Ch.57
Stay the Course
Pokemon is the property of its respective owners
"(...I...I can't believe it; Karen's always seemed untouchable, you know?)" Maris mused in a tone barely above a whisper while looking down at the floor while Dmitri anxiously paced around the room wwhile Sparkplug and Kiera concernedly glanced at him while sitting off to the side.
"(Believe me, Maris, no one knows that feeling better than me,)" Tomoe told her friend calmly while putting a paw on the martial arts pokemon's shoulder before giving Maris a slight grin which didn't abate Maris's solemn mood.
"(So...what's our next move?)" the martial arts pokemon hesitantly asked her boyfriend who continued to pacearound the room at a rapid pace before he shook himself out of his stupor and ran a hand through his hair.
"We're taking the first boat, plane, or whatever back to Unova and saving mom," Dmitri stated determinedly with his fist clenched, but when he looked at his friends, his face fell when he saw them uncertainly looking at one another.
"(Master, I don't think that's a good idea. What if the New Swords of Justice are using your mother as bait to lure you back home so it will be easier to capture you?)" Tomoe stated coolly, but surprisingly Dmitri just glared at his bodyguard who raised a brow for a brief moment before going back to a stoic expression and folding her arms.
"So what if they are!? My mom is in danger and you guys don't want me to do anything!?" the battle ace shouted angrily at his friends who jolted at his outburst before Maris slowly approached him and put her paws on his shoulder.
"(You know that's not what we said and you know it. Of course we want to do something, but remember what happened when you, Sparkplug, Kiera, Zangoose, and Haxorus fought the forward team? They go their fucking asses kicked and you nearly died so imagine what will happen if we try and take on a whole army full of those guys,)" Maris reminded her boyfriend while lightly thumping his forward with the back of her paw causing Dmitri to unconsciously brush his hand against his head before shaking his head and gently removing Maris's paws from his shoulder.
"So...you guys just want us to stay here, in Sinnoh, while mom is being tortured or worse?" Dmitri barely managed to get out while tightly curling his fingers causing Maris to heavily sigh and reluctantly nod with Sparkplug, Kiera, and Tomoe following suit.
"(Dmitri, it's safer for you here in Sinnoh and it's like Karen said, the New Swords of Justice have to risk sending troops overseas in order to get to you which makes the fight back home easier for her. I know it hurts Dmitri, but we both know this is the right decision,)" Maris stated solemnly causing the battle ace to clench his fists and unclip Sparkplug's from his belt causing the martial arts pokemon and samurai to raise their brows and glance at one another before looking back at their trainer.
"Sparkplug, you'll help me right?" Dmitri asked of his friend with a hopeful grin causing the lioness to slowly swish her tail back and forth before looking at her friend with her eyes narrowed and regretfully shook her head causing Dmitri's eyes to widen and hold his hands out toward her.
"(Dmitri...I'm sorry, but...no. I'll always be grateful that you and Maris saved me, but I can't follow you this time,)" Sparkplug said while staring down at the floor the entire time with her eyes tightly shut causing Dmitri to kneel down and put a hand on her back, but with great reluctance the lioness turned her body away from him and walked over to the corner with her tail dragging on the floor.
Dmitri's shoulders slumped and shook his head slowly before picking his head up with a forced grin and unclipped Kiera's pokeball from his belt causing Maris to hold her paw out towards him before letting it rest at her side.
"Kiera, you've never let me down so I know you'll help me," Dmitri said while pointing the centipede's pokeball at her as a red laser suddenly shot out from the center of the device and washed over Kiera's body as it tried to break her down into a mass of light...only for the light to sputter and pulse wildy before ebbing away while sounding like shattered glass.
Widening his eyes and stepping back, Dmitri gave another fake smile and pointed Kiera's pokeball at her once again and just like last time, the red light coated the centipede's body only for it to pulsate uncontrollaby before breaking off while sounding like a vase smashing against the floor.
"Kiera?" Dmitri said in a tone barely above a whisper causing the centipede to sadly stare at her friend before closing her eyes and turning her head away from him.
"T-Tomoe, you'll-"
"(I'm sorry, master, but no. My orders are to protect you and letting you go to Unova would put you at risk,)" Tomoe stated stoically while blankly glancing at the battle ace who knelt down and buried his face in his hand while breathing slowly before standing up with his eyes narrowed and his fists tightly clenched.
"You guys don't want to help me and I guess I can understand why, but I'm going to help my mom no matter what," Dmitri declared vehemently and marched toward the door only to suddenly bump into Kiera's chest and stumble back as the planted herself in front of the door and blankly stared down at the battle ace.
"You can't stop me from helping her!" the battle ace shouted at Kiera who merely glowered at him in response causing Dmitri to grit his teeth and walk over to the window only for Sparkplug to step in front of the window before bulking up to Ursa's size by supercharging her muscles with both her bioelectricity and the electric particles in the air.
"(We will if it means you'll just end up getting killed!)" Sparkplug exclaimed forcefully as electricity violently crackled and burst around her as she glared at Dmitri who backed up from the window and headed to the bathroom with Tomoe placing herself in front of the door.
"I have to use the bathroom," Dmitri grumbled causing the otter to cross her arms and raise a brow causing Dmitri to let out a defeated sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed with his face buried in his hand before he just blankly stared down at the floor.
"(Between, Alder, Marshall, the Elite Four, Hope, and his allies, I'm sure they'll be able to rescue Karen. It's okay to worry, Dmitri, just don't let it control you,)" Maris assured her boyfriend while putting a paw on his shoulder which didn't make the battle ace react in any way, shape, or form, before Maris grabbed his arm and gently pulled him to his feet.
"(C'mon, let's go for a walk,)" Maris stated calmly with a slight grin on her face causing Dmitri to let out a heavy sigh and curtly nod as the martial arts pokemon wrapped her arms around his arm and walked to the door with Kiera reluctantly stepping aside.
"(I'll see you guys later,)" Maris told her friends causing Sparkplug, Kiera, and Tomoe to nod as the duo exited the room and slowly walked down the hall before Sparkplug let out a solemn sigh which expelled the excess electricity from her body that returned her to her normal size.
"(That felt awful,)" Sparkplug admitted with a few tears dropping to the floor before she wiped them away with her tail as Kiera still had her eyes closed with both the lioness and Tomoe seeing that Kiera was breathing in sputters and her body was shaking violently.
"(I know, Kiera, but we can't help him with this,)" Sparkplug comforted her friend while putting a paw on the centipede's back and nuzzling close to her friend causing Kiera to nod shortly with her eyes still closed before planting her forehead against the wall.
"(Master does have a point though; by continuing to just travel around this region and spreading our enemy's forces thin, we are doing very little to help his mother directly so his anger is understandabale,)" Tomoe mused while waving the back of her paw causing Sparkplug to nod slowly and rest her head on her paws with her eyes downcast while swishing her tail.
"(I know, but what can we do? It's like Haxorus said, if Dmitri get's separated from us again, he's as good as dead and that's gonna happen if we go to this Unova place,)" Sparkplug responded somberly causing Tomoe to slowly nod and sit on the edge of the bed with her face buried in her paw before she let out a heavy sigh as she stared down at the floor with her eyes narrowed.
"(I just hope Maris can calm him down,)" Tomoe said aloud before laying down on the bed with her paws behind her head while Sparkplug glanced at the otter before letting out a puff of air from her nose and staring out the window.
"(I'm sure Maris'll think of something to cheer him up, or at least get him to see that running back home isn't going to help anyone,)" Sparkplug assured her friend causing the otter to grunt without sitting up causing the lioness to let out a breathe and jump on the windowsill where she sat on her haunches and patiently awaited her friend's return.
"(How are you feeling?)" Maris asked her boyfriend as she handed him an ice cream cone and sat down next to him on a bench where a few people oddly glanced at the martial arts pokemon before going about their business.
"I still feel bad, but the ice cream helps," Dmitri responded with a quick chuckle causing Maris to laugh shortly as she licked her ice cream before leaning back and staring up at the sky with a hard, focused gaze.
"(You trust Hope right?)" Maris stated causing the battle ace to lick his ice cream and stare at the treat blankly before looking at his girlfriend and nodding causing the martial arts pokemon to put a paw on his shoulder.
"(Then trust that he can bring Karen home,)" the martial arts pokemon said calmly causing Dmitri to slump his shoulders and stare down at the ground long and hard before leaning back on the bench.
"I know he has the best chance of bringing mom back, I'm just worried about what the New Swords of Justice are doing to her. They could be torturing her right now and we're eating ice cream like nothing is wrong," Dmitri nearly yelled as he almost threw his ice cream cone to the ground, but relented at the last second and took a lick of the frozen snack causing Maris to scoot closer to him and put an arm around his shoulder.
"(I know, it's just-)"
"Just what? You want me to forget that my mom just got captured-"
"(NO! Dmitri, did you fucking stop to think that I want to go back to Unova and save Karen too? Of course I want to rescue her and beat whoever kidnapped her to a bloody pulp, but I don't let my emotions control me...most of the time, and you shouldn't either,)" Maris advised her boyfriend who grunted and gave another lick to his ice cream cone before he consumed the last of it and folded his arms.
"I'm not," Dmitri retorted gruffly causing Maris raise a brow and fold her arms causing the battle ace to look away from her before letting out a soft sigh and putting a hand on his forehead.
"Okay, I am, but it's just hard not to think about how long mom is going to be a prisoner for before she's rescued," Dmitri admitted while running a hand through his hair causing the martial arts pokemon to scoot closer to him and rub his back.
"(Well, look at it this way. Unova is a small region...compared to the others so the New Swords of Justice don't have much wiggle room and considering that they have the most capable group of trainers Unova can muster gunning for them, it won't be long until Karen's safely back home. Sure, she might have to undergo physical therapy if the new guy treats prisoners of war the same way as Cobalion did, but at least she'll be with people she can trust,)" Maris assured him causing the battle ace to rub his chin and ball his hand into a fist before letting out a sigh and rubbing the back of his head.
"Alright, I guess I'll leave it up to Alder and Hope to bring mom home," Dmitri conceded causing Maris to eat the last of her ice cream cone and playfully punch his shoulder causing the battle ace rub the affected area with a slight grin.
"(We both know Karen's a tough woman so whatever they're doing to her will make her bend, but it won't make her break,)" Maris confidently told her boyfriend who laughed softly before he stood up and stretched his arms causing the martial arts pokemon to stand up as well and roll her shoulder before putting her paws on her hips.
"(C'mon, let's head back and show our friends that you're doing better,)" Maris told him while wrapping her arms around his arm causing the battle ace to let out a soft sigh and start walking toward the medical center while ignoring any odd stares he was being given.
After a few minutes the duo arrived at the Pokemon Center and to Maris's surprise, instead of immediately heading back to their shared room with Catherine, he stopped in the center of the hallway causing the martial arts pokemon to raise a brow.
"I know, Mrs. Shiina, Mr. Shiina, and Catherine are on the practice field, but do you know where Delia is?" Dmitri suddenly inquired causing Maris to tilt her head and tap her chin with her paw before her eyes lit up in a eureka moment causing the battle ace to put his hands on his hips and expectantly stare at his friend.
"(I think she said she was going to challenge the various dojos around Veilstone so we shouldn't expect her to be back until curfew,)" Maris answered causing Dmitri to nod and put a hand on his chin while pacing around slightly causing the martial arts pokemon to confusedly stare at her boyfriend before putting a paw on his shoulder to keep him in place.
"Did she say specifically where she was going?" Dmitri asked of his friend causing the martial arts pokemont to raise a brow and tilt her head slightly before letting out a breathe and folding her arms.
"(No, but she said she was saving Yoko's dojo for last and that's at the heart of Veilstone so it's not too far from here,)" Maris warily answered with her eyes narrowed which caused the battle ace to silently curse which made the martial arts pokemon step slightly closer to her boyfriend before she yelped as she was suddenly enveloped in a tight, affectionate hug from Dmitri.
"(Whoa! I mean...I really like this, but you kinda caught me off guard here,)" Maris yelped bashfully with a blush on her face before returning her boyfriend's hug and resting her head on his shoulders as the battle ace began to speak.
"Maris, I love you and thank you...for everything. I'll miss you and everyone I've come to care about," Dmitri whispered to the martial arts pokemon causing Maris's eyes to widen and tightened her grip on his wais, but before she could shout to Sparkplug, Kiera, and Tomoe for help, a hard, stiff blow to the back of her head made her grip slacken as she slumped to the ground with void eyes.
"I'm so sorry Maris, I know you're right, but I have to help mom," Dmitri told his unconscious girlfriend sadly as he picked her up bridal style and began carrying her to the front desk with his eyes downcast.
"Excuse me, could you heal me friend and when you're done, could you tell Catherine Wayne to pick her up?" Dmitri requested of the pink haired nurse causing the medical practitioner to glance at him and then at the unconscious martial arts pokemon in his arms with wide eyes before regaining her composure and folding her arms.
"Alright, but make sure to take better care of your pokemon in the future, young man," Nurse Joy chided the battle ace causing Dmitri to nod slowly as the medical pracitioner had two chanseys place the martial arts pokemon on a gurney and wheel her into the treatment room.
"I will, and thank you," Dmitri responded while respectfully bowing his head to the nurse who blushed and rubbed the back of her head before nodding in response as the battle ace tried to appear calm as he walked out of the Pokemon Center, but to onlookers they saw a teenager speedwalking with his head down.
"I'll find a way to help you...somehow, mom," Dmitri thought to himself determinedly as when he turned the corner, he looked left and right for onlookers and when he found none, he sprinted as fast as he could down the street.
"(What do you mean the humans aren't surrendering!?)" Bisharp barked incredulously at a Watchog who flinched at his tone before the knight regained his composure and put a hand on his ally's shoulder.
"(I'm sorry for the outburst, but could you please explain this...unusual predicament to me,)" Bisharp requested of his emissary much more calmly than before causing his allly to nod eagerly and clear its throat before putting its paws behind its back.
"(It's like I said, Lord Bisharp, the one known as Alder told me that they won't give up even though we have captured their Alpha and his lieutenants, the leaders in charge of the human dens, and any other humans allied with him steadfastly supported him. As such, we can expect they'll mount a rescue to save Karen though we won't know exactly when it's coming,)" the emissary responded causing the knight to put a hand under his chin and tap his foot on the ground before nodding at his ally and folding his arms.
"(Damn humans, they've always make things more complicated than they have to be. Did they want me or any of the leaders to meet with them so they can negotiate a peaceful end to this conflict?)" Bisharp asked his ally who nodded and coughed into its paw before straightening its back.
"(Of course they did, but I told them that this war will only end when one side is completely decimated,)" the diplomat replied simply causing the knight to nod with a slight grin on his face and put a hand on his comrade's shoulder.
"(Good job, I knew picking you as a representative of our people was the right choice,)" Bisharp commended his ally who smiled ever so slightly before bowing respectfully to its leader to which the knight nodded at.
"(Thank you, sir,)" the meerkat gratefully stated causing Bisharp to nod once again and narrow his eyes with a hand on his chin before letting out a sigh.
"(You're welcome, now get some rest. There is...something I must do,)" Bisharp ordered his ally who nodded and walked away with its head held up high and when the meerkat was out of sight, the knight stormed through the rocky cavern before he came upon a large boulder.
Shoving it out of the way, he saw Lilligant force feeding the former champion some unseemly looking gray gruel which made the teacher retch before the grass type roughly grabbed Karen's chin and forced more gruel down her throat before clamping her jaw shut with her vines.
"(Lilligant, Leavanny, Marcatus, I need to be alone with our prisoner for a while,)" Bisharp stated calmly, but firmly causing the three pokemon to respectfully bow their heads and slowly exit the room as the teacher spat the gruel onto the ground while taking deep, slow breathes.
With a grunt, the knight encased Karen in a bright silver aura that temporarily healed the wound on her throat giving her the ability of speech again as the knight took a seat on a nearby rock while the former champion just glared at her captor.
"(Feeling better?)" Bisharp sardonically quipped as he noted that some of the bruises on his captive's limbs were starting to heal and saw that the arm and leg that were crudely twisted back in place were starting to look a little bit better despite still looking mangled.
"(I'll have the girls brutalize her limbs again; I can't have her getting stronger from her imprisonment afterall,)" Bisharp noted as Karen snorted just continued to glower at the knightwho stood up and folded his arms.
"(Your comrades aren't surrendering even though we captured you; explain,)" Bisharp gruffly ordered the former champion who smirked mockingly causing the knight to tightly clench his fist as he took a step towards her.
"Well, considering you lived through the days of old, you should know by now that humans don't give up so easily," Karen confidently stated causing Bisharp to growl and slug the teacher across the face causing Karen to yelp as bloody splayed across the rocky wall, but the former champion smirked at the knight with blood caked teeth.
"(Oh believe me, I more than know about human tenacity and it's caused my brethren nothing but pain,)" Bisharp retorted calmly as he roughly grabbed the back of Karen's hair and yanked her head up causing the teacher to grit her teeth before letting out another yelp as she was punched across the face again which made more blood splatter across the wall.
"Go ahead, beat me up all you want; it's not going to change the fact that you made a very human mistake by thinking that capturing me would magically end the war. You're trump card failed, Bisharp, and now it's only a matter of time before you're forces are routed," Karen stated bluntly while spitting a glob of blood on the ground causing the knight to growl and release his hold on Karen's hair.
"(We are not defeated yet! My people will endure and we will find a way to break through the blockade-)"
"So what, even if you do capture my son or even manage to kill him, you're still going to lose. Face it, we've pushed all of your forces back to Victory Road, all the territories you've conquered are now back in human hands, all of your troops overseas are stuck there until they're either killed or rescued with the former being the most likely. On top of the new recruits Alder is going to bring in, you don't stand a chance," Karen interrupted her captor causing the leader of the New Swords of Justice to clench his fists while putting a hand on his chin and looking down at the ground.
"(Well, even if we do lose this war, we still managed to ensure that you can't give birth to any more demonic children even if your bloodline may continue after all's said and done,)" Bisharp retorted sharply causing the former champion to nod slowly and if she were capable, would have folded her arms, but instead opted to just blankly stare at the knight.
"You did, and even if you kill my son, both people and pokemon will be safe after this war is over, but you still have a chance to end it peacefully. If you truly care about your brethren as much as you claim, then you should meet with Alder and the Elite Four to negotiate a surrender so any unfair treatment that humans have shown you and vice versa can be worked out so both species can better coexist," Karen suggested causing the knight to chuckle under his breathe and shake his head as he crossed his arms and stared at the former champion.
"(Peace through coexistence is a lie; peace through domination is the only way my brethren will no longer have to suffer under humanity's heel,)" Bisharp replied as if he was a parent berating an outspoken child which made the teacher laugh causing the knight to narrow his eyes and glare the former champion who quieted her laughter.
"Ask yourself this, Bisharp? You may be willing to give everything for your cause, but are your brethren?" Karen asked with a grin causing the knight to snarl and clench his fists before punching the wall next to the former champion's head who didn't even flinch as she contemptously stared at the leader of the lost cause.
"(Of course they are! My people would sacrifice life and limb for our race's freedom!)" Bisharp roared back causing Karen to raise a brow and although it caused her pain, tilted her head causing the knight to regain his composure and glower at the former champion.
"Are you certain?" Karen inquired causing the knight to make no outward reaction and suddenly conjured a razor sharp blade that glowed a bright silver from his palm and stalked toward Karen who closed her eyes and looked at the light of the sun one last time.
"(Right or not, your usefulness as a captive is null and thus we can not waste any more resources on you,)" Bisharp retorted and was about to plunge his energy saber into Karen's heart before the wall of the cave shook violently and made him fall to the ground while the former champion rolled off her bed and landed on her belly causing her to curse under her breathe.
"What's going-" Bisharp began to say before the wall of the cave suddenly began glowing a blinding, whitish red causing the leader of the lost cause to widen his eyes before the wall exploded catapulting him backwards and slamming against the wall where he was buried underneath debris.
Gritting her teeth, Karen painfully turned her head to the entrance and saw Elise, the Battle Academy's self proclaimed Queen of Fire, standing side by side with two powerful looking Emboars, the rich boy Zach with his signature Golem, the same Ferrothron her group had defeated previously with the cracks in the center of edges of her body revealing her identity to Karen, and her partner Excadrill who was flanked by an old looking Stoutland.
"Hey Mrs. Long, don't worry, we got you," Elise kindly told the Battle Master who gratefully nodded at the former student as her two Emboars gently picked up the battered teacher and began carrying her out while Stoutland, Excadrill, and Golden Streak nodded at one another.
Throwing the unconscious bodies of Leavanny, Marcatus, and Lilligant into the cave with Bisharp who had just managed to free one arm from the rubble, Golden Streak pounded the walls with his fists, Stoutland rammed his shoulder into the wall forcefully while being coated in a red orange bubble, and Excadrill plunged his fists into the earth with a war cry with the attacks destabilizing the ground and making stalagmites fall around Bisharp and his comrades. Bisharp had the time to extend his hand toward Karen with an angry glare before he along with his cohorts were completely buried underneath stone and dirt causing the former champion to let out a sigh as she stared at her rescuers curiously.
"Coal, bust this wall down! It's time to leave!" Elise ordered one of her Emboars who snorted out pitch blake fumes from its nostrils and encased its body in a whitish red aura before slamming clear through the wall with no resistance while leaving burn marks in its wake.
"Good job, Coal. Excadrill, we're going to take Karen back to camp, we'll meet up with you there," Elise told the mole who nodded curtly and gestured at the Stoutland accompanying him causing the dog to nod and let out a howl which caused the other dog pokemon below to continue to lay down fire while some retreated back into the forest.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Long, we're almost home free," Elise assured the woman with a warm grin causing the teacher to smile before wincing as her body flared up in pain as they scaled down the mountain before the swarm of dog pokemon parted in order to allow them to pass before forming up again like an unbreakable shield.
Even through the defeaning sound of the raging battle, Karen, in spite of her body being wracked with pain, relaxed her body and looked up at the bright blue sky with a tired grin before slowly closing her eyes.
"Do you see now, Catherine? If you teach your pokemon to compress their energy into one spot rather than letting it flow freely, your attacks will become all the more powerful and you'll last longer in a fight. Think of it like compressing an ocean into your hands and then releasing all that power on a target; even if it doesn't knock out your opponent, they're definitely still going to feel it," Maya explained as she demonstrated by conjuring a dark blue orb of draconic energy the size of the Pokemon Center in her hand before compressing it down to the size of a baseball before flinging it at her Hydreigon who grunted as the sphere collided with her and forced her back.
With a grunt of exertion, the three headed dragon managed to lean back and whack the ball of energy into the sky with her tail where it exploded in a wonderful display of light causing Catherine to clasp her hands and stare at the sky in awe before regaining her composure and bowing at Maya gratefully.
"Um...thank you so much for showing me this, Mrs. Shiina. Does Delia know how to do this as well?" Catherine inquired causing Maya to shake her head and fold her arms causing the former heiress to sigh in relief before realizing what she did and let out an awkward laugh before putting her hands behind her back looking at the dragon slayer.
"No, my daughter has always placed more value in martial prowess, honing the body mentally and physically, strategy, and any fields of study for survival, recreation, and battlefield use so consider yourself lucky that you know something that she doesn't...for the time being at least," Maya responded with a sly grin causing the former heiress to rub the back of her head and chuckle nervously before she looked at the ground with downcast eyes.
"Is it okay that we're happy like this? I mean, that guy on the pokegear just told us Dmitri's mom was taken as a prisoner of war and we're just-"
"Which is exactly why we need to keep our spirits up. Of course we should feel disheartened by Karen's capture, Dmitri especially, but we can't let it bring us down. I wish we could help her directly, but we have to settle for reducing the number of enemies the people back in Unova have to fight," Maya calmly interrupted the former heiress causing Catherine to clench her fist tightly before jolting as Luka suddenly put a paw on her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug causing the former heiress to sigh softly and lean into Luka's hold.
"I wonder how he's doing," Cahterine mused sadly as the dragon slayer put her hands on her hips and shook her head while staring at the ground with her eyes downcast before glancing at the former heiress with a slight grin.
"Not good considering what happened, but I'd bet he'd feel better if we came to visit and show him our support," Maya suggested causing a wide grin to break out onto Catherine's lips with the former heiress eagerly nodding as the dragon slayer returned her team while thanking them for all their hardwork with Catherine and Jet following suit.
"Catherine Wayne, Maris is ready for pick up at the front desk!" Nurse Joy's jovial voice suddenly blared on the intercom causing Catherine and Luka to widen their eyes and glance at each other while Maya and Jet folded their arms.
"You think something happened that he's not able to pick her up himself?" Maya questioned her husband who put a hand on his chin and blankly stared at the ground for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, even if something did happen, he'd tell us first so we wouldn't be left in the dark. Something's not right," Jet responded suspiciously as he, Maya, and Catherine entered the medical center and made their way to the front desk where they saw Maris anxiously pacing around the waiting room with her fists clenched tightly.
Upon turning her head, Maris dove into Luka's arms causing the jackal to jolt before returning her friend's hug before gently pushing the martial arts pokemon away while firmly clasping Maris's shoulders.
"(Maris, what's wrong?)" Luka concernedly asked her friend causing Maris to breathe erratically and put her paws over head before calming her breathing to a certain extent and burying her face into the jackal's shoulder.
"(It's Dmitri! The fucking i-idiot k-knocked me out and then he ran off to go back to Unova!)" Maris blubbered causing Maya's eyes to immediately glow a bloody crimson upon hearing this while Jet gnashed his teeth together and clenched his fists.
"Nurse Joy, I need you to put an alert out and tell authorities to be on the lookout for this boy," Jet requested while handing a picture of Dmitri on his pokegear to the nurse was already typing away on her computer before finishing up and glancing at Jet with her eyes narrowed.
"I already contacted Officer Jenny and she's put an alert to the other stations around Sinnoh; wherever he is, he's not going to get far," Nurse Joy responded causing Maya to sigh in relief while Jet thanked the nurse who nodded as Catherine put a hand on Maris's shoulder while Luka wrapped her arms around the martial arts pokemon.
"I'll go get Sparkplug, Kiera, and Tomoe and then call Delia; Luka, Maris I need you guys to go with Mr. and Mrs. Shiina," Catherine ordered causing the aura pokemon to nod while Maris wiped away her tears with her forearm before nodding as well as Maya, Jet, Luka, and Maris boarded Hydreigon and Dragonite who took off into the sky as the former heiress sprinted down the hall.
"Damn it, please still be in Sinnoh, please still be in Sinnoh!" Catherine pleaded mentally as she weaved her way through the people who got in her way and ignored any curses shouted at her as she jammed the key card to her shared room with Dmitri and flung it open.