~Chapter Eighteen~]
I gasped and looked at the ring, and then Danny.
Answer him you idiot, I thought to myself.
I knew what I wanted to tell him, but my mouth couldn't form the words. It was like my tongue had been frozen.
Since I couldn't speak at that second, I nodded slowly and stared at Danny.
He broke into a huge grin and slipped the ring onto my finger. Then he leaned forward and kissed me gently.
When we pulled apart, Danny took my hand. "I'm so glad you said yes April," he said. "I really love you."
Since my tongue still felt frozen from everything that was happening, I threw my arms around my fiance just to tell him I felt the same way.
I had a feeling all of the dragons were watching us, but when I looked up, they all looked away. I laughed.
Then I heard a large booming sound coming from the door Cielo was guarding.
"Is someone at the door?" I whispered.
Cielo make a grunting noise and reached for the door, but Mystic screamed. Everyone looked at her, and I heard her say:
"Don't. Open. That. Door."
Cielo obeyed, but I could tell she really wanted to open it.
"April, tell everyone to go in the pool and for Dawn to come with us," I heard Mystic tell me.
"Uh," I began. "Everyone, go in the pool except for Dawn. You come with us," I echoed.
Mystic began to slither to my room and Dawn followed. I grabbed Danny's hand and ran after Mystic. I noticed Dawn had that crystal-ball thing in her mouth again. What was so important about that? I wondered.
When we were all safely in my room, Mystic locked the door and dove to her bed.
"Okay Mystic," I said. "What's going on?"
"That was Anthony," she whispered. "He's after the crystal."
"You mean in that ball?" I asked, looking at Dawn. Dawn dropped the crystal, looked at me, and nodded, answering for Mystic.
Mystic looked at Dawn and said a few things to her in dragon language, and then Dawn slithered to the door, opened it, and went away.
"Now I'm really confused," Danny admitted, and I giggled.
"Me too," I confessed. "I have no clue what's going on here, and Mystic won't tell me anything-"
Mystic snorted to interrupt me, and then sighed. "It's been so many years," she said sadly, and seemed to be holding back tears. "So many long years. I guess-you should know.
"It all started when your father was about ten. He got his Pokemon license and all that. He started his journey, like you, and went to the gyms. As you know, Brian was killed, so Serena-your mother-started following Chris around as a companion. And Cielo, my mother, who was a Dragonair then, gave both of them the power to breathe underwater, just like I did. And they found this den together."
"But how'd they find the key?" I interrupted, thinking of that day when I found the den.
Mystic shrugged. "Chris's father or someone gave him the key. I don't know very much about how he got it.
"Anyway, they lived in this den and even got married in this den. When Serena found out she was pregnant with you, April, she decided to move 'back up on land' she called it. Chris didn't want to leave the dragons, but he also didn't want to leave your mother. So they bought a house near New Bark Town and lived there until you were born. Then Chris lived at the den on and off. He decided to claim being a Pokemon trainer-to protect you, I suppose."
"Protect me from what?" I asked.
"Well-from Anthony, mostly," Mystic replied. "Anthony didn't know where your house was, but he knew where the den was by following Chris. Whenever Chris left, Anthony would 'leave his mark' by. . ."
"By what?" Danny whispered. I looked at him in surprise, thinking that he couldn't understand Mystic. Then I realized that Mystic was telling her story so intently, anyone could probably hear her.
"By killing one of the dragons," Mystic answered in a voice so low, you could practically hear the wind above the river.
I gasped. "How could he?!" I cried.
"Anthony is just pure evil," Mystic growled. "Well, Chris started to become afraid he would lose all of us. So-"
"When I was seven, he went to live in the den permanently," I finished.
"Exactly," said Mystic. "And no, he didn't die from a 'tragic event of Mount Silver'. It was really. . .Anthony."
My room became dead silent.
"How could anyone go that low?" I whispered, and began to cry. I finally knew the truth, the whole truth, and it hurt.
"There's more," said Mystic.
"Isn't this enough?!" I exclaimed. "I can only take so much on one day! For crying out loud, today's supposed to be my birthday! It's supposed to be happy, and all I'm doing is finding out how my father died!" I smashed my face into my pillow and sobbed.
"It's about the crystal," Mystic said, ignoring my tears. "Anthony created that crystal to prove he was supposed to marry Serena, and not Chris."
I looked up. "What?"
My Dragonair sighed. "I don't know how he created it. It's supposed to glow whenever whoever's holding it is near someone they truly love. And if the glow is bright enough, they are soul mates."
I smiled a little, thinking of how bright the crystal became whenever it was near Danny and I. Were we soul mates?
My smile quickly turned into a frown when Mystic continued. "Anthony would always try to hold it near Serena, but it hardly glowed at all. He would get so mad, especially whenever Chris held it near Serena. It glowed so bright then. Anthony got so mad that he threw it somewhere, I don't know where, and decided to get Serena his own way."
"I think he tossed it near Ecruteak City," I said. "One day there was a really big explosion and it rolled at my feet."
Mystic gasped and jumped on my lap. "Why didn't you tell me this?" she barked. "Oh no, oh no, we could have prevented it sooner, now there's no way-"
"What are you talking about?" I demanded to know.
"That explosion was probably caused by Anthony. He was most likely looking for the crystal! If he knew you were a Tamer, well, who knows!"
I gasped again, thinking I knew what the 'who knows' meant. That-that Anthony would KILL me, probably out of rage.
Mystic unlocked the door with her mouth and then picked up the crystal. "Follow me!" she cried. She slithered out of the door and make a motion at the pool. Every single dragon leaped up and went towards Rio's door. All but one.
I noticed Mystic shake her head at one certain Dragonair, and he leaped back into the pool. But I didn't have time to wonder what that meant when Rio opened the door and we were back in the Mystery room-me, Danny, Mystic, and all of the dragons.
I gasped and looked at the ring, and then Danny.
Answer him you idiot, I thought to myself.
I knew what I wanted to tell him, but my mouth couldn't form the words. It was like my tongue had been frozen.
Since I couldn't speak at that second, I nodded slowly and stared at Danny.
He broke into a huge grin and slipped the ring onto my finger. Then he leaned forward and kissed me gently.
When we pulled apart, Danny took my hand. "I'm so glad you said yes April," he said. "I really love you."
Since my tongue still felt frozen from everything that was happening, I threw my arms around my fiance just to tell him I felt the same way.
I had a feeling all of the dragons were watching us, but when I looked up, they all looked away. I laughed.
Then I heard a large booming sound coming from the door Cielo was guarding.
"Is someone at the door?" I whispered.
Cielo make a grunting noise and reached for the door, but Mystic screamed. Everyone looked at her, and I heard her say:
"Don't. Open. That. Door."
Cielo obeyed, but I could tell she really wanted to open it.
"April, tell everyone to go in the pool and for Dawn to come with us," I heard Mystic tell me.
"Uh," I began. "Everyone, go in the pool except for Dawn. You come with us," I echoed.
Mystic began to slither to my room and Dawn followed. I grabbed Danny's hand and ran after Mystic. I noticed Dawn had that crystal-ball thing in her mouth again. What was so important about that? I wondered.
When we were all safely in my room, Mystic locked the door and dove to her bed.
"Okay Mystic," I said. "What's going on?"
"That was Anthony," she whispered. "He's after the crystal."
"You mean in that ball?" I asked, looking at Dawn. Dawn dropped the crystal, looked at me, and nodded, answering for Mystic.
Mystic looked at Dawn and said a few things to her in dragon language, and then Dawn slithered to the door, opened it, and went away.
"Now I'm really confused," Danny admitted, and I giggled.
"Me too," I confessed. "I have no clue what's going on here, and Mystic won't tell me anything-"
Mystic snorted to interrupt me, and then sighed. "It's been so many years," she said sadly, and seemed to be holding back tears. "So many long years. I guess-you should know.
"It all started when your father was about ten. He got his Pokemon license and all that. He started his journey, like you, and went to the gyms. As you know, Brian was killed, so Serena-your mother-started following Chris around as a companion. And Cielo, my mother, who was a Dragonair then, gave both of them the power to breathe underwater, just like I did. And they found this den together."
"But how'd they find the key?" I interrupted, thinking of that day when I found the den.
Mystic shrugged. "Chris's father or someone gave him the key. I don't know very much about how he got it.
"Anyway, they lived in this den and even got married in this den. When Serena found out she was pregnant with you, April, she decided to move 'back up on land' she called it. Chris didn't want to leave the dragons, but he also didn't want to leave your mother. So they bought a house near New Bark Town and lived there until you were born. Then Chris lived at the den on and off. He decided to claim being a Pokemon trainer-to protect you, I suppose."
"Protect me from what?" I asked.
"Well-from Anthony, mostly," Mystic replied. "Anthony didn't know where your house was, but he knew where the den was by following Chris. Whenever Chris left, Anthony would 'leave his mark' by. . ."
"By what?" Danny whispered. I looked at him in surprise, thinking that he couldn't understand Mystic. Then I realized that Mystic was telling her story so intently, anyone could probably hear her.
"By killing one of the dragons," Mystic answered in a voice so low, you could practically hear the wind above the river.
I gasped. "How could he?!" I cried.
"Anthony is just pure evil," Mystic growled. "Well, Chris started to become afraid he would lose all of us. So-"
"When I was seven, he went to live in the den permanently," I finished.
"Exactly," said Mystic. "And no, he didn't die from a 'tragic event of Mount Silver'. It was really. . .Anthony."
My room became dead silent.
"How could anyone go that low?" I whispered, and began to cry. I finally knew the truth, the whole truth, and it hurt.
"There's more," said Mystic.
"Isn't this enough?!" I exclaimed. "I can only take so much on one day! For crying out loud, today's supposed to be my birthday! It's supposed to be happy, and all I'm doing is finding out how my father died!" I smashed my face into my pillow and sobbed.
"It's about the crystal," Mystic said, ignoring my tears. "Anthony created that crystal to prove he was supposed to marry Serena, and not Chris."
I looked up. "What?"
My Dragonair sighed. "I don't know how he created it. It's supposed to glow whenever whoever's holding it is near someone they truly love. And if the glow is bright enough, they are soul mates."
I smiled a little, thinking of how bright the crystal became whenever it was near Danny and I. Were we soul mates?
My smile quickly turned into a frown when Mystic continued. "Anthony would always try to hold it near Serena, but it hardly glowed at all. He would get so mad, especially whenever Chris held it near Serena. It glowed so bright then. Anthony got so mad that he threw it somewhere, I don't know where, and decided to get Serena his own way."
"I think he tossed it near Ecruteak City," I said. "One day there was a really big explosion and it rolled at my feet."
Mystic gasped and jumped on my lap. "Why didn't you tell me this?" she barked. "Oh no, oh no, we could have prevented it sooner, now there's no way-"
"What are you talking about?" I demanded to know.
"That explosion was probably caused by Anthony. He was most likely looking for the crystal! If he knew you were a Tamer, well, who knows!"
I gasped again, thinking I knew what the 'who knows' meant. That-that Anthony would KILL me, probably out of rage.
Mystic unlocked the door with her mouth and then picked up the crystal. "Follow me!" she cried. She slithered out of the door and make a motion at the pool. Every single dragon leaped up and went towards Rio's door. All but one.
I noticed Mystic shake her head at one certain Dragonair, and he leaped back into the pool. But I didn't have time to wonder what that meant when Rio opened the door and we were back in the Mystery room-me, Danny, Mystic, and all of the dragons.