Hi guys!

First of all: YAY! OVER 200 REVIEWS! Thank you all my wonderful readers and reviewers! You're the reason this fic has made it this far. ;·)

Moving on...

So you know how I said I was gonna try and update every Wednesday for the rest of this fic? Well, y'see, I'm still gonna stick to this, but the added bonus is: if I feel like it, I'll update any random day of the week, PLUS the weekly Wednesday chapters! Sound good to you? It sure sounds good to me!

So, anyway, since TACDIF is coming to a close, if any of you were wondering about the title of the next fic... here's a hint: TACAEJ. Now I'll just leave you guessing and get on with the chapter!

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CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: Arceus is Mad...

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Trip was pretty angry.

He wasn't blaming anyone... no, that wasn't it. He couldn't exactly blame anyone. Not for this. Except Team Rocket - yeah, he could blame them pretty well - but for some reason, Trip didn't think it was them he was mad at.

Okay, so sure, he was mad at Team Rocket. They kidnapped his little cousin, the girl who was pretty much like a sister to him. They killed a bunch of innocent kids. They did a lot of really, really bad stuff, and yeah, Trip was kinda mad at them for it. Really mad, actually.

But he was pretty sure that he wasn't just mad at Team Rocket. And he didn't know who he was blaming. And after the day before, with Emily being kidnapped - it was too much. The huge turmoil of feelings inside him just kind of got out of control. He lost it.

Which was why he was standing all alone in the middle of the woods right now. Trembling with anger - and with fear. Fear of what, he didn't know. Heck, he didn't even know who he was mad at, much less what he was scared of.

Okay, backtracking a little. He did kind of know. He was scared of Team Rocket hurting Emily. But that wasn't all.

Did he really even know what he was scared of?

Trip groaned and slumped against a tree trunk. That was it. The turmoil of feelings inside him: that was what it was like. His thoughts were going crazy. I'm mad, I'm scared, and I'm mad at Team Rocket - but not really, and I don't get it, and I don't know what I'm doing, and I'm scared Emily will get hurt, but I don't know if that's all, and I just. Don't. Know. And I almost don't care at this point.

Forget his thoughts were going crazy. Trip was sure he himself was going crazy. He didn't even know anymore, and he almost didn't care. If not for Emily, he would have given up already by now.

Maybe he was still going to give up.

All of this, all of this was too much. And Emily being kidnapped - that just pushed him over the edge. Completely over the edge. He was about ready to give up now.

To give in.

Completely.

Ready to stop, and fall back, and give in and let everything crush him. Trip was ready to stop fighting.

But Emily...

Trip fought back tears. He didn't know anymore. He didn't know what he wanted, any more than he knew what he was scared of or who he was mad at.

And somehow, he felt like this was his fault. Somehow. His fault. It didn't make sense, but he couldn't stop blaming himself anyway.

What did I do? Nothing. That's right.

But Emily was kidnapped.

That's not my fault.

Yes it is. You could have saved her.

I couldn't have! It wasn't my fault! Stop being irrational!

If you want a reasonable, rational conversation, I advise you don't talk to your sunconscious.

Very funny.

It's still your fault. And it's your fault that you don't know what you're doing. Pull yourself together, man!

Leave me alone. It's not... it's not my...

Yes. It is. And maybe you DO know who you're scared of. Maybe you know who you're mad at.

I don't...

Yes you do.

No, I... I...

You do. You know.

Trip closed his eyes. He was going crazy after all.

But his "subconscious" (i.e. himself arguing with himself) was right. He did know who he was mad at and who he was scared of.

It was himself.

What if he slipped up? Screwed up? Messed up everything? What if Emily got killed - what if he was the reason she was killed? What if somehow, he ruined everything?

That was what he was scared of. Himself.

You did this. It's your fault. Emily could be dead and you could have prevented it, but you didn't. These kids died, so many of them. Wasn't there a way you could have helped? And you can't even pull yourself together, Trip! Come on! You're the cause of this mess!

That was who he was mad at. Himself.

Trip closed his eyes and pressed his back against the tree trunk. The tears were coming and he didn't want them. Go away, he told them. Leave him alone, he told them. He didn't want to cry, he told them.

The tears came anyway. They didn't listen to him. It's funny how your emotions never seem to listen to you.

Trip was sick of it.

He was sick of all of this.

He was sick of himself.

...

Emily was very, very, very scared.

Caught in a situation like hers, not being scared was a difficult feat. To be trapped in a cold underground holding cell with chains on her wrists and ankles was enough to scare her plenty. Then there were the thoughts of what Team Rocket had already done to other children in a similar situation to her own.

Gary. Iris. Cilan.

Emily curled up, drawing her knees into her chest and hanging her head. Her shoulders shook as she cried, and her honey blond hair hung down around her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She had made it pretty far without crying.

This was just too much, though. So Emily didn't try to hold back the tears. It would have been a fruitless effort on her part. There was no way to stop the torrent of emotions flooding out of her in the form of tears.

It had gotten to the point where it was just too much.

But even though she cried, Emily knew she could handle it. She could push through. Persevere. And she'd get out of this place, one way or another.

She'd do it.

Wouldn't she?

...

Arceus did not move.

He did not speak.

He stood, still and silent as stone, drowned in his own thoughts as many other Legendaries gathered around him. Whispering. Restless.

They knew this couldn't be good.

Emergency Legendary meetings? They didn't even happen. Almost never, at least.

So this had to be bad.

Shaymin was dozing in the corner, and Dialga was giving her the evil eye, still angry that she'd chosen Dawn first. Their mini-rivalry was actually kind of funny to most of the other Legendaries.

Yveltal and Diancie were silent and withdrawn. When they chose the two children, they created a bond. And then those kids died.

Mew hovered nervously above Mewtwo, his typically perky and giddy mood somewhat dimmed by the situation. Mewtwo was as stoic as ever.

Victini sat with Celebi and Meloetta. The three of them were some of the smaller, less powerful Mythicals, and they tended to hang out together. Mostly talked about how annoying some of the bigger Legends could be. And how they pranked them. Like that one time Victini made a replica of Reshiram's Light Stone and put it where Zekrom would be sure to find it. The electric dragon freaked out so bad, thinking his buddy was turned to stone again, it was hilarious...

But now was a serious meeting, not a time for fun and games. And now the three little Mythicals were quiet as they huddled together.

Team Rocket is trying to kill the Chosen.

Arceus's voice echoed through the chamber in which they were meeting. Victini looked up uncertainly.

We cannot protect them.

Mutters of disagreement and a few shouts of protest came from many of the Legendaries, particularly those who had Chosen a child themselves.

We cannot protect these children. They are capable and can handle themselves. However, trying to help them could quite possibly put them in more danger.

If Team Rocket were to capture one or more of us, the results could be catastrophic. The entire Pokémon world could be in huge danger. We cannot let that happen.

To protect the world, therefore, we must protect ourselves. We must lie low until things have settled down.

Team Rocket is trying to kill the Chosen. We can try to help them, but we must be careful. And we cannot, under any circumstances, bring any of them back to life. I revived the one child, and that took nearly everything out of me. I cannot do much at the moment and it could take many years before I regain sufficient strength to do much more. Reviving any one of the children could quite possibly kill any of you who tried.

The Legendaries were silent.

But Team Rocket will pay.

Anger gleamed sharply in Arceus's eyes as he spoke. He was steely calm. And furious.

I assure you. Team Rocket will pay.

...

"Look, kid, you can't just sit here and pout all day. We need to leave."

The blond kid's head snapped up as Paul spoke.

"Wh-what?" His eyes were wide. "You - you startled me..."

"Come on," Paul repeated. "Let's go. Trip, right?"

The kid, Trip, nodded uncertainly. "Y-yeah."

Paul stared expectantly. Eventually, Trip seemed to get it. He picked himself up from where he'd been sitting and moved to follow Paul. The Sinnoan trainer turned and began swiftly walking back toward the hideout, where the others were getting ready to leave.

"Um..."

Hearing Trip's voice, Paul didn't look back.

"Uh, hey. You're - you're Paul, right?"

He didn't speak, just nodded curtly.

"So... um... why'd you come out to get me, anyway?"

"Someone had to." Paul refused to make eye contact with Trip. He didn't exactly want to start a conversation, either.

"But why you?" Trip pressed. Paul growled under his breath.

"Look. Someone had to get you. Obviously no one else wanted to. So I did." He was really starting to get ticked off at this guy.

"Oh." Trip faltered for a moment.

"...and..." Paul looked down at his shoes. He was so quiet, he almost couldn't be heard. "...and I know how you feel."

"What was that?" Trip asked, quickening his pace to walk side by side with Paul.

"...nothing," Paul mumbled, and refused to say anything more on the matter.

...

The net surrounded the great bird, dragging it down. It let out a screech of fury, struggling desperately, trying to get away.

"Oh, no, you don't. Not today." The man smirked. "Today you're comin' home with us, Zapdos." He gave the net a sharp tug.

Zapdos shrieked again, but a barrage of Pokémon attacks stopped it from getting anywhere.

"Solar Beam!"

"Magical Leaf!"

"Stone Edge!"

"Drain Punch!"

"Double Edge!"

As the attacks hit their mark, Zapdos's cry was weakened. He began to sink to the ground. And then finally, he collapsed.

"Heh." The man, whose name was Orm, grinned as he planted his foot on Zapdos's weakened body. "Looks like we got you now, eh, Zapdos?"

"Orm, sir!"

His head snapped up. "What is it?" he muttered. "Can't you see I'm busy gloating here?!"

"Giovanni has delivered a message, sir!" The grunt looked pretty scared of Orm's irritated attitude. It was no mistake, either - no one wanted to see that guy when he was mad.

Orm's eyes widened. "Giovanni? What does it say?!"

"It says: 'The attack with begin at sundown. Be there with Zapdos by then. I am certain you will not fail me.' Uh, that's all, sir."

Orm narrowed his eyes. "Nimbasa, eh? I thought we were gonna wait a little more on that one. Well, no matter! Load 'er up, boys, and we's off to Unova!"

...

Lance was not prepared for the evening's events.

He didn't know what was going to happen that night, and he would never have guessed it. Not in a million years.

But he was still worried.

Mostly, it was the issue with Lumiose. He still wondered if that was all Team Rocket would do. If they'd stop there.

He doubted it.

"I should schedule a meeting," he muttered. "All the Elites. We need to figure this out."

Not any kind of emergency, just a meeting. That was all Lance planned for. All he scheduled for.

But that night, everything changed. Just like that.

And it changed for the worse.

...

"Ready?"

"Ready."

"Charizard, you good?"

"CHAAAAARRRRR!"

"...awesome!"

"Uh..."

"All right, how about you, Flygon?"

"Fly! Flygon fly!"

"Great!"

"Togekiss, how you doing?"

"Tokiiiii!"

"And how about you, Togekiss? Read to fly? Haha!"

"Tokiii toki!"

"Wow, you look great!"

Paul's eyes were expressionless as darted across the group of people socializing with their Pokémon. Preparing to take off.

They looked... happy.

Paul glanced at his Honchkrow, who stared back with a somewhat hopeful expression. As if...

As if...

Paul didn't manage to finish his thought. Instead, he felt Honchkrow bumping his head up against Paul's arm, nervously cuddling up to his trainer.

Paul froze.

Looking down at Honchkrow, seeing those hopeful, happy eyes, Paul felt as if something inside him shifted a little.

Just a little.

And for the first time in a long time, a faint, yet certain expression passed over Paul Rebolledo's face.

A trace.

A hint.

A ghost of a smile.

...

"Is it time?"

"Not yet. Have you checked the frequency-hopping radio signals?"

"Undetectable, Giovanni, sir. We should be able to communicate without being intercepted."

" 'Should be', you say?"

"Uh, uh, I mean - I mean, yes, we will definitely be able to communicate uninterrupted."

"Good. Thank you."

"Wh-when will be ready?"

"Sundown." A cruel smile spread over Giovanni's face. "This is where it truly begins. And Arceus help those in Nimbasa City tonight."

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Two things:

First of all, an important poll is up on my profile! Go check it out, please!

And second, I don't feel like author's note-ing right now. I'll just leave you to your reviewing. Because I think we all know what's going down next chapter. After this chapter? Yes. Yes we do.

And I'll just leave it at that.