...alright.
First of all, I'm back, folks!
And second, I'm sorry I didn't update on Wednesday... heh... well, I've never been good at sticking to a schedule. Plus, this chapter is long and awesome and heart-stopping and sweet and hilarious and somewhat gruesome and tearjerking and TERRIBLE... essentially, it was worth the wait! (I hope.)
So, after last chapter's somewhat-obvious hints and everything I did in chapter 30, you probably think you know what to expect this chapter.
Let me assure you: you don't. I mean, you probably know a bit about what I'm gonna do, but you are NOT going to expect a lot of this. So buckle up, guys, 'cause... IIIIIIIIIT'S PLOT TWIST TIIIIIIIME!
Aaaaaaaaaaaand also, this happens to be my longest chapter EVER at 10,000+ words, so GO ME!
(By de way, I'm making a slight change. Instead of it being one night between the day of the Lumiose City attack and the day the group left Jake's hideout, I'm changing it to FIVE DAYS in between. The day they left, aka the day/night this chapter takes place, is the sixth day after that. Make sense?)
…
…
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: A Shattered Rainbow
…
…
It felt like hours.
Maybe that was because it was hours. They had been (more or less) flying over the sea pretty much all day. Of course, there was also some… other stuff… involved.
Like swimming.
Like right now.
"MISTY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"
Misty, who was, at the moment, laughing and splashing in the water below, just giggled. "Oh, come on, May! I just had to try it!"
May wasn't calmed. "OKAY, but you didn't have to drag MAX in there with you!"
It was true. Max was in the water too, splashing and laughing with his clearly excited Azurill.
The other Flying-types had stopped and were now hovering above the water uncertainly. Serena, meanwhile, was giggling from atop Ash's Charizard. "Looks fun!" She started to pull off her shirt, making Ash turn totally red.
"Serena!" he cried. "Not here!"
She rolled her eyes. "Really, Ash?" She pulled her shirt all the way off to reveal a hot pink camisole. "Look! See? It's fine." She grinned and leaped into the water eagerly. It was at least a twenty-foot drop, but that didn't seem to bother her. Or Misty. Or Max.
"You guys are CRAZY!" May fumed. "Max, don't you DARE lose your glasses in there!"
"Why don't you just shut up and get in here?" Max replied, rolling his eyes. "It's actually fun!"
May didn't say anything, just continued to fume silently. Mostly, her anger was directed at Misty for dragging her brother into the water. She and the redhead were definitely friends, yes, but that didn't change the fact that it was easy to pick a fight with the young Cerulean gym leader. Very easy. And May was very protective over her brother – and good at picking fights, at least when she wanted to. Like if you took her food? Like, say, a cookie? May would pick the worst fight that anyone had ever picked with anyone, ever. Because nobody takes May's food.
And nobody touches her little brother…
"Push her," Max said with a grin.
"What?!" May cried, incredulous. "Who are you ta – AAUUUGHH!" There was a loud splash, and soon May was treading water and looking, if possible, even more furious than before.
"DREW, I SWEAR TO ARCEUS! IF I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I WILL TWIST YOUR HEAD THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DEGREES!"
Drew smirked. "Good luck with that, May Belle darling. Now – "
"HOW DO YOU KNOW MY MIDDLE NAME?!"
"Your middle name is Belle?" Ash asked from above, blinking in surprise.
"You were just waiting to use that one, weren't you?" Misty accused.
Drew held up his hands. "Guilty as charged. It does suit you, though, May Belle darling."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! AND CUT IT OUT!"
"Well, Belle means 'beautiful'…" He said this nonchalantly, flipping his hair like he did all the time, which never failed to tick May off.
But this time, the hair-flip went unnoticed. Instead, May appeared flustered by his comment. And surprised.
And she was blushing.
"O-oh… well… um, th-thank you, Drew…"
In an instant, her whole mood had changed.
"You sure know how to manipulate that girl," Gary muttered, shaking his head, not quite loud enough for May (or anyone else besides Drew) to hear.
The young coordinator turned to Gary. His smirk faded, to be replaced by a frown. "I don't manipulate her," Drew replied, and a genuine smile appeared on his face. "I keep her in check. And we make each other happy. That's what good friends do, after all."
Gary raised an eyebrow. He was silent for a moment.
"Good friends? Is that all?" he asked eventually.
Drew didn't speak at first. He was clearly a bit put-off by the comment, and startled, but quickly covered it up with a smirk. "Well, I haven't proposed to her, if that's what you're asking." He was back to his snarky, sarcastic self again, his sincere attitude from a moment before all but forgotten.
Gary laughed. "Alrighty then. Keep that mindset. 'Good friends' is a difficult status to maintain, you know. It always ends quick, one way or another."
Drew frowned. One way or another.
Did he know what the Kantonese trainer meant? Probably.
Did he really want to act on it? Probably not.
Drew sighed, ran his fingers through his green hair, and peered down at the water again.
Milotic would probably enjoy a swim. In fact, so would Drew…
He grinned and pulled out a Pokéball.
…
The sun was lowering in the sky, on its way to setting, when they finally reached Nuvema Town.
They were all mostly dry by then. Sitting for a couple hours with the wind blowing all over you tends to get you dry, y'know?
As soon as they landed, Trip took off running. There were a couple startled gasps as he raced off, but it was kind of understandable.
No one was that surprised by it in the end.
Trip felt the tears coming as he ran. He had to get home – he had to.
His mom would be there. Lonely. Waiting. Worrying.
Trip ran harder.
Finally, he saw it. His house.
Trip didn't hesitate a moment. He raced up the steps to the front porch and slammed his fist down on the doorbell.
He waited several tense moments before the door swung open. "Hello? Who's this?"
Trip looked up. It was his mom.
She looked down at him and froze, shock registering on her face. "Wh-wha… T… Trip?!"
"Mom," he whispered, and the floodgates cracked. He collapsed into her arms, absorbing her sweet, familiar scent and her warm embrace as he sobbed into his mother.
She held him as if she'd never let go. "Oh, Trip! I was so worried! When you called and told me that you and…" She faltered for a moment, pulling back from the embrace. "You and…" Her brow creased. "Trip, where's Emily? And all those other kids you said you were with – are they here as well?"
Trip's fists clenched. "M-mom, I…" He closed his eyes. "I lost Emily."
"You what?" His mother's eyes widened in horror. "You mean… you mean she's – "
"Not dead," he replied quickly. Yet. "They captured her. T-Team Rocket did." His voice cracked a little. "They attacked us, and they got her. I don't – I don't know where she is, or if they hurt her or anything… I just…" He broke into sobs again as his mother pulled him into another hug.
"Trip, it's all right," she murmured. "It'll be okay. It'll all be okay, I promise…"
Even though he knew that there was no way things would be "all right" and she was just trying to make him feel better, it worked.
Her soothing voice was something he missed. He missed being five years old and having her sing him to sleep or read him a story. He missed her always being there to comfort him when he needed it. He missed life being simple, when his biggest concern was being good all year so Santa would bring him presents.
And he missed his mother's unconditional love for him.
So Trip drank in her comforting words and her warm embrace, and he lingered, and he didn't pull away. She didn't either.
Maybe they had both just been missing each other.
She had to have been lonely, with him gone off on his journey and all. That was why he waited until he was twelve until he left. He stayed back two extra years – for her. And maybe for him, too. Maybe because he knew how homesick he would sometimes get and how much he would miss her.
But this - this was way worse than just leaving on a Pokémon journey.
The journey Trip was on was about more than just getting the next gym badge, and there were worse dangers than just your Pokémon fainting. And there was no end in sight to this crazy conspiracy. No one knew how long this seemingly endless journey would last.
And both Trip and his mother knew that he might not come back alive from it.
Trip closed his eyes and held tighter to his mom.
A few minutes later, a shout rang out through the neighborhood.
"HEY!"
Trip's eyes widened. He quickly pulled back from his mom's arms and turned to see who it was. Not surprisingly, it was the rest of the gang. Everyone else. A motley crew of crazy kids, most of whom were currently famous for… interesting reasons, and all of whom were being hunted down by a bloodthirsty crime syndicate that wanted them dead.
As the thought crossed his mind, Trip let out a half-amused huff. His life was far from normal. In fact, Trip could legitimately say his life was where normal came to burn and die in a hole.
He lingered on that thought a moment, then corrected himself.
Ash's life was where normal came to burn and die in a hole.
Pretty much, this was all Ash's fault, anyway. Trip was officially blaming Ash for every bad thing that happened to him for the rest of his life now.
"Oh, hello!" Trip's mom said with a cheerful smile. "You must be those kids Trip's been traveling with. Well, come on ins…" Her words died in her throat and her face paled as she recognized one of the kids: a young boy with spiky auburn hair. "Are you Gary Oak?" she whispered in disbelief.
One of the others, a redheaded girl, was obviously alarmed at her exclamation.
"Yes. Long story short, no, I'm not dead," the boy said tiredly. Turning to the redhead, he added, "and I'm done with secrets, Misty. I'm done with it. I'm not dead and if Team Rocket doesn't like it, that's their problem."
Misty opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again.
"Gary, this could put us all in more danger!" she shot back. "Use that empty head of yours and think for once!"
"I am using my head!" Gary's voice was rising. "Have you ever once thought about me? Or what about my grandfather, huh? Any idea how he might be doing? Huh, Misty?"
She didn't respond, so he continued. "Don't you realize how this must be destroying him right now? What if your sisters thought you were dead, huh, Misty? How would that feel?"
Misty seemed at a loss for words, but Gary wasn't. "I am all my grandfather has, okay?! Do you have any idea how absolutely crushed he is feeling right now?! No, you don't! So just leave me alone, all right? I am done with secrets and I am done with them right now!"
Gary whirled around, prepared to run off, before a hand stopped him.
It was Ash. Gary's eyes narrowed.
"Ash, let go. Leave me alone."
"No."
"What?" Gary looked bewildered. It was rare for Ash to outright refuse a friend's request.
"Gary, don't," Ash said quietly. "It's okay that you're done with secrets. This – this should never have been a secret in the first place." He shot a glance at Misty, who seemed to shrink back at his gaze.
Gary's expression was unguarded. His eyes were filled with a mix of emotions – anger, hurt, betrayal, and overwhelming sadness. He didn't respond.
"Come on, Gary." There was a pleading tone to Ash's voice now. "Don't. You can't just go running off. Misty is sorry, even if she says she's not, and even if she really isn't, we have to stick together. You know it as well as I do."
Gary looked him right in the eye, and an expression of understanding crossed his face, to be replaced a moment later by stony calm, masking his true emotions. He gave Ash a halfhearted smirk.
"All right." There was a certain falseness to his teasing tone. "I won't give up on ya just yet, Ashy-boy. Just… no more secrets, okay?"
Ash cracked a smile. "Of course, Garebear. No more secrets."
…
After a few... interesting points had been gone over, and as soon as she had a basic understanding of the situation, Trip's mother invited the kids in for dinner. She quickly set to work making meatloaf and mashed potatoes.
"That's your favorite, isn't it, Trip?" she asked with a warm smile. Trip gave her a half grin.
"Yeah."
"And Emily... Emily always loved it when I made baked spaghetti." Her smile flickered at the mention of her niece. Trip's disappeared completely.
"Uh-huh," he said sullenly, with a now-dull voice. For several long moments, the entire room was silent. They were all thinking the same thing.
Emily.
Eventually, Mrs. McGonnigal broke the silence once more. Trying to lighten the mood, she laughed a little. "And I know both of you adore my M'n'M cookies."
"M'n'M cookies?!" May's eyes widened. "I want M'n'M cookies!"
Max rolled his eyes. "Honestly, May!" he chided. "You're thirteen! You'd think I wouldn't have to tell ya to mind your manners - and me being the younger one!"
"Don't tell me you don't want M'n'M cookies." May grinned at her little brother.
He frowned "Well, sure I do, but - "
"Then it's settled! Mrs. McGonnigal, Max and I'll help you make those cookies!"
"I swear," Max muttered. "If a sweet tooth was a bacterial infection, I'd put you on antibiotics, you glutton."
May rolled her eyes. "Max. That joke is not funny..."
"Um. It wasn't a joke."
"It sounded like you were trying to be funny."
"Well, I wasn't!"
"Yes you were! And it came out sounding stupid, so you did a bad job of it, too!"
"Well, I'm so-rry! Your jokes aren't much better, you know, May!"
"My jokes are at least SOMEWHAT funny!"
"Says YOU! My jokes are a hundred times better!"
"Not if you have to get a DICTIONARY to understand them!"
"Whaddaya mean, a dictionary?! I didn't even use any ridiculously huge polysyllables this time!"
"HA! So you ADMIT they're ridiculous! And - HEY! You just used one of those words just now, see?!"
"Well, I understand myself PERFECTLY! Maybe if you weren't so IGNORANT all the time, you'd understand me, too!"
"IGNORANT?! Oh, NOW you've done it, you little - "
"May!" Brock yelled at last, grabbing the young brunette's arm before she could charge at her little brother. "May, hold on a second! Control yourself!"
May glared daggers at Brock. Then she turned back to Max and softened a little. She sighed.
"All right," May growled. "But you'd better not call me ignorant ever again, you little twit."
"Okay, M - wait, WHAT?! Did you just call me a - "
"All right!" Ritchie interrupted, somewhat nervously. "That's, uh... um... that's eno - " He paused, reconsidering his choice of words. Then he brightened. "Why don't we get back to those cookies?"
Mrs. McGonnigal smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course!"
"Yeah! Cookies! Those sound AWESOME!" Max cheered. He and May high-fived. It was as if their entire argument was forgotten, in the blink of an eye, just like that.
Speaking of said argument...
Gary frowned. Then he muttered something in Trip's ear.
"Didn't that whole fight start with Max saying May had a sweet tooth? And now it looks like he's forgotten all about it - both of them have!"
Trip raised his eyebrows and shrugged.
"Siblings have a funny way of forgetting what they're fighting about. And they've got a funny way of patching things up pretty quickly and easily, too."
Gary cocked his head at Trip. "You seem know a lot about it for an only child."
Trip shrugged. His expression didn't break as he spoke, but his wavering tone gave away his feelings. "Emily and I... she's pretty much a - a sister to me." His voice seemed to crack a little on the word "sister."
"Oh," Gary replied. After a moment, he spoke again. "That sibling thing - it honestly sounds like me and Ash. I'm an only child, too, but I guess Ash was always like a little brother to me." He cracked a smile. "And we tended to fight a lot, too."
Trip's brow furrowed. "Your 'little' brother? I thought you two were the same age."
"Oh, we are," the brown-haired boy replied flippantly. "You'd be surprised by how childish he can be, though. Honestly, sometimes I think he's still ten years old!"
Trip laughed. "Surprised? Hardly. Believe me, I know what you mean."
The two watched for a moment more in thoughtful silence as May and Max helped to make the cookies. Before long, Ash joined them, dragging Misty along with him, Ritchie following behind. Then Brock couldn't help but join in. And that encouraged Dawn, who giggled and whispered with May for a moment before calling Drew over.
"Hey, coordinator boy! May wants you to help her make cookies!"
Drew and May both turned red in the face. Dawn pulled Drew in with the bunch.
"Two can play that game," May grumbled. "Paul! Dawn can't make cookies without you! She's lonely!"
Dawn flushed pink, but Paul didn't seem to react.
"I don't make cookies," he muttered. "And if I did, I wouldn't do it with Dawn."
"Why not?" Dawn pretended to pout.
"You're Dawn," he replied simply. "You'd just end up with a mess of eggshells and dough in your hair, and no cookies."
Dawn flushed pinker. May giggled.
"I agree with the hair part," Brock put in. "Dawn has had enough bad hair days to last nine lifetimes."
"Nine? Dawn's a person, not a Purrloin." Ash frowned.
Misty rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated. "Ash, you do know that Purrloin don't actually have nine lives, right?"
"Wait, you mean they don't?!" Max looked just as surprised as Ash was by what Misty had said. She rolled her eyes again.
"No, Max, they don't..."
May just grinned and pulled Paul into the group. Paul was not happy. May was very happy. Dawn didn't seem to know what to feel.
Seeing it all, Serena decided to join in, though she clearly kept her distance from Misty.
Trip watched all of this with mixed feelings. They all seemed so happy to be together. Most of them were friends, he knew that. He felt a little... out of it.
Gary nodded toward the group. "Most of them know each other pretty well. They're close." Then he cracked a smile. "I actually know most of them, too."
Trip hummed in acknowledgment. He didn't really know what to say.
"And it's a good thing, too." Gary looked serious as he continued. "We'll be able to have each other's backs in a fight the better we know each other. The closer we are."
Trip shifted uncomfortably. He still didn't speak.
Gary's seriousness faded into an easy smile. He gave Trip a nudge. "Go on," he said. "They're not exactly going to reject you. We're all friends here - or at least we all ought to be - and this is your house, you know."
Trip glanced over at Gary. Then he grinned. "If you say so."
Pushing all his thoughts of Emily, Team Rocket, and all those horrible things to the back of his mind, Trip slipped over to the crowded table to help make cookies.
...
"Well, where should the meeting be held?" Cynthia's voice questioned.
Lance spoke into the phone, hoping she wouldn't hear the uneasy frown in his voice. "I was thinking Sootopolis City. Juan will let us hold it in one of the more private back rooms in his gym."
"Well, why there?"
Lance's frown deepened. "Sootopolis is a large city, and very central in relation to the rest of Napaj. Easy for most of the Elite to get there."
Cynthia seemed to approve with his reasoning. "All right then. When?"
"I haven't a specific date in mind. How about... soon?"
He couldn't see her, but he imagined her rolling her eyes as she spoke. "You know, that really clears things up, Lance." A thin layer of sarcasm edged her voice. Lance scowled.
"Fine. A week from tomorrow, six a.m. sharp. Bring all your Elite Four and tell Alder about it too."
"Oh, I get to take care of Alder now?"
"I didn't say that. Now listen to me and tell Alder and your Elite Four, like I said."
With that, Lance hung up the phone, slamming the handset down onto the cradle. He only gave his home phone number to those he knew personally (i.e. Cynthia) and right now, his cell phone - his business phone, and the number he gave to, well, everyone else - was turned off.
Lance just wasn't in the mood for any more calls at the moment. He sighed and flopped backwards onto his living room couch.
The phone went off again.
Probably Cynthia. Maybe not. Who knew?
Refraining from unplugging the cord out of the home phone, Lance just groaned, covered his head with a pillow, and ignored it.
...
Misty glanced out the window at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set. She guessed it would be another half hour, maybe more, until sundown. She felt guilty asking Trip's mom to let them all stay in her house, so if they weren't going to stay there, they needed to get going soon. That way they'd be able to find a place to camp by dark.
The cookies... had been delicious. And interesting. Trip's mom had dug up a bunch of old Pokémon-shaped cookie cutters, and there were so many different shapes of cookies coming out of the oven (some resembling actual Pokémon more than others) it was crazy. They had all tasted amazing, though, no matter if they looked like a lumpy Exeggutor or a deformed Butterfree...
It had felt like the cookies brought everyone together more, in a way. She even managed to patch things up a bit with Gary. Looking back, Misty honestly was sorry. She shouldn't have forced Gary to keep himself hidden and to keep the fact that he was alive a total secret.
Misty heaved a sigh. Then she looked out over everyone. They were a strange group, all right - a group which was now sprawled across carpeted floors or strewn over the huge leather sofa in Trip's living room. Misty sighed again and cleared her throat.
"Hey, everyone..." she began. They all looked up. "Look, I know this place is great... but we need to get going."
"You can stay here, though," Mrs. McGonnigal protested.
"Mrs. McGonnigal, I can't put you to that much trouble," Misty replied. "We can't," she amended.
Drew frowned. He was sitting on the sofa with his hand on May's, while the perky brunette was munching on another cookie. Misty swore the girl had had at least twenty by now...
"I think Misty's right," the green-haired coordinator said with a shrug. "You've already been so kind, Mrs. McGonnigal. We can't ask for anything more than what you've done. Besides, we need to get on the road."
"And I actually want to stop by Twinleaf Town," Dawn added. Her face fell as she continued. "I can't imagine how my mom must be feeling..."
Misty nodded. "Then I guess Twinleaf Town is our next destination. That's north of here, right?"
Gary laughed. "Everything in Sinnoh is always north of everything not in Sinnoh, because Sinnoh is north of all the other regions. So yes, Misty. Twinleaf Town is most definitely north of here."
Misty rolled her eyes. "Of course, Gary. Thanks. That was real helpful."
Ash grinned. Then he said, "well, I'm pretty sure Twinleaf is... northwest of Undella Town, right?"
"North-northwest," Dawn corrected, remembering from when she'd come to visit Ash in Unova and stayed in Cynthia's villa there. Undella Town sure had been a nice place. "Or maybe it was... west-northwest..."
"Nope, it's north-northwest," Max confirmed, glancing down at his PokéNav. "Guess we're goin' that way, then."
Ritchie sighed. "All this traveling... it's crazy. I mean, we're crossing oceans in one day in a huge group while riding our Pokémon! And we're on the run from the cruelest, most devilish, most merciless, and most bloodthirsty crime syndicate in the whole of the country!"
"Yeah..." Trip smirked. "You know, when I first battled Ash thinking he was a pathetic wannabe, I know I never imagined I'd be here, doing this, right now, because of him."
Ash frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what I said. I'm not insulting you, Ketchum. I just never would've dreamed of this kind of thing. Not when I first met you."
Brock cracked a smile. "I think the same goes for all of us."
There was silence for a moment more. Then Trip stood.
"All right," he said with a sigh. "I guess we'd better get our stuff together..."
The others nodded and grunted their agreement, standing up to collect bags and satchels and pouches and more cookies and whatever else they needed.
May shuffled through the contents of her green waist pouch, checking that everything was there, while Max grabbed a few extra cookies and shoved them into his shoulder bag (a recent gift from May that he'd been wearing on his journey). Drew just watched with mild, bemused interest as May and Max had a "competition" of sorts to see who could fit the most cookies into their bag.
Brock put the book he'd been reading back into his backpack, adding a few of Mrs. McGonnigal's old newspapers in with the rest of his things. She also gave him some extra first-aid supplies, since it was obvious that one kit might not be enough in their situation. Brock thanked her greatly as he heaved the backpack back onto his shoulders.
Ash, meanwhile, slipped his own backpack off and sifted through its contents, Misty doing the same thing beside him. He grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes but grinned right back. Then he asked about her Psyduck. Pikachu visibly perked up at the mention of the little Duck Pokémon.
"Pika..." the Electric-type mumbled.
Ash raised his eyebrows. "Somethin' up, buddy?"
"Chu! Pika pika pi chu-pi!"
"You battled Pysduck?!"
"Chu. Pi chu-pi."
"With Emily..."
"Pi pi-ka-ka."
"And it almost beat you?!"
"Wait!" Misty interrupted. "How do you know what Pikachu is even saying?"
Ash paused a moment. Then he gave her a cocky grin. "I dunno. I guess I can just kind of tell. It's like..."
"Pika, ka-chu pi..."
"Yeah! Basically, I can understand the idea of what he's trying to tell me, not understand his language - if you know what I mean." Ash was grinning that cocky, crooked grin of his the whole time. He looked kind of cute. And very, very childish.
"Oh," Misty responded, sounding a bit detached. Ash's brow furrowed.
"Somethin' wrong, Mist?"
"N-no," she said quickly. "No, of course not. I'm fine. Now, come on, let's get going."
"Right," Ash replied, sounding - and looking - somewhat estranged. "You got it, Misty."
As Ritchie walked up to him and they started a conversation about "understanding" Sparky and Pikachu, respectively, Ash's thoughts drifted. He found himself wondering about that detached tone she'd had, and the way she had gazed at him so intently when he'd been talking.
It was random, but he thought her green eyes were strikingly pretty...
...
Unova.
They had made it to Unova.
Almost a week of running, flying, boating, swimming, and a bunch of other stuff had finally gotten them to Unova.
Iris felt near-dead with exhaustion. She was leaning on Cilan, sort of, but it wasn't exactly clear who was supporting whom.
Striaton City couldn't be far. They were just north of Nimbasa now, so they just needed to keep going south, and they'd make it.
Professor Oak was worse off than either of the two Unovan trainers for sure, and Catie had collapsed from exhaustion earlier that day, so now Delia was carrying the little girl.
It hadn't been easy to get to Unova.
But they had done it.
And it was going to be worth it.
The group set off in the direction of Nimbasa City.
...
Paul stared blankly ahead as they flew over Unova.
Before long, they had been on their way to Twinleaf Town. The tall kid, Brock, said that they'd look for a place to camp as soon as the sun set, but for now, they were just heading north-northwest, as Max dictated.
"Are you sure we're supposed to go this way?" Serena would constantly ask nervously.
"Hey, even if the kid's only ten, you'd be surprised by how smart he is - and he's the guy with the PokéNav. I mean," Drew replied with a shrug, "I'd trust him if I were you."
Serena bit her lip but nodded and quieted down, only to ask again ten minutes or so later.
May, however, was almost worse. She just kept complaining about being hungry.
"Ugh, just eat the cookies in your pouch!" Max cried in irritation after she whined for the seventh time in under thirty seconds.
"I already ate all those!" she responded, sticking out her lower lip and pouting. "Can't I have some of yours, Max?"
"No!" he snapped back.
For pretty much the entire trip, they flew over land as they crossed the Unova region. Once they found Undella Town, or so Paul assumed, getting to Twinleaf would be pretty basic. Undella was in the northernmost part of Unova, so it was close to Sinnoh, and they would be flying over open sea after that.
So, of course, they needed to get to Undella Town first. It was going to be a long journey. Paul let out an inaudible sigh and shivered a little. It was kind of chilly out, and they were all dressed lightly.
Dawn's fingers subtly intertwined with his. Paul didn't show any emotional reaction, but he gave her hand a small squeeze.
She was smiling now. Paul liked it when she smiled. A ghost of a smile traced his own lips, but in the fading light, no one would have seen it.
"We'll be getting close to Nimbasa City soon!" Max called out.
"Sounds great!" Gary whooped. "I've always wanted to see that place!"
"Why didn't you?" Ash replied eagerly. "It's one of the coolest cities I know! And the biggest - and the amusement park is amazing!"
Ritchie grinned. "I've heard stories about it, but I haven't been there, either."
Trip smirked. "It is a pretty amazing city... I guess you'll get to see it when we fly over, at least."
"Well, we could stay the night in Nimbasa City," Serena mused.
"Not a bad idea, Serena!" Brock smiled. The others hummed their agreement. It sounded pretty good, and a heck of a lot better than sleeping on the ground in the middle of the woods.
"I can't see it yet," Ash mumbled. "We'll be there soon, right, Max?"
Max nodded. "Should be."
There was silence for several moments more as they flew onward. Paul watched intently ahead for any bright lights or anything that would indicate signs of a large city. They must have been pretty far off - and there was some bad fog on top of that - because he saw nothing.
Paul gave Dawn's hand another squeeze. The dark did not brighten and the cold did not soften or relent as they flew on. And there was no visible sign of Nimbasa anywhere.
But they heard the screams from a half a mile away.
...
It was Cress's decision to go out shopping.
Not long had passed since Cilan's death. Almost a week, but not longer. The two brothers were nowhere near feeling better.
But Cress had insisted upon a shopping trip anyway, so here they were, on a shopping trip in Nimbasa City - which was, as Cress put it, "the best place in the region to go trinket shopping and the best place for thrift stores and souvenir shops, EVER!"
Chili didn't know anyone could be too vigorous about shopping. But Cress did a fine job if proving him wrong. The blue-haired gym leader was so excited, it almost wasn't funny, except it was. It was hilarious... to Chili, at least.
"Ooh, let's check this one out!" Cress gasped as he caught sight of yet another souvenir shop. Chili rolled his eyes, but grinned at his brother.
"Okay," he replied. The two set off toward the store, but they never made it in.
Instead, they froze at the sound of a voice.
Chili's eyes widened in absolute shock and he whipped around to see someone he never thought he'd see again.
Stumbling towards him, looking half dead and absolutely exhausted but still grinning like a maniac, was Cilan.
Chili slapped Cress's shoulder, and the other boy turned, too. They both stared, slack-jawed, as their "dead" brother walked towards them.
Chili was the first to move.
He charged forward, bowling Cilan over and wrapping him in a crushing hug.
"It's really you," he whispered, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. He squeezed harder, holding Cilan like he'd never let go. "It's really, really you!"
"Whoa, Chili! You're squeezing the life out of me! Don't really kill me, now!" Cilan laughed.
Chili pulled back, and his eyes shone with tears of relief and anger. "Not funny, Cilan," he whispered. "Not even funny." And he pulled his brother into another hug.
Cress didn't take long to rush over and join the passionate embrace.
"I thought you were gone, Cilan," the blue-haired trainer whispered tearfully. "We both thought you were gone."
"Well, then I guess we're lucky to have a little girl with magic healing hands, or I would be," Cilan replied with a half laugh.
Chili pulled back again. "What - " he started, but Cress interrupted.
"No, I don't think I even want to know," he said with a shake of his head as he wiped tears from his eyes. "I'm just... so glad you're back, Cilan." His eyes shone with immeasurable, uncontainable elation. "I don't know... what we would have done without you, but I'm so, so happy you're back."
Cilan smiled. "I'm glad, too." Then he paused for a moment, and his smile brightened. "What a sweet, delicate taste this reunion has... yet oh so colorful and unique! It's beautiful, just like..."
"Like a rainbow!" Iris put in excitedly. Cilan cocked an eyebrow and smiled.
"Yes. Like a rainbow." He laughed, and Chili and Cress soon joined in. Before long, all four of them were laughing with hardly a care in the world.
All that changed when they heard the screams.
Their laughter died in their throats. Cilan's head snapped up. Chili seemed incredulous, and Cress was obviously startled. Iris looked terrified.
Then they saw them. Team Rocket.
"Arceus," Cilan swore, his face paling. "Oh, Arceus. Not this again."
Dozens of grunts yelled and laughed and brandished weapons as their Pokémon roared with fury, tearing through crowds of people with their attacks.
Cilan leaped up. "We have to fight them!" He yelled. Iris jumped up as well. Both were ready to just about fall over dead with exhaustion, but they pulled out Pokéballs and got ready to fight anyway. Cress and Chili immediately followed suit.
"Seismitoad, use Mud Shot!" In seconds, globs of stick mud had a little girl and her twin brother pinned to the wall of a brick building - it was, in fact, the shop that Cress and Chili had been about to go into earlier. "Now, Rock Slide!"
"Go, Pansage! Use Bullet Seed!" Cilan yelled as he tossed his Pokéball into the air.
Pansage's attack manage to partially block the Rock Slide, but not completely. When the smoke cleared, the boy was standing on shaky legs, frightened but unhurt.
The child saw his sister, who had taken a direct hit and was now lying lifeless on the ground, and broke into sobs.
"Go, Hitmontop! Triple Kick!" A ten-year-old girl was thrown back by the first kick, and the next two were aimed for her head - a deadly strike.
"Excadrill! Drill Run!" Iris's Pokémon saved the girl's life. She helped the girl to her feet.
"Go. Get out of here, now." Iris said seriously.
The girl nodded, still looking terrified, and turned to flee.
"Raticate! Use Hyper Fang!" A three-year-old boy, crying for his mother, gave a scream of pure pain as Raticate's jaws crushed his spine. The Pokémon dropped the boy, who lay bloodied and limp on the ground.
A girl who couldn't have been older than seven stood in front of five younger children, all between the ages of two and five, while she clutched a young baby in her arms. She looked terrified, but she also looked ready to protect her siblings with her life. A Herdier stood in front of all of the children, battling to protect them.
Cress, Chili, Cilan, and Iris battled side-by-side, protecting as many children as they could.
They battled together, holding each other's backs, and even though they were in the middle of a massacre, Cilan felt hopeful.
He knew they could do it. Together, they could. And he had something to hold onto, too: hope. Hope for himself and hope for his brothers. A hope that everything would be alright, after all.
They could do this. And Cilan knew it.
But in one single instant, all of that changed.
In one single instant, the Herdier protecting the group of children fainted. In one single instant, the seven-year-old girl was lying, limp and torn, on the ground that was stained with her blood. In one single instant, a Garchomp's Slam attack was aimed for the rest of the little kids, all of whom were completely defenseless.
In one single instant, Cress saw it happening, and in one single instant, he leaped.
He threw himself in the way of the children, and in one single instant, he was pinned to the wall of the souvenir shop.
"Cress!" Chili screamed. Cilan's face paled.
"Garchomp, use Fury Cutter!"
"Cress!" Cilan gasped. His voice rose to a horrified shout. "CRESS!"
"No!" Chili shrieked. "NO! CRESS, NO!"
He charged forward, screaming his brother's name, trying to throw himself in the way of the horrible attack.
But Garchomp was faster.
Its claws came down on Cress, ripping through his body.
His blood spattered the ground, staining the pavement.
His tortured screams echoed through the air and rang in Cilan's ears.
And his limp, torn body fell into Chili's arms.
...
He had a feeling Team Rocket wasn't going to stop with Lumiose. And he had seen what Lumiose was like after the attack.
But Ritchie was still mentally unprepared for what he saw when they landed.
Children, dead and dying. Blood everywhere. Parents and siblings and friends, sobbing. And the Rockets, mercilessly attacking. They had no qualms. They simply attacked, hurt, attacked again, killed, and then attacked some more.
It made Ritchie sick.
And it terrified him, because this was the organization that wanted him and the rest of the group dead at any cost.
He was frozen with shock and horror, but not for longer than a moment. In a flash, Sparky was firing Thunderbolts at Ritchie's command, side by side with Ash's Pikachu.
"This is bad!" Ash called over his shoulder.
"You think?" Drew responded. He was fighting at May's left, and Max at her right. They made a powerful trio; despite the fact that Max's Pokemon were low-level, he was a smart battler, and his tactics didn't fail him. Besides that, Drew's skill was unquestionable, and whenever May wasn't smart or strong or skilled enough, her luck and love for her Pokemon pulled through.
The entire group fought hard, dodging sharp blades and Pokemon attacks as they battled. They were a strong team, based on one key factor: they honestly, genuinely cared about one another. When one was in trouble, others swooped in to help, and they held each other's backs the whole time.
But when all was said and done, things were still a mess, and there were still too many Rockets. Still too many children to protect them all. Still too many Pokemon to battle, and not enough of themselves to do it.
Ritchie saw Ash's face at one point. The raven-haired boy's face was streaked with tears as he battled. Ritchie knew his friend must have been thinking of Clemont and Bonnie.
Then he heard an explosion.
A horribly cold feeling spread across him, starting at the base of his neck. He saw blood. His blood.
He heard a scream. Maybe it was him.
He heard more screaming - someone calling his name. Ritchie tried to respond, to call out to whoever it was, but somehow, he couldn't.
And then his world turned black.
...
Cilan's rainbow was shattered.
Broken. Shredded. Destroyed.
The recipe of a beautiful reunion was like a rainbow, indeed, just as Iris had said. But the bitter aftertaste was like shattered glass: sharp, piercing, painful, and irreparable.
That was what it was - this whole thing. A shattered rainbow.
Cilan stared, aghast, as Cress convulsed and gasped and bled out his life in Chili's arms. The red-haired trainer sobbed over his brother, holding him, his words crumbling at his lips as he tried to speak the empty promises that none of them believed.
"I-It'll b-be a-a-alr-right, C-Cress," Chili whispered through choked sobs.
No. It would not be alright. And all three of them knew it.
Cilan couldn't speak at all. His words caught in his throat, choking him. The tears were coming, and they forced his words back down so he couldn't speak.
Cress's face was a mixture of pain and sadness. He was crying, too.
"Ch-Chili..." Cress gasped, coughing and choking as he tried to speak. "Ci... Cilan..."
Chili gently held his brother's face in his hands. "It's o-okay, Cress... j-just h-hold on, y-you'll be f-fine..."
"No," Cress choked, blood gurgling in his throat as he tried to speak. "No... I'm s-sorry, sorry, but... but d-don't... don't l-lose..." He was hacking and coughing up blood now between every syllable. "H-hope..."
Cilan kissed his brother's forehead. A lone tear, shining silver, dropped from his cheek to Cress's. "Shh, Cress, it's alright..." he whispered softly, soothingly, though his voice wavered as he tried to keep his calm. "We won't lose hope. You'll be fine. We'll be fine..." He was lying, and they all knew it, but his brothers clung to his words as he continued. "Shh... it's okay, Cress..."
Cress nodded. A faint smile appeared on his face. His eyes fixed on something in the distance. "L-love... love you... b-brothers, friends... f-forever..."
Cilan nodded, choking back tears. He closed his eyes.
He heard as Cress took one more shallow, ragged breath.
When Cilan opened his eyes again, his brother was dead.
The young connoisseur felt something inside him break. And his rainbow was shattered.
...
Skyla froze.
She dropped the phone. Her heart raced and her breathing quickened. Fear raced through her whole body in the form of adrenaline.
"Elesa," she muttered.
In seconds, she was flying towards Nimbasa City in her biplane as fast as the machine could go.
When she reached the city, she was met with blood.
...
"Elesa!"
The blond gym leader looked up from her battle and was shocked to see two of the Striaton gym leaders standing before her. "Cilan?! Chili?! What are you doing here? And where's Cre..." She trailed off when she saw their tearstained faces and recognized the bloody mess of a person held in Chili's arms. Her face paled as realization dawned on her. "Oh, Arceus, no. That's not..."
"Yes." Cilan's voice was quiet and dull, lacking in the unreasonably cheerful enthusiasm that was typical of him. "It's Cress. He's..." His voice cracked, and as he lifted his head, she saw grief shining in his eyes. "He's dead."
Elesa was shocked by the news. She shook her head in disbelief, and her eyes stretched wide with horror. "No..."
Chili's eyes were red and his face was puffy. "Yes, Elesa. Yes." He gazed at her, his expression full of pain and grief. "He's dead and we can't fix that." As he continued, his voice rose and his eyes burned with hatred. "But Team Rocket will pay for this, and they will pay right now!" He let out a roar of fury as he called out Pansear. "Go, Pansear! Give it everything you've got, and destroy Team Rocket!"
"Pansage! Crustle! Stunfisk! Battle with all your might!" Cilan yelled, calling out his Pokémon as well.
Elesa turned back to the battle she had been in the middle of. Her Zebstrika had done a fine job on its own, and several Rockets and Pokémon were now lying unconscious in the street.
As she battled, Elesa cast sideways glances at Chili and Cilan. Both were crying, tear streaming down their faces as they called out attacks. There was pure, furious hatred in both pairs of eyes - hatred for Team Rocket.
But behind that hatred, Elesa saw something more.
Desolation.
Pain.
Brokenness.
The three gym leaders battled side by side, and several young children - all of whom clung together in such a way that Elesa knew they must have been siblings - gathered behind them. Cilan and Chili had brought the kids with them. Elesa asked why.
"Cress died saving these kids," Cilan, at her right, responded quietly. To her left, Chili trembled with fury and grief, letting loose another roar of pain and anger.
Elesa didn't ask any further. Instead, she stood in front of the children, shielding them, as she battled. More kids soon found refuge behind the three gym leaders, and soon they found themselves protecting a couple dozen children.
At one point during the battle, Elesa heard shrieking from the children behind her. She whirled around to face a huge, dangerous-looking Aggron. It held a little boy, no older than four, in its claws. The child hung limp and lifeless from Aggron's claws, and his clothes were soaked red and dripping with blood.
Elesa's eyes widened. "Tynamo, quick, use Tackle!"
But as the attack connected and Aggron was knocked back, saving the other children, Elesa's eyes widened. There was a sudden flash of pain in the small of her back. She gave a startled, pained gasp, and her gaze fell to her lower abdomen.
A knife blade protruded from her body.
Elesa gave a strangled cry as the knife was wrenched out from behind. She fell to the ground, and blood began to flow. No pain, just a dull sensation. Her mind was screaming at her, someone stabbed you! Get help! Hurry! GO!
But Elesa couldn't get up, couldn't move. She lay trembling on the ground as panic set in. She felt numb. Completely numb.
Chili and Cilan called out to her, but their voices were distant and unclear, as if she were hearing them through water. She saw their faces over her, but it was all so blurry.
And there was blood, thick and sticky and so much of it - so much.
The pain finally set in.
Elesa gasped and cried out again in sheer agony. It intensified, a burning sensation, a horrible throbbing.
A cool hand tightly grasped hers. A voice was telling her it would be alright. A pale face hovered above her own. Elesa writhed in agony, crying out to no one at all. She couldn't think. She couldn't see. It was all a jumble of colors and shapes and words and voices, twisting and morphing, blurring and fading.
Yet somehow, it was more clear, more real, than anything she had ever felt before.
Elesa gave one last, sharp cry.
And then the pain faded, and Elesa's world faded along with it.
...
Serena had seen Ash's face pale and heard him scream.
She had screamed too.
Ritchie fell. There was blood on the ground. The Rocket to whom the Electrode had belonged sneered and recalled her now-fainted Pokemon.
"There's one," she smirked. "Now how 'bout the rest of you li'l rebels?" She laughed derisively and tossed another Pokeball in the air. "Seviper! Poison Fang, go!"
Ash let loose a roar of fury. He charged toward the Rocket, Pikachu at his side. The yellow rodent's cheeks were sparking. It almost looked as though Ash himself was sparking.
Wait a minute...
Serena blinked.
Ash was sparking.
And, with another roar, Ash let loose a furiously powerful Thunderbolt. Pikachu leaped up and did the same.
When the light faded, the Rocket was lying flat-out unconscious in the street, her Seviper lying several feet away from her.
It was now that Serena unfroze, racing toward Ash, who was wobbling on his now-weak legs. But he just turned to her and shook his head.
"Serena," he wheezed, "I'm fine. Go - go help Ritchie." He coughed, wobbling on his legs again and looking as if he were about to fall over. The next second, Misty was there to support him. Serena backed away and turned to Ritchie.
The sight of him was sickening.
The red-haired boy was spattered with his own blood, and the back of his neck had a huge gash in it - the skin there was nearly torn apart. It was the same with his upper back. His face looked peaceful, though - he could have almost been sleeping.
Serena quickly checked for a pulse. For a second, she couldn't find it, and her heart nearly stopped. But she checked again, and it was there, thank Arceus - faint, yet there. She let out a breath of relief. Sparky, who was standing nearby, gazed fearfully at his trainer.
Quickly, Serena took what was left of Ritchie's vest and used it to gently wrap his wounds. Brock soon managed to make his way over to her, and by the time he did, the blood flow had slowed considerably. Serena stepped back with Sparky in her arms, letting Brock take over.
"All right," he said seriously. "You did good to wrap the wounds - right now, I think blood loss is the most dangerous factor. It looks like there aren't any internal injuries..." Brock paused for a moment, examining Ritchie's wounds. "Right. We got lucky this time - Ritchie got lucky."
Serena nodded. It was true; if blood loss was their biggest worry, then it wasn't as serious as it could have been. The thought was relieving to some degree.
Brock slipped his backpack off and pulled out a bottle of clear liquid and a dry, clean cloth. He pulled the top off the bottle, and the strong scent wafted over to Serena. It was definitely some sort of disinfectant for open wounds - probably containing some amount of isopropyl alcohol, which was commonly used for cleaning and treating wounds of all kinds.
"Now that the bleeding has slowed, we need to disinfect the wound. If it gets infected, that could be just as deadly as any internal injury, and just as hard to treat." Brock wet the cloth with the liquid and wrapped it around Ritchie's neck wound, beneath the makeshift bandages. Then he added some of his own bandages. He did the same with the wound on Ritchie's back.
"Besides disinfecting it and stopping the blood flow, there's not much else we can do, right?" Serena asked uncertainly. "Besides, you know, keeping it covered and making sure he's rested?"
Brock nodded. "Right. Look, how about you watch him and guard him, make sure he's okay, while we battle?"
Serena nodded. "Okay." She was no expert doctor, but she could do that much, and she knew enough of the basics to be a reliable nurse.
Brock gave her a tight smile. He gently gathered Ritchie into his arms, and Serena followed, still holding Sparky, as Brock carried the boy over to a small grove of trees growing in a patch of grass. He gingerly set Ritchie down on the grass. Sparky bounded over to stand by his trainer, and Serena sat next to him, watching for any signs of consciousness.
A sound caught her attention, and she looked up. Two Rockets faced her, both with cruel smiles on their faces.
"Don't you dare touch him," Serena warned with an uncharacteristic venom in her voice.
She let out her Pokémon,standing in front of Ritchie all the while, and the battle begun.
...
He woke up again.
Lance was trying to nap, but the phone kept waking him up.
With a frustrated sigh, the Indigo Champion stood up from the comfy sofa and stalked over to the home phone. His cell was still off.
He reached out to yank the cord from the wall, but hesitated.
Somehow, Lance got the feeling that this was a call he needed to answer.
He hesitated for a moment more, then sighed and grabbed the handset, putting the receiver to his ear.
"Hello?" His annoyed tone would have been clear to anyone who might have been on the receiving line.
"Lance!" Oh, wonderful, it was Cynthia. "So you FINALLY pick up! I've been trying to get to you for over an hour now!"
"What do you want, Cynthia?" he asked tiredly.
He listened for a moment, and as he did, his expression morphed into one of shock and horror. When she finally finished, he whispered only one word.
"Arceus."
Lance slammed the phone back onto the cradle. He threw open his front door, racing outside, and pulled out a Pokéball. In seconds, Lance was riding on Dragonite on his way to Unova.
"Oh, Arceus."
...
Meloetta was hiding.
Bad things were happening; this she knew. She also knew that her friend, the boy named Ash, was involved. And the bad people - Team Rocket - so were they.
Meloetta closed her eyes. She heard the screams from far away, the people screaming for help, crying because they were hurt.
She wanted to help so badly.
But she couldn't. She was forbidden.
If Team Rocket captured her, it would be much worse. Terrible things would happen. Terrible, terrible things. She could not let those things happen. She could not be captured.
And so Meloetta hid. She hid here, in this deep, dark, damp, cold, and highly unpleasant cave. It wasn't so bad, she supposed. At least the wild Pokémon here were nice. She was friends with many of them now.
Meloetta sighed. She was alone right now. She was curled up against a cave wall, making herself as small as possible.
She was kind of cold. She missed being out in the warm sunshine.
Suddenly, a bright light shone on Meloetta - but it wasn't the sunshine. Instead, it was a flashlight.
Meloetta's eyes widened in fear.
It was the bad people. Team Rocket. They were here.
Meloetta gave a terrified cry as she was surrounded by a net. She writhed and struggled, but to no avail.
A cruel laugh echoed through the cave.
"Loos like we've got her. It's all goin' accordin' to plan - we just gotta get the last of the trio, and things get real fun."
Meloetta's eyes widened. She did not like the sound of that.
Especially because she had a feeling she knew what the Rockets meant by "last of the trio." And that made her more afraid than ever.
...
"Serena!" Misty yelled over her shoulder. "How's Ritchie doing?"
Serena trembled with fear as she voiced the answer. "N-not well at all. His breathing is getting more unsteady, and his heartbeat is abnormally fast..."
"That doesn't sound good," Brock muttered.
Serena placed a cool hand on Ritchie's forehead. "I think he's got a fever, too."
"That sounds worse." Brock groaned.
"You'll be okay, Ritchie," Serena murmured as Sparky curled up next to his trainer, though neither of them knew how true that wqs. "You'll be okay..."
...
First Cress, now Elesa.
Cilan was powerless to help as the Rocket drove the knife through Elesa's body before wrenching it out. He could only watch in horror as blood poured out of the wound, spattering the ground. And then she fell, limp and bloody, to the ground.
Just like with Cress.
Cilan felt the tears coming as he clutched Elesa's hand. She was gone now. Dead.
Cilan had been helpless. Powerless.
He held tighter to her hand, wishing that she wasn't dead. Wishing Cress wasn't dead. Wishing this had never happened in the first place.
Cilan slowly stood. He stepped up to his brother's side, and they nodded towards each other. Iris stood at Cilan's other side, prepared to fight with them.
Cilan felt all his grief, anger, pain, and hatred building inside him. He held his Pokéballs high and tossed them into the air, roaring in fury.
It was time for Team Rocket to pay.
And although his rainbow was all but shattered, Cilan's spirit was far from broken.
...
Okay. Hate me now... but review anyway! Next chapter will be very interesting, to say the least!