Note: This chapter might be confusing since I'm constantly switching between Leaf and Gary's Point of View.

Three weeks? Really? Sorry guys, I've been having sleep issues. I'm getting about 6 hours of sleep between two nights and I'm really tired. I haven't had much time to type or update as a result.

Thanks for your continual support though! _

Chapter 14

Leaf's Point of View:

Leaf's eyes snapped open as a booming knock echoed in her room.

Hey! Celebi complained. What's going on?

"Please awaken as soon as possible." Leaf could hear Jarvis through her door. "The Leader requests your presence in the training field."

Leaf shut her eyes and pulled her covers over her head.

Ooh,training! Celebi said happily. I haven't battled properly in the longest time.It'll be fantastic to do so once more!

Celebi's enthusiasm didn't rub on Leaf, but she eventually rolled out of bed and made her way to her bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Leaf walked out of her room and saw someone standing idly against the rail. She barely acknowledged his presence though as an icy breeze caused her teeth to chatter. The moon's pale light bathed her as Leaf looked up. She could see thousands of tiny glistening diamonds in the sky.

Beautiful, isn't it? Celebi asked in wonder.

It's gorgeous, Leaf agreed. You could never see the stars in Petalburg City.

"Hey Leaf," a voice greeted her. She didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"Hello Gary," she sighed. She turned around and her eyes widened a little. Gary had apparently been standing in the cold for a while. Water had condensed on his brown hair and his nose and the tips of his ears had turned pink. His eyes were tired, but the moonlight reflected in them. She never noticed how brown his eyes were.

Nor how handsome he was.

What's wrong with you? Celebi asked in confusion. The Time Travel Pokemon paused for a moment and tried to make sense of Leaf's emotions.

I see now! Celebi exclaimed. You like this boy correct?

"What!" Leaf squealed at the accusation. "No, no, no…"

"What are you doing?" Gary asked. He smiled in amusement and Leaf's heart stuttered.

You're losing your mind Leaf,she told herself.

I think not, Celebi replied. Leaf ignored her.

"We should be getting to the training stadium now," Leaf said, turning away from Gary. She didn't want to see those brown eyes again.

Gary's Point of View:

Gary sighed and followed Leaf, keeping his distance. His heart throbbed for her but his mind ignored it. He was tired, so tired. He hadn't gotten a good wink of sleep for the longest time. Every time he'd close his eyes, she'd be there: taunting him, tormenting him.

And there was nothing he could do about it. Leaf had already made it clear that she wasn't interested. His heart thudded against his chest and the hollow feeling returned. He'd never felt so tired or depressed in his life. He didn't like it; he was Gary Oak for Arceus' sake!

Shaymin hadn't spoken to him for some time either. It saddened him. The Gratitude Pokemon was the only one who knew everything about him. All the hearts he'd played with, all the girls he'd asked out; Shaymin knew about from one sweep of his mind. And it felt good that someone knew; it was all starting to burden him; make him feel guilty.

Had all the girls he'd dated before felt this kind of despair; this kind of hopelessness when he dumped them?

Shaymin listened to Gary while he berated himself. He had been so preoccupied over Leaf that he hadn't noticed the Legendary. The Gratitude Pokemon pitied the human; no one should ever feel this kind of pain.

He decided that something needed to be done.

Leaf's Point of View:

Leaf eventually made her way out to the training stadium after giving up and asking a night guard to escort her there. She knew that Gary was following her and it made her uncomfortable.

She hated this. She hated how Gary was so intent on her looks that he didn't want to get to know the real her. But once he knew the real her, Gary would run for the hills and never bother her again. The idea seemed intriguing…

I think it's your excuse for meeting with him privately, Celebi thought.

No! Leaf said. It's my way of getting rid of him once and for all. He'll never like me again once he takes in account of my personality.

Celebi didn't reply. She knew it was useless trying to persuade Leaf otherwise.

By the time Leaf stepped outside towards the training stadium, the sun was peeking into the ring of mountains. The sky had been painted red and orange. Leaf smiled at the scenic view.

The training stadium was huge. It looked exactly like the Dark Academy's football stadium except bigger.

Leaf caught sight of her friends sitting on the grass close to the stadium's entrance way.

She ran up to them excitedly. Misty and May were talking to each other while Dawn was sleeping soundly; she never was a morning person.

"Hey guys!" she greeted excitedly.

"Long time no see Leafy!" May said happily.

"You're late sleepy head," Misty teased.

Leaf turned her head to watch Gary stride to where Ash, Drew, and Paul were standing.

"Drew's out of jail?" Leaf asked in confusion.

"I guess…" Misty replied. "Jarvis is letting him out only for training. He said the Leader might let him fight with the Resistance for the final battle, but it's undecided for now."

"That's great!" Leaf cried. She snuck a glance at May. The brunette's expression was dubious. Leaf sighed at May's stubbornness.

"We are all present?" Jarvis' booming voice echoed throughout the stadium. Heads turned as a large roar filled the air. The Tyranitar standing besides Jarvis caught their attention. "Good, then gather around here."

Leaf shook Dawn awake and the four friends walked towards Jarvis. The boys were already by Jarvis once they approached him. Leaf saw Gary studying at the Tyranitar. It was clear that he was impressed.

"We shall begin with a simple warm-up," Jarvis said. "Go around the stadium."

Leaf heard Dawn squeal. "That's like, ten miles at least!" she protested.

"Twelve," Jarvis corrected. "You need not worry; your Legendary partner will assist you. Now get started!" Tyranitar growled in emphasis.

Ash immediately hovered off the ground and shot off into the distance. May followed suit with Drew, Dawn, and Paul trailing her.

Misty looked annoyed. "No fair," she cried. "Groudon can't fly!"

She paused for a moment and tilted her head. Her expression quickly turned angry.

"You can't be serious!" she growled. She hesitated again before sighing in defeat.

"Fine…" Misty dropped down to her knees and began to claw away the dirt and grass underneath her. Leaf watched in amazement as dirt flew in all different directions. In almost not time at all, Misty dug a large enough hole and disappeared into the ground.

That's really cool, Leaf admitted. Celebi silently agreed with her.

Leaf wondered why Gary hadn't left yet. Shaymin could fly, so why didn't he start the twelve miles yet?

You remember what I told you? Celebi asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Of course,Leaf replied. That was one of the best nights of my life!

Celebi giggled, clearly pleased by Leaf's response.

Leaf inhaled a deep breath and relied on Celebi's psychic powers to levitate her into the air. She suddenly shot forward. The wind howled in her ears and Leaf giggled at the acceleration. The thrill made her giddy as she flew around the stadium.

Focus… Celebi said.

Leaf nodded and leaned a little to her left to avoid crashing into the stadium's walls. Celebi was the engine while Leaf was the pilot; they needed each other to function properly.

"Woah!" Leaf cried out as something streaked past her. Leaf squinted to see Gary ahead of her. His head turned to look at her. Gary grinned cheekily before shooting away.

Shaymin proposes a race, Celebi said in amusement.

Then let's show them one! Leaf replied. Their speed increased and Leaf passed Gary effortlessly. She was pleased to see the look of shock on his face before she sped forward.

The wind whipped behind her as she smirked to herself. He could never outrace her.

Leaf approached where Jarvis was standing. Ash, Misty, May, Drew, Dawn, Paul, and Gary were all waiting for her.

Hey! Leaf thought in bewilderment. How did he beat us?

Apparently her confusion was evident on her face since Gary smirked in amusement. The half-smile didn't reach his eyes though.

Leaf trudged through the maze alone. The large brick walls were intimidating and Leaf resisted the urge to fly over them. She didn't want to get electrocuted.

The training stadium was incredibly unique. It had quickly transformed into this maze with a snap of Jarvis' fingers. The eight of them were forced to start at different points around the maze. There was a portal at the very center, but there were Pokemon and booby traps lying in wait to ambush them.

This is their idea of training? Leaf asked as she narrowly dodged the arrows shot at her. Celebi's psychic powers proved useful in stopping the deadly missiles from piercing her.

I could have been skewered alive!

Oh c'mon, Celebi said. I would never allow that to happen.We just have to be prepared for everything.

Leaf sighed as she turned the corner.

"Whoops," she muttered. "Shouldn't have done that."

There was a large boulder blocking her way. Leaf sighed and turned around to walk away from the dead end.

Above us! Celebi cried. Leaf suddenly leaped forward just as large rocks hit the ground where she was seconds ago. Leaf barely registered the Golem standing atop the maze walls when her hands extended towards the Megaton Pokemon. Leaf's eyes widened in surprise as green crescent-shaped leafs shot out. They struck the Golem and it fell off the wall and out of sight with a strangled cry.

Did I just use Razor Leaf? Leaf's mouth twitched at the attack's name. She stared at her hands in amazement. A subtle green light encased them.

Magical Leaf,Celebi corrected. My apologies Leaf, I did not mean to take control over your body. It surprises me how slow human reaction time is.

It's alright,Leaf replied. At least I'm still in one piece.Let's get out of here before we run into more Pokemon.

Leaf was out of breath by the time she reached her fifteenth dead end. She had been running away from a pack of angry Mightyena. The Dark-type Pokemon reminded her of the Dark Warrior's Mightyena and she had been too afraid to face them alone.

Of course Celebi wanted to stay and fight, but her Psychic and Grass-type moves didn't really cause any damage.

"Leaf?" Oh Arceus, not him again.

Leaf turned around reluctantly. Time seemed to slow down as Leaf took in Gary's state. His shoulder was heavily bleeding. There were scratches and bruises covering his face and the spiky-haired boy looked as if he was on the verge of passing out.

"Arceus Gary," Leaf breathed. She ran towards him just as his knees gave out. He leaned against a brick wall. Gary smiled gently at her as Leaf bent down to examine him properly.

"What happened to you?" she asked. She tried to sound angry, but her voice quivered instead as she reached out to push the strands of hair that covered his eyes. It comforted her to see them.

"Mightyena," he muttered. His voice was ragged and it looked like he was having a hard time breathing. "Saw them chasing you so I tried to stop them."

Leaf gently nudged Gary's bleeding shoulder and he winced in reaction. A red burning anger caused her heart to swell and hurt at the same time . She decided that she hated Mightyena.

Tell me you have something to help him, Leaf pleaded to Celebi.

I do… Celebi said. I can perform Healing Wish.Do you know how the attack works? I'd rather we didn't do it.

Leaf looked at Gary's shoulder and her heart nearly cleaved in two. She couldn't bear to see the awful wound, but she couldn't peel her eyes away. Tears threatened to flow from her eyes. She'd rather suffer than to see that horrible painful expression on Gary's face ever again.

"Do it," Leaf said. Her voice was steady; she knew what she was doing.

"Do what?" Gary asked in confusion. She barely heard him though. She didn't know whether it was because his voice was weak from pain or her ears were ringing.

As you wish… Celebi replied. Leaf heard Celebi humming in her head. It was a haunting cold tune that sent chills down her spine. Then her world turned black and she knew no more.

Gary's Point of View:

Gary was swearing loudly in his head to help cope with the burning sensation in his shoulder. His only comfort was that Leaf was besides him and that she wasn't hurt at all. It made him feel more secure, but the pain was maddening. He shut his eyes and tried to will himself to stay conscious. Slowly, his injury began to itch and Gary felt his damaged muscles convulse and twist. His eyes snapped open in shock and he watched as the muscles in his shoulder reattached themselves. It both sickened and fascinated him as he watched a new layer of skin cover his shoulder. He didn't dare move for a long time, but he eventually rolled his shoulder to check if it was healed. He smiled in relief to feel no pain.

He grinned at Leaf only for the smile to disappear. His heart nearly stopped to see her lying on her stomach. She wasn't moving.

"Arceus, no…" Gary quickly scrambled to his feet and he rushed to Leaf's side.

Celebi used Healing Wish, Shaymin tried to explain as Gary dropped to his knees. His hands were trembling as he flipped Leaf onto her back. The color in her rosy cheeks had disappeared and her breathing was shallow.

That's why my shoulder healed… Gary thought. It's my fault…

That's not true, Shaymin started. Gary angrily cut him off.

"It is!" he shouted. His heart shattered to a million pieces at this revolution. She fainted... because of him. He had done this; he was responsible. He'd take a million mangled shoulders than cause such a thing to her. The sight of Leaf's motionless body caused Gary's world to spin. He tried to control his breathing, but the oxygen wasn't reaching his lungs.

He was lost; Gary didn't know what to do. He wanted to see those beautiful brown eyes that he loved; those beautiful brown eyes brimming with life and laughter.

She made a sacrifice for you Gary,Shaymin said. You must honor her. Get out of this maze as fast as you can and get her to the Resistance's Pokemon Center.

Gary's breathing calmed and his brown eyes turned steely. No longer were they tired, but determined.

She needs you.

Gary reached out and lifted Leaf into the air with one hand supporting her knees and the other with her neck. It reminded him of the first time he carried her. Her cold skin frightened Gary; she looked looked like a corpse.

That's when he allowed the tears to stream down his face.

Suicune's Point of View

Suicune made sure May had fallen asleep before reaching out to the other Legendaries. It hadn't been easy since May tried to stay up all night to wait for Leaf to wake up. But she had dozed off at around one in the morning.

Suicune almost instantly felt Mew's playful mind touch hers along with Celebi's peaceful nature. They were soon joined by Latias and Latios as well as Shaymin.

She was pleased that they all had the same intentions for meeting that night.

"Where are they?" Suicune asked. Groudon and Rayquaza were absent from their assembly.

Latias sighed. "Brother," she said. "Would you be as kind as to fetch our two stubborn acquaintances?"

Latios' ears, which had been flattened in anger, perked at the request. He complied without a word and pulled back his mind. His presence immediately faded.

"He doesn't like what we're doing," Latias murmured. No one could blame him.

"But it is inevitable," Mew said. His voice was determined and solid rather than its usual airy and light tone.

"Ash is convinced that by staying away from Groudon, he will fall out of love!" There was frustration and anger in his voice.

"And Dawn refuses to acknowledge her feelings for Paul," Latias chirped.

"As with Leaf," Celebi agreed.

Shaymin sighed tiredly. "Gary has been having trouble with sleeping. Indeed, you all know of his performance today during training. If this continues, we might as well surrender now!"

The others' nodded and murmured in agreement. Suicune remained silent, not feeling the need to say anything.

Latios' serious mind suddenly touched hers. Groudon's impatient conscious and Rayquaza's calm voice followed suit. They were all here now.

Groudon, of course, was being stubborn. "This is a waste of time," he rumbled. "My host has no feelings towards anyone."

"If Misty has no feelings towards anyone, then so be it," Suicune interjected. "However, the rest of us need to do something about this. We all saw them perform today. I could sense all of your disappointment."

"So what will you do Suicune?" Rayquaza asked. His voice was impassive; he refused to show any emotions. "I've had to deal with Drew's constant thoughts for days about your host. It will not fade easily. Unless they focus on our true goal, we are all doomed."

"Thank you for that happy note Rayquaza," Mew grumbled. "However, I have a proposition to make."

"This should be good," Latios murmured. Latias glared at him and her brother blinked in response.

"Behave yourself Latios."

"Why don't we just pair up our hosts?" Mew suggested. "Groudon and I will find a way to bring Ash and Misty-"

"Absolutely not!" Groudon roared in anger. Everyone ignored him.

"-together," Mew continued. "The same could be done for Dawn and Paul, Gary and Leaf, and May and Drew. Once they are together, we'll urge them to confess and be done with!"

Everyone was silent as they took this in. Groudon was seething and Latios had to guard his mind so he could throw a major temper tantrum in peace.

"As well intentioned as your plan is Mew," Shaymin said finally. "You don't know Gary. He can be very stubborn and won't confess anything to me, much less the object of his affections."

"Indeed, the same could be said for May," Suicune added.

"But can we not try?" Mew whined. Everyone could feel his frustration.

Latios rejoined them, although he was still miffed. Latias poured her feelings into him and calmed his livid thoughts. He quickly grew angry again at the thought of Latias trying to manipulate him.

Latias sighed. "Voice your objections Latios," she said. "Do not act like a spoiled baby Pokemon."

"Fine," Latios snapped. "I refuse for Paul to engage with such an intimate relationship with Latias' host. I reminded him of the reasons why he should protect her, but inadvertently reminded him of his feelings for her. My apologies sister."

"You will owe me that if you deny Paul's wish to see her," Latias seethed. "You have no right to do so."

"I'm trying to protect the both of you!" Latios growled angrily.

"Are you protecting Paul or yourself?" Latias retorted.

Latios fell silent; he was too angry to reply.

Suicune ignored their sibling dispute. "We'll start with Mew's plan then, if no one else has any other ideas?"

Everyone was silent, unable to conjure anything.

"So be it," Rayquaza said. It was clear that he was the one in charge for the time being. "We will enact this… plan the next time the sun rises. For the time being, find ways to lure your host to a designated location set between you and the one whose host shows signs of affections to."

Rayquaza then immediately pulled back its consciousness as did Groudon. One by one, the Legendaries retreated to the sanction of their minds.

Wheeee... I'm tired. I don't even know if this chapter makes sense.