Discliamer: To own or not to own?

Hey guys, thanks for being so patient, but I have some bad news I need to share.

I have decided to discontinue this story for now. I apologize but my workload has been increasing so I decided to give up. Please read my author's notes for a deeper explanation as to why.

Enjoy the last chapter I'll post.

Chapter 52:

Lucas woke up to the sound of slow footsteps underneath him… underneath? He opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ground, watching a pair of feet pushing against the ground. He then realized that being carried on top of someone's back. Lucas' vision was still blurry but he could faintly see the orange and white striped shirt belonging to the guy wearing it.

"D-Damion?" Lucas groaned. Lucas could hardly see inside the dark cave but Damion seemed to be doing okay by walking slowly and using one of his hands to feel the place.

"Shut up," Damion snapped back. "You were lucky that you didn't… COUGH… didn't get killed. You have quite a bit heavy injuries though so try to save your energy. Once I find a good place to rest, you can go and start walking. " His voice was hoarse and weak though as he had been suffering the same fate as Lucas. Lucas noticed that Damion was shaking a bit in the legs as though he was heavily weakened. "You're Drifloon managed to find me and lead me to you," Damion continued as he pointed upward with one of his hand. Lucas groggily looked up to see his concern Pokemon watching over him. Its black beady eyes were almost filled with tears of relief that its trainer was okay.

"Sorry for worrying you…" Lucas said. Drifloon sighed in relief and floated closer to Lucas and gave him a pat on the head. Lucas dropped his head down again. "How about you?" Damion coughed for a while before responding.

"I was lucky Monferno was out," Damion said, "He managed to block most of the rocks but… we still had it pretty bad… I think I almost broke my legs." Damion sighed as he looked at his Pokeball with his weakened Monferno. "I need to get him to the Pokemon Center soon."

"What about Dawn?" Lucas asked. Damion fell silent and didn't say anything. Almost ten minutes past before Damion responded.

"I haven't found her…" Damion said. "I lost her in the explosion. I sent Staravia out to find her but…" Damion didn't finish and finally collapsed to the ground. Lucas fell off of Damion's back. The both of them lay against a large boulder. "I need a break…" Damion said as he checked his wounds, "I wish I had Dawn's first aid kit…" Lucas, still tired, noticed Damion's large cuts on his arms and torn up clothes that were stained with red blood. Lucas felt his head and noticed that it was caked with dried blood and a ragged bandaged. Damion must have tried to improvise to stop the blood flowing. He too was cut and bruised.

Damion breathed heavily and sweat was pouring from his head. "Give me a minute and we'll find Dawn. Staravia is still looking for her. Then we need to find the exit." He sounded determine, but it was obvious that he was pushing too hard. Lucas shook his head.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Lucas said. He turned to his Drifloon. "Drifloon, find the exit for us please." The balloon Pokemon nodded and floated away though its eyes were still filled with concern. "I'll go look for Dawn so just rest okay?" Lucas got up and almost collapsed from the swirling inside his head.

"You too," Damion said, "I can't have you collapsing and then I'll have to search for you again." He pulled Lucas back down to sit next to him. "Don't worry, about it. Once I'm feeling better, you can start walking right? I won't need to deal with the extra luggage. You sure are heavy." Damion sighed as he rubbed his shoulder.

Suddenly there was a cawing sound and both of the guys looked up to see Staravia flying toward them. It was frantically flying around as though it wanted them to follow it. "Staravia! Did you find Dawn?!" Damion yelled. The Pokemon nodded and flapped its wings to the direction where he just came from.

"Come on," Damion said getting up as quickly as he could. "Can you stand Lucas?" Lucas weakly got up and nodded. Together, the two trainers made their way slowly to where Staravia was. They had to climb over many mountains of loose rocks and progress was extremely slow. Finally they came across an extremely large pile of rocks and Staravia was circling over it.

"Dawn!" Damion yelled at the pile of rocks. At first Lucas thought that Staravia made a mistake but there was a soft groan that could be heard. It sounded a lot like Dawn's voice. "Hang in there!" Damion immediately took out his Buizel. "Come on Buizel!"

Lucas took out his Pokeballs and summoned his newly evolved Grotle and Muchlax. "Come on guys! We need to help Dawn!" With that, the two trainers and their Pokemon removed the rubble. It took a while but soon they removed enough rocks to see a shaken but perfectly okay Dawn. Apparently the rocks made some sort of outer shell and didn't collapse on her.

"Dawn!" Damion said as soon as he saw Dawn from the rubble. "Are you okay?"

Dawn was clutching tightly onto the egg container that she received from Rald, the bike shop manager. As if a miracle, the egg was not harmed during the cave in. She nodded and got up, shaking a bit. Damion pulled her out of the hole they made and she collapsed to the ground. Lucas and Damion crowded around her.

"Oh my… that was… I thought… Lucas! Damion! You're both bleeding!" Dawn gasped and immediately pulled out her first aid kit in her bag. She immediately started to mop up the two boy's wounds. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Damion grunted as he winced from the stinging pain of medicine, "Both of us are okay, but we're kind of completely worn out." Dawn continued to tend to Damion's wounds for a while before she spoke up again.

"I was lucky those rocks didn't collapse," Dawn said, "But I didn't know what to do since I was afraid of another cave in." She was now tending to Lucas' wounded head. She lightly touched Lucas' head with her fingers. The cool feeling made Lucas blushed though it was hard to see in the dim cave. "I guess we're all lucky that we made it." She wrapped fresh bandages around Lucas' head and his arms. She sighed and collected her egg container. "What now?"

"Drifloon is looking for an exit that is open," Damion said. He stifled a yawn and decided to lie down. "I'm so tired... wake me up when Drifloon comes back." With that Damion fell asleep. He was so tired that even the rocks underneath didn't bother him.

"Lucas, are you okay?" Dawn asked. Lucas flinched slightly and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?" Lucas questioned. Dawn shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. We came to Mt. Coronet and this cave in happens…" Dawn sighed, "Lucas, are you sure that maybe this is the 'bad' thing that you're talking about." Lucas shook his head.

"No, it's a lot worse than this… a lot worse…" Lucas shuddered a bit as a drafty cool breeze came by. Dawn sighed as she held her egg tightly.

"We're going to need new clothes once we get out of here… Lucas… this cave in probably blocked a lot of exits. I think we should just give up for now and come back later." Dawn waited for Lucas to reply but there was no response from him.

"You better get some rest," Dawn continued as she too lay down, "We're going to need to regain our energy as soon as possible." Lucas nodded and he rested against the rock.

The world is being ruined by it… That man's voice kept echoing in Lucas' head. Dawn may have though that this was all over but Lucas knew better. This was just the beginning.

"As you can see, this situation has gotten far dire than we thought," the Pokemon chairman said as he looked at the six screens (only five of them were showing faces). The video conference was taken place late at night, long after Cynthia showed him that boy. The chairman felt like this was a necessary topic to discuss when informing the information that these five missed. "The Galactic Enterprise claims that they have nothing to do with what happened in Eterna City but that is not something we should worry about right now. We need to know if these perpetrators will strike again."

"This is bad," one of the older people in the group said. He looked like a treasure hunter with his purple spiky hair and stub beard. "I never thought that this is a serious matter. Course I apologize for my son's behavior during that meeting. I'm going to teach him a lesson the next time I see him."

"Sheesh," someone else scoffed, this time a young girl, around 17, with black hair that was braided and in long pigtail style. She had on a stylish white collared shirt that had a aqua blue ribbon at the neck. "Are you going to bury him in the ground with only his head sticking out like last time?"

"What?!" The purple man cried, "No I'm not!" But in the background, the chairman could hear the man muttering, "I'm going to bury him in the ground with his feet sticking out…"

"Say, where is Volkner anyways?" the oldest man in the video feed asked. He was bald but had a strange blue mask that divided his head into three parts – left, right, and bottom. There were also two white spiky rings that were on the left and right side of his head. He had no shirt one and his muscles bulged out like a pro wrestler.

"I heard that there was some sort of electrical failure," the other girl said, who is around 17. She had pink short hair and a bandage on the bridge of her nose. She was wearing workout clothes and looked as though she was just training. "Apparently he was bored so he started messing with the electricity… and that led to a city blackout."

"Hahaha!" the masked man and the treasure hunter looking guy said, both finding this amusing for some reason, "That is so like him." The other girl with the black hair started laughing too.

The chairman sighed. These gym leaders have really low attention span. They are serious and all but they rarely see each other so something like this is a like a college reunion all over again.

"Monsieur!" The woman with purple hair that was in four bundles like balloons coming out of her hair interrupted. She was wearing pretty fancy purple clothing and had white long gloves on her hands. She obviously had a thick French accent and tends to put in French terms in her sentences. "Does zis garcon... I mean does zis boy remember what happen?" That question brought back everybody's attention.

"I don't know Fantina. He says he doesn't know, but perhaps the shock is too great for him to remember," the chairman said. The five people waited patiently for the chairman to continue. "But that doesn't mean that we should just give up. I want everyone to be on the alert. Maylene, you live where the Galactic Headquarters are. I want you to keep an intense lookout."

"Osu!" Maylene, the pink hair girl, said (a term that is used in martial arts). "I'll do my best."

"And Waker," the chairman turned his attention to the masked man, "You live close to Sunnyshore. Pass this message to Volkner and tell him to stop being so childish and causing trouble for everyone. He is a gym leader and should act like one."

"Got it," Waker grinned. "I'm going to have fun teasing that kid."

"Fantina, I understand that there is a Contest being held in Hearthrome; I need you to increase security. After what happened in Floaroma Town, I don't want any more people experiencing the same thing."

"Don't not worrie!" Fantania said elegantly and winked cutely, "I vill supervise zee contest without fail." "Candice, I need you to increase duty in the Snowpoint Temple. Cynthia believes that something will happen there."

"Got it, chairman!" The girl with the black hair said and saluted to the camera.

"And Byron…"

"Yes?" The man with the purple hair asked.

"According to Cynthia the boy will need to learn how to control his powers. I'm sure you know someone who can help."

Byron grinned. "Well in that case, I better get the preparations done."

"Good," the chairman sighed and finished the meeting, "I want you to realize that this is serious. This might need nothing police force to work on but still be on a look out. Inform me if anything happens."

"Yes chairman!" The five gym leaders responded and with that the screens went blank. The meeting was over. The chairman sank into his chair. He wiped his glasses with his handkerchief and looked outside.

Something was coming. And it wasn't good.

"Commander Cyrus!" Saturn said as his boss came back into the main office. "How was your walk?" Saturn was just dropping off some paper in the room. It was large and spacious. White walls and tiles covered the place. There were several large screens where charts, numbers, and reports were spitting out nonstop.

"Fine until some kids disturbed my peace," Cyrus said as he sat down in his black chair and started working on the computers. "What is the status report? How is your project going?" Saturn paused, unable to respond to the question.

"Commander, I-"

"You had more than enough time to work on this," Cyrus said in a chilled voice, "If you're having problems with funding then just find a way to get it. If you don't finish in time then we can't proceed with the plan." Saturn pursed his lips. It was true with what Cyrus said but the amount of money he needed is way more than what simple funding can provide.

"Leave Saturn," Cyrus said, "And I want results next time."

"Yes Commander," Saturn said and left the room. Cyrus stared in front of screen. He thought about the mountain he was in. That cave in will keep people out and away from their plan. By the time they figure things out, it'll be too late for them.

It was morning and on the outskirt of Hearthome City there was a small looking bunny hopping along the road. It could smell the fresh dew that cling onto the grass and gazed at the pretty flowers. After being side tracked for a moment, Buneary quickly rushed down the path that lead to the outside of Hearthome City.

Although the sun was about to rise, the Buneary looked excited. It bounced down the path until it came to the end of the city. Knowing what to do, it hopped onto the sign that said "Hearthome City – Where hearts touch each other. Then it began its warm-up – stretching, twisting, and touching its toes.

Buneary took a deep breath and then began its training. Twirling, dancing, footwork, were done in quick sessions like Buneary practiced. It waved its ears around and even jumped several times and landing safely.

"Are you guys okay?" Buneary stopped its practice and noticed that there were three shadows coming closer. They all look tired and beaten up. When they came closer, Buneary noticed that it was a girl and two boys. The girl was holding some container with an egg and the two boys walking next to her. There was a Drifloon floating above the three as though guiding them down the path.

"Don't worry about us," the blond hair guy said, "We'll be fine." The other, quieter, boy nodded and seemed to be distracted. Buneary cocked its head to the side and looked confused. Since when do people start coming so early these days?

"Say," the girl said, noticing Buneary as she got closer, "A Buneary!" The girl bent down to take a closer look at the baby bunny who stared back with confusion.

"What's a Pokemon doing out here?" the blond hair kid said and then noticed the welcome sign that Buneary was sitting on top of, "A welcome committee?" Buneary felt a bit uneasy and immediately jumped off the sign and rushed back down the path that lead to Hearthrome.

"Hey wait!" the girl called out but Buneary didn't hear. The sun was rising and if it was late, there was going to be a whole bunch of trouble.

"It just left," Dawn sighed. She thought the Pokemon was very cute and wanted to pet it. "I wonder where it ran off to."

"Who cares," Damion sighed, "I just want to find a bed and a shower."

"First we need to heal our Pokemon… and get some new clothes," Dawn said, ignoring Damion's plan.

"What?" Damion demanded.

"You and Lucas' clothes are torn up pretty bad," Dawn said, "Plus Hearthrome is an excellent place to shop for things." Dawn said this as though she was an expert. "I've been here many times with my mom so I know the best places." She looked really excited as though the idea of shopping is tempting. "Come on!" Dawn said as she quickened her pace.

Damion groaned as he followed Dawn. Lucas paused and looked behind him. He could see the peak of Mt. Coronet in the horizon. Although, it doesn't seem threatening, Lucas has a feeling that this was not the last time that they'll visit that place.

"Lucas!" Dawn called out, "Come on!" Lucas took one last glance before following his friends.

Author's Notes

Okay now the reason I said I'll discontinue the story is because…

APRIL FOOL!!!!! HAHAHAHA. I'm kidding. I'm not going to discontinue this story yet.

How scared were you guys? XP

Okay, if you guys haven't figured out yet, but we're at Hearthome City and you know what that means? CONTEST!

I'm going to be working this way so READ CAREFULLY. Anyone who wants their OC to be in the contest must tell me through PM or review. I'll choose from there and if there are any extra spots, I'll randomly select OCs from my pile.

So let me know ASAP.

Let's thank my reviewers before I go.

Furryfur

Light-Sakura

Ketchum Kid (hahaha, the Gible is everywhere! Thanks for the review.)

Unknown (yay! It's been a while! So glad you're still reading. Thanks for reviewing.)

Solyeuse (Thank you for pointing out my errors. I'll try and be more careful in the future. Thank you for reviewing.)

RWT

Pikana

Jarkes

gg121 (thanks for reviewing!)

PeachyKeenx088

That's it from me. I'll update again if possible so keep a lookout.

See ya!

-JapanDreamer