Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

Chapter 29

I hardened my gaze at any person who passed by me, Luxio, Violet, and her fat Ditto on the street. They all held a hidden, feral hunger in their eyes, almost as if we were helpless Mareep and they were starving Mightyena. Violet had tried to tell me earlier that this was normal behavior for all of Nimbasa's citizens and that they wouldn't actually hurt us, but the stutter and hesitant tone that she spoke in didn't convince me otherwise. Obviously, things were taking a nosedive in Nimbasa City, hence the numerous NatPol officers we passed on the streets, as well.

Of course, I had been antsy ever since we left Royden's house in the slums of town. How could he have possibly known that the man that Alain was talking to in the recording was my brother? Knowing those genius, "play by my own rules" sort of people, Royden probably had done extensive research on every person he knew of in this rebellion, choosing his cards wisely in order to emerge on the victorious side of this battle.

As we neared the exit that would lead us to the safe house in White Forest, I felt a light chill run through me as we passed the entrance to the old, abandoned Amusement Park. I knew that I should've kept walking, considering how dangerous that place was (as Violet had told me), but for some reason, my feet stayed planted on the cold concrete. As I looked into the dense fog that covered the Park, something cold and wet brushed up against my hand. Directing my grey gaze down, I saw Luxio's gold eyes silently questioning me as to why I had stopped, but even I couldn't tell him. It was almost as if I was drawn to the Amusement Park, like it was beckoning to me to come and join it, to forever be lost in a maze of doubt…

Suddenly, I was sent sprawling to the ground from some immense force barreling into me from behind. My palms slammed onto the concrete, supporting me so my head wouldn't connect to the floor. Hearing the sound of rapid footsteps, I looked up and saw a small figure run through the Amusement Park gate and straight into the fog, disappearing. Then, someone grabbed me from under my arms and hoisted me onto my feet.

"Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry for that!" said a voice rapidly. The strange person wheeled me around to face them, and he began to brush off my clothes for me. "Jeez, you'd think that even thieves would have at least a bit of decency and not knock people to the ground."

As nicely as I could, I pushed the person's hands away, saying, "No problem," and I looked at him. Luxio slowly growled beside of me. To my horror, I was staring straight into the pale blue eyes of a Natpol officer.

He was fairly tall and skinny, but I knew that all NatPol officers had a hidden strength in their bodies. Regarding me with those crystalline eyes of his, he said, "Well, I'm glad that you're alright. That guy that ran into you is a notorious thief with no regard for other citizens whatsoever, as you can plainly see. I was chasing him because he just swiped a couple hundred bucks from the convenience store." Shaking his messy auburn hair out of his eyes, he smiled at me.

What the heck was happening? I was in the most hostile city in Unova, and a NatPol officer was smiling at me. Smiling. At me. These things don't happen.

"I should be thanking you, actually," he said a bit sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "If he hadn't have run into you, I would've had to go in there by myself, and you know how terrifying it is, right?" I nodded. Suddenly, he held his hands up, his eyes wide. "Please don't think that I'm slacking off on my job! It's just… Well, you see… Umm… It's dangerous for a single officer to go in that place! Surely you understand that."

Perhaps out of pity or because this guy was just completely different from any officer I had met, I laughed out loud. He just looked so worried that I wouldn't believe he was a brave officer.

"Don't worry," I said after I had regained my composure. "Your secret's safe with me."

"Oh, thank goodness," he said, wiping fake sweat from his forehead. Smiling at me, he stuck out his hand and told me, "My name's Caleb, by the way. What's yours?"

"Fallow," I said, shaking his proffered hand.

As I said that, he crossed one arm over the other and began stroking a metaphorical beard. He was a strange person, but he seemed naturally nice, not fake nice. Too bad he looked younger than me. And he didn't have light brown hair that stayed straight up on his head, nor endless, dark brown eyes that stared down at me, nor did his deep voice demand my attention, nor did he carry himself with such a confidence that I had ever seen befo—

Get it together, Fallow.

"Fallow…. Fallow… I know I've heard that name somewhere…" he mused aloud to himself. This was becoming strange. "Aha!" he exclaimed. Then he looked at me with what seemed to be joyful curiosity. "Do you happen to be that very same Fallow that was a captive of the rebels just a few days ago that Alain had to save?"

What?

Head reeling in confusion, I stuttered out, "Y-yeah," and Caleb smiled at me and grabbed my hand. Luxio growled lowly from beside me, but I just placed my left hand on his side. We'd attack if we needed to escape this guy, but he didn't appear to be hiding any sinister motives.

"Awesome! When Alain got here a couple days ago, he told all of the officers about how you were a captured by the rebels and used as a bargaining chip, yet you weren't scared at all! That takes some serious guts," he said, almost as if I was a celebrity. Then, he furrowed his eyebrows together. "You know, he's actually still in town. He probably wants to see if you're doing okay. Just follow me and I'll take you to him!" He began to drag me behind him.

"W-wait! Hold on!" I yelled, desperately trying to yank my hand form his grasp. I succeeded, and Caleb turned toward me in confusion.

"What? Don't you want to see him?" he asked, pale blue eyes questioning me.

Right now, seeing Alain was too dangerous. Who knows what the captured rebels from Dreamyard told the interrogators at the Castle? And the Regulation Force were arresting anyone who showed signs of suspicion or possible alliance with the rebels. What if I couldn't lie to him? Plus, Arconsy was probably there with his terrifying Haunter. I disliked those things so much.

But something in me wanted to see Alain, something wanted to talk to him just one more time. I had never met anyone like him, and it intrigued me the way that he acted so differently around me than when he was doing interviews on the television. Thinking about his eyes staring straight into mine did strange things to my stomach, and my fingers ached to run through his hair. What was this person doing to me? I had only seen him twice in the span of two days, but I felt like we had met many years earlier and were merely old friends reuniting. This feeling was so strange and it terrified me. But… It was also fascinating.

What was happening to me?

Using all of the self-control that I possibly had, I said with great effort, "I-I wish I could, but I should probably be getting back to my friend, and besides, you have a thief to catch."

"That guy is long gone by now," Caleb said, trying to convince me to come. "And where's your friend? You weren't standing around with anyone when I helped you."

"Which is why I should probably get to finding them," I replied hastily. "Come on, Luxio, let's see if we can catc—"

"Where the crap have you been, Fallow?!" shouted an angry voice. I turned around just in time to see Violet grab my shoulders and shake me back and forth. "One second, you're right behind me, practically glued to my side out of fear, and the next moment, you are completely gone! I thought you were abducted! Don't do that to me!" After a few more minutes of incoherent venting, she finally had blown off enough steam, and she noticed Caleb standing behind me.

Before she could ask, I said, "Violet, this is Caleb. He's a NatPol officer that helped me up after I fell down." She looked at him with narrowed eyes, obviously wondering why an officer was helping me. "And I'm sorry for not staying with you. I just got a bit… Sidetracked."

She just sighed and muttered, "It's alright."

Caleb, who had been standing patiently during this whole conversation, suddenly asked, "So since you found your friend, will you go see Alain now? I know he'd really appreciate seeing a familiar face that's not a NatPol officer or part of the Regulation Force. Please?"

I saw the alarm in Violet's eyes and she began to protest, but I cut her off quickly. "Is there something wrong with Alain?" The way Caleb continued to to try to get me to come was starting to become suspicious. It was like there was something strange happening. Even if Alain was my enemy, if I could do anything to help him, I would.

"Will you please just come?" he asked quietly.

Looking back at Violet, I saw that she was completely opposed to the very idea, but I just felt like I should go. When she looked into my grey eyes and dropped her head, I knew that I had won.

"Violet, just wait for me at the Pokemon Center. I'll be back soon, I promise," I told her comfortingly. Turning back toward Caleb, I stated, "Okay, I'll come with you to see Alain."

So with a skip in his step, he lead me toward the Town Hall onto enemy territory.

As we entered the massive building that served as Nimbasa's Town Hall, I could not help but feel like I was doing something insanely reckless and dangerous, which was ironic, because this was entirely reckless and dangerous. Luxio stuck by my side, glaring at all of the NatPol officers that we passed by on our way to see Alain. Of course, we received strange looks as well, because why would a small, unassuming teenager and a Luxio be walking around the headquarters for the NatPol?

I hated to admit it, but I practically cowered behind Caleb (who was strangely quiet and somber) in fear of my life. I tried to look prideful and confident, but so much had happened in the past few days that I could not be myself. The feeling was torturous.

Finally after navigating ourselves through the building for at least twenty minutes, Caleb stopped us in front of a special elevator with some kind technologically advanced hand-scanner. I watched in fascination as a bright red light outlined his large hand, and the shiny metal doors opened to reveal a spacious elevator with mirrors for walls. As I waited with baited breath for the elevator to bring us to the fortieth floor, I absentmindedly stroked Luxio's fur, trying to make sense of things.

What in the name of Arceus was I doing? I was willingly being escorted to meet the son of my sworn enemy, and I was excited to see him. I could die here if Alain ever found out who I was, but did I listen to my logical inner voice?

Nope. I listened to my stupid feelings. And now I had placed both Luxio and I in danger, the only people that could lead this rebellion to victory.

"Are you nervous?" Caleb suddenly asked, worry slightly clouding his blue eyes. "I'm sorry if I tried too hard to convince you to come. I just felt like Alain needed to see someone other than us officers." He waited for me to answer, but when he realized I wouldn't, he began to speak again. "I understand that it might be a bit uncomfortable to be surrounded by so many NatPol officers, but rest assured that you have nothing to worry about."

I was too emotionally and mentally occupied to speak, but when he smiled at me comfortingly, I tried to reciprocate the actions. I guess it worked a bit, because his face relaxed in relief.

Suddenly, the elevator dinged. It was time.

The metal doors slid apart to reveal a large, vast room that was almost completely empty minus the enormous couch and coffee table, massive television set, and desk that sat at the back of the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched along the walls, giving a nice view of the city and Route 4. I had to shield my eyes from the bright afternoon sun that shone through the windows, but I could see the outline of a lone figure, the only other person in the room, standing in front of one of the windows. His arms were crossed and he stood rigidly, a tower of strength against the powerful winds of a hurricane. Of course I knew who he was.

I'd recognize Alain anywhere.

Beside me, Caleb cleared his throat. "Sir?" he called out, and I barely heard Alain 'hmph' in recognition of Caleb. Alain's back was still to us. "Sir? I have someone here who wanted to see you." I was shaking now, and I placed a hand on Luxio to balance myself. This was such a bad idea.

"If it's another one of your colleagues seeking entry into the Regulation Force, my answer is no, and if they ever come again, I will snap their neck," Alain replied dully. Although Caleb tensed up beside of me, I could detect that sarcasm that always followed Alain around.

"W-we aren't here for that, S-sir." Caleb stuttered, trying to sound casual and confident. "I think you'll find this a welcome surprise."

Alain sighed heavily as he whipped his body around to face us. "What could possibly surprise…" he trailed off as he saw me, and he dropped his arms to his side in disbelief. "F-fallow? What… What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in Castelia?"

My heart pounded as he walked up to me, his features becoming sharper and more defined. As he came closer, I finally found my voice. "I-I was in Castelia, but it became a bit, uh, monotonous after awhile, so I decided to move on to some place…" I trailed off as he stopped barely a few inches in front of me, and I felt like his brown eyes were blazing through my very existence. Then I remembered that I was in the middle of a sentence, "… different."

The silence that followed was unbearable, but I couldn't find the words to say, and Alain didn't speak either. He just stared at me incredulously, shock apparent on his face. We didn't even notice Caleb leave the room.

Eventually, Alain began to speak, albeit, very slowly. "It's… really great to see you, Fallow." I don't know if he wanted to shake hands with me or something, because he reached his arm out, only to retract it a second later. Things were slowly turning from a strange encounter to an awkward reunion. I hated awkward moments.

"Do you want to take a seat?" he asked, motioning to the large, probably very expensive grey couch.

It looked so comfy, and we needed to break this awkward tension, so I said yes. And let me tell you that that couch was the most amazing piece of furniture I had ever graced with my presence in my entire life. I regret to say that I may have groaned when I sat on it, because I felt like I was sitting on a cloud. Plus the covering felt like the softest Skitty fur in the universe.

Note to self: If Nimbasa were to ever be attacked by rebels, President Javan's officers, or legendary Pokemon, saving the couch would be the main priority.

As I leaned my head back onto the couch, placing my feet on the coffee table beside where Alain sat, he chuckled at my actions lightly. "I remember the first time I sat on that couch, I grabbed a pillow and took a five hour nap on it. I've searched everywhere for the people that made that couch to see if I could buy one to put in my room at the Castle, but I could never find them. And Nimbasa's NatPol officers love it too much to part with it."

"That's such a shame," I said, yawning loudly. "If I had a Psychic-type Pokemon, I'd Teleport it to my house." I burrowed myself deeper into the couch and motioned for Luxio to come sit beside me on it. Staying true to his nature, he feel asleep the moment he laid down. I wanted to sleep.

"You know, it's funny you should say that, because I actually tried that once two years ago," said Alain with a slight smile. "It actually worked, and I was able to keep it in my room for a day, but then my dad threw a temper tantrum because he received complaints that I had stolen the couch, and he made me return it." I laughed quietly, trying to imagine this tough guy abducting a couch. We lapsed into a few moments of silence after he said that, but it was no longer awkward. We were comfortable around each other now.

"So how have you been doing, Alain?" I asked.

"Oh, never better," he said sarcastically, crossing his arms and swatting the air with one hand like it was no big deal.

I sat up and glared at him with my grey eyes, crossing my arms like he did. "Do I need to remind you of the past conversation that we had? I don't want the fake Alain that puts on a front for everyone. I want the real Alain. Now answer my question: how are you, honestly?"

He threw his head back, laughing without any traces of humor. "And I told you, Fallow, that the real me died a long time ago. Don't you know that it's impossible to repeat the past?" The tone of his voice was harsh and blunt, but in his eyes, I saw longing and loneliness. Seeing that I wouldn't respond until he answered my question, he stood up from the coffee table and took a seat next to me on the couch, leaving enough space between us that it wasn't uncomfortable.

"My dad is pressuring me to have this rebellion over with in just a few months, but at the rate we're going, it could take half a year, maybe even an entire year," he said quietly, like a child lost in the darkness. "I feel like I'm constantly being observed, that everywhere I am, someone is watching me from the darkness, disapproving everything that I do. Nothing feels right." He paused for a moment, staring out the window into the city with his elbows on his knees. "I'm just so… tired."

I looked at his downcast profile before speaking. "I understand that same sense of exhaustion. No matter how much sleep you get nor how little work you have to accomplish, there's always that ever-present cloud of pessimism that follows you.

"I think it's a bit like running through a maze of straight walls. Some people can run through it completely, not having even noticed that their path never strayed at least once. Those are the people that lack any conviction in life. On the other hand, some people have doomed themselves to seek a nonexistent exit in this labyrinth, focusing on both the path before them while constantly maintaining a lookout fro a hint of an exit," I said, speaking in metaphor. I paused for a bit, then continued. "And finally, there are those that exist for the sake of making an exit. I mean, just because the path is straight doesn't mean that we have to run in a straight line all of the time. So these people resign themselves to break through these walls, hoping to blaze a new trail, one that they made for themselves.

"You and I have sold our souls to making new paths, to break from this maze that all of us are running," I told him, scooting myself closer to his side so we were barely brushing against one another. "People admire us for our efforts, because it is easy to support someone who is strong. But they don't understand that this work becomes challenging. We struggle through everyday for the sake of breaking free from the path. Eventually, we are worn down into empty shells of ourselves, barely holding on to our dreams."

As I finished speaking, he turned his brown gaze to me, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat at our close proximity. "Why is it that whenever we meet, you somehow always give me a sermon?"

"Why is it that whenever we meet, you always seem to be wallowing in self-hatred?" I shot back at him lightly. "Maybe if you weren't so pessimistic all of the time, we could talk about normal things."

I tried to back up as he moved his face even closer to mine, but my pride rooted me to the spot, and I stood strong. "But we aren't normal people, Fallow. You're a free spirit, you always seem to go wherever the wind takes you, but I… I will always be grounded. I have chains that even Arceus himself cannot break, but you…" he broke off, voice barely above a whisper, "you are free, and I am in chains."

"We were all born for freedom, Alain," I whispered comfortingly. I could see every individual eyelash that covered his dark brown eyes and I could see the light patterns of freckles on his nose and cheeks. Barely audible, I said, "Let yourself go. Only you can define who you are. Allow the wind to carry you. Let your chains melt." And we said nothing else.

We sat next to each other, faces barely a few inches away from each other, seeking the truth we hoped to find in each others' eyes. The gentle, fragile silence floated around us, shielding us from our worries and pain. I was faintly aware that his face was growing even closer to mine, but I was too focused on my erratically beating heart and breathing to do anything. Was he going to kiss me? Slowly, I slid my eyes closed as his forehead rested on mine. I felt his breath ghost lightly over my lips, and I realized that I was terrified.

But I was fascinated.

Then, my head snapped up and I painfully knocked heads with Alain as Luxio sent a sudden shock through my body. Groaning in pain from both my bruised forehead and tingling side, I glared at my partner, who had already run across the room and was suddenly very interested in something going on outside.

Sighing at the antics of my best friend, I turned back to Alain, still rubbing my forehead. "Sorry about him. He's a tad protective."

"I don't see why he had to shock you though," he said grumpily. Then, his cheeks reddened a bit. "I mean… It's not like I was going to kiss you or anything…"

I froze, mind whirling. "Uh…Yeah, we were just, um…"

The silence that filled the room after that was unbearably awkward once again. Trying to get away from the conversation, I walked over to where Luxio was standing. He was growling lowly.

"Oh, come on Luxio," I said a bit crossly. "We weren't doing anything. There was no need for you too…" I trailed off when I saw that he wasn't growling at us. Rather, he was focused on something much worse that was happening outside of the Town Hall. "Alain, you better come see this."

"What is it?" he called out, still irritated about our head bump.

"An angry mob is currently battling against the NatPol officers outside."

AHAHA A CLIFFHANGER OF SORTS!

Major apologies on the long wait for this chapter, but Finals are coming up in a week, and I'm just a *tad* stressed out from school and all that general fun-ness, so reviews will be slow for a bit. AND GUYS. 306 REVIEWS. THIS IS BEYOND ANYTHING I COULD HAVE EVER DREAMED. YOU ALL ROCK MY LIFE. I LOVE YOU ALL.

* ahem* So back to Fallow for this chapter! I have to admit, I've been wanting to type this one for a while, and I'm so glad that I finally got to it! Fallow meets a strange NatPol officer and gets bowled over by some thief (who will appear next chapter :) and ALAIN IS BACK. I've missed him so much. Plus a little, well, moment between the two, ruined by the one and only Luxio.

The NatPol officer, Caleb, belongs to the lovely Swag Giraffe, and the mysterious thief belongs to AngelxofxChaos :)

AngelxofxChaos: I really wanted Audun to be different than Alain and Fallow, and I think he turned out alright :) And as for if he's an antagonist of anti-hero… well, you'll just have to wait and see! I've got major plans for him *winkwink*

Shadow'Blaze14: Ahh sweet man! I really liked writing Audun, but I'm not sure if he will have a lot of chapters in the future… *sigh* one can only hope!

gamergirl101: :D

Tabos: Awesome!

Shinymudkip25: Oh, Audun, what a confusing character you are. Will he be good? Will he be evil? I don't know :) You will see very soon where his allegiance lies! And New York was awesome! I was slightly uncomfortable, though, just because I don't enjoy being around so many people, but it was great!

KrazyCat6167: Ahaha thanks so much! And all I'll say about Audun is that he's not a totally sane person *hinthint* and the revelations part will be simultaneously heartbreaking and mind-blowing :)

StarShine65: OMG YOU'RE BACK I'M SO HAPPY!

ZorialWater: Bahaha that's such a funny story! I am such a light sleeper and I am most definitely NOT a morning person, so I know how your roommate feels :) And I'm so glad you like this chapter! It was so much fun to write :)

Palkiawing87: There's no telling how Fallow will react when she actually does see her brother. It'll definitely take her awhile to forgive him, if she forgives him at all, sadly. She's such a stubborn person :)

Cottonmouth25: Oh, he's definitely a shifty person. You'll just have to wait and see how all of this plays out *rubs hands together maliciously* and omg, I laughed so hard when I read the "you can't CHAIN ITS WARRIOR SPIRIT" omg that was hilarious, thank you.

emosewa-13: I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKED HIM BECAUSE I LIKE WRITING HIM AND HOORAY FOR FRIENDSHIP! THANKS FOR EVERYTHING EMO. YOU ROCK. I miss Tavon and Arabella so much *cries* but they will come in later… and they are super important…

Not Official Staff: You know, as I was writing it, I thought of you. I was like, "You know, she'd like this person." And don't worry: Alain is coming soon :)))

PLEASE REVIEW!