!" Bone snarled, fierce abandon in his steady green gaze.

Once they had captured Farlo and Snow, Bone had planned to torture answers out of Farlo yet leave Snow in captivity for a while. He hoped that she would soon come to depend on him, not just for food or water as she spent endless days tied up, but also as a friend; even, perhaps, lover. Bone knew that her willpower and stubbornness would keep her rebellious for a long time, but he also knew that, little by little, her pride would chip away.

Now, his plans were ruined, and so was his heart.

"You were unauthorized to kill Pokemon. You were only supposed to torture them. That's what I hired you for." Bone paced the floor, carefully avoiding Snow's body.

"But isn't killing a loved one a form of torture? Besides," Xena scowled, "she was irritating and stubborn. Wouldn't listen even at the doors of death." Xena chuckled lightly then as she rubbed a claw against the tree, sharpening it to a needle-like point.

Bone felt flustered at her comment. "I told you I was going to handle what happened to her. I told you I was the one who would be in charge of taking care of her."

"Yes. Then didn't I do you a favor? Of taking care of her for you?"

Bone raised his head and howled to the sky in frustration. "Return to your nest, Xena. You are relieved of your duties." Xena chuckled, silently walking away.

Once Bone was sure she was gone, he crouched over Snow's body; her coat was dull and stained with dirt and blood, and her eyes were shut lightly as if she were sleeping.

"Oh, Snow." Bone sighed. "If you only knew the reason why I wanted you." Bone's voice was hollow, even to his own ears. "I...I was in love with you. I just...wanted you to love me back." Bone knew he must look ridiculous talking to a corpse, but he pushed on.

"The only reason I hated you was that you always loved Farlo. I don't really know what feelings you had for him, but you always looked hatefully at me whenever you were by his puke-green side." Bone spat the last words out as if he had tasted something foul. "I just want you to know...your friend will be joining you soon." Despite what he was feeling, a smile crept onto Bone's lips. "And soon, my dear, I will rule."

For a moment, Bone thought he saw her eyelids flicker faintly, and he detected a slight rise and fall of her chest.

"Ah, Snow." Bone's smile grew so wide it looked like a grimace. "Always the tricky one."

Making sure no one was looking, Bone rolled Snow over to a large incline. Leaning down to her ear, he whispered, "We will meet again, my love." and he pushed her down, making sure to hit the side of her skull before she rolled out of sight.

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