Chapter 17
Marshall led Laura and the others to yet another hill, somewhere between the gate and Aerodactyl's chamber. Laura had noticed it before, mainly because a faint light seemed to come from behind the hill. Marshall confidently walked to the rear end of the hill, towards the source of the light, while the rest of the Pokémon still seemed uncomfortable with the situation.
Behind the hill stood several trees, against one of which a large Tsareena was sitting. A Sunflora created the sunlight that Laura had seen earlier, shining on the Tsareena while a Palpitoad softly sprayed water on it. The Tsareena didn't seem to respond to any of it.
'What's wrong with her?' Laura asked. She carefully approached the Pokémon, but she didn't even seem to notice the girl.
'Stayed in a Poké Ball for too long,' Marshall responded softly. 'Her mind is gone; she barely even registers things that happen around her… or to her. This is where we bring them, to have some kind of comfort still. We have some Pokémon who care for her, and others like her.'
'For how long?' Laura asked. Tears started welling up in her eyes. She already knew the answer that Terry was going to give.
'For as long as we consider fitting. And if after that there is no sign of improvement…'
'It's the only merciful thing to do,' Ace said in a somber tone. Laura now noticed that a little further back, behind the trees, several small stones were placed on a field of flowers, with small bits of text engraved on them. She didn't need to ask; she already knew what they meant. Marshall took her away from the Tsareena.
'This is how you can help, Laura. You asked how you were supposed to contribute? This is it. You can prevent this from happening to any more Pokémon. You can spare them this fate. You can make sure that we don't have to do the merciful thing. Help us by breaking the Poké Balls, and save the captured Pokémon before they end up here too.'
Laura wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded. 'What would you have me do?'
'Go home for now. Hunter will bring you to the gate. Take a few days to let everything you've learned sink in. After that, we will seek contact with you again. We will stay here, gather all the Poké Balls we can find, and we will bring them to you to destroy.'
Terry joined them and put his paw against Laura's leg. 'Don't worry. We promised you we would keep you safe, and we will. I keep my promises.'
Laura smiled, said goodbye to the three small Pokémon and climbed on Hunter's back. One last time she looked at her companions and at Feldspar city. Then Hunter dashed away towards the gate.