Me: Christmas Eve, It's Silver's birthday! Lalalalalaaaa, la la la la.

Gardevoir: *eating a candy cane* So we're singing songs now huh?

Me: *glares* I wish you'd shut up one of these days! Lalalalalaaaa, la la la la.

Gardevoir: Hey now! This candy cane is getting pretty sharp...

Me: So what, throw it! I can dodge it! Lalala, lalala, la la laaa

Gardevoir: *smirk* Okay. You asked for it. *reveals a pile of knife sharp candy cane darts*

Me: *gulp* If I don't live through this, Merry Christmas! La la la la laaaaaaaa, la laaa laaaa laaaaaaa *closes eyes and waits for dart*

Gardevoir: *about to throw dart but sees cowering form* Sigh. Oh fine! But only because it's the holidays!

Me: Yay! *jumps and gives Gardevoir a hug*

Gardevoir: Ah! Get off of me!

Me: *smiles* Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon in any way. Except Amber, Melany, and plot! ;D


Chapter Eleven: Blue

My laughter joined the others' at Green's evasive answer and red-hot cheeks.

"Is somebody getting embarrassed?" I chuckled weakly, still a little woozy after the blood transfusion. He glared at me, and I simply smiled back in response.

Red got up off the floor and punched his shoulder lightly. "You withhold judgment? That was totally stolen from Silver."

The redhead nodded with a small smile, but Green shook his head. "Words have no owner."

Red held his hands up in mock defeat. "No, that's alright. But the thing about withholding judgment is, the answer has to come out sometime."

The black-haired boy grinned at the brunette, but the response wasn't quite so friendly.

The fuming green-eyed boy got to his feet with clenched fists, his blushing face quickly disappearing as he stalked out of the room. White's amused smile dissipated as he left, and she turned to Black and Red as their laughter died down and they sat in the two now-empty chairs.

"Did we take things too far?" She asked worriedly, remembering the anger in her senior's eyes.

Red tilted his head guiltily. "Maybe a little."

I waved a hand at them, eyes closing again against the pillow's softness. "Don't worry about Greeny. He'll be fine." I chuckled quietly to myself. "He's just not familiar with his sensitive side too much."

Red smiled, and Silver nodded in agreement. Opening my eyes, I looked at the black-haired boy and smirked. "That was quite out of character for you, Red. When did you suddenly become so evil?"

He grinned mischievously. "I don't know if you heard me earlier, but I was simply returning a slap—although I guess this one was more mental than physical."

I laughed softly. "But you wouldn't get upset over something like that!"

He realized that I'd seen through his cover and sank into his chair with a frown. "No, but I did need to pay him back for a certain sleeping pill incident."

I raised an eyebrow curiously but let it go when White sat on the end of the bed near my feet and smiled.

"The doctor said you're going to be okay now thanks to Red's blood!" The brunette told me happily.

Said boy looked at me then. "Yeah, how did you even know my blood type?"

Silver perked up across the room, and I giggled. "I can't tell you all my secrets, now can I?" Besides, I didn't want to get busted for going through everyone's medical records. But sometimes it was a good thing that I had—especially now.

The red-eyed boy only pouted more, and Black watched him amused. Silver rolled his eyes, and White got off the bed to lean over me and observe my back. Grazing her fingers over the thick bandage, she pulled back sharply when I flinched at the light pressure.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed, bowing her head.

"No, it's okay," I smiled at her, the slight pain quickly going away. "It's not that bad, really. I think I got bruised, too."

"The doctor said they had to sew up one of the gashes so that might be it," Silver provided with a concerned glance at my back.

I shrugged my shoulder and sighed at the light sharpness of the wound. "Man, that Fearow was vicious!"

Silver rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Next time, just let me take the hit."

My face scrunched up lightly. "But then you would have been on this bed, and I would've been worried like crazy!"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? But you think it's fair to make everyone else?"

They all nodded, and I let out another sigh. "Well excuse me for taking the initiative to look out for you." Turning to the two brunettes, I titled my head against the pillow. "Did you guys get hurt, too?"

They shook their heads, and Black smiled. "Nope! It was all thanks to your Nidoqueen that I didn't go splat!"

Red smirked with a chuckle at me. "Looks like you were saving everybody."

I laughed back. "You and Green were the ones who got Yellow safely here!"

"Nooooo," he said with a finger waggle. "You're the one who gave us Abra which helped us get here! Plus! You knocked out Melany, her dude, and Amber in one shot, ultimately saving Green, me, and White!"

I mock-frowned and stuffed my face in the pillow. I said something incoherent through its white fluffiness, and the red-eyed boy chuckled. "What was that?"

Lifting my head slowly, I stared at him with narrowed eyes. "You're making it so hard to be humble."

My statement made him laugh all the harder, and I rolled my eyes as Black suddenly turned to White.

"Hey, I never did ask. What did the Director call you about?" He inquired curiously.

The amused smile that had been on her face slowly melted as she looked down at the Xtransceiver on her wrist. "He, uh, had some news for me."

Black tilted his head and got up to walk over to her. "What kind of news?"

She looked up at him before hanging her head slightly with closed eyes. "We need to go back to Unova."

Silver and Red's eyes widened along with mine, and Black's jaw dropped open a little.

"W-what do you mean we have to go back?" The brunette asked alarmed.

The girl opened her eyes and glanced back up at him solemnly. "Our one month leave is up. We have to go back to work or things will get out of hand."

Black kept making a move to say something, but nothing would come out of his mouth.

Silver's eyebrows were creased in slight confusion. "One month leave?"

White turned to him and nodded. "The BW Agency was quite busy when we left so we had to set a time for when we returned so things could stay on schedule." She bit her lip and looked back at her Xtransceiver. "And that date is tomorrow."

I lifted myself into a sitting position and tilted my head puzzled. "Well, that's alright. One of us can run you to Vermillion City tomorrow morning. They've got an airport there along with the shipyard."

Red and Silver whipped around at me like I was crazy.

"Are you insane?!" The red-eyed boy shouted. "We're trying to hide out right now! We have no idea where Melany and Amber are, and if we go to Vermillion, they could follow us back here!"

"But how do we even know that they're anywhere near Fuchsia or Vermillion City?" I countered back, feeling my anger start to rise.

"It's too risky," Silver said shortly, his voice low and stern.

"That doesn't matter!" I yelled at them. "We can't ask them to throw away their own lives just because things are getting difficult here!"

Red bit back a retort and turned ruefully to the two brunettes beside him. "I know that, but there's a chance that you guys could get followed all the way to Unova and get hurt, too."

Black nodded reluctantly, but White only looked hopelessly out the window. "If that's the case, then we'll never be able to go back home until this is all over."

I set my jaw and carefully pushed myself off the bed, my feet landing on the ground harshly. They all turned to me in surprise as I reached for my hat and shirt on the night stand and started putting it over my torso and chest that was completely wrapped up in bandaging.

"If you guys won't take them, then I will!"

Silver rushed over and grabbed my shirt before I could get myself completely into it. "Blue!"

Red did the same and snatched the white hat from me. "You just got a transfusion! You shouldn't even think about moving until tomorrow!"

"Well, seeing as how you guys aren't going to do anything, I don't have any other choice!" I yelled back at them, ripping my hat out of Red's hands and shirt from Silver's. "It's not fair to keep them here when it's our problem anyways!"

"Hey."

The three of us stopped our arguing to see Black pulling out his Pokedex and smiling at us.

"You can't say that this isn't our problem, too. We're the new Dex Holders. That makes us a part of the team now."

White shrugged sheepishly and brought out her Eevee's Pokeball. "And I know I don't have a Pokedex, but you're helping me to become a better trainer so that makes me a part of this, too."

The room was silent a minute, the two's heartfelt commitment making my eyes water until I had no other choice but to slowly walk forward and hug them both.

"Thanks guys," I said behind their shoulders. "But going back to Unova is probably the best for you two. You'll be able to get back to your Agency, and it'll keep you both safe."

"But, Blue…" White started to say before I pulled back and shook my head.

"It's for the best," I said gently. "Come on. I'll take you guys now."

I started for the door, and Red and Silver were on my tail until all three of us caught sight of Green standing in the doorway, one hand holding a juice box and the other a cookie. I had a feeling they were for me, but I didn't take them, staying there in front of him as he blocked my way out. His deep green eyes bored into mine, but I stood my ground, glaring back at him as he did the same to me. After a minute, he closed his eyes and shook his head barely.

"No."

I narrowed my eyes. "You were standing there the whole time weren't you?"

He did the same. "You're staying here."

I raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Oh? So you're going to take them to Vermillion?"

He bared his teeth lightly and walked forward, causing me to step back into the room so that he could close the door behind him. "No. I'm sorry to say it, but Red and Silver are right. It's a risk that we can't take."

I threw my hands in the air and huffed angrily. "Are you kidding me?! It's a risk that we have to take! Don't you remember that we have no way of getting this information to Professor Oak?! He's all the way in Unova, and we can't use the videophones because Melany can track them!"

"And since we have to go back anyway, we can tell him for you!" Black said with a smile, understanding now dawning in his eyes.

I nodded at him and turned stiffly to Green. "See?"

Nevertheless, the stoic brunette set down the juice box and cookie on the nightstand, crossing his arms. "I agree that Gramps should know about this, but that still doesn't make it important enough for us to chance getting found again!"

"Yes it does!" I yelled at him, thrusting my face in his.

He sighed heatedly and turned to the others. "Would you mind giving us a minute? Although I think it might take longer."

Red and Silver nodded, taking Black and White out of the room to check out a place to stay the night. When the door shut behind them, he whipped around to me and clenched his fists. "What do you think you're doing?!"

I set my jaw. "I'm just trying to keep everyone as safe as I can!"

"Everyone but yourself!" He shouted at me, taking my shirt and hat from me and setting them on the bed. "Look!"

He dragged me by the wrist over to a mirror that was hanging on the other side of the room. Turning me around, he forced me to see the huge red stain on the backside of the bandage, silhouetting the three gashes that lay beneath it.

"Don't you see what you're doing to yourself?" He said heatedly behind my ear, his eyes raking the wound on my back in the mirror as I arched my neck over my shoulder to do the same.

I shook my head hesitantly. "I-It's just a scratch."

Green lost his cool and almost exploded. "Blue! You don't need blood transfusions for a scratch!"

I turned away and hung my head, the tips of my hair just inches away from his black jacket. "Well, I'm sorry, but if this is what happens, then that's fine. I'm going to do my best to save Yellow from whatever Melany and Amber are planning." I looked up at him firmly. "Even if that means giving up my life."

And that was the honest to Arceus truth. I was going to fight for Yellow with my life just as much as Red would. She was the little sister that I never had. More than that, she was my best friend. And even if that meant something like jumping in front of a train for her, then that was what I would do.

Green stared at me with his wide eyes for a long time, finally closing them and hanging his head with bared teeth. His bangs fell over his eyes, and I watched him as he started to shake lightly. Suddenly, he gently picked me up lightning fast, ignoring my protestant kicks and squirms. Depositing me on the bed, he put my clothes back on the nightstand and wrapped me up in the blanket, tucking the ends into the mattress so it would hold me down for a little bit.

"What are you doing?!" I asked him with surprised rage, wriggling beneath the tight sheets.

He finished putting my clothes in my bag and turned to me after a second, a small smile on his face. Slowly bending down, I froze in shock as he kissed me on the forehead. I felt him smirk as he pulled away, but I was paralyzed from surprise.

"Sorry," he said, but I could tell he didn't feel an ounce of regret. "I know how much you care about Yellow. We all do. But I won't let you die because of this."

My eyes widened as he started walking for the door, and I struggled all the harder. He just had to stuff the entire length of the blanket under this dumb heavy mattress didn't he?!

"Green!" I shouted as he opened the door. "Don't you dare!"

He simply smiled a little at me again before leaving and shutting it firmly behind him, an outside lock clicking in place. Letting out a breath of rage, I was finally able to get the sheets off and get myself off the bed. But as soon as my feet hit the ground, the strain from struggling finally struck home, and I winced as my back burned again. It wasn't as bad as when we'd first come in, but it still hurt a little. I suppose I should've been thanking those painkillers and that transfusion about now, but at the moment, all I could think about was punching that boy in the face.

I had to get out of here. Black and White were supposed to leave for Unova tomorrow and I didn't have that much time to figure out a way to get past the others and take them to Vermillion City.

Turning to look out the window at the setting sun, my eye caught the yellow bag sitting on the nightstand, and a smile slowly crept across my face. Never leave me alone with my bag. You never know what's inside it.

Digging through the contents, I smiled even wider when I pulled out my lock-picking kit and portable laptop. Hiding the kit beneath my pillow, I turned on the bedside lamp as the room started falling into the twilight claiming the land outside. It was too late to think about going to Vermillion tonight so I decided to get the tickets all ready to go so that I could just send them off tomorrow without having to worry about that.

An hour later, I smugly closed the laptop and put it back in my bag. The tickets hadn't been too expensive, and thankfully were online so we could print them off at the airport tomorrow. Taking out the lock picks from beneath my pillow, I took my favorite one and stealthily crept over to the door. I kept an ear on the panel to make sure no one was coming and started away at the knob. I was about halfway through when footsteps sounded outside, and I sprang back to the bed with wide eyes. I had just gotten the covers back on when the lock undid itself, and someone walked in.

The person's footsteps were light on the linoleum, stopping just at the side of the bed near my head. I forced myself to breath softly so it would look like I was sleeping and almost stiffened when I felt the person straighten the blankets on me.

"I'm sorry," Green said softly, his hand resting lightly on the ends of my hair once he'd finished fixing the sheets. "But I won't lose you."

My heart twisted at his words, but I refused to move, waiting until he'd left and relocked the room to slowly sit up and look at the door. After a minute, I laid back down and closed my eyes, biting my lip. As I drifted off to sleep, one thought kept nagging me at the back of my mind.

Why is he so afraid of losing me?


"What?! You mean, we really are going?"

I nodded at Black's question, ducking behind the couch pressed against the wall as someone walked by. White sat beside him, and her eyes were just as big as his. It'd taken me a little bit, but I'd finally been able to break out of my room late this morning and sneak through the Pokemon Center until finding the two out here in the lobby.

"But Blue, we didn't even buy tickets," she said softly, trying to act like she wasn't talking to the back of the couch.

I shook my head. "I already did."

Her eyes grew slightly wider. "Oh Blue!"

I waved a hand at her, my head slowly creeping back over the top of the cushion. "Don't worry about it. We've just got to find a way to get out of here undetected."

"Well," Black thought with a finger on his chin. "White and I were considering going to see the Safari Zone…"

"That's perfect!" I exclaimed quietly. "Just tell Green and the others that, and we'll be able to go to Vermillion without them knowing!"

"But what about you?" White said with creased eyebrows. "Won't they realize you got out?"

I shook my head again and ducked as Green suddenly walked out into the lobby. "I relocked the door and stuffed some extra pillows under the blanket to make it look like me. It should buy us enough time to get you guys on that plane. There he is! Now go!"

They nodded and quickly got up, walking over to the green-eyed brunette and asking if they could go out. After a few seconds, he reluctantly agreed, causing the two to smile and thank him before heading for the front doors.

"Just be careful!" He called after them.

They nodded and exited the building. Green sighed and shook his head before going up to the front desk and giving Nurse Joy his Pokemon to heal. Taking this opportunity, I raced for the front doors and got out onto the sidewalk before anyone could see me. Black and White were waiting for me farther down the street, and I quickly caught up with them, steering them towards the east side of town.

"There's no direct route to Vermillion from here, but the fastest way would be to take Route 15," I explained as we swiftly made our way out of town.

"Won't that take a while, though?" Black asked worried, looking up at the sun to guess that it was already early afternoon.

"Well, flying is out of the question, but don't worry! The plane doesn't leave until this evening so we should be able to make it on time by foot," I reassured him.

White glanced at me as we got out onto the route and started running. "Thanks, Blue."

I looked back at her and nodded with a smile. "Just make sure to get the news to Professor Oak."

She nodded back, and Black sighed. "I feel kinda bad leaving at a time like this. So try to keep us updated, okay?"

I smiled again and gave a short laugh. "I'm sure I could send you some letters safely."

He laughed too, content that they wouldn't be left out on what was to happen. White nodded in agreement, and the three of us gradually fell into silence. I watched them sadly as the time slowly slipped away, knowing I was going to miss them when they left on that plane later today. But this was for the best. They would be safe, and Professor Oak would finally know what was going on here in Kanto.

Even so, something similar to foreboding was tugging at my thoughts as we dashed along the dock pathways that were sprawled across Route 15. My eyebrows scrunched. Almost like a warning…


I stared at the door in front of me with narrowed green eyes.

There was no noise.

No person slamming on it or screaming to be let out.

And it was already three in the afternoon.

My hand went for the outside lock on the door, and I flipped it in reverse. I'd come in a bit before noon to give Blue some lunch and found her form still sleeping under the covers. Not wanting to disturb her, I was in and out as fast and quietly as I could, but it was later in the day now, and I still hadn't heard any protests from her.

The door swung open slowly as I walked in and saw her still in bed. Eyes still narrowed, I walked over and leaned over the bedrail.

"Blue, wake up," I said sternly. When she didn't move, I sighed and face-palmed. "Look. I'm sorry that you're upset, but I just can't let something unnecessary happen."

She still didn't make any motion, and I pulled my hand away from my face, using it to poke her in the shoulder. As my finger made contact, it sunk into her body a little, and I jerked back in surprise before narrowing my eyes again.

Why would she be so squishy…

My eyes widened as I realized something and ripped the sheets off in horror to find a pile of pillows instead of a certain blue-eyed brunette. Throwing the blankets back down, I raced out of the room towards the one housing Red and Yellow. Barging into the room, I panted as the black-haired boy looked up from Yellow's unconscious form.

"Green! What's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost," he commented with a tilted head.

I quickly walked over to him and grit my teeth. "Blue's gone."

Red blinked a moment before sighing heatedly under his breath and standing up. "Where are Black and White?"

"They asked me if they could go to…" I paused and almost growled when I realized why they had asked to go to the Safari Zone. "They're with Blue."

Red sucked in a breath and grabbed the back of his hair beneath his cap. "Well we have to go after them!"

I closed my eyes and held the bridge of my nose in my hand. "No, I'll go. You and Silver stay here and watch Yellow."

He scrunched his eyebrows. "You sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah. It'll make it easier to fly without getting noticed. Where's Silver?"

"Getting a snack," Red answered, looking out the window at the sun's position. "Do you think you can catch up to them in time?"

I joined him at the window and took in the late afternoon sky. "I don't know. But either way, I'm bringing someone back."

Red chuckled to himself. "You're so protective of her."

A faint blush painted itself across my cheeks, but I only sighed. "You have no idea."

He gave me a smile before pushing my figure towards the door. "Well, you better hurry if you want to beat them there!"

I turned to give him a nod over my shoulder before my feet started running, and I aimed for the front door. It didn't take long until I was outside, taking out Charizard's Pokeball and releasing the Fire type. Soon I was on his back, cautiously flying through the cloud barrier to the northeast, no amount of words able to describe what I was feeling as I got closer to Vermillion and hopefully the three brunettes that would be there when I arrived.


"Alright! Here's your tickets!"

Black and White said nothing as I handed them the two slips of paper that would grant them access onto the plane.

"Don't worry!" I declared with a wink. "We'll send your stuff that you left in Viridian over as soon as we can!"

Still they said nothing, and I frowned sadly as we started walking towards the terminal headed for Unova.

"Hey guys, I just wanted to say, thank you," I told them as we slowly made our way down the long hallway of chairs and entrances. They turned to me with tilted heads, and I smiled at them. "The circumstances under which we first met probably weren't the best, but still. You helped us protect Yellow as much as you could, and that's all we could've ever asked for. So thank you."

We stopped at their terminal at the end of the wide passageway, and White's eyes started growing shiny. "No, Blue. It's us who should be thanking you."

Black nodded solemnly. "Yeah, even though we were new to the Dex Holders, you welcomed us graciously anyways."

White turned away slightly but pulled out the Pokeball with her Eevee. "And without you, I would have never caught Yang. It's thanks to you that I have a Pokemon again."

I could feel my eyes growing warm and gave a smile sniffle. White did the same and rushed forward to crush me in a big hug.

"Stay safe, okay?" She choked out.

I nodded shakily. "You, too."

She pulled away only to be replaced by Black who also gave me a quick hug.

"Try to stay in touch," he said softly. I could see he was having trouble keeping his cool, too, and laughed.

"I will," I reassured him with a cracking voice. "I promise."

The intercom went off then, shouting the departure of their plane, and Black smiled sadly. Waving at me, he turned to White, and she nodded slowly, blue eyes tinged with red as she followed him to the entrance gate. I walked after them, stopping at the counter when I was allowed no further. Black gave their tickets to the flight attendant and gave me another smile good-bye before disappearing down the make-shift tunnel.

White was right after him, but right before she disappeared around the corner, she turned back to me with teary eyes.

"I'm serious Blue. Stay safe," she said sternly through her shaky voice. She wiped at her eyes and sighed with a smile. "Everyone really cares about you. Especially Green."

My eyes widened, and I stuttered at the slight blush creeping across my cheeks. "Y-you don't know that!"

She chuckled through her tears a little and waved. "Remember; I know when someone's acting and when they're not." She smiled with closed eyes. "Send us a letter soon!"

My mouth still hung open a little as she vanished into the tunnel, leaving me speechless at the front of the gate. I soon moved out of the way for the other passengers, my feet gradually carrying me to the window where I looked out at the plane. I stared at the giant mechanism until its engines started up a while, and it slowly started down the runway.

I could feel more tears in my eyes as its landing gear left the ground, and Black and White finally began their trip home. Wiping at my face, I forced myself to start heading back for the lobby, taking time to thoroughly check for Melany or Amber.

This isn't the last time I'll see them. We'll meet up again once Melany has been taken care of. I smiled determinedly. When Yellow is awake and safe again.

Green

My breath was coming in quick gasps as I sprinted through the crowds filling the airport's large hallways. It was about four now, and if I had any luck today, I could catch Black and White and Blue. It's not that I didn't want them to go home. I just didn't want to take a chance that Melany might send one of her guys after them all the way to Unova. They would never know it until it was too late and something bad happened, and by then, we'd be too far away to do anything.

I entered the gateway and looked up at the board for departures. Seeing Unova next to the one stationed at the end of the hall, I ran as fast as my feet would carry me, skidding to a halt a minute later before I could crash into the registration desk.

"The plane to Unova!" I shouted out, completely out of breath. "When does it leave?!"

The blonde flight attendant held her hands up cautiously. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down."

Taking a breath, I managed to lower my voice enough until it was almost normal again. "The Unova flight?"

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "But it just left about twenty minutes ago."

I said nothing, just staring down at the desk in front of me as I realized that I was too late.

"Sir?" The lady asked worriedly.

Without a word, I turned around and started back for the front of the building. People saw my steaming aura and moved out of the way without question, allowing me to get back outside in ten minutes flat. I waited until I was out in the parking lot to release Charizard, and when I did, I headed straight for Fuchsia.

I decided that I wasn't going to chase Blue there and confront her along the way. Oh no. I'd be there waiting for her. Waiting for her to try and explain herself before I went off on her again. My anger already starting to build, I urged Charizard to go faster so that we could get there first and watched the trees fly by below.

But as we zoomed through the clouds back to Fuchsia, I had no idea that that was the worst decision I could have possibly made then.

Blue

Seeing a Charizard fly by overhead through the treetops, I sweatdropped and let myself slow down to a walk. There was no use in trying to get back to the Pokemon Center as quick as I could now. Green was already going to be there waiting when I arrived.

Sighing at the verbal abuse I was most likely going to have to endure when I got there, I strolled pleasantly through the woods and along the wooden dockways on the route, smiling to myself despite the scolding I was going to receive here soon. Black and White were safely on their way home, and I had watched them off. There was no way Melany and her guys could have followed them.

The sky gradually turned to a darker yellow as late afternoon arrived, and I made it back to the outskirts of town. The trip to Vermillion had probably taken a good two hours just to get there so another two back was not making me feel good. My back was starting to burn, and I could feel myself going weaker from the blood transfusion. I should've been in bed right now healing, but getting Black and White to the airport was more important than a little light-headedness.

And it was because of that light-headedness that I thought I was hallucinating when I turned the corner down a street and saw two figures a good jog ahead. There was nobody else out on the sidewalks at this time so the two stood out like a sore thumb. But what really made my eyes widen and my body freeze was the sight of their black shirts—one rimmed with gold and one without.

Not thinking about what more strain to myself would do, I started running, a frown already growing on my face. I could make out Melany's blonde hair and Amber's black even from this far away, and even as weak as I was, I wasn't going to let them get away. I was going to make them tell me how to wake Yellow up—And I was going to do it now.

They suddenly turned down what I thought to be an alley somewhere up ahead, and, panting, I forced myself to go faster. If I lost them here, there was no way I was going to find them again.

When I finally made it to where they had branched off, the sun was setting, and my eyes widened in shock at what I found waiting for me in the alley.

Melany had a gun raised at Amber, her finger pulling the trigger before I could even gasp. Thank Arceus he was able to dodge, but my mouth hung open in horror when she kept firing rounds at him all around the alley.

I rushed forward to go in and protect him. It didn't matter that Amber was the enemy now—he was Red's brother and I was going to help him.

However, as soon as I took a step forward, I hit something hard and fell backwards. Wearily clutching my head, I looked up to see Melany's Heracross which I'd fought back at Yellow's house using Protect to block off the entryway.

Baring my teeth, I got up and brought Blasty out, immediately telling him to use Water Gun on the force field. As the move hit, the Heracross was pushed back by its force but managed to keep its Protect going. Telling Blasty to up the power, I didn't see what was happening on the other side of the barrier. I didn't see the tiny stray bullets getting shattered by the Protect move.

So naturally, I didn't see the one bullet that flew out as Blasty finally broke through the force field.

The one bullet that didn't have any Protect move to shatter against.

The one bullet that found a target to sink into.

And a second after, I collapsed with a loud cry that echoed through the empty streets.


I watched the setting sun out the window, wondering when Green was going to be back with Blue and hopefully Black and White. Seeing the darkening sky, I gave a sigh and sat back down next to Yellow.

The door opened suddenly, and Silver walked in with a blanket and pillow.

"Here, Red," he said, simply handing me the fluffy pile. "I had a feeling you were going to sleep in here with Yellow again tonight."

I smiled sheepishly and hid the crimson that was quickly filling my face. "Thanks."

He nodded as I placed the pillow on the back of the chair and covered up with the blanket. "Has Green come back yet?"

I shook my head and sighed. "No. But he should arrive any minute now. It's been a couple hours since he left."

The redhead nodded again and walked back towards the door. "Well, tell him to come get me when he does. I get to be the first one who yells at her."

I smirked at his aggressive worry and gazed after him as he left, gently closing the door behind him. Settling my head against the back of the seat, I watched Yellow with soft eyes and a small frown.

"When are you going to wake up?" I said quietly, knowing she wasn't going to respond just like she hadn't the other times I'd asked her the same thing.

Of course, she didn't say anything, and I sighed silently before closing my eyes and going to sleep.

But if I'd only just kept them open and watched her for a while longer, I would've seen the light twitch of her hand and the opening of her fear-filled eyes that soon followed.


Gardevoir: *huff* Would you get off of me?!

Me: Admit it! You like hugs!

Gardevoir: No! *breaks free and dusts off shoulders* Not from you anyway.

Me: Uh! Offense!

Gardevoir: *shrugs still eating a candy cane*

Me: Hmph! And I even got you a present!

Gardevoir: *perks up* Really?

Me: *nods happily and produces a box with snowflake wrapping paper* I got it just for you!

Gardevoir: Wow, thanks! *rips open box and sweatdrops* *narrows eyes* I can't believe you still remember that.

Me: *laughs* Of course! I wanted to make sure I got you one! Even if it's, like, months late! Teehee!

Gardevoir: *pulls out big blue fluffy crazy hat* I'm not wearing this!

Me: Yes you are! *grabs hat and stuffs it on Gardevoir's head*

Gardevoir: Hey! *tries to take hat off but it's stuck*

Me: Hehe! I used super-ultra-mega-tough-sticky-sticky glue!

Gardevoir: *growl*

Me: Haha! Love you too! Happy Birthday Silver! I hoped to give you readers the best possible present this Christmas...a conscious Yellow! ...even though it may not be under the best of circumstances...XD Review and return guys!

Merry Christmas! And may God watch over you this happy holiday!