Ch 9 : Great Aid
"So are we going to talk about it?" He asked.
"No." She replied, incredibly insistent on dropping the matter.
"But you kissed me."
"I kissed your forehead, it was a motherly moment after you had a small but probably very much needed emotional breakdown. So therefore it means nothing."
He smirked, walking cockily with his hands in his pockets. "I don't believe you." He said.
"What do you MEAN you don't believe me?"
"I mean, I think you're attracted to me."
Ameythest hid her groan of dismay. Yes, he was gorgeous, with the hair, and the chiseled abs, and those inexplicable silver eyes that pierced your very soul. "So what if I am?" She retorted, deciding on the alternate route of evasion. Spearhead tactics. "I mean. What's that mean to you?"
Silver was silent for a moment, advancing towards her slowly. They were still in their hotel room, opting to stay where they were and travel less for just a few more days, unless any clues came up. "What do you mean to me, Ameythest?" He said the question aloud, quizzically. "Maybe I'm still trying to figure that part out. But I do know one thing."
"Oh yeah? What's that?" She asked carefully, not sure whether she wanted to hear his answer or not.
"You…make me smile." He said the words awkwardly.
"I…I what?"
"You make me smile." He repeated, hoping it didn't sound very strange. "I've never known anyone that could make me smile. Its…weird."
"It is?" She looked at him ludicrously. "No one has ever made you smile before?"
"Not like this." He admitted.
She cocked an eyebrow, still wondering if she would ever figure out this puzzle of a man. His range of emotions was expanding before her eyes. It wasn't something she didn't expect, having spent near a month with him now, but it did feel different with him. She felt a growing sense of trust. He stood there, staring at her with a uniquely blank face. It made her giggle, which caused him to tilt his head in confusion. "I don't understand you, Silver." She admitted. "But I like you well enough. And I really must thank you."
"Thank me?"
"Well if you haven't come along and picked me up from my quiet little life I would never had experienced this kind of adventure."
"Maybe that's not a good thing."
"Maybe it is!" She yelled back a little too harshly. Frowning, she contemplated her short outburst, which had Silver staring at her in mild surprise. It really was what she wanted, standing here in a hotel room, sharing the same space with a man barely known to her for near a solid month. It's exactly what her life needed to rejuvenate her drive. She had been living what she thought was her dream for what seemed like such a short time in, but only now, standing away from it, did she realize that there was still something more to discover for herself, and even though she proclaimed exuberance and excitement every day, it all seemed suddenly so lackluster in her heart.
"No it really is what was best for me." She stated, emphasizing the point to Silver as well as herself.
He sighed, shrugging in defeat. "If you say so."
An uncomfortable silence fell into the room, neither really knowing what to say next.
"Wanna go get some lunch?" Ameythest finally asked.
"Sure." Silver replied flatly.
The exited the room, and Ameythest smiled at him. "So what do you like to eat?"
"Um. Noodles are good, I guess."
"Just plain noodles?"
"I dunno, I haven't tried a lot of different things."
"Well maybe we should change that…"
Ameythest tightened the scarf around her neck as they sped through the desert, securing her protective gear a bit tighter around her mouth and nose. She had Silver both had to be very careful about sand inhalation at this point, both still having occasional bouts of coughing fits.
She glanced at Silver, his steely gaze focused on the desert ahead of him as he steered the recovered and repaired hovercraft around the sandy dunes. She then turned her head, looking up at their new third party member that Oak had sent to help them, their 'backup'. At twenty-two years old, Ruby was a bit younger than herself and Silver, but she had heard of him. Of course all of his fame came from his incredible contest wins, and the prissy boy fussed about the desert more than she ever thought possible.
"Oh it's so dirty out here!" He cried in complaint. "And you two, those gross gaudy outfits…why not wear something a bit more stylish?" He began to dig through his bag unwittingly.
Ameythest just shook her head, wondering how he was going to survive out here. Or course he couldn't have forgotten already that they were still trying to get better from their last major encounter with shadow Lugia, but he chose to complain nonetheless.
Krane had been able to locate and track their targets signal not too long ago, somewhere north of Agate village. Ruby had been with them less than a day and he had been smiling in excitement. "I must be a good luck charm or something!" He exclaimed happily. "I mean you've been out here quite a while with no luck, right?"
Oak had done as Ameythest had asked and not the let the full extent of Silver's incident be known. As far as everyone else knew, it was just a mild temporary condition.
"Yes." Ameythest replied to him. "It really has been frustrating."
"I bet! But don't worry, we'll nab him this time!"
"I'm sure." Silver grumbled. Ruby's cheerful attitude was putting him in a foul mood.
The drove for a few hours, Ruby chatting on and on about things the other two riders didn't particularly care about. The scenery had changed from dry, dead desert to lush greenery at some point though, and Ameythest tugged off her protective gear in relief. "This is much better." She said, letting her goggled hang around her neck.
Silver did the same, although he had difficulty getting the scarf off one-handed.
"Let me get that for you." She smiled, offering to help him as he struggled with the now needless garment.
"I can get it."
"Nah, we don't want to hit a tree. I can get it."
"I said its fine!"
"Fine, you get it then!"
He did manage, with some difficulty. "See?" Proving his point, he dropped the scarf at his side.
"Show off."
Ruby laughed from behind them. "You two act like some kind of petty couple." He remarked, earning death glares from both Ameythest and Silver.
Silver returned his gaze forward, his brows knitted together in concentration. "Something's off." He said.
"What, what is it?" Ameythest looked at him expectantly. She had come to recognize that worried tone in his voice.
"We should be plenty north of Agate by now." He said frowning. "Krane said it was north possibly heading south…did it change direction?" His head shifted left and right, his eyes searching for any inkling of disturbances.
"I'll call him." Ameythest said quickly, digging out a phone from her pocket and dialing the number.
Even Ruby had stopped talking.
"Hello professor? Has XD changed course on us, we're nearing its last known-oh."
"What is it?" Silver pressed.
"Head north west." She responded, trying to listen intently to Krane on the other side of the phone.
Silver shifted their path, increasing the speed of the craft.
"Okay. Thanks professor." She hung up. "He said that XD shifted its course not too long ago, and something seemed off about its movements."
"'Off' how?" The driver asked insistently.
"Dunno. Said it was really strange, though."
"Guys!" Ruby piped up from the back. "Look over there!"
Ameythest strained to see what Ruby's extended arm was pointing at, but through the thickening trees she spotted a very unnatural-looking storm cloud. Far-off thunder was suddenly in earshot, and she realized the storm was heading their way fast. Ludicrously fast.
"S-Silver…"
"I see it!" He shouted, bringing the car to a halt. "It's headed right towards us, we should get ready to intercept it!"
The trio jumped out of the car, and Ameythest watched, surprised, as Ruby adjusted a pair of goggled over his eyes.
"What are you-?" She began, but he held a hand up.
"They're prescription." He said. "I'm nearsighted, but I don't like wearing glasses. This is for emergencies only."
She could only afford to stare at him a second more, trying to understand how a boy came to be so vain. "Whatever."
"Ok, I have a plan this time." Silver said, turning to face his two companions. "Ameythest, as you know, you're the only one of us with the accuracy to be able to catch that thing. You and I are going by air, I'll try to distract it best I can, maybe weaken it a bit with Weaville's ice attacks. You focus on getting close and getting in as many shots as possible. There's lightning up there, but your Tropius's grass type will help. Ruby, you're our ground support. That wind is our number one issue, if Ameythest aim is perfect it won't mean much if her throw is blown off course, even a little. We've gotta ground that thing if we can."
"Right." Ruby agreed, and Ameythest couldn't help being impressed by his sudden change of attitude.
"Ameythest." Silver stared at her dead in the face. "You ready?"
She looked back at him, his stature unmoving, he was far more ready for this than she could ever be. She swallowed, feeling a small part of her fear disappear, and she nodded with determination. "Ready as ever."
"Wait until it gets close enough." He warned, and they watched as the dark, swirling clouds approached them fast, thunder and lightning suddenly seeming like it was all around them. "Nearly there!" He shouted against the wind, and they each let out a pokemon. Ameythest had barely settled onto Tropius before Silver took off, flying directly into the swirling storm. She tightened her grip around Tropius's neck and the pokemon took off quickly, braving the stormy winds as the ominous call of the corrupt pokemon pierced their ears.
"Augh, not that noise again-" She muttered to herself, realizing something seemed suddenly off. The wind seemed to be fighting itself, like there was a second storm blowing against the Lugia's…
He grip on Tropius tightened when she saw the ball of electricity and wind rush past her, being shot straight through the windy vortex to the heart of the storm. A loud, mournful cry was heard as she saw the shadowy figure of Lugia get struck by the attack, it wings flapping pathetically for a moment. She spun her head around, spotting Ruby and what looked like a Castform standing their ground dutifully. So that's why he was sent. His Castform could take any weather condition and turn it against the opponent. She stared as he conjured a second weather ball, and Ameythest's determination felt renewed.
"I've gotta help them bring it down…" She thought hard. What could do it? "Silver!" She called, her Tropius struggling to fly. She spotted Silver, dodging and weaving a deadly-looking blast coming from the center of the vortex. He had no luck getting in close either.
"Chandelure!" She released the ghost, watching it float gently in the air, unhindered by the strong wings or stray lightning. "Fire Spin!" She cried, and the pokemon made its ominous call. She and her Tropius hovered a little further away, and she made sure Silver was far enough away as well. Chandelure mustered all the energy it could, sending an enormous stream of flames towards the Lugia's storm, the winds dying nearly instantly and replaced by an intense heat. The fire spin didn't last long, and XD001 broke free with a powerful thrust of its wings. Only now, it was entirely exposed, its discolored body sending shivers down her spine. "SHADOW BALL!" She cried quickly, determined to bring down the beast. Chandelure complied, hurdling the deadly ball of ghost energy at XD001. It hit, along with another deadly charged weather ball from Ruby Castform, and Ameythest spotted Honchkrow attack Lugia with its deadly claws.
Lugia roared out in pain and surprise, giving a few fast flaps of its wings to stay steady in the air.
"AGAIN!" Ameythest cried, ordering her Chandelure forward. Chandelure complied.
"Tropius, attack with stomp!" She felt the pokemon shudder beneath her, his wings flapping and he sped towards their target, flying above it. Lugia was struck by two more attacks of deadly energy, and Ameythest held on for dear life as Tropius dive-bombed it, putting all its weight and force on its front two legs, which hit it square in the head, knocking it closer to the ground.
Lugia cried out again, weakened from the onslaught.
"Tropius, now's our chance! Chandelure, keep FIRING!"
Tropius swerved to get under the large creature, and Ameythest spotted her exact target. The spot where its heart was, right at its chest. She fingered the friend ball in her hand carefully, letting the smooth surface cool her sweating palms. It had to be dead-on. It had to be a friend ball. It HAD to work…
She took a deep, slow breath, letting all the encouragement Silver had given her over the course of the month really sink in. Thoughts of home and her family guided her arm and calculations. This could save lives, she realized suddenly.
She tossed it, mustering all her force into the throw and carefully timing her release and hold. The ball went spinning, flying fast towards its target, hitting it dead-center.
"YES!" Ameythest screamed, watching the large bird get sucked into the ball with a flash of bright light. She and her pokemon landed quickly, herself jumped two feet to get to the ground faster and running towards the ball. It was barely shaking, and the red light on the indicator was there for a split second before turning white, ensuring her capture.
"We. Did it." The first feelings that ran through her were elation and joy, but then she quickly realized, that this entire travelling adventure had just come to a sudden, screeching halt.