A/N — *awkwardly pops up* TWO WHOLE MONTHS IS THE LATEST I'VE EVER BEEN. I'm totally dying at how slow my updates are, but my procrastination grew very worst when high school started, so... Well anyways, aside from my very long return, I'm still alive and active. Not active as much, but active, I guess. Aside from my 2889285 years return, I'm just going to warn you that this is literally 1/2 of the whole chapter bc it was way too long and dragged on so there should be another part. Sorry about that everyone! Anyways, thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows for the past two months :) I really appreciate it despite me being inactive, thanks a lot! I LOVE YOU GUYS AS ALWAYS :)
Speaking of reviews, TO MY BEAUTIFUL REVIEWERS —
Falneou17 — Thanks. And yeah, I know. It was obviously rushed because I tried to shove that phase one business out of the way because everyone was literally going down hill. But thanks for your comments :) I have many mistakes, and I try to look over them, but then again, I speed read it and I end up accidentally skipping them.
Just Another Kid — HAHA, I always love your reviews! Okay so the part about Silver will be answered in the next chapter (literally EVERYTHING reveals next chapter) and the same thing about the pair that fell into a volcano. Thanks for reviewing :) and sorry about it being confusing.
ElectroPhoenix — Aw sorry, but phase two is going to be held off for awhile due to reasons! But you will know how Silver knows in the next chapter! Thanks for reviewing :)
darkdemon5 — haha, thanks :)
thelasthope2 — Ahahaha, yeah I liked it better when people didn't try to kill them as well. The game mechanics will probably be put up due to reasons, but then it's not as much I guess; it's hard to explain. Well anyways, aside from that, I have not given up on this story YET, I guess. But I did take forever to update so... I'm still going, I guess.
Reviewee — LOL "dying". Thanks a lot :) Sorry it took so long!
Chapter Fourteen — Recovery (Part I)
"Hey Green, have you seen Blue?" Yellow asked, walking over to his table.
They were after school in detention like usual, decorating the place. Currently, Yellow finished her flower arrangement so she went over to ask Green about the disappearance of everyone. Diamond, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Red, her, and Green were the only ones present. She tried to remember what happened and what they told the teacher, but it seemed suspicious. Platinum claimed she was taking care of a sick friend, and Crystal was beside Soul the whole time in the hospital because she got into an accident. Yellow already knew that Gold was at home barely living, and Blue and Silver was just nowhere to be found. That's the part that she felt worried about since Blue always contacted her in the morning.
Green looked up from the ribbons he was decorating. Yellow noted that it looked really sloppily, but she didn't say anything because she knows he doesn't care.
"Nope," he replied. "I'm sure that crazy girl is just sleeping because she's tired or something. She's always doing something weird and ignoring others."
"I know, but it's just not like her to just skip a day. I mean, after all that happened yesterday, Blue didn't seem scared. The only thing she was upset at was about Le—" Yellow stopped in mid-sentence when she realized she was going to tell the person himself that Leaf was the only thing she was freaking out about.
"What's wrong?" Green asked, seeing her slap her hand over her mouth.
Yellow just shook her head. She was never good at lying, so she tried to tell a somewhat misleading truth. "I just think that Blue was scared yesterday, but not as much. Y'know? Well anyways, thanks for the information, Green! I'll be over there, finishing the last flower arrangement." And with that, she sped over to the other side of the room to successfully dodge the question.
I'm sorry Gold, I couldn't ask him how he was doing... she apologized mentally, remembering what happened last night.
Flashback to Last Night
Yellow wiped her sweat with her sleeve as she continued to work on Gold's body. After finishing the last touch of neatly, professionally stitched stitches, she sighed in relief and placed the objects back into her box. Not having all the hospital things, she was upset that she didn't have any numbing or sleep medicine for Gold, and was scared that he felt everything. He was unconscious the whole time, but she was still worried that he could feel it. When she put all of her things inside the box, she grabbed the blanket and draped it gently over his body to cover him. Yellow sighed in relief then glanced at him, praying that the boy was okay.
When she had turned around to walk to the kitchen, a voice was heard. She stopped in her tracks then rushed to Gold's body. "You're awake," she muttered quietly.
"Yeah... Where am I—Ow! I feel like my head is gonna break," Gold grumbled, cringing at his constant headaches. It didn't help that the hole in his shoulder was giving him physical pain as well.
"Are you okay? Crystal brought you here when you got attacked. Just go back to sleep and rest," Yellow insisted. "You can skip school for the week, and I'll head to your athletic coach for things"
"Okay," Gold gave in easily. "But can you do me a favor?"
"What do you need? Water? Softer pillow?" Yellow asked, very concerned.
"No, it's not an errand. I just want you to check up on Silv, big sis, and super serious gal," Gold said, his voice hoarse. "I'm not sure what happened last night or what, but that game wasn't kidding. Someone legit tried to kill us at the festival, and it was no joke. Yells, we need to investigate the whole situation. Until I recover fully, lay low. Don't go that game or log on anymore. We also need to find out who's who and know the others' identities. If the game guy was right about the attacks, then there's a good of a chance that he's right about everyone in the same school."
Yellow nodded slowly, agreeing. After everything that happened, it's natural to do that.
Gold dropped his seriousness and groaned. "Ugh, my shoulder hurts. Bring me a better pillow, will ya?"
The blonde quickly rushed to go get a pillow for her cousin.
Yellow's POV
If Silver isn't here and neither is Blue, then are they recovering or something? I'm so sorry, Gold. I'm so useless in this situation to complete your request. You know what, this isn't the time to be sad, Yellow! You can do the other part! Okay, focus. Gold told me in the morning that Crystal is a part of the group (surprisingly), so now I know another member. Counting, Red, Green, Silver, Blue, Gold, and myself, that's... seven players? Wait, how many players were there again?
"Yellow!"
"Huh?" I exclaimed, suddenly seeing Red in my vision. My heart is beating so fast, and I can't tell whether it's 'cause I'm scared stiff or because his face is so close!
Red backed up, seeing my reaction. He smiled sheepishly like he always did and scratched his cheek. "Gee, did I scare you? I'm sorry."
"I-It's okay," I said quickly. He looked like he felt bad for it afterwards. Now I feel bad for making him feel bad.
"What are you thinking about? You seemed super focused on something," Red remarked. Damn, I hope I didn't make some weird face.
"U-Um," I began. Is it really okay to tell him? I get that he's a member and he's most likely our ally (or so I hope), but Gold told me to lay low. Wait. Does lay low mean to just keep it secretly? Dang it, why the heck am I asking myself something I don't know the answer to.
I looked up at Red again. "Umm... I was just thinking about yesterday," I replied. I mean, it wasn't exactly lying since I kind of was thinking about Gold and the situation. So, it's not a lie. I think.
"Oh yeah, that was crazy," Red remarked. "But don't let it get you down! Even though people tried to kill us once, if we stick together, then we'll survive. Also, I practice shooting every three months, so I think I'm quite a decent shot. You can rely on me!"
Wow, I can feel my cheeks heat up at his kindness. "A-Ah, thanks Red," I mumbled. Dang it. His smile is making it harder to look at him without turning red.
"Also, there's the fact that we won't get attacked or targeted in awhile," Red said.
Wait, what?
"Wait, what?" I inquired, saying my thoughts out loud.
"Oh yeah, you weren't there last night now that I think about it," Red responded. What? "Remember when the game creator or system called the whole crew together last week? Before all the mess happened, they told us to meet up again at 8 PM on the same day."
Oh! Now that he's mentioning it, I kind of vaguely remember that. I didn't think too much about it because I was busy with Gold last night, and my mind was too absorbed on other matters.
"After Green and I dropped off those two to the police and alerted the principal, we went online, and only four other people were there besides us. I think it was Sparkles, Cake, Hacker, and Sapphoro? Actually, I'm not sure. I kind of forgot. Well, anyways, when we went online, the same situation happened again and we were transported to the eighteenth gym where they took us to the first time they called the whole group together. They told us that we did well in our battle and that each Pokémon was given to us for that very reason. After that, they told us that many people will try to do that again, but not until a while later because they're recharging or something. After that, the game told us that we had approximately a month to make some decision."
"What decision?"
"Whether we want to work with the game," Red replied. "It was pretty crazy, but I guess their motive is to get us on their side."
What? That doesn't make sense.
"Why would the game want us on their side though?" I asked out loud. Why would the game just call for some random teenagers to come together? Why would they even want us on their side? Also, what for?
"I don't know," Red said, shrugging. "All the info I got was that, and the fact that they want us to be prepared. Apparently we're supposed to train our Pokémon and stuff. But oh man! I can't wait till we get out of here! I wanna bond with Pika and train my own Pokémon so much! Oh, if you didn't know, I named my Pikachu, Pika."
"Red! Shut up and get over here," Green shouted from the other side of the room, interrupting his babbling.
"In a second!" Red shouted back. He turned back to me with his usual dreamy smile. "Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I got your back when the time comes!"
I nodded slowly, unable to find words to reply. AHHH! HAVING RED AS A BACKUP IS A DREAM! I hope he can't read my thoughts.
He put his hand on my hat and shifted it forward and backwards like an awkward hair rub with something in the way.
"I'll tell you more later after we get out in an hour," Red said. "See you later Sum— Yellow!"
Sum? What was that?
Before I could ask, Red had already sprinted to the other side of the room where Green was. Gosh, I don't know what's worse. The possibility of him seeing my face red or that I didn't say anything back, and if I did, it wasn't much... SIGH...
"Yellow!" I stiffened up when I heard my name get called. I turned around slowly, and tried to act normal to pass my thoughts.
"O-Oh hey, Sapphire! I was totally not thinking about Red!" I blurted in her face quickly to reassure her.
Phew. She definitely doesn't know my thoughts now.
Sapphire stood there, blinking. "Uh... okay?" she inquired, looking slightly confused. I totally covered it up well. Nice, Yellow.
"Anyways, I was going to ask if ya want ta go ta school with me ta pick up some things for Lieutenant What's-His-Face. He just asked me ta get something for him, and I want some company. Ya wanna come?" she asked.
"Sure!" I answered without hesitation.
Sapphire is such a nice person! I like talking to her and hearing her stories about—OH SHOOT! I JUST REALIZED I FORGOT ABOUT GOLD AND HIS WISHES!
"Ya okay there? Ya look like ya saw a ghost all of a sudden," she commented, looking at me concerned.
"Umm... yeah, I'm okay," I reassured.
Huh?
"What happened to your leg?!" I inquired worriedly, bending down to get a look at it.
"Oh, that? It's okay! I just err... fell down the stairs last night," Sapphire said with an unsure expression.
"But falling down the stairs can only give you a broken leg in a cast or something, not a bandaged wound..." I muttered.
Bandaged wound.
WAIT.
I remember that a lot of people got injured and everything, and Gold is on the verge of dying with a gap in his shoulder. Could she be one of the fourteen? Sapphire don't look like the gaming type, so it might not be possible. But then again, Blue and Green both don't look like the gaming type with her judgmental criticism and his seriousness, so anything can happen, I guess.
"Don't worry though. It doesn't hurt much since I put this special medicine and whatnot," Sapphire said. "So ya wanna go now?"
I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at her. "... Yeah, let's go."
I'll do my best to investigate Sapphire and what happened. Maybe she could be a lead or one of the fourteen.
Normal POV
"Stop ditching your work and help me," Green grumbled, putting the table cloth on the millionth table. He lost count because he got too lazy to do it anymore. It didn't help that a large majority was missing, so he had even more work than before.
"Sorry, sorry," Red apologized, smiling sheepishly. "I just wanted to talk to Yellow about something. So you're still upset because of what happened in class this morning?"
"On how I got a zero for skipping out on the festival because I was about to get killed by a psychotic maniac? No, I'm over it," Green replied bitterly and sarcastically.
"If it makes you feel better, I got a zero too!" Red said, trying to cheer him up.
"That doesn't make me feel better," Green deadpanned. Red laughed awkwardly, trying to get through the situation.
The brunet sighed. "After this, do you wanna come to my dorm to discuss the situation?" Green asked, getting serious.
"Mm... after this? Sorry, but no can do! I have to go somewhere with Yellow," Red replied.
"You guys are going on a date?" Green inquired, raising an eyebrow.
Red immediately released the ribbon he was holding in his hand and let it slip. It unraveled slowly before falling onto the floor. He put out his hands in defense and shook his head rapidly to deny the accusation.
"No, no, no. W-We're not dating, exactly. Just discussing," Red corrected, trying to clear it up. "I'm just worried about a fellow gamer because of the things happening lately."
"Is that really it?" Green asked.
"Of course," Red answered. "What else could it be?"
"I don't know whether you harbor feelings, or whatever. It's just that you changed your personality towards her completely when you found out she was a girl," Green replied smugly.
"Well, of course I would! How do you react if someone you knew for two years just— bam!— is a girl all of a sudden and you just found out after that long? Aw man, I feel so embarrassed too because during our sophomore year, I saw her going into the girl's restroom in public and stopped her. I thought she was a guy, so I showed her the guy's restroom and made her follow me in there because I thought she was mistaken. And now, I feel really stupid and embarrassed even more. Damn, why did you have to make me remember that, Green?" Red said, now turning the situation to Green's fault.
"That's your fault for being slow," Green remarked. "I mean, I found out when I tutored her because of her speech and actions, but she told me to keep it a secret so that she can continue living in a dorm with Gold because of her family's income problems and it was easier that way.
"Woah, she lives with Gold?" Red asked, surprised.
"Well they are cousins," Green reminded.
"I know... but it's just weird, y'know? They're so different that I forgot," Red commented. "Speaking of which, I wonder where Gold is. He better not be skipping school to hang with girls again. He promised the coach he wouldn't do that anymore to get attendance for graduation."
"I think it's also strange that a lot of people are missing," Green mumbled. Does it have something to do with last night? he thought, wondering about it. He opened his mouth to discuss it with Red, but then stopped when he saw other people in the room and cameras monitoring them on the walls. He closed it when he decided to leave it for later.
"Hey," Green called, "I feel like I'm forgetting something. There's no more events coming up, right?" He needed a break from these dumb events.
"Events?" Red arched a brow. "Mm... just homecoming, I think? Are you going with someone?"
"Of course not," Green answered immediately, giving him a dead look that seemed to say, 'do you even know me?'. "Why would I?"
"I don't know, I thought you got along with Blue," Red said. He was going to continue to elaborate, but Green made a disgusted look that had a mix of irritation that made Red hesitate the next few words he was going to say next.
"Why would you think that?" Green demanded an answer.
"It's just that I never saw you get along with a girl, and Blue and you seem to talk a lot lately. She was even worried about your health and everything yesterday and showed you sympathy in your awesome charmander costume," Red explained. He didn't really take into consideration of the times Blue got pissed off at Green because Blue is always happy and flirting (or Red assumes at least) with him.
"We don't get along. She argues with me constantly for no reason and annoys me for stupid reasons. Also yesterday, she didn't show sympathy at all. Instead, she pointed and laughed at me in that embarrassing costume, might I add," Green deadpanned.
"I loved my Pikachu costume," Red announced proudly.
"Of course you do," Green muttered. "Anyways, don't mix that idea up. I don't like her, and she doesn't like me."
Red shrugged. "Well, alright if you say so."
"How did ya end up coming?" Sapphire asked as she crossed her arms and glared at the boy in front of her.
Ruby placed his hands on his hips, not affected by the nasty look she was giving him. "It's not my decision. Lt. Surge told me to go with you because he saw you limping and everything. You just had to come to school even though you can barely walk. Smart thinking," he complimented sarcastically.
He stole a glance at her shoulder. He didn't know about her shoulder's current situation since she was hiding under her shirt, but he was pretty positive that something was broken or messed up. It would've been better to take her to the hospital.
"You could've at least got a wheelchair or crutches," Ruby added.
"Shuddup! There's no way I can do that!" she snapped. "If I do that, then I won't be able ta play in the homecoming game that I've been trainin' forever for! We don't have practice for the rest of week because of the festival's activities, so shut yer yap! Also, where the heck is Yellow?! She's supposed ta be with me!"
"Don't blame me. She was gonna go, but then Lt. Surge was like 'Oh, that girl looks super weak, there's no way she can carry boxes. Hey Garnet, go with that wild chick to help her. You're... err... half of a man, or something.'" Ruby mimicked his voice in an over exaggerated low voice, looking annoyed the whole time. After he finished, he rolled his eyes. "How the heck does that guy get Garnet from Ruby?"
"Your name is gay," Sapphire bluntly stated randomly.
His eye twitched. "Hey, at least my name fits me!" he shouted. He paused. "Oh wait, that came out wrong."
Sapphire burst into laughter, finding the scene funny that he admitted he was gay.
"What I meant is that rubies are beautiful gems, and I'm so fabulous and awesome like them," Ruby bragged. "Sapphire is pretty too. Too bad it doesn't suit you."
Sapphire stopped laughing and glared. "Pssh, I don't care," she replied, walking away from the conversation. Remembering Yellow's words from this morning, she learned that it's better to be the bigger person and just let things go.
Ruby rolled his eyes, and then stopped when he found the classroom they were looking for. He took out a key ring that the teacher gave him and used it to unlock the door. After a few seconds, it opened and he slipped it back into his pocket. Sapphire immediately slammed the door wide open and ran into the room.
"Do you have to slam the door? I'm pretty sure club activities are going on," he commented.
"It's not like they're gonna stop by some small slam! Just shut up and help," Sapphire snapped, already looking.
She desperately wanted to get back as soon as they could. She felt that it was pretty awkward between them because they didn't have anything in common. That happens all the time to people and some get along anyway, but every time she opens her mouth, an argument always starts.
"Oh, there it is," Sapphire mumbled to herself when she spotted a box on top of a tall shelf with the label, 'Cleaning Supplies'. The brunette reached up with her arms and went on her tippy toes to reach it since it was too tall for her. Her options were limited, she couldn't exactly jump with her thigh injured. When she managed to touch the box, she yanked it back out and into her grip. At that moment, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and her grip on the box loosened. Gravity forced the box down and her eyes mysteriously got heavy.
"Watch out!"
Everything went black.
Sapphire saw a man in front of her. She didn't know who he was, but he always appeared when she saw these weird visions. She would always notice the large scar on the side of his forehead and his bright red eyes. Every time he made eye contact with her, he would speak to her in a gentler tone and look at her with concern. He kind of reminded her of Ruby, if it wasn't for his age, more feminine persona, and the fact that he's rude. The other thing she noticed in this vision was that she was always in the body of a girl named May, or at least that's what everyone always called her. She didn't know who May was since she saw glimpses of her, but she always seemed to have some problem or was always arguing with someone.
She looked around, recognizing the scene of some kitchen area. He was laying back on the island, frowning at her.
"May, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but stop relying on your instincts. It's great that they're helpful in situations, but taking a random risk can lead you to your death," he advised. It kind of reminded Sapphire of Ruby and his nagging for a second about her own injuries.
Sapphire heard a higher pitched voice come out of her body. "Shut up, Brendan! My instincts are how I survive."
"Running into the battlefield without a plan is not the best way to go," Brendan snapped. "Stop acting like this is a little kid's game and act seriously. You're way too clumsy and you just aim randomly. There's more of your weak points that I can name if you want me to."
"I am not clumsy for your information!" she yelled back.
"Uh huh, keep telling yourself that," he responded, rolling his eyes and leaving the room.
Sapphire saw fists slam the table after he left, a small crack forming on the counter.
"Ooh, that's not good. I just bought that new counter top too."
A deep voice and a light sigh was heard from behind her. She turned around and jumped back, surprised that the person was there in the first place. There stood in front of her, a short boy who looked like he was the age of teenager. He had long blonde hair that flowed down his back and bullets strapped all over her chest. Sapphire saw him a couple times too, but he didn't appear as much compared to Brendan.
"You guys seriously need to stop arguing. This was brand new," he stated, pointing at the marble counter. "And marble at that! You know how expensive that was?"
"Rider, stop being such a jerk with money," she growled. "I know that was cheap."
"Yeah, yeah. But still, even though we make good money, you shouldn't waste it. This is the reason why we can't have nice things," the boy stated, sighing. "I swear though, why do you and Brendan always get in fights about the dumbest things? You guys really need to stop arguing."
"That's only because he's a heartless, cold jerk! Like, can you believe he told me how to fight?"
"If I'm being honest here, you have horrible self control," Rider admitted.
"Great. Now, I have two Brendans complaining!" she grumbled, storming out of the kitchen.
When Rider saw her head to the garage, he asked, "Where are you going?"
"For a walk!"
The scene changed to a street. She was now walking down a sidewalk, grumbling complaints.
"Stupid Brendan... what is up with that guy, getting in my head?"
"Hey there, come with me."
She stopped walking and turned around when she heard someone speak to her. There in front of her was a guy who wore all black and dressed like he was homeless. She assumed he was a thug, or some druggy.
"Sorry, but I'm busy," she told him.
She was about to walk away but then the guy grabbed her arm. She turned around again, feeling annoyed. "That wasn't a question," he said in a threatening tone.
Her hands went into her coat pocket, but she stiffened up when she realized what she was looking for wasn't in there. Quickly, after realizing the item was missing, she yanked her arm away from him using brute force then sprinted away as fast as she could. While running, she looked behind her to see if he was following her. She didn't notice that she was running into incoming traffic until a loud car horn was heard. She tried to dodge the car, but she had heels on and fell onto the floor hopelessly. Right when she saw the headlights of the car, she suddenly heard Brendan's words again.
'May, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but stop relying on your instincts.'
She closed her eyes to endure the hit once she knew it was inevitable to dodge it at this point.
"Watch out!"
She snapped her eyes open when she didn't feel anything but arms around her.
"What happened?" she mumbled, looking around.
Brendan was holding her in his arms like bridal-style, and she quickly felt embarrassed. She could feel her cheeks heating up as she was gently put down on the sidewalk.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing around. She noticed that car that was about to hit her earlier collided with a pole. Guess the car really did try to dodge her.
"You idiot! That's my line! What the hell are you doing? You're not some little kid! You should've been looking at the damn stoplight and pay attention to it! Also, you shouldn't be out here at night by yourself! You might be some overrated tomboy, but you're still a girl and it's dangerous to go by yourself!"
Sapphire felt frozen at his expression. She never got yelled at by him before, nor has she seen him so angry that his red eyes could catch on fire. Her heart stopped for a moment. Unconsciously, tears started to flow out of her eyes and she felt her legs give out.
"I'm sorry!"
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
Sapphire opened her eyes, feeling an embrace. "Huh?" she mumbled as she got up. "What happened? Why are ya on the ground?"
Ruby was sitting on the ground, and there were stacks of boxes beside him, knocked over. The contents that happened to be inside were scattered all the floor messily.
The black-haired boy sat up and gave her a glare. "You idiot! What the hell were you doing? Stop being a stubborn kid! You might be a caveman with super strength, but even you can get weak by an injury!" he snapped.
Sapphire widened her eyes and froze, feeling that in between the lines that it was very nostalgic.
"I'm sorry..." she said unconsciously, without thinking.
Ruby let out a long sigh and got up from his spot. He quickly patted his shirt, hoping that all the dust from the boxes got off of him. Gathering the contents that fell out and cleaning up the mess, he returned it back into the box it came out of.
"You should be. Anyways, you get this," he said, handing her a small box that could probably fit a purse inside. "I'll take these." He grabbed the large box that Sapphire was reaching for earlier.
"Those are the small bows. He said we might need them," he informed.
Ruby went to the doorway then turned around when he realized she was just standing there the whole time instead of following. "Can you walk, or do you need help?"
Sapphire froze for a moment again, trying to figure why he looked so much like the guy she saw in her vision. The similarities were uncanny, and now that they were in the same situation, she couldn't help but wonder about it. Her thoughts ended abruptly though when she noticed Ruby's gaze. Trying her best to act like herself, she puffed out her chest then marched to show that she was capable, only to look weird in Ruby's opinion.
"I can handle it!" she stated, walking faster in front of Ruby proudly.
"You overpowered caveman..." Ruby muttered, following her.
"Hey Sapph, I'm sorry that I couldn't go with you. Lt. Surge didn't let me," Yellow apologized, feeling guilty that she left Sapphire alone. Though she partially shipped them (due to Blue's babbling all the time), she felt that the two themselves didn't like each other by the numerous arguments.
"It's okay, Yellow," Sapphire reassured, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm actually happy I went."
"Huh? Really?" she exclaimed, surprised.
"Yep. Something important hit me," Sapphire said.
"Wait, what is it?" Yellow asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Um, it's hard ta explain, but all in all, it's like a grown up version of me that wears heels," Sapphire tried to summarize.
In return, she only earned more confusion with Yellow, evident by the blonde's puzzled expression. "Wait, what?"
"It's confusing, but it's okay! Ya don't have to worry about it," Sapphire reassured, grinning.
"Ah... okay?" Yellow mumbled, still confused.
"HEY, YOU MAGGOTS!" Lt. Surge shouted, his voice booming throughout the room. "YOU'RE DONE FOR THE DAY! GET OUT NOW 'CAUSE THE JANITOR IS HERE TO CLOSE THIS PLACE UP!"
Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and left mid-way, not caring whether they finished the job or not. It was most likely because they were being forced to do something they didn't want to do and didn't care about it. Most of the time, it was a little bit of both.
"Hey, ya want ta go home with—" Sapphire stopped mid-sentence when Red walked over to them. She arched an eyebrow and asked him what he was doing here, "Wassup, Red?"
"Nothing much," Red replied. "I'm just here to take Yellow somewhere after school."
"Oh, really?" Sapphire exclaimed, widening her eyes. She grinned and suddenly remembered what Blue told her when she first met the duo at lunch. With all the hints going around between them during detention, Sapphire could tell that Yellow had a little crush on Red.
She bent down to Yellow's ear and whispered, "I'm rootin' for y'all!"
Yellow's face turned bright red in embarrassment. Red watched them, wondering what she told her to make her react like that. Sapphire patted her on the back and quickly left the two so that she could get out of the way.
"What did she say?" Red asked as the two grabbed their bags and headed out too.
"U-Um! Nothing at all!" Yellow responded, shaking her head furiously side to side to deny it. She quickly tried to change the subject, "So what do you have in mind?"
"Well, it's already 5:30 and the sun might go down soon, so we should go somewhere on the way to the dorms. How about we go to the cafe Gold brought us to?" Red suggested. "I like the food last time I was there."
Yellow smiled at the suggestion. "That's great! I have a discount there too!"
"Y'know, Crys, you don't have to stay with me all the time. I think I'm fine," Soul said, giving her the best smile she could muster.
The twin tailed girl was sitting in a hospital bed comfortably, dressed a gown. The bed was reclined up halfway so that she could sit comfortably while she talked to Crystal. There was a bag of blood attached to a stand connecting to her so she couldn't move. Under the blanket, her thigh and arm were wrapped around in bandages. Crystal sat beside the bed, holding onto one of her hands.
"No, you're not," Crystal denied. "When you woke up five minutes ago, you looked terrified and you kept muttering about somebody named Kristina. I choose not to believe you're okay."
"Well, I guess I'm just upset that I didn't get to finish a conversation with Silver. He was there, Crys. I know I'm not going crazy, but Black kept saying there wasn't anyone there," Soul confessed.
"I believe you," Crystal said without hesitation. "But that isn't important. What's important is how we're going to deal with everything. Not to mention that Rald is somehow involved and all, and you're almost on the verge of dying of blood loss. Then there's also Gold... Man, why is everything falling down so much?"
"Crys, are you okay?" Soul asked with a worried look.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. She stood up from her stool and let go of Soul's hand. "I'm going to go get Black to watch you. I think I need to go outside for a second."
"Uh, okay," Soul said, deciding not to ask further.
Before Crystal could exit the room, a small blonde appeared at the doorway, blocking her way. Emerald stood there with a small bouquet of flowers and a balloon, looking uncomfortable.
"Rald," she breathed, "You came."
"Of course. Soul might be annoying, but she's still your sister. And anyone related to ya is a good person," Emerald said, trying to hide his embarrassment and the fact that he came to visit because he was worried about the girl.
Soul puffed her cheeks and glared at him. "Hey you brat, I'm sitting right here!" she shouted.
At that moment, a nurse appeared behind Emerald in the hallway. "Um, not to be rude, but please do not shout in the hospital. There are many doctors nearby trying to focus on surgery right now," she chided.
Soul smiled sheepishly then apologized. "I'm sorry, my bad," she said. The nurse warned her again before walking out.
"Umm... speaking of noises, Black is probably out right now since I didn't see him in the hallway. This is the perfect time for you and Emerald to catch up and get along. I'll leave you two alone so you guys can have some personal time," Crystal said. She looked at Emerald and smiled before she left. "Thanks for taking care of Soul for me."
Emerald nodded as Crystal walked past him. She shut the door behind him, the door slam echoing.
"You didn't have to visit me, y'know," Soul said. "But I appreciate it."
"You better. These flowers weren't cheap," Emerald said, throwing it on the counter beside her. He let go of the balloon and let it float in the room randomly then sat the stool Crystal previously sat on. He looked at Soul, dead in the eyes. "After you finish healing, you should start lifting weights or something."
"What do you mean?" Soul asked.
"Well according to Crystal, I already know that you're a part of the game and all that, and I also know you got attacked because of it. I just wanted to warn you that it's going to happen again," Emerald said. Upon hearing it, Soul stiffened up uncomfortably and her heart started to beat faster. Fear washed over her as she shook frantically under the blanket and tears formed at the edge of her eyes. Emerald didn't notice and continued though, "But it's not until awhile. I'm just sayin' that I think you should be ready to protect yourself if you don't want something to happen again. I already told Crystal about it too."
"U-Um... okay," Soul choked, trying to hold back her tears.
Emerald felt a guilt pang seeing her reaction. "I'm just telling you in case you get hurt again," he told her more gently.
"Alright," Soul mumbled. "By the way, Rald, did you see Silver at the school?"
"No, why? What does he have to do with any of this?" Emerald asked innocently.
Soul sucked in her tears and forced a smile. "It's nothing," she responded, wanting to not worry anyone anymore.
Crystal laid her back against the bench outside of the hospital. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to relax and get a nature feeling through her lungs. She felt really stuffy right now. The sight of blood made her want to puke and she was surrounded by it lately.
A memory of Gold's wound flashed in her eyes, making her feel uncomfortable again.
It's all my fault, she thought to herself. Gold's injury, Soul's condition. All of it. If I didn't leave Soul, she wouldn't have gotten that hurt, or I could at least help her. And Gold, he was just dragged into it randomly and I should've been the one who got shot.
"I'm such a screw up," she muttered to herself, sighing deeply.
BING!
She snapped out of her depressed state and checked her phone (which was a borrowed model from Black and the only phone she could use since Gold decided to her original phone out of a window) when an alert was heard. Checking it, she found out it was from Awesome. She read it:
To: Capturer01
From: Awesomenessofall_123
Yo, Capturer. I'm pretty sure ur worried about what happened yesterday, huh? I'm sorry it's been awhile since I texted u and all, but I'm having a hard time 2 move my arm parts. But don't worry about me, I'll live XD. Anyways, what about u? Did u get jacked up pretty bad?
Quickly without any moment to waste, she typed back that her answer was 'no'. It took about a minute later for Awesome to reply back.
To: Capturer01
From: Awesomenessofall_123
That's good ;) It's gonna suck if u can't play with a weak arm! Let's play together again when everything is settled down.
Crystal froze at that message.
Is he serious? The game was literally the root of the problem, and all of the killings and gunshots were most likely coming from them. Well, from someone. All she knew is that it was too weird that the game knew so much and predicted what was going to happen next. She wouldn't really consider the game as an ally, but she would exactly consider it an enemy either. The game might've been the ones who warned them and gave them Pokémon to fight, but there was just this horrible, icky feeling Crystal couldn't shrug off.
Quickly, she started to move again, slightly more relax than before and texted him back.
To: Awesomenessofall_123
From: Capturer01
Aren't you scared?
She waited patiently, staring at her phone. When she heard the message alert, she clicked on the notification.
To: Capturer01
From: Awesomenessofall_123
No, why should I? I got hurt and I feel like I'm dying right now, but it's just a game. Did u 4get or sumthang? We made up that group 2 play together and hang. This is like the biggest level ever: Boss Level. What kind of gamers are we if would back away from the challenge, all scared?
He's right, Crystal thought, realizing something.
According to what Emerald told her earlier, the same thing was going to happen again. Sure, she's left unscathed, but the people she cared about didn't. It wasn't the time to cry and be frustrated. She should be standing forward to the challenge, not running away from it. If she wanted to protect Soul and Emerald, she needed to take precautions.
To: Awesomenessofall_123
From: Capturer01
Thanks for reminding me.
BING!
To: Capturer01
From: Awesomenessofall_123
Remind you of what?
She messaged back.
To: Awesomenessofall_123
From: Capturer01
It's nothing :)
BING!
To: Capturer01
From: Awesomenessofall_123
Huh? K, ur weird. Anyways, imma go take a nap. My arm is killing me and it's hard for me to text. But let's talk later! In real life though since I don't have a phone .-. If they were right 'bout going to the same school and all, we should meet one day, right? I wonder if this counts as stranger danger lol.
Crystal laughed, thinking about his voice saying that on the computer. She texted back.
To: Awesomenessofall_123
From: Capturer01
Alright, get some sleep! :) Also about meeting one day, it DOES count as stranger danger. But I feel like you're not gonna be much of a threat by your personality, so I'll think about it! Nice talking to you again, Awesome! Night XD
Afterwards, she clicked the phone off and slid it back into her pocket. She got up from the bench and started to stretch out her arms, feeling the need to get a grasp on the fresh air before returning back to that stuffy hotel. She smiled, feeling peaceful and relaxed all of a sudden. Even though he was crazy, talking to Awesome always brightened up her day.
I shouldn't keep Rald and Soul waiting, she told herself.
When she went to enter the building again, she happened to notice someone also entering behind her. Being the polite person she is, she held the door open for the person, waiting for her to go through first.
The girl dressed in all black muttered a small thank you, glancing at her and having eye contact for a second. When Crystal saw her face, a small building flashed in her mind for a second. She shook her head to get the thought quickly out of her mind, but still questioned what it was. It took her a moment to realize that the girl was gone already and that she has been frozen on the spot.
After walking in herself, she slapped her cheeks. "I need to focus instead of daydreaming all the time..." she mumbled to herself.
Silver felt something pumping through his veins. He only saw darkness, but he could hear someone's cry in the midst of it. He also felt discomfort all around his upper body, which he perceived to be as pain, and he didn't know the source of the pain. Warmness and a tight pressure was also felt around his wrist.
Silver... Please don't leave me!
The cry got louder as he realized the words and the familiar voice.
He forced his eyes open quickly, trying to reach the voice. Averting them around to find the person, he stopped when he saw brown hair and blue eyes in his view. A loud gasp was heard before a joyful cry, "Silver! You're awake!"
Blue quickly wiped her tears, a relieved smile on her face. Silver tilted his head slowly to her. Her eyes were bright red and she had heavy bags under her eyes. Her neat brown hair that always looked so perfect was out of place, many tangles visible. She had scratches all over her arms, and her school uniform was tattered. The girl looked like she was digging in a trash can or something.
"What happened to you?" he asked, worried.
"That's my line!" she shouted back. "I was so worried about you! What happened out there? How'd you get shot?"
"It's all blurry, I don't remember," he responded. "But I'm okay."
She sighed in relief. "I guess I shouldn't force you to remember how you got shot after you finally woke up. I'll ask later," she said, trying her best to stay strong for him. "I was so worried that you were in the middle of dying, and I rushed to the hospital as soon as possible!"
"How long have I been in bed?" Silver asked.
"Well, I actually just arrived four hours ago around 12 PM, but I got the message that you were in the hospital yesterday around 8 PM," she replied.
Silver knitted his eyebrows, wondering how 'rushing to the hospital' was about a 16 hours away, but didn't question it. He wasn't really picky about it, but he was happy that she was on his side for the time being. Blue gave him one of her sweet smiles, showing her happiness. He didn't want to ruin it.
"Oh," he mouthed. "Wait... who brought me here?"
At that moment, Blue stiffened up uncomfortably but covered it up quickly so Silver didn't get to see it. "Some classmate of mine who knows you're my brother," she assured. "Anyways, do you need anything like food, desserts, or something? It's the least I can do for you while you're in recovery. Oh wait, can you eat that while in recovery?"
Silver smiled slightly. "I'm okay. I feel really comfortable, and I want to get some more sleep. You can head home first before it gets dark," he replied.
"Are you sure?" Blue asked worriedly.
"I'm sure," he replied.
"Hey Gramps," Green greeted the old man in front of him, tossing a bouquet of flowers in his arms. "How were the results?"
"There's still a couple problems I have to fix up in this old body of mines," the old man replied, earning a look from Green. "But never mind me, I'm just growing old. How's school? I know it's harder since I'm not the principal anymore and that you have to get a job to pay for your dorm fees and all from Red—"
"That big mouth," Green interrupted, sighing. "Look Gramps, I'm living fine and my life is pretty good already, okay? Stop worrying before your heart dies 'cause of a heart attack from worrying too much."
The old man laughed lightly and smiled. "I'm not gonna die that easily. The doctor says I'm recovering at a pretty good rate from my last surgery," he assured.
"That's good to hear," Green stated. "Huh?" He changed his expression when he noticed something in the background of the view of his grandfather in a wheel chair. Behind him, there was a girl limping slowly through the garden, looking beaten up. Her hair was in a frenzy mess, her uniform was messed up and dirty, and her bare feet were black and brown, covered in bruises and dirt. The thing that stood out about the mess was her eyes. They look like they were drained out and colorless, as if the girl was a ghost herself.
"Grandpa, excuse me for a second. I see a classmate of mine," Green said.
"Oh, a friend besides Red? Go ahead and go then," his grandfather replied, waving bye while holding the flowers with the other hand.
Green bowed politely to leave then walked towards that girl, following her steps. He tucked his hands in his pockets, then hesitantly called out to her, "Pesky Woman, what the heck happened to you?"
Blue stopped in her tracks then turned around to him. "What?" She whirled around and her face expression regained emotion when she saw Green, her eyes having her special shade of azure. "Oh, Greenie? ... If you think you can blackmail me by taking a picture of my horrible appearance then think again."
Green's eye twitched. "And you wonder why I'm always irritated by you," he mumbled. "Look, I'm not like you. It was a mistake to even call out to you. I only did it because I thought you were in a bad condition and because Yellow was worried that you weren't at school."
"Yellow?" Blue muttered, freezing. "Hey Green, do me a favor," she suddenly added, changing her expression.
"Hah? You're asking me for a favor now?" Green exclaimed, feeling annoyed that she would greet him like that then ask for something.
"Even if you don't do me the favor, I'll just use my ways," Blue replied. She put out her hand, which made Green look confused. "This hospital is about an hour away from our dorms by taxi, and I need a ride home. If you don't have much cash on you then give me money for a train."
"What? Are you so stupid that you didn't bring money for a train ride back home?" Green inquired. "Also, where the heck are your shoes?"
"Of course not," Blue responded, defensively. She looked down, embarrassed. "... I was in a rush to get here that I forgot to bring my wallet... and shoes."
"Wait, how'd you get money for a ride here if you didn't have your wallet in the first place?"
"I ran here," Blue answered.
"... Is this one of those stupid diet things that girls do?" Green asked, which earned him a smack on the arm by Blue.
"My body already looks nice and I already know it! I just couldn't process anything, and I ended up here!" she shouted. She sighed then whirled around again and began walking away. "You know what, I'm in a good mood now that I know the person I'm visiting is okay. So you're lucky, I won't steal from you."
Although she said that, she secretly didn't do it because Green was the person she looked up to the most, Leaf.
"Wait, how are you gonna get home then?" Green called out to her.
Without turning around, Blue shouted back, "I'll rob a stranger!"
Green grumbled something incoherently then ran after her, deciding he couldn't leave her alone.
Marley strolled through the hospital with confidence, acting as if she knew the structure of the hospital and belonged there, even if she didn't. It took her about ten minutes to get there because she wouldn't ask for help and only looked at the signs. Without knocking, she entered the patient's room.
Candice laid there in the bed, unable to get up without feeling immense pain. Platinum sat next to her in a chair, a small bandage on her cheek. The two stopped their conversation when they heard the door open and saw Marley walk in.
"Hiya!" Candice greeted. "Is that a new nurse outfit or something?"
"Candice, she is not a nurse. This is Marley, the girl who helped me save you," Platinum introduced. "She's the one who took care of most of your wounds before we brought you here to the hospital."
"Ah, really? Then it's nice to meet ya!" Candice greeted, looking in her direction. "I can't exactly sit up or move my arm, so I hope you can forgive me. The only thing I could move is my neck."
"It's okay. Don't hurt yourself," Marley waved off, taking a seat in the stool next to Platinum.
"What brings you here?" Platinum asked.
According to her, Marley does things involving Pearl, or for him. She kept seeing the girl having various conversations with him last night and it seemed as though he was literally the only person she spoke to. She did talk to Diamond and Platinum as well, but not as much.
"I'm here to check the condition of the patient and also have a discussion with you, Pearl, and Diamond," Marley responded. "Pearl said he should be arriving soon."
"I will join in the discussion momentarily when Candice is safe. I don't want to abandon her," Platinum told the girl, looking at Candice with another guilty expression.
"It's okay, Platinum! I'll be safe here in bed. You guys can go chat outside and be more friendly with each other!" Candice reassured. "I'm going to sleep anyway."
"Do you need help?" Platinum inquired, hesitant about leaving her.
"I said I'm fine! Now get out of my room," Candice said, jokingly mad.
"Then I shall. Make sure to call for me if you are in trouble or need any help. I'll be right out the door," Platinum assured, leaving.
Once the two left the room and went to a quieter place, Platinum asked her, "What do you want to talk about?"
Marley crossed her arms and stared at her, a frown present on her face like always. "... You really don't know, do you?"
Platinum blinked innocently. "I have knowledge of many subjects, but I am confused onto which subject you're talking about," she said, wanting a clarification.
"I'm talking about Dawn." Hearing that name, Platinum flinched. Marley was quick to notice that and she quickly questioned it, "You... you heard that name before, haven't you? Haven't you?"
Platinum didn't know why, but she always observed that Marley would raise her voice at moments when she was irked by something. She didn't know why the girl was doing it to her, but she chose not to attack her since she saved Candice's life.
"Yes, I have," Platinum replied, not showing any effect from her intimidation. "Now that I answered your question, I wish to ask one in return. Just who are you?"
A/N — IT TOOK ME LITERALLY FOREVER TO FINISH THIS CHAPTER ASDFGHJKL, and in some ways, it's still unfinished TT^TT Well, it's finished, but it has another part to it like the part 2's and 3's, etc.
Let's hope my procrastination decreases though, since high school has been a major douche to me. But then again, I don't really have much of an excuse, considering ALL my winter break, I hibernated like a bear. Anyways, (if y'all still keep up with this story), thanks for reading and everything :)
P.S. AHHHHHH I know this isn't related to the story, but have y'all heard that a new Nintendo 3DS will come out with charizard and blastoise covers for the anniversary? CAN'T WAIT!
