No. I won't let him go. There's no telling what he's going to do to himself - but from the sinking sensation in my chest, I fear that I already know; images of him meeting an untimely end, vivid and unbidden, flood my mind. Panic, raw and deep, surges through me with each slam of my dominant foot into the door; no matter how many times I drive my leg into it, it just won't budge – but then I remember my Lapras, my dearest friend and savior in too many situations to count. Plucking her ball from the depths of my purse, I cast it to the ground.

"Lapis, I need you!"

She appears from a burst of light, easily filling the hallway with her soft blue bulk. Taking in my distressed look, she needs no instruction to vigorously hurl all four-hundred-plus pounds of herself into the door; splinters promptly pepper us both as the door tumbles into the hallway outside.

"Thanks, dear. Return!"

With a concerned bellow, she reluctantly obeys and disappears into her ball, which I pick up before dashing down the hallway and towards the nearby stairs. I then stumble out onto the street, searching faces, hoping that at least one of them happens to be Elio's. But to my mounting dismay, he's nowhere to be seen. Where could he have gone?

The abrupt, shrill sound of a woman's scream, however, answers that question.

My heart, already pounding like a drum at a rock concert, promptly rises into my throat. Sprinting hard towards the source of the sound, I can hardly draw a full breath as thoughts of Elio, of holding him like I should've, cloud my mind like a heavy fog. The burning in my legs, the alarmed looks on the faces of passerby, the angry cries a few of them utter as I nearly run them over - all of that becomes irrelevant as I approach the city's sprawling, busy center. There, I find that the streets are crowded with people, some shouting, some chatting excitedly - and as I approach the five-story shopping hub that is Celadon's famous department store, I immediately realize why.

A growing crowd of onlookers has gathered below it, some shouting and pointing, others gesturing to each other wildly, all of their gazes seemingly fixated on the building's roof; I do likewise and finally discern the outline of a short figure standing at the roof's edge, arms spread wide.

It's Elio.

My soul almost leaves my body as he visibly shakes - a chorus of alarmed yells fills the air as he steps from the roof's edge, walking onto nothingness; arms flailing and eyes wide, his descent is marked by a horrible, elongated scream – one that ends with the ground's sudden, final kiss, punctuated by the sickening sound of snapping bones -

"Elllllllio!" I howl towards the sky.

Somehow, my voice reaches him, and he comes to a standstill; he then glances down and sees me standing there, my eyes wide and imploring.

"L-Lorelei?" He cries back, voice quavering with fear. Even at a distance, I can tell from the uncertainty in his voice - he doesn't want to do this.

"Just - just don't move!" I plead, as loudly as I can. "Promise me that, okay? I'm coming to get you - everything'll be okay, I promise!"

For a moment, he says nothing - and then his head moves in a weak nod - my cue to burst towards the store's sliding doors. They barely part in time to accept me as I race through the lobby, passing a startled clerk on my way to the stairs. The elevator would've been kinder to my weary body, but I can't risk getting held up by a shopper. Fatigue, an impatient seamstress, makes her first stitch in my side, my face contorting from the stabbing pain as my gasps, rapid and labored, reverberate in the stairwell. Just stop, my brain tells me as I take the stairs three at a time - he's not going anywhere.

But I can't stop. Not until he's in my arms, alive and safe and in the presence of someone who finally understands him. That image is all I need, lending my ailing legs a final burst of speed as I approach the top of the stairs, my legs buckling beneath me as I finally stumble through the roof's entryway and out into the sunlight.

I'm on the verge of collapsing - but he's still standing there.

"E - Elio," I croak, doubling over.

He turns at the sound of my voice, revealing his tear-streaked face.

"Why'd you come?" he mewls. "Why didn't you just stay put - "

"It's because I care, Elio," I plead, clutching my throbbing chest. "I feel your pain - and - and I know that you're hurting inside - but that pain doesn't have to end like this - "

"H-how do you know?" he stammers. "Lorelei, i-if I don't do this - how will things change?"

A glimmer of hope briefly flashes in the empty depths of his eyes; but like a ransacked store, I have nothing to offer in return, save for myself - which, I realize as I stand shakily, my arms already extending to receive him - is all I need to give.

"I won't lie to you, Elio," I plead, my arms shaking with the need to just squeeze his misery out of him, "I - I can't change the League - but I can change, and I - I've learned that I can't force you to be someone you don't want to be - so, please, Elio, a chance - just one chance to make things right, is all I'm begging of you."

His lower lip quivers as he glances at me, at my penitent face, then at the nearby ledge. Not wanting to see his decision, I helplessly close my eyes, hot moisture trickling down my cheeks as his feet audibly scuff against the roof's edge - followed by the sudden, jarring impact of his body as he dives into my arms, driving the air out of my lungs.

My heart, frantically beating against the bars of my ribcage like a prisoner on death row, finally stills from the warmth of his body, the lifting sensation in my chest redefining what I once thought was sheer joy as I crush the life out of him.

"Don't - don't you ever do that again," I wearily admonish, cradling his face in my hands. "You might not think much of me at the moment, but – I would've died inside if I'd lost you, Elio."

His eyebrows droop with regret. "I'm sorry for everything – I just felt so – so hopeless, Lorelei - "

"It's okay," I coo soothingly, gently patting his back as he grows limp in my arms, emotionally spent from the nightmare I'd barely managed to end. "All that matters is that you're alive - "

My phone abruptly vibrates in the rear pocket of my jeans, cutting me off. Reaching back and bringing it to my face, I glance at the screen.

It's Lance's number - and I know precisely why he's calling.

A flicker of trepidation crosses Elio's face as I break our hug with a reluctant sigh - but this is one call I've got to answer.

"Just give me a sec, okay?" I say, walking towards the roof's edge.

Jabbing the screen, I answer the call. Lance's voice, worried, yet curt, resounds in my ear.

"Lorelei, it's Lance. The League's suits need an update on Elio - is he coming back?"

"No," I reply, staring at Elio, noting his fragile, peaceful demeanor. "And neither am I."

And with that, I flip my phone over, pry open the back of it, and rip the battery out before hurling it to the streets below.

I think I've had enough of the League.

"Who was that?" Elio asks, visibly concerned.

"Don't worry - it's no one you should be concerned about," I murmur absently. "It's time to go, Elio."

"Go where?" he asks, to which I briefly rummage in my purse and unearth another Poké Ball, this one containing my favorite means of transportation - my Pidgeot, Skye.

"I've got a nice cottage on Four Island, Elio - and if you're wondering where that is, it's far away from Kanto - I think that for now, you should spend some time there with me, where it's peaceful and there's no one to bother you - except me, of course."

My words have a profound effect on him; he beams at me, like the sun after the rain; I know then that I've finally dispelled the darkness surrounding his heart, if at least even a little bit.

"That would be - wonderful," he gushes, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Well, then - come on out, Skye!" I cry, summoning the resplendently-plumed Pokémon from its ball. We gently climb onto her back together, the warmth of Elio's arms as they snugly encircle my waist filling me with a sense of accomplishment, one that I hadn't even realized I'd sorely missed.

"Hold on tight," I warn Elio as we rise swiftly, borne aloft by Skye's powerful wingbeats. Gently stroking the feathers of her flowing crest, I point her in the direction of the distant seas.

"Take us home, Skye!"

Off we go, both of us leaving behind everything we've worked for – knowing the League, they're probably going to throw a massive fit, but honestly, I couldn't give a shit – and judging from Elio's jubilant, carefree laughter as the wind ruffles his hair – he doesn't either.

Because he's a star – and I'm going to ensure that he shines again, no matter how long it takes.


A/N: God, this took forever to complete. I'm glad it's finally in a readable state - and I hope you enjoyed it. There's just one more chapter to go. Until then, take care!