Chapter 49: Seeing Things
Rook dropped from the sky, suspended just beneath the blue form of a new Pokemon in his arsenal: a Heracross. Two other Pokemon dropped with him, his old Azumarill and a glinting Lucario. The party landed in the center of the battlefield, and for a moment, no one moved.
The crowd was still, though I could hear a few people muttering. Who knew what about…
Rook looked around. Something like a smile congealed on his face. He was wearing a blue-black suit; his hair was long as ever; there was a thick red scarf around his neck.
"Let the games," he murmured, "begin!"
With an angry roar, Richard called out to his Pokemon, "Electivire, get him!"
The electric Pokemon leapt forward, mirroring his trainer's cry. Sparks flew from his arms as he clawed through air for Rook. The man turned, considered the charging Pokemon briefly, then nodded at it, dismissive. Rook's Lucario stepped forward, lifting his paws toward Electivire. The Force Palm took hold, and Electivire was thrown across the field like a rag doll. He slumped against the wall, and did not move.
"That Electivire… it looks somewhat familiar. Have I, perhaps, encountered it before?"
I didn't say anything, and neither did Richard. We were both sure that Electivire preferred his life as Richard's partner to that as Rook's weapon.
"No matter. Do not interfere again, young man, or your will soon find yourself an unidentifiable corpse. Are you ready, Ian?" he asked, turning to face me. "Of course you are. After all, a trainer must always be ready. Azumarill and I shall face off against your Steelix. The match starts… now."
"Iron Head, Fang! Go!" I called.
Fang's head gleamed impressively in the spotlights. With a roar, she lunged at the water Pokemon. Needless to say, it was a hopeless mismatch.
Azumarill skipped sideways, around the attack; Fang smashed into the ground. Rook's Pokemon released a blast of water that sent Fang reeling into the air. She roared in pain, and I could see the flecks of rust clinging to her cheek.
But Azumarill didn't let up, not even for a second: without a word from Rook, Azumarill bounded into the air, arms swinging together like a hammer. Before Fang could move, the Double Edge struck the top of her head. With another wail of pail, she was flung to the floor. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit.
Sorry. That really doesn't do anyone any good…
Fang slowly began to wander upright, and Azumarill paused. It looked to its master questioningly. Rook nodded. Continue. Azumarill began a blur of blue, and then it was in the air again, leaping toward Fang.
"Double Team!" I barked.
Fang moved, just in time, and the second Double Edge missed. A line of afterimages appeared, leading away from the wall, back toward the center of the arena. Azumarill looked after them, hand to its mouth like a child. It seemed confused. Well, I can hope.
"Surround it, Fang!"
The air shimmered, and a ring of illusions appeared, circumnavigating the water Pokemon. It turned slowly, trying in vain to pick out the real one. Rook clicked his tongue, impressed, possibly annoyed.
"There," I barely heard him murmur. He nodded his deformed face.
I couldn't tell which Fang was the real one, but somehow, Rook could… and his Pokemon seemed to have picked up on it.
"Dragon Breath!" I called, before Rook could counter.
Instantly, abruptly, Fang solidified in front of Azumarill and loosed a jet of blue-green flame. Azumarill was blown back; it looked painful. Dragon Breath is gnarly stuff. I had an advantage now, and I couldn't let it go to waste.
"Crunch!" I hoped I didn't sound as desperate as I thought I did.
Fang lunged, mouth agape. Azumarill didn't try to run, instead it just… seemed to vanish into Fang's mouth. My Pokemon drew back, mouth closed, and surveyed her surroundings, surprised. Where did… oh no.
Rook laughed, horribly. You could hear his bent, misshapen lips in each guffaw. It was a painful laugh to hear.
"Superpower," he said, letting the word roll off his lips.
Inside of Fang's mouth, Azumarill released its Defense Curl. Its body began to glow; some light peeked out from between Fang's teeth. I knew that Fang was done.
There were two blows. The first opened my Steelix's jaws effortlessly. The second sent her into the ground, with enough force to shake the tower and faint Fang.
I returned her, fearfully. I only had two Pokemon left, Saturn and Calypsa, and judging from Rook's other companions, my Vaporeon wasn't going to be much use. Of course, there was Combusken, but she wasn't going to be of any use…
So there was only one option.
"Come on out, Saturn!" I called. I added, more quietly, "We've got one hell of a fight on our hands."
My Venusaur crashed to the arena floor. He surveyed his surroundings cautiously. Rook and his three Pokemon stared back.
"Ah, a familiar face at last," called Rook. "I remember this old toad. Put up quite a fight last time. Let's see what he can do today."
"Go, Saturn!" I called. My Pokemon heeded my call. Vines the size of bridge cables erupted from his back. They lashed, faster than I've ever seen a Vine Whip go, at Azumarill, but the water Pokemon always seemed to be one step ahead of us.
It leapt and pirouetted around the creepers. If Azumarill was a human, it would have been giggling with glee, like a kid skipping rope. After a moment, it bounded to the side, ran on all fours. Saturn pursued it with one vine… the other vanished into the ground.
Azumarill leapt playfully away, always just out of my Pokemon's reach. After a few seconds, it turned back, jumped high over Saturn's visible vines and inhaled, preparing to fire a massive Hydro Pump at Saturn.
Without warning, a vine grew at light-speed from the ground and knocked Azumarill out of the air. The vine rose, tearing itself free from the floor, and wrapped around Azumarill's middle.
I think Saturn must've recognized the Pokemon, recognized Rook, because he began to show some real anger. He smashed Azumarill into the ground repeatedly, like it was just a doll. He roared in anger. After a moment, my Venusaur retracted his vines, left Azumarill lying on the ground. It moved only slightly, it was trying to get back up.
"Solar Beam!" I called. Light from the overhead spotlights gathered in a brilliant ball over Saturn's flower. With a final cry, Saturn fired the Beam. Green and gold light filled the arena as the attack lanced into the Azumarill… when the glow faded, I knew it wouldn't give us any more trouble.
"That's right!" I screamed; there were a few cautious cheers from the crowd.
Rook only nodded, his smile slightly dampened. He didn't look particularly concerned.
"Heracross," he said. The bug Pokemon that stood behind him stomped forward, lowering its head. "Let us continue."
With a burst of air, Heracross flew forward low, an indigo shadow across the floor of the arena. A green nimbus appeared around its strangely shaped horn. Megahorn.
"Bullet Seed!" I ordered.
Saturn fired his wooden missiles at the oncoming Heracross. The bullets pinged off of its exoskeleton, exploding harmlessly. It kept charging. At the last possible second, when it was clear the Bullet Seeds were doing no good, Saturn hopped sideways, narrowly dodging the blow. Well, not quite: my Venusaur bellowed in pain as a ragged slash appeared on his left flank, where Heracross had passed.
The bug Pokemon flew up, looped back in a wide halo over the arena. Saturn created several surrogate legs from vines, to prop himself up. His rear left leg hung, nearly useless.
Heracross flipped acrobatically in the air, then charged down. Air spun and whistled of its hard body as it dove. The attack was fast. Way too fast to stop.
I realized that Saturn (and most of my other Pokemon) didn't have very many (or, in this case, any) defensive moves. So far, my strategy had been that the best defense was a good offense… that strategy didn't help against Heracross, which moved too quickly to be stopped from difficult directions.
"Vine Whip," I suggested, not too loudly.
More vines. They rose like charmed serpents, grasped quickly at the intangibly fast bug Pokemon. Heracross slipped easily through the vines. It was using Arial Ace, I should have known, and could not be stopped. It was vain to try.
The bug Pokemon collided with Saturn at high speed, but Saturn wasn't battered away like I'd expected. With a determined look on his wide face, the Venusaur pushed back. His neck strained with the force, but Heracross made no ground. With a final roar and shove, Saturn made Heracross retreat.
It was thrown back but landed, only slightly harmed, a few yards away.
Without another word, the two Pokemon began to circle each other. They eyed each other with anger and caution. Heracross did not notice the vines trailing from Saturn's back for support. They burrowed into the ground a few feet behind him, fairly inconspicuous. I had a feeling that they were there for more than support.
"You have not failed to impress," called Rook jovially. "You are doing quite well, Ian, but unfortunately for you, nothing lasts forever."
Heracross rushed forward. I honestly didn't even see it start the moment. Before I could begin to consider producing a thought, Heracross punched Saturn in the face. My Pokemon reeled back, but the blow was followed by three more strikes in rapid succession. By the end of the combination, Saturn was on his knees. Only his vines held him up…
Heracross wound back, building up its strength for the final blow.
The ground behind it exploded. A pair of vines lashed out, wrapped around the bug Pokemon's middle and ripped it back. Heracross was hurled to the ground. But Saturn wasn't finished quite yet.
There was a rushing, scraping sound, like a bungee cord shrinking back from a long stretch. Saturn's burrowing vines retreated, burst from the ground behind him, and snapped up into the air, their elasticity sending them flying.
"Still impressed?" I screamed at Rook. The vines fell, screaming through the air at the fallen form of Heracross.
(-o-)
"We have to act now!" Koga hissed.
"Impossible, I'm afraid," murmured Lance in answer. "I do not doubt Rook's ability to destroy the entire Tower. If we move to stop him, and he perceives it… well, we may be able to save ourselves, but there is no way any of the people trapped on this roof will survive."
"And if any of our civilians die," said Ryoku, grudgingly, "then we have failed as guardians of Kanto… yet again."
"But…" Koga looked around the arena. People were clustered around the sealed exits, just in case they should open again. Not that anyone was watching the doors: everyone's eyes were glued to the battle. The poison-master of the Elite Four glanced impotently at the airship overhead. Then, an idea struck him.
"Can we call for help? I have my Pokenav in my pocket, we could get word out…"
"Unfortunately," interjected Ryoku, "most every competent trainer on the island is here, in the Tower, many without their Pokemon. They came as spectators tonight. No one could have predicted this."
The champion pulled out his own Pokenav and opened it. He pressed a button on its touch-screen, bringing up a window that displayed his service connection stats. The charts made it clear: there was no calling or messaging service at the Tower.
"And even if there were someone we could call, something is jamming the Pokenavs' signals. It's impossible to make any calls."
Lorelei put in, matter-of-factly, "I suspect that this man, John Rook, has somehow hacked the Tower's various systems. After all, he was able to display his own… countenance on the jumbotron. He obviously has some sort of hold on the Tower's systems, so using its radio equipment to produce a Nav-jamming frequency is… logical."
"Rook's a tough bugger," grunted Bruno. "He killed Will, snap,just like that. He could be capable of anything if he just…"
"It appears that we have been preempted in our liberation," said the Champion, again cutting off his inferior. He spoke no more but nodded at the arena.
His four companions traced his gaze.
A bulky, yellow form was picking itself up (rather conspicuously) the debris of battle and making its way quietly toward the heart of the field.
(-o-)
It was a long, difficult fight. One of the worst we've ever been through. And somehow, Saturn was still holding out. All of his anger and fear seemed to be channeled through his attacks, into his weakening legs. I was honestly surprised that he had lasted that long…
It wouldn't be much longer, I could tell. Somehow, impossibly, Rook's Pokemon barely showed any sign of injury. Where Saturn was hanging on by the skin of his teeth, Heracross barely seemed to be breaking a sweat (I don't know of bugs can sweat, but you know what I mean). It was as if it (and all of Rook's other Pokemon, for that matter) was filled with some sort of unfaltering, immeasurable energy. Ethereal strength… it was weird, and as long as he had that strength, I never stood a chance.
"Ah," sighed Rook as Heracross sidestepped a slackening Vine Whip, only to reach back and grab the tendril from the air. The bug Pokemon gripped it firmly. Saturn could not retreat. "And so it ends."
"I still have one more Pokemon!" I protested.
"Yes, but this one is your strongest you hope dies with its defeat."
This was true: I knew Calypsa was no match for Heracross, let alone the Lucario that still waited to fight. She was strong but… Rook's Pokemon had more than just strength; they had true, ineffable powers.
Who was I kidding? I was through. My life was… done…
"Thunder!"
A golden arc of energy struck Heracross in the back. For a few seconds, which passed like relieving hours, the bug Pokemon was wracked with painful voltage. When the attack stopped, Heracross was finished. Its grip on Saturn's vine was released, and my Pokemon drew back thankfully.
Rook sighed angrily and turned around. His Lucario turned with him, eying the competition cynically.
Electivire stood, chest heaving but stills strong and proud, behind him. Sparks danced over his fur, leftovers from the attack.
Richard, who had clearly incited the attack, seemed to be at a loss of what to say. I'm sure you know by now how rarely this happens.
"Oh," crooned Rook, miming a sad face. "You have made such a terrible mistake…"
With a nod, Lucario vanished. It… that was the fastest attack I had ever seen. Before I could even blink, Electivire was flying, blasted into the stands by an Extreemspeed. Seconds later, a dust cloud rose from the floor in Lucario's wake, marking its path. There was another flash of movement and Richard's podium was shattered at the base. He was flung up to somewhere near his Pokemon, battered against the metal bleachers.
"Richard!" I screamed in horror. He did not move. His body was sprawled awkwardly across a bench. A few people were tentatively running to see to him.
Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…
"GET HIM SATURN!"
Dozens of vines burst into the air, flailing massively, rapidly at Rook and his Pokemon. He considered them, unimpressed.
"You seem to have forgotten the rules, Ian," he said. "There was… an interference. And the by the rules, stated at the beginning of our little skirmish, I am now entitled to punish you as I see fit."
Rook rolled up the sleeve of his suit. There was something like a wristwatch around his upper arm. He raised it to his lips and said, loud enough that we could all hear, "Self destruct, now."
There were a few seconds of calm. Nothing happened. I wondered… was it possible? Could Rook's devices have failed?
He turned to face me once more.
"Goodbye," he said, and began to walk away, as if he could escape before the airship crashed.
The airship…
With a horrible, metal scream, a dozen round explosions spilt the sky. Fire was everywhere, in a huge, burning pupil over the battlefield. Casey! Somehow, I knew she wasn't dead yet. But, at best, she now had a few seconds.
The gasbag caught fire. The flames tore through them at once, eating up the combustible gas instantly. Fire and metal roared. The airship dropped from the sky like a comet. I looked at my dad, but could not find him in the screaming throng.
I sighed. I wasn't ready. I was terrified. I refused to accept that I would be dead in seconds, but knew that it was inevitable. I was done. It was all… done.
I closed my eyes, and waited for the end.
The Tower shook with the impact…
Thirty seconds later, long after the airship should have crashed, my eyes were still closed. The sound of roaring flame still filled my ears. I was sweating: I could feel the heat of the inferno on my forehead. Was I dead? Was this just the feeling of life, seeping away?
I opened my eyes. The end had not come.
The airship hung in the black atmosphere. It was within the lip of the arena… in fact, its burning tail seemed to have connected with the upper few roars of seats, thus the shaking Battle Tower.
So the ship hadn't killed everyone yet. But why? What was holding it up?
I looked down, tracing the bent skeleton of the Sebastian.
Oh my God…
Holding up the airship, by its nose, and supporting its entire weight with its powerful, golden arms, was a Dragonite. I recognized it instantly as Matt's. But… no, that couldn't be right, I had to be seeing things. Was someone riding it?
I looked closer. A lanky, human-shaped shadow hung easily on Dragonite's shoulders. The figure's body seemed to be solidly black; whoever it was, he or she was wearing some kind of full-body suit. And a wide brimmed hat.
The figure turned to face me. There was something distinctly male about the rider. I don't know what, I was just it was a he. Brown hair poked out from under the hat, and bright green eyes stared at me blankly. Some sort of balaclava was pulled over his face, hiding all of his other features.
"Get out of here," said a voice from the direction of the rider. Was it…? No, it couldn't be.
I was hearing things. Seeing things.
Needless to say, I did not leave.
At the sight of the dragon Pokemon, I felt something quiver in my belt. Without a word, Combusken appeared beside me in a burst of red light. She looked euphoric, and cawed loudly at Dragonite; Matt's other Pokemon! I guess she recognized its presence, somehow.
The dragon Pokemon glanced over its shoulder, despite its load, and nodded amicably at Combusken.
Not quite easily, but without too much effort, Dragonite heaved the airship into the sky. The rider leapt from its back and into the burning mass of the zeppelin. His dark form vanished in the blaze. I thought I knew where he was going, and prayed I was right.
The airship continued to rise, carried on Dragonite's pulsing wings. Everything was silent, other than its flapping, and the crackling of the flame. I could almost hear the buzz of the spotlights, the breathing of the awed crowd.
Rook was too shocked to move. For a few moments, he just stood, watched Dragonite and its rider move his trump card to where they could drop it safely.
He cracked.
"Impossible!" he screamed, warping his vile face with a scream. "You are dead! You cannot be here!"
The sky, and the rider and Pokemon harbored in it, did not answer. With that, Rook seemed to turn his anger on me.
"End this now!" he ordered his Lucario, his last remaining Pokemon. "Kill him! Kill him!"
With a nod, the canine Pokemon charged first toward Saturn, no doubt planning to eliminate my last line of defense. My Pokemon tried to struggle into a ready position. His vines, extended in anger moments before, lay limp on the ground. He was out of energy; he had fought more than any Pokemon should. And perhaps, this was how it ended.
I looked at Combusken. She did not look back.
With an avian scream, Combusken threw herself headlong at the oncoming Lucario.
I don't know what made her do it. Perhaps she had somehow equated Rook to Matt's death. Perhaps she felt protective of the weakened Venusaur, despite her violent aversion of me and anything having to do with me. Maybe it was just bloodlust. I suspect a combination. Whatever it was, Combusken had hellfire in her eyes (or, more accurately, her beak) as she crashed to the floor and barreled toward Saturn.
Lucario was almost to him, but stopped as it noticed the rushing fire Pokemon. Lucario stopped, stood up from its stooping run. It did not look particularly surprised, but instead, more than a little annoyed.
Combusken jumped, flinging her feet forward and Double Kicking so rapidly that they became tan blurs of foot and claw. Lucario moved its arms effortless, and somehow blocked all of the incredibly fast attacks. Realizing that her charge was failing, Combusken unleashed a jet of angry flames to cover her bounding retreat.
I wasn't issuing any orders. She seemed to have taken it onto herself to destroy Rook and his Pokemon alone.
The fight lulled for a moment. The two Fighting Pokemon stood back, eying each other cautiously.
Before Combusken could react, Lucario vanished and sped past my Pokemon. The force of his passing sent Combusken flying, but she wasn't finished yet, not by a long shot. She landed gracefully on the edge of the arena, gripping a guardrail with her avian feet. She inhaled sharply and loosed a volley of fireballs at her reappearing foe.
She struck Lucario coming out of its Extreemspeed. It didn't have time or space to recover and dodge. The Embers seared its metal skin, turning it red hot in places. Lucario yelped in pain and hopped back.
Rook made a small sign, and Lucario, cupped its palms. A sphere of blue aural energy manifested there before launching itself at my Pokemon.
Combusken's eyes widened in fear and she jumped out of the sphere's path, just in time. No sooner had she landed back on the battlefield then did Lucario send a Force Palm attack ripping toward her. She was knocked back, into a wall this time. Several metal plates were dislodged.
"Combusken, Focus Energy!" I suggested. And to my surprise, she listened. Waves of heat appeared around Combusken; they rolled over her like miniature waves, building and glowing around her head and feet and hands.
She took over once more from there.
Fire sprouted from Combusken's wrists and engulfed her hands so that they became boxing gloves of fire. With another screech, she thundered forward, palms blazing.
Lucario met her. Its paws glinted metallically and small conical claws sprouted. Lucario roared (a much more impressive noise, admittedly, than Combusken crowing) and charged.
Fire Punch met Metal Claw repeated with chimes of light and bursts of heat. Lucario seemed to be taking the advantage. It slapped my Pokemon's blows away and retaliated fiercely with jarring slashes. It was clear that Combusken was heavily outmatched. She was my newest, most inexperienced Pokemon and Lucario was one of Rook's best.
She failed, almost at once. Lucario dispensed her quickly with a final Aura Sphere.
Combusken crumbled quickly to the ground. It was a heartbreaking sight, but not an unforeseen one. Combusken reeled back and fell on her back. A thin, keening noise escaped her beak.
So it was over for me: Rook now had a clear shot and he had won. Combusken had never really stood a chance, but she had put up a surprisingly good fight. I felt warm inside, almost happy, even though her loss meant my… demise. I inhaled deeply and faced Rook.
His cheeks bunched up in something resembling a smile, but there was sadness in his amber eye.
"It's over," he said, "for both of us now, you realize."
"Yes," I said. I know.
And I did know. I was going to die now, but Rook was going to die with me. And at least all of the innocent bystanders in the arena would survive.
My dad would still be alive; this was good, even though I was breaking my promise to him, leaving him for good. But he was a strong man, and he would overcome it. I was sure.
Richard would still be alive. Some part of me absolutely certain he had not died when Rook threw him into the stands. Yes, I could see him stirring now. So that was ok.
And Casey… well, maybe Casey would just survive too. I hoped the rider and Matt's Dragonite would bring her back to my dad and Richard. They would know what to do with her. They would keep her safe like I hadn't been able to.
My eyes were still locked with Rooks. I nodded at him, and he at me. We were ready to go.
Without issuing a command, Rook's Lucario raised its hands, palms out, and aimed them at me. Looking at the pads of its paws was like looking down the barrel of a loaded shotgun. I sighed, one last time. It would not hurt, I thought.
There was a flash of blue and the Aura Sphere was hurtling toward me. I was more certain that I would die here then I had ever been before, even when the burning airship was bearing down on me. I didn't close my eyes though. That just didn't seem right.
"No you don't!" screamed my father.
A shadow leapt from the stands, directly into the path of the Sphere. For a second, the canine form eclipsed its light, and then the blue glow vanished. My father's Mightyena dropped from the air and landed on the battlefield. He was badly hurt: Aura Sphere had a type advantage over him and had done a lot of damage. But he was still standing strong. With surprising agility, my father vaulted over the railing and to the field.
"Do not intervene or you will die as well!" shouted Rook, but he did not sound totally convinced.
"No, Rook," said another voice. I looked up to see Ryoku, closely followed by the Elite Four, hopping from row to row toward us. He didn't look happy. "No one is dying here today."
There was a procession of red flashes.
Luc, Ryoku's Pikachu, appeared beside my dad's Mightyena. As one, the two charged forward and smashed into Lucario with twin Quick Attacks. The fighting Pokemon went flying…
…with a simian scream, Bruno's Primeape dropped from the black sky. It snorted, spit steam and pounded Lucario into the ground, which cracked at the impact. Primeape jumped again, just in time to avoid…
…Lance's Dragonair that snaked up, Wrapped Lucario in its indigo coils and squeezed it powerfully. Lucario yelped in pain. It looked around, but in its panic it could not focus on Rook, or hear his orders…
…but Lucario could not look at anything much longer. Lorelei's Jinx waddled up, waved her glove-like hand at Lucario's face. Its eyes closed instantly at the motion; the Hypnosis took control at once…
…Koga's Muk flowed gelatinously down and engulfed Rook before he could move. The poison Pokemon belched and five pokeballs popped out, drenched in slime. With a chime, Lucario vanished into one of them.
"I should kill you," said Ryoku, "immediately for your innumerable crimes against humanity. You are violent, obviously unstable, and probably certifiably insane, and I do not know of a court in the world that would no sentence you to death.
"But to kill is not my place. You are under arrest, and you will be tried, and no doubt sentenced to death or life in prison. I, personally, do not care which. But know this, John Rook: whatever the courts may decide, whatever your fate may be, you are finished. You will never be free again to wreak havoc on the world. It is over, and you have lost."
Rook's deformed mouth opened but no words came out. Instead, an animal scream burst from his lips; it said a lot of things. It told of anguish, pain, frustration, and maybe, just maybe, a little bit of relief. Relief that a difficult life of struggle against everything and everyone was over.
I don't know for sure: it wasn't for me to decipher.
(-o-)
"Ian?"
I was sitting on an upturned metal plate that had once comprised the floor of the Battle Tower's prized ceiling arena. It had been bent into precisely the shape of an armchair, and I was making good use of it.
After a physician had checked me out and made sure I wasn't injured, someone had draped a towel over my shoulders and told me to go sit down. I had found a bottle of water and done just that. Around me, people moved. The thronging people left the Battle Tower, except for a few that chose to remain behind with my family and the League Officials to help clean up, batten down the fort. Some were hurrying to and fro searching for any remaining hold Rook may have had on the Tower, for clues as to how he easily turned their systems into tools of his own. I didn't think they would find anything. Any evidence would have crashed and burned with the airship.
Oh, and Combusken: she was slumped against my knee, sitting on the ground. She wasn't glaring at me, or attacking me, but I think that that was just because she was too tired to move any more. She had violently refused any medical attention thus far. Steam curled from her nostrils, so I knew she wasn't totally out… but Combusken seemed to be waiting for something. I was too.
"Ian?" the voice repeated.
Suddenly, everything snapped into focus. The world had been melting around me, into the waking-dream of total exhaustion. But that voice…
I had to wake up.
Casey.
She was standing beside my chair, her hand on my shoulder. I hadn't even noticed her come up. Despite my total lack of energy, I was on her in a moment. It was the best hug we'd shared; Casey was shuddering and crying, and she buried her head in my chest. I wrapped my arms protectively around the back of her head.
"It's over now," I said, and I believed it. Now it finally was. "We're done. We can go now."
"Yeah," she said. We didn't say anything more.
I looked over Casey's shoulder and saw Dragonite standing regally in the shadows at the edge of the arena. Combusken had somehow managed to get over to it and the black-clad rider was helping my Pokemon up.
"Just a second," I said, releasing Casey. I jogged toward the dark man and my dead brother's Pokemon. "Hey!" I called to him. "Who are you? What are you doing here with my brother's Pokemon? What just happened?"
He didn't answer me. Instead, he held up a black-gloved hand; I felt instantly compelled to stop, and did, almost against my will.
"I can't explain now," he said, and his voice sounded more garbled than it had before, like it was being said through a megaphone. He must've been using some sort of voice-changing device. "But you don't need to worry about anything. Leave this place and continue your journey. You will safe. I will make sure of that."
He placed a hand on Combusken's shoulder and looked into her large eyes. Something passed between them, something I would never know or understand, and then it was over. Combusken stumbled back with a sigh, but caught herself and stood.
She turned to look at me, then bowed. Was this some sort of gesture of submission? Respect? I would have to wait until later to find out, because Combusken vanished of her own will into her ball then.
Casey ran up behind me and slipped her arm through mine, and watched the rider depart together.
He winked at us, a big, obvious wink from one of his bright green eyes (eyes that seemed so much like… his…) and took a single bound onto Dragonite's back. Even in the harsh light of the arena, I could not pick out a single fold, seam, or speck on his pitch-black clothing. Behind the mask, he was smiling. I don't know how I knew this, but I was completely sure.
Without another word, Dragonite took off. Two wing beats and it was out of the arena. It circled overhead once, then vanished, flying briefly in front of the bright, full moon.
Then, the obvious thing to say came to me.
"Thank you!" I called after him, but I knew he could not hear me.
(-o-)
So what now?
What do you do when all of your goals have been accomplished, all of your missions completed? What do you do when the train reaches the end of the tracks but still has to forge on, ever forward?
The train lays new tracks. It makes its own way.
It continues.
Everything continues. Always. That's one of the most wonderful things about life.
So what now?
That is for us to decide.
