A/N: RECAP~ Got out of Mt. Moon, and caught a Machop.


Chapter Fifty-Three:

Speak Up

"You have done well, Jabari."

The Medicham merely blinked at the giant stag, and then looked at his army as well. Fighters of every sort were assembled. Three Honchkrow, a Hitmonchan, two Hitmonlee, a Blaziken, four Floatzel, a Sableye, two Magneton, one Aggron, two Claydol, a Shiftry, and a Magmar stood ready; eager to obey their master.

Jabari lowered his head in sadness. It was going to be a day of despair.

How can a creature so intact with nature knowingly disrupt the balance? I am a traitor to my kind, he thought bitterly to himself, fists clenched.

Arceus took no notice to the ailing spirit of the Medicham, and bellowed to the oblivious army, "Noble warriors. You have come here today, ready to obey your god. I, Arceus, would like to display my humble gratitude. Therefore; I thank you, warriors of Jabari. Your mission is of great importance to me. Jabari? Would you care to explain their mission?"

The Medicham visibly flinched, but knew he had no choice in the matter. So, he stepped forward and began his speech.

"My beloved brethren, today we will aide Arceus in a private mission. We will be fighting a trainer and her Pokemon, not to kill, but simply to get them out of the way. The despair will lead Celebi to us..." he trailed off, regretting what came next, "and when she appears, Arceus will deal with her, and we will withdraw."

An anonymous, tentative voice piped up from the crowd, "Dealt with?"

"I'll rip the little bitch to shreds," boomed the false god; eyes glittering with hate.

The army was shocked into silence, and Jabari sucked in his breath.

"You sick fuck, we'll never serve you!" yelled a gravelly voice, coming from the Shiftry, "Celebi is the essence of nature. I'll die before aiding you in slaughtering her, you pompous, self-absorbed bastard!"

Arceus's face contorted with rage, and he fired a single Hyper Beam at the bold Pokemon.

"Arceus, don't!" cried Jabari, as his warrior, and friend, fell to the ground.

"He had it coming to him,"snarled Arceus, "no one insults me and lives."

Jabari ignored him, and sprinted to the side of his dying friend.

"You are cowardly, Jabari," growled the Shiftry, "if you are half the leader they view you to be, you will avenge my death; and die protecting the Guardian of the Forest." Blood poured from the hole in his side, and his voice become more raspy, "Remember your loyalty to nature, Jabari."

Stephen weakly gestured to the army behind them, "You must decide what is worth dying for. If not for us, nor for nature... then what in the bloody hell do you have to live for?"

The Medicham remained rigid through the noble speech, and as he watched the eyes of the martyr dim, and eventually glaze over.

Crestfallen, Jabari closed the eyelids of the courageous Shiftry, and then shakily rose to face his army, whom stared at him expectantly. He turned to say something brave to Arceus, but then... he blanched.

"C-Continue, Master," he stammered as mournful wails could be heard behind him, from his army. Arceus nodded, grinning wickedly. The army, their distressed leader, and the behemoth stag, were all surrounded by a purple aura, as Arceus transported them to Kanto.

"It is time..."


"Starmie, Water Pulse!"

"Dodge, Oliver! Then use Sleep Powder!"

The purple star-shaped Pokemon blasted three powerful rings of water at the Butterfree; who barely managed to escape. The green spores scattered, but a Protect negated their effect.

"Rapid Spin, Starmie. Let's finish this!"

The rapidly spinning Pokemon slammed into the delicate Butterfree, who fell from the sky and into the water. As the crushed young girl recalled her defeated Butterfree, the referee waved his flag and spoke into a microphone, "The Butterfree is unable to battle. The winner of this match is Gym Leader Misty!"

The crowd surrounding us erupted in cheering, and it was then that I finally looked up to see Leah's reaction. Her eyes were glued to the Gym arena, and the notepad she had carried in was full of scribbled notes.

Julie sucked in a breath, and then let out a low whistle, "Dang, she's good."

Leah nodded, and then absentmindedly began rubbing me behind the ears, "Yeah, I know. I'm glad we came to watch. At least I know what to expect, now."

The grandstands surrounding us emptied, and we eventually rose and began our walk back to the hotel. We had arrived in Cerulean City an hour beforehand.

Whereas Pewter City had been dull and grey, Cerulean was a bit less monotone. Granted, every building other than the Pokemon Center was a shade of blue; but at least there was some sort of variety.

"We're so not ready to battle her," said Leah nervously as she unlocked our room in the Pokemon Center.

"Take it easy, Lee," said Julie in a soothing voice as she walked in behind her, "you'll be fine. Shadow and Kenya know super-effective moves on her Pokemon. You haven't even checked the Machop's moves yet-"

"Keon," said Leah as she pointed the Pokedex at him, "I named him Keon."

Julie smiled, "Keon. I like that name."

"And a very fitting name, at that," murmured Dante.

Keon, having already discovered that Dante knew everything, looked at him curiously. "And what exactly does it mean, dare I ask?"

The chubby little Psyduck chuckled, "It means 'young warrior'."

The Machop nodded; seemingly pleased. Leah's Pokedex bleeped, and then listed off some impressive information.

Machop, the Superpower Pokemon.

Ability: Guts.

Level: 26.

Attacks: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Foresight, Seismic Toss, Revenge, Vital Throw, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch.

"Not bad," said Claire guardedly, as she eyed him.

"Are you kidding me? Those moves are so bad-ass!" yelled Tyson from behind us.

"See? What did I tell you? That's another super-effective move," said Julie as she sat on the bed next to Leah.

Leah bit her lip in uncertainty, and Julie squeezed her in a hug. "You'll do fine. Have confidence in them, Leah. You know, they think the world of you."

Keon patted Leah's hand reassuringly, and Kenya hopped up into her lap.

"It's not their abilities I doubt..." She trailed off and began giving Kenya a belly rub.

Julie frowned, and then suggested, "Why don't you take a hot shower, Leah? The warm water might help calm those nerves."

"Plus that, you two haven't bathed since Pewter City, and the deodorant's just not cutting it, anymore," I snorted.

"Maybe you're right, Julie. Would you-"

Julie held up a hand, "I'll feed them and take care of everything."

Leah hugged her, and then grabbed her things and disappeared into the tiny bathroom.

Julie got up and looked at us, "Uh... you guys stay here. I need to go get some Pokemon food from the lobby."

As soon as she disappeared behind the door, it got quiet.

"It got quiet in here," said Kenya matter-of-factly.

"Well how might you suggest we remedy that situation?" asked Dante as he opened another mint for me.

Claire raised an eye-scale as he tossed it into my mouth, and then smirked, "Okay, Dante. I'm pretty sure no one here has a fucking clue what you just said."

Dante opened his beak to explain, but was cut off by Kenya's blaring voice.

"I have an idea," she squealed delightedly, "we could play a game! Anyone have any ideas?"

Silence.

"How about we play 'truth'?"

Everyone turned to look up at the Natu perched on the bed rail; shocked the normally silent bird had spoken.

He shifted his feet nervously, and then shrugged his tiny wings. "We don't have to, I mean, if no one-"

"That sounds wonderful, Tak!" chirped Kenya in her sickeningly sweet voice, "how do you play?"

"Well, basically, one Pokemon asks a question, and then we all take turns answering that question as truthfully as possible. The question can be about anything-"

"Why would we want to play a stupid game like that?" muttered Tyson.

Tak ducked his head bashfully, and murmured something inaudibly.

"Speak up, they can't hear you!" hissed Shelley tersely.

The shy Natu hesitated, and then spoke in a hushed tone, "Well, as you can see, I'm a very observant Pokemon. We're all at least somewhat friends, but only because we've been forced into the same situation."

He turned and motioned at me with a wing, and his voice became stronger as he went on. "Shadow, you are pretty close to Claire, aren't you?"

I nodded, "Yeah, she's my best friend."

I noticed Claire's cheeks turn an even deeper scarlet, and then I saw Keon glaring at me with what I could only assume was jealousy.

Tak nodded, as if he had been anticipating that answer, and then cleared his throat and spoke again; but this time, in a much more confident tone.

"That's nice. But tell me, Shadow. How much do you know about Claire's past?"

I opened my mouth to answer, and then paused. What did I know about her? I claimed her to be my best friend, and yet I didn't even know how old she was! The thought of knowing so little about her embarrassed me. I felt my muzzle tinge a light pink, and I finally answered, "Well, actually... nothing."

Everyone except Tak and Claire seemed somewhat surprised by my blunt answer.

Tak, using this revelation to further his cause, spoke like a true politician. "I rest my case. The reason I suggested we play an ongoing game of truth, is because we hardly know anything about each other. I mean, we're stuck with each other until the Pokemon League. Not only will it pass the time, but I think getting to know each other better will make us grow closer."

We all nodded in approval, but it was Dante who clapped. "That was brilliant, Tak. You have me utterly convinced."

"There's just one problem," said Tyson from where he stood, next to Kenya, "how in the hell do you win this game?"

"Must he spell it out for you, Tyson?" said Keon in an exasperated voice, "everyone will benefit from growing closer. Isn't that part of the Pokemon Journey? To share a deep bond between your fellow teammates, and to have brotherly love for each other?"

For the second time that day, silence. That is, until we heard the door beep, and Julie re-entered the room.

"I'm back, guys! Man, that was a long line. But, I got you all a packet of food."

The moment ruined, we dispersed and ambled over to her. She poured us each a bowl-full, although Tyson and Shelley shared one. I barely touched the flavor-less pellets; my stomach still churning with nausea. I looked to my left to see Keon disdainfully chewing the stale, revolting food, and couldn't help but laugh.

"I thought you had a trainer before, Keon! Haven't you had Pokemon pellets before?"

He grudgingly swallowed the mush, and grimaced at me, "Yes. But I suppose I had forgotten just how repulsive they were."

"I don't think I could ever forget the taste of this shit," groaned Tyson.

I glanced down at his food bowl, which was licked clean. He belched, and I recoiled. "Didn't you just say they tasted like shit?" I asked slowly.

The Cranidos nodded, and then looked at my bowl tentatively, "You gonna finish that?"

I growled and pushed the bowl his way with my paw, before returning to my spot on the bed. Eventually, everyone settled in around me. Julie was in the shower, and Leah had gone off; promising to be back with a surprise for each of us.

"So. Are we going to do this, or not?" asked Claire as we all got settled in.

I was laying on the bed, and Kenya had insisted on laying right next to me. Shelley was on my other side, with Tak perched on her shell. Claire occupied the threadbare arm chair, while Dante, Keon, and Tyson occupied the floor.

"I think it's a splendid idea," said Dante.

We all looked over to Tyson; expecting him to object. "What?" he demanded, shrugging.

"I have an idea for the first question," piped up Tak from Shelley's back. "If you could spend a day with any one person, dead or alive, who would it be? Shelley, you can go first."

"You," she said flatly.

"Awh, that's so sweet," gushed Kenya.

"Don't read too much into it, cupcake," growled Shelley sarcastically.

"I'd want to see my mother," said Tyson.

"I'd want to spend the day with my trainer," said Keon wistfully, "and get another chance to prove myself to her."

"Einstein," said Dante with a sheepish grin.

"I'd want to see my mommy, too," said Kenya in a soft, saddened voice. Claire was thoughtfully silent, before muttering, "I'm happy where I'm at. But... if I had to pick someone to spend a day with, it would probably be Professor Oak."

Everyone shot her a weird look, and she shrugged. "He took care of me, and he was funny in a senile, sarcastic sort of way."

And all at once, it was my turn.

"Her," I said wisfully, eyes downcast.

Of course, that one word said enough to everyone listening, except our newest addition. I numbly lay there as Claire explained everything to Keon, and then moaned as another, more intense wave of nausea wased over me. As everyone took turns answering Kenya's question, 'what is your favorite color', I bitterly remembered Celebi had once told me she knew why I felt sick.

And because I was too busy thinking and pondering all this, I neglected to hear the faint bellow of rage that resounded through autumn air.


The white, stag-like being stomped his mighty foot; causing the ground around them to tremble with his might. The army, whom stood solemnly behind him, turned to their uneasy leader for an explanation.

"Our targets have moved into the city," explained Jabari in a loud voice; trying desperately to be heard over Arceus's temper-tantrum, "and we can't attack whilst they are surrounded by too many humans."

"So, are we going back?" asked a gruff-sounding Hitmonlee hopefully.

The Medicham cringed as Arceus boomed, "You all will stay right here, and alert me when they leave! Until then, I will be back in Sinnoh."

Arceus glared at Jabari, as if daring him to disobey, before roaring and teleporting back to the Hall of Origin. The army erupted with questions, but Jabari refused to speak until they quieted down.

"Karana," he said, "tonight, go to the targets. Alert them of what is coming."

The Honchkrow he had addressed hesitated, "Jabari... what are you thinking?"

His expression darkened, and he remembered the Shiftry he had left behind. "We're going to do what we can, to make sure Stephen did not die in vain."


A/N: I really do apologize for how late this update is. Not to make excuses... but I want to explain myself:

A few nights ago, I was cooking a frozen pizza. Basically... I shut my fingers in the oven door. Broke the middle finger, and burned the others slightly. As you can imagine... this not only makes writing difficult, but painful as well. (-.-) Really... its kind of funny. I mean, who breaks their finger cooking?

That aside, let me move on to the rating. Long story short... my temper got away with me, I cussed someone out, and they threatened to report LITM for an improper rating. (End of story, no discussion) So, that's why I bumped it up to M. It's still going to be the same old stuff, though; no explicit sexual content, just the usual cussing and such. Hopefully this won't deter any of you from continuing to read...

The Chapter 2 re-write is complete, you might check it out. (: If not, that's fine too. Hopefully, the next update won't be so late. My apologies!!

Until then,

~Shelby