A/N: Gaaah, here is the next chapter! The wait was inexcusable! Aside from a general lack of motivation I did a lot of traveling, had college orientation, a con, work, etc. etc. but I finally think I got this chapter to where I like it! Enjoy!

Chapter 34: False Hope

A thin layer of mist accompanied the cool dawn in Littleroot Town. The sun was peeking over the horizon and a very gentle breeze was stirring up the forest surrounding the settlement. The lively calls of Tailow were yet to be heard.

Norman, as usual, was one of the first people in the entire town to wake up. He insisted that the people of Hoenn were just, for back of a letter word, lazy, but really it was just the Gym Leader's own habit of getting to his Gym early. He languidly carried out his morning routine, careful not to stir his wife from her sleep, and trudged out to the kitchen to start some tea. Robotically, the man flicked on the morning news before rummaging through drawers looking for his Pokeballs and the keys to the Petalburg gym.

It was as Norman was pouring the searing-hot water into a cup that the television program caught his attention and he jolted, the liquid splashing onto his wrist. Quickly, he set aside the half-full mug and turned to face the TV.

The program was covering some sort of incident in Slateport that'd happened earlier in the week, and he'd barely payed any attention at first – with the amount of traffic the port city got from so many different places, there were bound to be mishaps – but it was when Norman's own daughter appeared on the footage that he was brought to attention.

"Get out of the way!" May was standing at the entrance to a building that Norman recognized from his many trips to and from Hoenn as the Harbor. Her face was screwed up, frustrated, an expression very familiar to her father, and the reporter that was holding out the microphone to her appeared shocked at this response.

With a scowl, Norman remembered once more his daughter's dilemma. Her own silly hero complex and immaturity had led her to get involved with a gang of thugs – Team Aqua – and furthermore she'd refused to tell him, had let things progress into unsafe territory, until members of the group actually showed up at their home. It had become obvious to Norman, when he'd put two and two together and realized she was the girl that the news had been talking about, that his daughter was not ready for the responsibility of being a trainer…

…And then she'd run off. Like a child, May had run away. He gritted his teeth – though his wife wouldn't admit it, she partially blamed him for their child's absence, and truthfully, Norman did as well. But his frustration still overwhelmed the guilt, and honestly, by now he thought his daughter would have learned her lesson and come home, cutting ties with the gang.

The headline of the report – "BREAKING NEWS: TEAM AQUA MAKES APPEARANCE AT SLATEPORT SHIPYARD" proved his assumption otherwise.

"But, miss, did you see what happened? What did Team Aqua do? Are you okay? What is your involvement with-"

May swung around and began pushing through the crowd of people around the Harbor, away from the camera, briefly turning her head to bark, "Can't you see?! Team Aqua is going to do something terrible and you're here bugging me for an interview?! Hoenn could be in danger!" Her eyes flared dangerously, the sapphire color stirring like a whirlpool, "What are you doing to help?!"

With that, the trainer disappeared into the crowd. The camera turned back to the interviewer, who wiped an astonished expression from her pointed features and began searching for another witness.

A long sigh escaped from Norman and he flicked the TV off, resting his arms on the table and burying his head in them, the tea forgotten. What is she doing? What am I doing?

His grievances were no sooner interrupted by the creaking of the floor as his wife approached him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, honey?"

Quickly, Norman composed himself and stood. "Not enough sleep. I'm running late – I should head to the Gym."

With that, he very swiftly turned and exited the house, leaving his wife with a rather cold feeling.

The woman watched her husband disappear over the hills and then turned back to the TV, flicking it on to see the interview playing again, and in an expression similar to that of Norman's rested her head in her arms, a heavy shadow of worry surrounding her.

The familiar skyline of Lilycove City quickly morphed into huge buildings and bright lights amidst the obnoxiously red sky. I jogged with confidence, a scowl on my face, along the streets where I'd seen most of the Aqua grunts the other night, along the shoreline. Sure enough there was a throng of the blue-donned thugs every few blocks, laughing or glancing suspiciously around. It wasn't until I noticed a trio of Aqua grunts encircling what seemed to be a harmless old man that I was driven to action.

Within a few turns of battle, the three grunts were defeated, cursing and hissing under their breath, promising to bring backup. I kept my mouth shut, instead offering the old man, who had backed up against a rail fence surrounding the rocky cliff and, further below, a beach, a helping hand.

He smiled, getting to his feet and dusting off his robe. "Thank you, young miss," he said with a nod. "Always nice to see such energetic youth… The good kind, not the bad kind, like those goons!"

I mustered a smile of my own, resting my hands on my hips, trying to quell the feeling of pride in my chest. "It's only courtesy, Mr. Old Man, sir. Can I ask what they were bothering you about…?"

The wrinkled man frowned, running one hand along his short white beard and humming to himself. "Well, my Pokemon, of course. It's the same thing as last week…"

I raised an eyebrow. "Your Pokemon?"

He nodded, drawing a Pokeball from his belt. "Now, I won't take this here Pokemon out, but I'll tell you, it's a strong Water-type Pokemon! It wouldn't do well on a paved road like this… But those Team Aqua are just keen on stealin' other's Pokemon instead of catching them themselves!"

Of course. A sting of annoyance pricked my thoughts as I came up with another question. "So they've been around here a lot lately? Do you know where they're coming from? I-I'm actually looking for their leader, Archie."

The man's dark eyes flashed in recognition and he turned towards the sea, pointing a shaking, bony finger at a rock formation on the tip of the coastline, far north of town. "I've been watchin' em. Keeping me eyes open… These Aqua people have made enough of a disturbance for me to hold a grudge, and despite how forgiving I try to be, the thought of them getting their lesson taught through forceful means lifts a weight from my chest! They always come from an inlet by those cliffs."

I squinted, making out a dark blotch among the sea-worn rocks – the entrance? My gloves squeaked in protest as I clenched both my fists. "Thanks, grandpa! I really appreciate it."

He inclined his head and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Fiery young girl! Go get 'em!"

Lilycove's scenery wasn't very different from that of Olivine's. I hadn't noticed it much until now, running along the coastal road, the ocean in plain sight. A strong, salty sea breeze blew over my skin, through my clothes, separated my bangs into little strands on my head as I pedaled the Acro Bike further down the sidewalk. Though Lilycove, like the rest of Hoenn, had a landscape heavily integrated with nature, its reliance on this bustling port – cramped with both commercial freighters, colorful sailboats, and fishing vessels – was strikingly similar to my hometown. The cliffs, though of a more maroon color than those in Olivine, caused me to momentarily get distracted in memories. I shook my head and focused my attention back to the road I was hurtling down.

Once the entrance to the rock formation came into closer sight, I hopped off of the Acro Bike and continued with a brisk jog, shoving the folded mechanism back in my bag. The sun was setting on what had been another steamy, radiant summer day in Hoenn, with the sunset itself reaching a colorful climax and tie-dying the sky around me. The reds and oranges, the scarlets and saffrons were overbearing on my already overheated body, giving the impression I was surrounded by fire.

The feeling immediately died down as I flew off of the bottom step of the natural seawall and heard a splat! Water – it was low tide and the majority of the beach was covered in thin, clear shallows, like a layer of rippling glass above the musky sand below. At the northern end of town things were more remote, more untouched by man, with the industrial areas being at the South end, and likewise this made it the perfect place to run a criminal hideout.

Ring! Ring!

"Huh?" The Pokegear's alarm drilled into my ears, mercilessly killing the serenity the beach gave off. Someone's calling..? Pausing in the shallows, I whipped out the device.

"Hello?"

"May! This is Steven."

The girl's silvery voice returned the greeting after a moment of hesitation. "Steven! What's up?"

He was taken aback at how cheery she sounded considering the tone of their last call. "Err… I assume you're well? You ventured into Team Magma's base, didn't you? Maxie didn't... try anything?"

"No," came the voice from the other end, with just a tinge of uncertainty. "Nothing really happened, actually…"

Steven moved over to one of the few windows his small Mossdeep cottage had, the one looking out west over the sea to Lilycove and the Hoenn mainland. The sight was no different from usual; shimmering azure as far as the eye could see, contrasting with the hot, fiery red of the sky above. So many questions and thoughts were bouncing around in his head, yet for once the trainer was hardly able to formulate any of them into a sentence fitting of the conversation. "What do you mean…? Maxie just let you go?" Why did he invite her there in the first place? As a tool against Archie?

"More or less, yes… Um… why do you ask? Did Team Magma do something? I'm in Lilycove, but I haven't been near a TV at all today."

Reasons – so many reasons. Aside from common decency in making sure May was unharmed, there was also the fact that he had nearly confirmed the theory that Magma was looking to revive Groudon. Only now had he realized – What a fool I am! "…Team Magma's base was in Mt. Chimney, correct? I've been hearing all sorts of things about the seismic and underground activity of Hoenn changing… abnormally, in the past 24 hours. Are you sure he didn't try to erupt the volcano? Or.. anything else suspicious?" Mostly he had been anticipating the trainer's eventual arrival in Mossdeep City for the Gym challenge, when he could speak to May in person again and discuss things clearly. There was a reason Steven's Pokegear had next to no contacts in it and was hardly ever used, and a chance to see how May was progressing as a trainer was exciting in itself.

"Not exactly," came the awkward reply – Steven half-realized he was, more or less, interrogating her. "They all evacuated while I was there, though, because of what Aqua was going to do in Slateport."

Steven allowed a shaky sigh of relief at the news. Whatever the case, they're out of Mt. Chimney… "Don't let your guard down with them, May," he warned carefully, gray eyes glued to the blooming horizon. The sight vaguely reminded him of the ride on Latios to Southern Island, and though the circumstances were hardly any different then, it felt like an easier and happier time. "If you confront Archie or Maxie again, contact me first. I can't explain it all over the phone, but after some research I'm starting to realize what they're planning, and the risks are extremely high."

An uneasy silence took hold of the conversation before May spoke up, as cheery and confident as ever. "Well, you'll never guess where I am right now – Team Aqua's base! Aheh… heh…"

"What?" Steven's hold on the phone tightened. "I- Seriously?"

May laughed once more. "You bet! Don't worry about me, I've got Archie cornered and I'm not waiting for anything now. Whatever it is you're afraid he might do, I'm gonna stop it before it happens."

More than anything Steven wanted to believe in the girl's unlimited confidence. It was contagious, and despite how pessimistic he had been for the past few weeks – months, even – it lifted some weight from his chest. The trainer had realized after watching the news on the submarine hijacking and seeing May gallantly storm off that he was no longer the main player in the battle to stop Aqua and Magma – he never had been, with the responsibility and image of both being the Devon heir and the League Champion. Luckily for him, May was someone easy to believe in, even in a role that, to Steven, had felt like having the weight of the world on your shoulders.

"I'll leave it to you, then, May," he nodded, scoffing and smiling to himself. "Best of luck."

Gee, I thought, puffing out my cheeks, it's never easy to have a conversation with that guy! He's so serious! Even then there had always been something alluring about him, whether it was the fact that he was apparently a powerful and somewhat renowned trainer and failed to ever mention that in all the times we'd met, or the fact that someone like the Devon heir was always running into me in even the wildest corners of Hoenn like Route 120, or the fact that he was in a roundabout way my only ally through this whole mess, or maybe the rock-collecting guy was just strangely charming. Either way, I was left slightly in a daze after ending the call, arms hanging at my side, watching the distant tangerine glimmer of the ocean.

Crash! A rush of cold reached up to my knees as a sizeable wave rolled through the shallows, snapping me back to reality. That's… right. I'll stop Archie, Steven. I have to.

I waded further out along the coast, my shoes beginning to squeak and squelch against my bare feet, until the water began to deepen and darken into the sapphire color it seemed to be from afar. When the waves began to reach my thighs, I called out Lombre and surfed precariously along the cliffs. If the weather were any worse, I thought, gazing at the weak lilypad on the Pokemon's head uneasily, then Lombre may not be able to get very far. And it can't be doing very well in salt water, either…

Despite its labored breathing, the duck Pokemon drifted into the dark opening in the cliffs and both of our small forms were swallowed up into the shadows.

It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust – the lighting was so dim, though very clearly had a blue tint to it. Lombre paddled up to land – no, I realized, the gray, metal tiling was the floor of the base, not just pure rock – and flopped onto its back, breathing heavily. I frowned and muttered a small apology, taking note that freshwater Pokemon did not do so well in salt water.

As I moved further down the hall, the lighting became a deep blue tint, and the steel walls turned to glass that showed the sea surrounding the corridor. Large, tattered banners with the familiar white symbol hung from the ceiling every few yards. Without a doubt, this was Aqua's base. And without a doubt Archie is in here somewhere.

Eventually a dark mechanical door came into sight, completely unguarded. That's right… I thought back to my recent trip into Team Magma's base. I won't be allowed in, this time. Archie… Confidence began to glow to life in my chest as I pulled the door open with a grunt. You're cornered, now!

The base opened up around me, floors upon floors containing a mix of large, open chambers, research halls containing all kinds of strange documents, research files, and pieces of technology, and small office quarters. Grunts prowled around the place like ants – some I fought, and some I snuck around.

"Out of the way!" I exclaimed as a defeated and downtrodden grunt scurried out of one of said office rooms, Pokeballs in hand. I smirked. They know I'm coming, so I better make as big of a damn scene as I can! This room stretched back further than the others, though lined with the same stiff leather chairs and outdated computer monitors. A small, unlabeled doorway at the back caught my attention. Carefully, I made my way towards it, the sound of my feet scuffing against the hard metal floor being the only noise in the room aside from the buzzing of the fluorescent lights. I hesitated once I reached the dark object, hand hovering over the shiny gold handle, before stepping back and instead opting to kick it open, ramming one bright yellow sneaker into the center of the wood.

To my own surprise, the door swung open and slammed against the wall. There was no cry of protest, no call for help, so clearly this room was empty. Sniffing and clenching my fists, I advanced, taking a good look around.

The room was less developed, still retaining the hard rock walls of the sea cavern the base was carved out of, though the floor was covered in black, rubber tiles with holes in them, like something you'd see at a dock. Other than this, however, the small chamber was unoccupied by anything. Further back, in a corner, was a pool of brackish water.

Approaching it, I realized the water was coming from a small tunnel – not large enough for a human to fit through, unless they were crawling on all fours – but strangely, it was blocked off by a number of large, steel bars.

I frowned, completely baffled, until I noticed what exactly the pool's purpose was; hovering around the bars in the misty water were at the very least twenty Carvahna and Sharpedo.

Fear zipped up my spine at the sight and I took an unconscious step away from the pool. What the hell? Are they storing these Pokemon here? Why? I looked around, finding a crumpled piece of paper not too far from the water's edge, and flattened it out on my knee.

CAUTION: UNTAMED POKEMON. HIGHLY DANGEROUS. Grunts, seek guidance from an Admin before approaching the pool. Possession of these Pokemon is permitted only for grunts given an admit to do so… Remember to feed…

The rest of the paper was damaged by water. I tossed another cautious look at the Pokemon; they were swimming back and forth, slowly – almost too slowly. I don't know much about this kind of Pokemon, but… it's almost like they're docile… Watching the aquatic forms swerve back and forth was almost relaxing, but something else was tugging at my mind and not allowing me from leaving the room. Where's the chum? Any kind of food? Shouldn't there be someone watching them? I gazed into the dark muck, the water just barely rippling from their movement, and into the barred tunnel that most likely lead to the ocean. The capacity for the tiny water body had to be at the most, five, and lining the submerged halves of the metal bars were countless teeth marks, all made in vain.

With a huff, I approached the pool once more, knowing exactly what I had to do. I'm not gonna be able to leave this room, without… Carefully, I maneuvered around the edge, getting as close as I could to the bars, and made a sad attempt at kicking them; the action only startled the hungry, abandoned Pokemon below and caused me to almost fall into the water.

Avoiding the venomous gazes of a number of the Carvahna, I kicked once more. No good. Looks like this is a job for… "Go!"

Blaziken exploded from its ball, grunting in surprise at how close I'd released it to the water. It eyed me meticulously, crossing its dark arms. If it were possible for a beaked creature to frown, then Blaziken would definitely be doing this.

I grinned halfheartedly. "Come on, Blaziken, we can't just leave them here. Wild Pokemon or not, this isn't right…"

The Pokemon moved its gaze to the Water-type below and grunted once more, as if saying, "not while those are around."

Sighing, I called out another Pokemon – Lileep. It landed in the water, causing the sedated Pokemon to scatter. "Astonish!"

The ripples in the water became rapid waves as Lileep attacked the imprisoned crowd. Blaziken, off to my left, was watching carefully. I tossed out another attack. "Now, Ingrain!"

Lileep had gotten particularly good with the move, having learned it since it had been revived in Rustboro City. The thick, dirty roots shot out in all directions, digging into the rock around Lileep and forming a makeshift wall around half of the pool, effectively caging in the dangerous Water-types. At this point, however, the Pokemon were agitated enough to strike back at Lileep, speeding forwards and headbutting the fragile fossil or latching onto it with deadly jaws.

Gulping, I seized the opportunity and leapt into vacant section of the murky water, immediately cringing at the foul, fishy smell. It was deeper than it appeared, the liquid rising up to my shoulders. Wading over to the metal bars, I grabbed them with both hands and shook. No good – not even a budge. If there'd been a switch to open them, one of the grunts must have taken it.

Lileep cried out somewhere behind me. Time was already running out.

"Blaziken! Get down here, stupid bird!" I shouted, tugging desperately at the bars.

The Pokemon treaded over to the edge of the water and narrowed its eyes. Lileep, meanwhile, was sustaining the beating of a lifetime, and many of the roots created by Ingrain were slinking away. After a few more drawn out seconds, the Fire-type stepped in and approached the tunnel, dramatically crying out as it did.

A grin floated back onto my face and I backed away from the Pokemon. "Now – Ember! Then Double Kick!"

With a low hiss Blaziken shot the metal bars with amped-up fire and then jumped from the water to bring its feet around and kick them in. They bent easily, creating a sizeable gap. The Fire-type landed back in the pool with a great splash, riling the Sharpedo school up even more, and, gasping, I guided it out of the water and recalled Lileep.

As soon as the Pokemon blocking their way had disappeared the Water-types rushed forwards, squeezing through the gap Blaziken had created in the bars and zooming into the darkness of the tunnel. I crossed my arms, unable to stifle a laugh. "I can't tell if releasing a bunch of hungry Carvahnas and Sharpedos into the sea was a good thing or a bad thing, now..."

Blaziken grunted, clearly unhappy that it had gotten wet, and retreated into its own Pokeball.

I was about to turn and leave when a dark blotch in the pool caught my eye. A Sharpedo. It hadn't left, but rather was strafing to and fro in the water, dark red eyes following me.

I gulped. Does it think I'm food…? Or… It does seem docile, maybe it's happy I let them out…? Kneeling down on the hard floor I took off a glove and held one trembling hand out towards the Pokemon's indigo form. What the hell are you doing, May…?! You're going to lose your hand!

However the Sharpedo had other ideas and instead nudged against my palm. I took an uneasy breath, the rough, scratchy exterior of the Pokemon feeling bizarre and alien. However no sooner did the Pokemon make contact did it back away, letting out a low growl, and turning to the side. Nicks and scars of all sorts covered the Pokemon's hide, but one strange object stood out; it was an unnatural shade of scarlet and shaped like a flower. And were those letters? Wait… I gaped. "A contest ribbon?!"

Sharpedo growled again. I was aghast – how could it get one of those, and be… here? Unless… The poster from earlier flashed through my mind and I felt my body lock up. Unless they weren't all wild Pokemon. Unless they were stolen… I looked over the battered Pokemon again. It seemed to have tried its best while in the tank to divert all wounds from the ribbon just below its dorsal fin. How would you even steal a Contest Pokemon so easily? Unless they hurt the trainer… Every further thought on the subject made me feel ill and I got to my feet, holding out an empty Luxury Ball to the brutal Pokemon. "You wanna come with me, then, little guy? I can help you find your trainer."

The Sharpedo again approached the ledge I was standing at and held up its snout. Taking the movement as a yes, I tossed the dark object out and watched with a furrowed brow as it clicked shut, confirming the catch.

"Welcome to the team…"

The rest of the infiltration went smoothly. The grunts were a total joke compared to Brendan, and thinking back to what a struggle the Weather Institute fight had been was almost laughable, if I wasn't still seriously freaked out by it. But you're stronger now, I thought, holding out one hand and clenching it. Strangely enough, Blazekin, despite being a Pokemon, had nearly become as much of a trainer to me as I was to it. And so are your Pokemon. You're not defenseless anymore…

Navigating the labyrinth of a base was difficult, especially with each side-room sporting the same dull gray walls and lab setup, though eventually I came to a large chamber holding a striking resemblance to Slateport's Harbor. A walkway lined with supply crates and grunts ran around an enclosed body of dark water, big enough for…

…A submarine. I tightened my bandanna and forged onwards, blasting through the grunts until I reached the ramp leading into the sea. Only one figure was posed there, the hulking mass of a man known as Matt, and he bellowed before turning to face me. "Well, look who it is!"

If he's here, the sub must still be here, too… "You're not the one I'm looking for," I replied, wrapping a hand around a Pokeball. "Where's Archie?"

"I guess we really did underestimate ya!" The admin continued, scratching his chin. "You've been on our case this whole time, but never enough, squirt! Now we're the ones one step ahead'a you. You shouldn'a been slacking off – there's no way you can stop Boss Archie now! I don't even need to stall for time!"

Despite Matt's mocking tone, there was truth in his words. "What do you mean…?" I pried, cautiously. "That's the reason you're here. To stall…"

He shook his head, taking a few steps closer to me. "Nuh-uh-uh! Aqua is DONE! We've got what we want now. This sub here, n' the orb we got at Mt. Pyre will let us do it all. All that's left for me to do is pulverize you."

What is he talking about?! Questions and anxiety pounded against my head as I chucked out the ball in my hand.

Archie nodded to the two grunts in the main cabin of the sub, ducking beneath a door and heading towards the rear of the vessel. Among the glittering green lights that controlled the advanced piece of equipment was a camera feed from above the water's surface. So, the girl's here. Victorious as he was, the man wanted to see her weak, and yet determined little mug once more before the sub started towards its destination. After all, this will be the last time.

Archie strolled towards a porthole near the stern and peered outside. The angle was poor, but the battle between Matt and May was clearly heating up. Two Mightyenas were fighting viciously, rolling and crashing down the steel ramp towards the water, jaws snapping at each other. Hers had certainly grown since the battle at Mt. Chimney – it was hardly distinguishable from Matt's, a Pokemon that'd been training side-by-side with the man since he'd first donned the Aqua insignia. Further up was the Admin himself, standing tall and proud, and back some was May, in her own battle stance. It was all Archie could glimpse – the girl was a good distance away, and his vision was partially distorted by the moving surface of the water. But he could image that annoyingly heroic expression on her face, all scrunched up, jaw clenched, brown hair sticking out from beneath that red bandanna that was seemingly the antithesis of Aqua itself.

If only the scamp wasn't so ignorant, and was willing to join us. He chuckled, turning away from the window, rolling his shoulders to stretch his back – it was rather cramped in the sub. Could have made a great admin, could've given that Maxie a run for his money!

"Archie, sir!" came the voice of a young grunt from an adjacent room. "Are you ready to depart?"

"Heh… hahah… HAH!" Matt fell to one knee, recalling his Pokemon and indulging in another fit of laughter. "Well, you win, girl! Fair n' square! Good fight!"

I searched the water beyond the admin for the massive shadow of the hijacked submarine. I can still make it. I have to.

"…But," the man spoke up, his deep, booming voice growing serious, "you're still too late! Heheheh… You're right. I was just messin' with ya and buying Boss Archie some time."

My feet moved on their own, speeding towards the water. Despite this, Matt kept going, pulling himself to his feet.

"Heheh… And guess what? It's done!"

No…! I stopped at the edge of the ramp, the upset turquoise water licking at my shoes.

The silhouette was gone.

The sub…

Matt's heavy footsteps grew closer as he, still snickering, moved to stand beside me. "Boss is gone now, kid. He's on his way. Off to some cave deep beneath the sea where he's gonna finish what he started."

A chill was gradually spreading across my skin. I was too late. I was too late… The sub… The orb… Steven… I… I tried to fight against the creeping fear in my chest.

Feeling lightheaded, I stepped back up the ramp, eyes not moving from the soupy body of water which had just swallowed up the submarine, the last hope I had of stopping Archie, of fixing what I'd allowed to happen. Matt watched with a curious gaze and a knowing smirk.

"It's not over," I objected, completely contradicting what I was thinking. My voice sounded pitiful, barely creating an echo in the enormous chamber. What an idiot I am. "I'll find Archie and I'll stop him."

Matt raised one eyebrow, crossing his massive, muscular arms across his chest. "Oh?" He jiggled as another chuckle escaped him. "Are you? Well, you better get started, little girl. And quickly, cause you're gonna be combing the whole, wide ocean beyond Lilycove City, every inch of it." Matt's mocking tone returned as he waded into the water himself and called out his Sharpedo. "But even then, will you be able to find Boss before he finds the cave? I wouldn't bet on it, someone as thickheaded as you! Heheheh!"

Matt's words echoed ominously through the hideout as he grabbed a hold of the Sharpedo's dorsal fin and disappeared beneath the water's surface.

I stumbled backwards, leaning against a wall. Fear. I'm afraid. The worst part was that I didn't even know what to be afraid of. I only knew bits and pieces – Team Aqua's goal of expanding the sea, the fact that Archie had the Red Orb on hand, a seafloor cavern… I can't even cross the sea on my own, nevermind go diving into it… My own lack of knowledge only served to bring more anxiety. As if that wasn't enough, the ever-familiar migraine was now returning.

"First thing's first…" the words emerged weakly from my lips, full of defeat I didn't realize I was feeling. "I need to get out of here."

The moon was high in the sky when I resurfaced from Team Aqua's base, and to make matters worse it was high tide, which meant putting Lombre through more salt-water surfing. I ventured back into the heart of Lilycove – which was alive with all sorts of colored lights and live music and contest events, as it was only quarter past ten. Still, I felt unwell. Maybe it's hunger.

A brightly-lit ramen shop caught my attention and I ordered an unhealthy amount of noodles to-go, taking them across the street to the Pokemon Center.

Food, check… Pokemon… The nurse gave a small bow before retreating into the operating rooms of the Pokemon Center to heal my battered team. I'd noted that Sharpedo needed extra attention. …Check.

By the time I shut the door to the guest room I felt like a living human Slugma. Bed… I rested the brown paper take-out bag next to the headboard, kicked off the Running Shoes, and fell face-first into the plush. Check.

An hour later, after eating and cleaning up, I laid on my back in the bed, covered comfortable in blankets, the lights turned off, exhaustion having overtaken every muscle in my body. But sleep wouldn't come. Eleven turned to twelve, twelve to one. After blaming the insomnia on a dozen different sources – the food, the anxiety, and so on – I eventually gave in to a thought that'd been chewing at the back of my mind for a while now.

There's something wrong with me, I concluded, blue eyes wide as I stared up at the ceiling. I don't know when it started, I don't know what it is but I can't keep pretending these bad headaches and dreams and insomnia aren't just coincidences…

A/N: I always saw the Red/Blue orbs as a little dangerous, in the manga/anime they're these artifacts with crazy power that Archie/Maxie can't control, so there is some of that supernatural element added in here. Both are strongly connected to their respective legendaries, and likewise repellent to the other, idk that's my theory as to why the opposite awaken each other; Groudon would feel Kyogre's energy in the Blue Orb and awaken due to rage, and vice versa.

Did you all notice how in ORAS when you pick it up at Mt. Pyre there's a heartbeat sound?! Creepy.