Chapter Fifty-Three: Purpose

"This is it?" Katsu asked incredulously as he stared at the unimposing cave mouth before him. "You sure? It's not particularly impressive… or hidden. The white rock was at least out of the way. If some legend was hiding here, don't you think someone from Dewford would have already found it?"

"But it is a sort of fitting place, if you think about it," Brian said. "The waves have crashed against this cave for ages, and yet it still stands."

Katsu rolled his eyes. "Now you're just getting all poetic or something. You could say that about any seaside cave."

"I'm sure this is it," Eve said. Goosebumps were rising on her arms just from being this close to it. After searching the mainland for over two weeks with nothing to show for it, Eve had almost thought that she really had made a mistake when thinking that Hoenn was the location of this last legendary. This tiny cave on Dewford Island proved otherwise. "There's no mistake about it. The last pokémon is here."

"But just what is this pokémon?" Katsu said. "We never got any leads, did we? Even after figuring out that the pokémon is here, we still couldn't find anything. This cave is unremarkable in every way imaginable – even the locals don't have any legends about it, aside from trainers getting lost in the dark. That's hardly surprising. It's pitch black in there."

Brian crossed his arms and grinned slightly. "Well, if we get killed by this legend or get lost in the dark, then I expect you to speak at my funeral. Got it?"

Katsu half-smiled back, but his heart wasn't in it. "I'm no good at making speeches, so just make sure you come out alive. Got it?" Brian nodded. "And you too, Eve."

"Of course," Eve said, not nearly as worried as she should have been. Her instinct to find this last fragment was absolutely overpowering her; it was difficult for her to concentrate on any other thought.

She suddenly felt someone else's hand slide into her own, and she looked up to stare into Mark's eyes. As always, they were cloudy due to his blindness, yet the emotion in them was as visible as it could be. "Be careful, won't you? If something does go wrong, Tim and I will be ready to help."

Katsu saw the interlinked hands, and despite the seriousness of the situation, the half-smile on his face grew. "Woah, woah, hold up. Did something happen between you two? I was surprised enough when Mark showed up out of nowhere to help research legends, but does this mean you guys met up with each other earlier than now? Care to enlighten Brian and Hope and I, lovebirds?"

Eve blushed slightly, but Mark simply let his political mask slide into his expression as he gave Eve's hand a slight squeeze before letting go. "It's hardly anything worth mentioning," he said. "At least, not right now. So Eve, can Hope, Katsu and I follow you and Brian inside? Or do you think you have to go in there alone?"

"It might be fine for a while, but-"

"I'm sure we can handle things, Eve," Brian said. "Besides, as Katsu pointed out, it's a rather small cave. If something does happen, it might be tough for all of us to maneuver in there. Although if you can sense where we might be going, Mark, then all of us could just teleport down there."

Mark shook his head. "I can believe that this is the place. The darkness isn't just the absence of visible light – my mind can't see into it at all."

I can see a little in there, Tim said. But I don't think I'd be much help. It's like my awareness is back to the level it was at before I met Mark.

Eve shrugged her shoulders. She was confident, yet also nervous. "Can't be helped, I guess. Brian, are you ready?"

"That depends. Do you even have a pokémon that knows flash? None of my pokémon do."

Eve nodded, pulled out a pokéball, and pressed the opening mechanism so that Hannah could come out.

~Huh? What's up?~ Hannah asked, looking around.

"Brian and I need you to light up that cave for us as we explore the inside. It might take a while. Can you maintain your flash for long?"

In response, the purple leaf on Hannah's head began to glow. ~In just the few seconds since you've let me out, I've gotten enough energy from the sun to keep a flash going for hours. It's not exactly a strenuous attack, especially when you just need it to glow, and not blind.~

Brian looked to Eve. "Shall we be off, then?"

Eve, in turn, looked back to Hannah. "After you, my dear bayleef."

Almost as soon as they entered the crevice-like opening, they saw that Katsu's assessment about the cave being pitch black was about as accurate as anyone could get. Even so close to the entrance, they would have been all but blind without Hannah's light.

~So what is this place, exactly?~ Hannah asked as she led the way through the large, open cavern that they first found themselves in.

"It's a cave in the Hoenn region," Eve said aloud for Brian's sake, so that he had at least some idea that a conversation was being held. "This is where the last legendary pokémon should be."

"Hey Eve," Brian interrupted before Hannah might have the chance to reply. "Would you mind if I let out one of my own pokémon in here? This place is bigger than I thought, and to be honest, I don't exactly like the fact that there's still a lot we can't see outside of the range of Hannah's light."

Hannah's leaf flashed brighter for a moment. ~Are you criticizing my illumination skills?~

Eve patted Hannah on the head, just behind the spot where her leaf sprouted and said, "It's just a big cavern, and we don't know what could be in here. You know you'd have trouble if a swarm of blood-hungry golbat came at us from beyond the range of your flash. It can't hurt to have another pokémon out."

Brian took this as his permission and let out his ursaring, the strongest of all his pokémon. Eve had tried speaking with this particular pokémon several times before, but like all of Brian's other pokémon, he was unusually reluctant to carry on much of a conversation. He quite characteristically didn't question why they were in a cave, or why he'd been let out when there was no immediate danger; he simply began to plod along behind Brian, covering the group's rear.

For a while, they continued on in silence. Eve said nothing simply because she was being so completely drawn onward by her instinct to go deeper and deeper into the darkness of the cave. Brian didn't seem to mind the silence; his mind, too, was preoccupied with exactly what was going to happen next.

Eventually, though, after maybe twenty minutes of exploring the cave – occasionally turning back whenever they hit a dead end – Brian spoke up again.

"Why is it that Hope has the fragment that you were supposed to get from Giratina?" he asked, in a tone of voice that made Eve guess that he'd been wondering about this for a while. "If you don't mind me asking, that is. I know you've been keeping it a secret, and I'm sure you've got a good reason… But if something like that could happen to me, I'd at least like to know beforehand."

Eve was thrown off a bit by the suddenness of the question, but quickly decided it was best to answer. If anyone deserved to know, it was him – after all, Shaymin had warned that the pokémon they were about to meet could be fairly eccentric concerning its particular virtue. It wasn't entirely outside the realm of possibility for this pokémon to do roughly the same thing that Giratina did.

"It's not something that's exactly easy to say," Eve started. "In essence… Giratina didn't think that I understood Death, and so she refused to give the fragment to me. She gave it to Hope instead, with the condition that I couldn't get it until Hope, um… Well, until she dies."

Unlike Katsu, Brian didn't seem too surprised about this information. "I wondered whether or not it might be something bad like that. Especially since you wouldn't tell any of us what had happened with Giratina. So do you think that could happen to me, too?"

Eve shook her head. "Not the death part, at least. That was only because that was Giratina's fragment. Even if things don't go all according to plan here, I don't think it'll end up with any conditions quite as bad as that."

Brian nodded, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere. Eve got the sense that maybe he had something else that was troubling him that he wanted to say, but he was trying to come up with the right way to go about it.

Eventually, he spoke again. "Eve, before we find this pokémon… There's something I really need you to do for me."

His voice was serious enough to make Eve stop and look him in the eye; whatever he was about to say, she could tell it was very important, and that it had taken a long time for him to find the right moment to say it. "Yes?" Eve asked. "What is it?"

Brian took a deep breath, then said, "I'd like you to ask my ursaring what exactly happened to him the day I captured him."

"Wasn't that the day-"

"-my parents died?" Brian finished. "Yes, it was. Now please, just ask for me. I've always wondered why he was by himself that day."

Eve looked up to the ursaring, who was looking to his trainer for guidance. Perhaps Brian could tell that Ursaring was more than reluctant to speak, and so he encouraged him, "Go on, Ursaring. I'm prepared for the worst – you know I'm ready for it."

Wondering what exactly Brian meant by that, Eve continued to gaze at the troubled-looking Ursaring. ~Well?~ Eve asked him.

~I had wandered off from my parents earlier in the day,~ the Ursaring finally said, with much reluctancy. ~I got lost. I was newly-hatched. I didn't know what to do. I wandered around and eventually heard their voices in the distance. They were in a rage, calling out for me.~ His ears twitched once, then twice, as if he could still here their roars of rage even in this cave. ~I was scared I'd be in trouble, but even more frightened of the place I was lost in. I went towards where I heard them, but I was so focused on their voices that I didn't really realize Brian was even there until he had already caught me.~

The ursaring acted as if that was the end of the story, so Eve looked Brian in the face and said, "He was a newly-hatched teddiursa that got separated from his parents. He was trying to get back to them when you caught him."

"I see," Brian said, though some enigmatic tone of his voice told Eve that his question really hadn't been answered. "Ursaring, is there anything else? Anything at all you remember from that day?"

Ursaring seemed to get more uncomfortable at this urging but, not wanting to disobey his trainer, he said with a regretful growl, ~Right before I was caught, I heard my dad roar something. He was enraged.~

Sensing that this matter was more delicate than what had already been said, Eve switched to pokémon speech and asked, ~What is it that he said? Or could you even hear it well enough to tell?~

~Well enough? There was no mistaking it. I'm sure every pokémon on the mountain heard it… 'Humans.' That's what he was shouting.~ Eve's mouth opened slightly in horror as the ursaring continued, ~There are some things that a pokémon just knows. The moment I turned and saw the boy that was throwing a pokéball at me, I knew that his parents were the ones my parents found. And an enraged pair of ursaring searching for their cub will tear apart anything and anyone they see as a threat. My parents… They were the ones who killed Brian's mother and father, without a doubt.~

Eve looked up to Brian, the terribleness of the truth still on her face. Brian looked back at her, a sadness in his eyes. "They did it, didn't they?" Brian asked quietly. "My ursaring's parents were the ones to kill my parents, right?"

The look on Eve's face gave away the answer.

Brian sighed. "It wasn't until I was older that I put two and two together. The whole reason my parents had been there researching was to observe mated ursaring as they cared for newly-hatched cubs. The teddiursa I caught was obviously young – it had to have wandered off. His parents must have been tearing up the mountainside looking for him."

Brian's acceptance of the news helped to calm Eve; though the revelation didn't affect her directly, it had been shocking enough to leave her speechless for a bit. Though it seemed as if Brian had guessed most of the story, Eve felt obligated to explain those final details that Ursaring had provided. "Your ursaring says that he wandered off, and that he could hear his parents searching for him. Apparently… They found your parents right before you caught him."

"Thanks for asking him for me," Brian said. He started walking forward; Hannah took the hint and once again began to lead. Now, Eve followed behind Brian, watching him carefully as if she could see whether he was truly all right.

After maybe a minute, Brian spoke again, obviously still on the same topic of conversation. "That's why I'm so confident in what I strive to do. Families are literally torn apart by pokemon – you see it in the news nearly every week. Even in modern times such as ours, it always happens somewhere, to someone. Unless we make sure that humans are in control, then it will simply continue to happen. Pokémon can't control themselves. Even you've said as much."

Still looking at Brian's back, Eve said, "I respect your opinion, especially knowing what you've been through. But I know that having that much control over pokémon can't change anything. Not really, at least. It just shifts who receives the pain. If you continue with what you do, then won't you just be hurting the pokémon you try to manage?"

"If that's how you feel, then why do you even have me with you? Wouldn't you want as little to do as possible with someone who holds my opinions?"

Eve looked down to the ground and just barely managed to avoid tripping over a loose rock. "Even if I disagree with you, I still need you for this. And more importantly, you're a friend. You helped me when Team Rocket was trying to starve me to death, even though it got you hurt… I can't just forget that, you know."

Brian turned his head slightly to face Eve, a warm smile on his face. "For something as valuable as your friendship, any amount of pain was an acceptable price. Even if our opinions differ, I have to admit – you're an incredible person."

Blood rushed to Eve's face, though no one could see the blush in the semi-darkness. But before Eve could say anything in reply, Hannah said, ~Huh? What's that up there?~

"There's something up there?" Eve asked aloud, looking forward; despite the touching conversation of just a moment ago, her mind easily refocused on the task at hand.

The group felt the rock beneath their feet slope gently upward as they came closer and closer to what at first had seemed to be a glow in the darkness ahead of them; as they finally reached the glow, they realized that it was nothing more than a big, very pale rock, reflecting the light that came from Hannah's head leaf.

"I've never even heard of an everstone deposit this large," Brian said, looking at the rock closely.

~Everstone?~ Hannah asked. ~What's that?~

Eve repeated the question, just as clueless as Hannah.

"It's a rare type of mineral, though not very sought after," Brian said. "As far as anyone can tell, its only application is to keep pokémon who hold it from evolving."

~Keep from evolving? I can barely believe that,~ Hannah said. ~When I evolved, it didn't really seem like a choice. Even if I'd wanted to, I doubt I could have stopped it. How could a little stone have that much of an effect?~

Hannah's words sparked an idea in Eve's mind. ~So you're saying that it would take a very strong will and a lot of determination to stop evolution?~

~At the very least, if it's even possible.~

A sad little smile came to Eve's lips as she said under her breath, "Basil… he did it, didn't he? He kept from evolving twice, until he felt it was the proper time."

"What was that?" Brian asked.

Eve shook her head, as if ridding her mind of the sorrow. "It's nothing. I just think that this might be the spot." Eve placed both hands on the stone and felt energy flow through her. "Now if I can just concentr-"

But she already had been concentrating; with her instinct driving her on, it was hard for her to think of anything else other than summoning whatever pokémon was here. What had interrupted her was an exceedingly strange sensation beneath her fingers, as well as a sudden ringing sound. All of a sudden, the stone beneath her hands wasn't stone; it was crystal. And in that crystal was… something. Eve couldn't tell exactly what. It looked almost like a pokémon of some kind, but the refractions of the crystal made it difficult to say for sure.

Eve promptly removed her hands from the top of the boulder of crystal when she saw that thing inside seemed to be rising upwards. In a matter of seconds, the thing had phased through the top of the crystal, and there it floated in the air just above its previous cocoon.

Now that it was completely unobscured by the crystal, Eve was sure that this small, white-and-yellow being was a pokémon. Its relatively tiny body seemed to be covered in some sort of yellow cloth, so that only it's relatively large head could be seen. Its face was white with small blue markings just beneath its closed eyes, and three yellow protrusions stuck out from the top and sides, each with a blue tag hanging from its tip. It looked somehow familiar to Eve, though she couldn't quite put her finger on what it reminded her of.

While Eve, Hannah, Brian and Ursaring were all still staring at the floating pokémon, the folds of the yellow cloth loosened and fell so that they hung from the pokémon's upper back, revealing a small humanoid body with a curved line on its stomach. Then the pokémon finally opened its eyes and looked from Brian to Eve.

It's been a long time since anyone's awoken me, the pokémon said, his voice ringing out in the minds of the pokémon and humans present.

Now that the pokémon had fully revealed itself, Eve realized why he looked o familiar. "You're Jirachi, aren't you?" she asked.

The little pokémon smiled. Indeed I am. I'd thought humans had completely forgotten about me. How is it that you know my name?

"We haven't completely forgotten," Eve explained. "When I was a kid, I had a picture book that said that anyone could wish on stars, because there was always a chance that the star was actually Jirachi. And if you chose the right star, then your wish would come true." Eve paused, then said, "I suppose that's kind of silly, but-"

No need to worry if it's silly or not, Jirachi said kindly. So they call me a wishing pokémon? I suppose that's not far from the truth. A wish is nothing more than a strong desire. And if that desire is strong enough, it can motivate anyone to turn that wish into reality. You already understand that I am the pokémon of Purpose, I see – otherwise you would not have brought such a perfect candidate to wake me.

At this, she turned to Brian and locked eyes with him. However, I see that there is still one more thing that you have as of yet hesitated to do in pursuit of your goals. Until you go through with it, I cannot give your friend the fragment of Purpose that she seeks. Either follow through now, or come back once you have.

Eve looked to Brian, confused. "What's Jirachi talking about?" If Brian's goal is to make sure that humans are in control of pokémon, then what could he do about that here? Unless… Eve let her glance shift to the ursaring that stood just behind Brian. Surely… The only thing I can think of is that he feels like he has to kill his ursaring, since he now knows it comes from a family of killers, and thus is unsafe to be around humans. But that doesn't seem quite in line with Brian's beliefs, either – as long as pokémon are under humans' control, he thinks they're safe. So what, then?

Brian rubbed his forehead with one hand, as if trying to purge whatever thoughts were going through his mind. "It's nothing, really. It's more about me coming to terms with something than anything else. I think… I think what Jirachi means is that I just really have to understand why I'm doing what I'm doing. Is that right?"

Jirachi continued to look to Brian, but he said nothing in response to the human's question.

"Well, whether I'm right or not, I might as well try. I just really have to think about it. Hannah, do you think you could turn off the light for a moment? It'll help me think if I can just forget about what's around me."

~Eve?~ Hannah asked, waiting to see what Eve thought of this idea.

Eve looked at Brian, trying to figure out just what he was thinking. But he was still the same, indecipherable Brian that Eve had first met. Back when he'd campaigned, he'd been genuinely kind one moment, then convincingly cruel the next. Though they'd been friends for several months now, Eve still could never tell exactly what was going through his mind.

"You're not about to do something drastic, are you?" Eve asked tentatively. "I want the fragment badly, but I don't want you doing something that you'll regret later. I'm not that desperate."

Brian turned to Eve and smiled, his whole demeanor suddenly more assuring than it had been a moment ago. "Really, Eve, don't worry about it," Brian insisted. "Just give me a moment to think – you'll have this fragment in no time."

Eve smiled back, then gave Hannah the go ahead to cut the light. The group was suddenly plunged into complete darkness; Eve doubted that even Blight would be able to see in such conditions. Eve suddenly became more alert to the sounds around her. Somewhere at the edge of the cavern, she heard the flutter of a zubat's wings; a bit nearer, she heard a sound not unlike that of metal on rock, and guessed that a steel-type was nearby. The heavy breathing of the ursaring was loud in her ears, nearly covering up the small noises that she and Hannah made whenever they shifted their weight or turned towards a noise that had startled them.

Brian made small noises, too. A rustle of fabric told Eve that he'd somewhat shifted position – perhaps he'd sat down, though it still seemed as if he was standing. The slight sound of a step a moment later confirmed that he was still upright.

What could he possibly be thinking? Eve wondered. What's so important to his goal that he needs to figure it out within himself before Jirachi is willing to give up the fragment? Maybe-

The touch of a hand on Eve's shoulder roused her from her mind's wanderings. She was about to ask what Brian was doing when suddenly, pain lanced through her shoulder. She yelped in pain as her opposite hand instinctively reached up to the source; something sharp sliced open her palm, and she felt blood from both her hand and her shoulder begin to run down her arm.

~Eve!~ Hannah called out, immediately lighting up the room again when she heard Eve's exclamation at the pain and smelt blood in the air.

Before either Hannah or Eve quite knew what was happening, Eve felt the knife pulled from her shoulder and sensed its tip at her neck, and Hannah found herself being picked up and thrown away by Brian's powerful ursaring. The light that came from the bayleef's leaf dimmed momentarily, then grew bright once again as she got to her feet and readied herself for battle.

Brian and Eve were both still standing before Jirachi, and through eyes clouded by pain, Eve saw Jirachi smile once again. But this was different from before – it was a sad smile, one that showed that he found no joy in the proceedings. Brian, you have proven yourself willing to do anything in order to accomplish your goals. I shall keep my promise. A ghostly image of the tag at the top of Jirachi's head suddenly formed just in front of the true tag; and this image floated to Eve, who was still being held in place by the blade pressed against her neck. She felt it as it settled into her hair, and she felt the smallest of strings from the tip of the tag embed one end into her scalp, thus securing the fragment of Purpose into Eve's hair alongside the three other fragments that Eve possessed.

"Brian, what are you doing?" Eve asked through teeth clenched in pain. Blood poured over her fingers as she continued to hold onto the front of her shoulder, even though she could feel that the worst of the blood was leaking down her back, from the hole where the knife had first punctured.

"I'd be more than happy to explain. But first, call off your bayleef. If she causes trouble now, I'll be forced to do to her what Hope did to Basil. Besides, even if she could beat all my pokemon and get you to Mark and the others, you still won't survive without my help. This knife is covered in a type of poison. Without the right antidote, you'll be dead in about two days."

Eve didn't have to say anything to Hannah. The bayleef had heard Brian well enough; and though she couldn't have cared less for her own safety at that moment, she understood that if what Brian said was true, then battling would do no good. She withdrew the vines she had been prepared to attack with, but still she stood at the ready should the right opportunity emerge for her to save her trainer.

Seeing that Hannah wasn't about to try anything to rescue her trainer, Brian relaxed slightly and said, "You were never really a person for logical deductions, so let me go through things step by step. One – if I am the person who could help you summon the pokémon of Purpose, it stands to reason that I am 100% committed to my goals. Two – you believe that my purpose is to ensure that humans have dominance over pokémon, which indeed is the case. If these two things are true, then how could I ever let you change the world so that humans and pokémon are in balance?"

Eve was getting kind of dizzy now, and her thoughts felt jumbled around in her head; she couldn't quite tell if this was due to the blood loss, the poison, or a combination of those two things. "But… But…"

"Listen, Eve. I'm sorry it had to come to this," Brian said, sounding sincere to an extent. "I really have never liked doing this sort of thing, ever since I joined Team Rocket. And I especially never relished the idea of betraying you like this. But I've known for a long time that I can't let what happened to my parents happen to any other people, if I can help it. And I will do anything to accomplish that end. If that means using the power you've gained from the legends in order to ensure human control, then so be it."

The blade bit into her neck slightly as Eve wavered, not quite able to stand steadily anymore. But this wasn't due to the blood loss, or the poison. Shock was slowly shutting down her mind as she relived the worst moments of her life – Basil's murder, and her own captivity in Team Rocket's base.

And it wasn't just those memories that so disturbed Eve. As she tried to understand the situation, the true implications of it came flooding into her mind. I told Brian that Hope has to die in order for me to get that fragment. He'll kill her. And my pokémon – they won't be safe, either. I can't let them be hurt and killed. It won't happen. I have to do something… Dear Arceus! If I don't think of something - I have to think of something! I have to!

Jirachi, who was still watching the scene unfold, suddenly looked at Eve in a new light. Well, this is surprising – your own purpose is nearly as strong as your friend's, he said, his voice once again echoing through the minds of all present. Very well. To make up for what I have encouraged to happen to you, I will give you a gift. Use it wisely, and your wish to save your friends might yet be fulfilled!

Eve watched distantly as the line on Jirachi's stomach separated, revealing that it was no line – rather, it had been the only visible indication of a massive eye on the pokémon's stomach. The large, blue-green pupil that was revealed began to glow, as did the tags on Jirachi's head, nearly blinding all those present. For maybe five seconds, the light persisted. Thinking this was Jirachi's gift, Eve blindly took a chance and tried to slide out of Brian's grasp. She almost managed it, but Brian felt her trying to get away and quickly caught her again, pressing the blade even more roughly against her neck.

The light faded, and Eve felt tears leak out of her eyes. She'd missed her chance. If only she'd been able to get all of her pokémon over to Hannah, maybe the bayleef could have gotten them all to safety. And as she looked to where Jirachi had been, all that remained was the pale boulder of everstone that she had first seen.

Despite his disappearance, though, Jirachi's voice rang out one last time. This is all I can do for you. Use the gift well.

~Eve?~ Hannah's voice rang out tentatively, as if she were so shocked by something that even the current situation could not, for the moment, overrule her surprise. ~I think I just evolved.~

"What?" Eve said, a feeling of hope fluttering inside her. She turned her head, and sure enough, Hannah the bayleef was no longer present. Instead, a similar but much larger pokémon stood in her place; her purple antennae and violet-and-pink petals glowed brightly in the darkness, more luminescent than her withered leaf on her bayleef head could ever have been.

But that wasn't the only thing that was strange. Eve soon realized that it wasn't only her petals and antennae that were glowing; her entire body was still faintly lit, as if the power that had allowed her to evolve still surged through her veins.

Eve forced her mind to process this new turn of events, desperately trying to figure out what to do. Regardless of Hannah's new strength, Eve still had poison coursing through her veins and a knife pressed against her throat. What was it that Jirachi said? That perhaps I could save my friends… she said nothing about me. If that's all I can manage – if I can only save them, and not myself – then so be it.

Before anyone could quite recover from their surprise, Eve said aloud, "Hannah, if Brian tries anything else, kill him and his ursaring. Even if it means I die, too. Promise me."

Hannah tensed her body, and once again extended her vines; they were long enough now that she could have reached from her current position to where Eve and Brian were, but for Eve's sake she kept them mostly withdrawn. ~I promise, but please tell me that you know what you're doing! I don't want you to die!~

"You think that just because she evolved, your meganium can beat my ursaring?" Brian asked skeptically.

Though her head still spun, Eve's thoughts suddenly seemed clearer than ever. She had a plan, and she was resigned to her fate; these two things together brought a sort of calm to her words as she said, "You can tell, too, can't you? Jirachi gave her more power than just the amount needed to evolve. For the moment, at least, she could easily take out your urasaring, and any other pokémon you try to use against her."

Brian didn't deny this, nor did he seem troubled by it. "Regardless, if she does take out both me and my pokémon, you'll simply end up dying from the poison. I'd die before telling you what antidote is needed. With the power you have now, I couldn't live with myself if I gave you the chance to survive and carry out your plans."

"You don't want to die, do you?" Eve asked softly between breaths; she was finding it hard to stay upright.

"It hardly matters if I live or die. Team Rocket will continue to work towards its goals regardless, and its goals are roughly the same as mine."

"You didn't answer the question."

Brian paused, then replied, "No, of course I don't want to die."

Eve took a few moments to catch her breath, then said, "Then let me take you through this, step by step. Logically." She paused again, and realized that she'd fallen to her knees. Brian kept his knife at the ready, but didn't bother to press it to her throat any longer; considering the state she was in, she wouldn't be able to stop him if he drove it into her exposed back. "Option 1: I have Hannah attack. You, your Ursaring, and any other pokémon you use dies. Either you stab and kill me, or I die from the poison that you say is in my body. My pokémon would be safe, though, and that's all that matters."

~Eve, no! Unless there's no other way, then I refuse to do it!~ Hannah said. ~Basil… He wouldn't want that, and you know it! All of us will suffer as much as need be to keep you alive!~

Eve turned her head slightly so that she could look Hannah in the eyes. Hannah stared back at her, transfixed; the eyes of the human looking back at her were dead, full of despairing hope. ~Don't worry. I do have a plan.~

"Option one?" Brian asked, unperturbed. "I'm not much liking that. What's option two?"

"You give Hannah my pokeballs and let her leave her before us, so that she and my other pokémon can get to safety."

~Eve, no! There has to be some other way – I'm not running to save myself!~

~But there is no other way!~ Eve practically shouted in pokémon speech. Though her physical weakness limited how much she could express herself verbally, instinctual communication had no such limits. ~You have to save yourself, and the other pokémon. And you must get Hope away from here! I know that Brian is planning on killing her – you have to keep her safe! Please, Hannah, we don't have time to discuss this! I can tell that I'm not just suffering from blood loss and my already weak lungs. The poison is there. I've lost more blood than this before, but I never felt this weak. I won't be able to do any bargaining in another five minutes or so. We have to do this now!~

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Brian said, unclipping the pouch from Eve's waist and tossing it over towards Hannah; the newly-evolved meganium warily caught it with her vines, expecting some sort of trick. "However, Hannah has to lead the way out of here, otherwise you'll be dead by the time we find our way out."

"Fine," Eve said. ~But Hannah, just as soon as you can see the exit to this cave, get out there and get Hope out of sight!~

The petals around Hannah's neck drooped pitifully. ~Are you sure there's nothing else we can do? Nothing at all?~

An empty smile spread on Eve's face. ~I'm sorry, Hannah. You did so great to evolve with Jirachi's help… I'm sorry I couldn't think of a better way to use your talents. Now please, go! It might be selfish of me, especially if Team Rocket thinks they can use me to change the world, but… I don't want to die, Hannah. Even if that'd be the best thing for the world, I don't want to die. ~

A sorrowful keening sound came from Hannah's throat, but she no longer argued. Pouch of pokéballs still grasped in her vines, she started heading back the way they came, lighting the way in a more subdued manner than before.

"Ursaring, you carry Eve," Brian ordered, finally withdrawing his knife. "Make sure that you have a claw to her throat when we get to the entrance; I don't want Mark to get any ideas about trying to save her before he knows the situation."

Eve drifted off into semi-consciousness for a long while after that. The next thing she knew, light was streaming through her eyelids, and she opened her eyes and squinted to see the bright, midafternoon sky. She was cradled against the massive ursaring's body, one of his arm beneath her while the other held its claws against her throat.

"Brian, what's going on here?" Eve heard Mark's voice ask, rage just beneath the surface. He was no idiot; no doubt he'd already guessed the essence of the situation.

Looking around for a moment as if confused, Brian said, "Where has Hope gone?"

Turning her head towards Mark, Eve saw that Hope was indeed gone. Katsu was still there, though, looking shocked. Unlike Mark, he probably could not easily accept the scene that lay before his eyes.

"Hope was tackled by a meganium and dragged off somewhere," Mark answered. "Judging by the speed and power of the meganium, both pokémon and human are long gone by now. Now, my question?"

Brian smirked slightly; perhaps he didn't truly enjoying hurting Eve like this, but part of him obviously couldn't help but like the feeling of power he got from being in control. "Eve currently has poison running through her veins, and I'm the only one who knows what kind of poison it is, and what kind of rare antidote is needed to keep it from killing her. So Mark, you are going to let me take Eve. If you try to follow, then I'll leave her to you, so that you can feel full responsibility for her unavoidable death. Do you understand?"

"And how do I know she's really poisoned?"

Eve tried to speak, to tell him that she could tell that it was true; but her mouth didn't seem to want to work.

Instead, Brian said, "To both me and Team Rocket, someone with her power is better off dead than free. What reason would I have to be bluffing about the poison? If we can't control her and her power, then we want her gone."

"Brian, what are you saying!" Katsu suddenly asked. "We're all friends, aren't we? Surely you can't mean all this!"

All Brian had to do was meet Katsu's eyes in response. Katsu immediately realized that it was no use. This was really happening. In anger, Katsu reached to his belt to grab a pokéball, but Mark grabbed his wrist before Katsu could reach the red and white sphere.

"If we resist, Eve dies, Katsu," Mark said, his voice so filled with barely controlled anger that it was frightening. "Brian's not lying about the poison."

"I'm glad you're seeing things my way. Figuratively speaking, of course," Brian said. "Now, if you'd be so kind, hand over your pokémon. Otherwise, I'll carry out my threat of letting Eve die."

Mark's blind eyes blazed with hatred. "The otherwise also includes me letting Tim burn your body into ash. If you let Eve die, I'd kill you in a heartbeat. But I know that Eve is more valuable to you than my pokémon are; you aren't going to kill her just to get Tim or any of the others."

A friendly laugh came from Brian, though a slight roughness tore at the edges of the sound, revealing how tense he actually was. "You've called my bluff. But thankfully, you realize everything else I've said is true. That makes things easier." He pulled a pokéball from his belt, and a gardevoir appeared; since Brian had never once trained a psychic pokémon, it was undoubtedly a stolen pokémon that now belonged to whatever was left of Team Rocket. "This pokémon's teleporting is nothing compared to Tim's. Still, she'll get me far enough away so that you can't follow me when I take off on a flying pokémon. I wouldn't have even needed to come back up to the surface, but I'd been hoping to get a hold of Hope and the rest of Eve's pokémon. Oh well – I suppose I can't come away with every prize. It's been a pleasure getting to know both of you, but for now, I suppose it's time for me to say goodbye."

And just like that, Eve, Ursaring, Brian and the gardevoir were gone, leaving Katsu and Brian standing helplessly on the beach.


So, um... Well, Eve's in some deep trouble again, though I promise that the situation will be quite different now from what things were like for her the first time Team Rocket got a hold of her.

I can also say with confidence that we are very close to the end. To be honest, I really don't know what exactly is going to happen after this, but I can't see this fanfic possibly continuing for more than another ten chapters. THE END IS NIGH.

And I wasn't originally going to have Hannah evolve again in this fanfic, simply because I didn't realize until this chapter that there would be a chance for her to evolve so soon after becoming a bayleef. But it just seemed to fit somehow; after all, the first time she evolved, it was to protect Eve, and she failed that time just like she could do nothing this time... Which is kind of depressing to think about... :(