Bianca, Jonny, and Helma, dragged Cheren against his will to the woods outside Opelucid city. Not a single person who crossed their path cared, neither did they look twice at the short girl carrying a bespectacled, tie wearing boy in a headlock. And the guys didn't care about being seen either, Helma even used him as a pragmatic aid for her leg instead of the cane. She had to admit that Cheren worked better as support, although he was decidedly less stylish than the cane.
They and their captive arrived at a quiet and desolate place in the middle of the green grass, surrounded by pine trees. Jonny decided to stop and sit on the ground, thinking that could be a good place to rest and to figure out their next move.
"capturing this dude was a great idea," he said, "we could take our frustrations out on him and nobody would care, but after that we'd still have to come up with a plan to actually solve our problems...any suggestions?"
"I've got one," Helma said as she tightened the grip she had on Cheren's head, making it harder for him to breathe, "Grimsley gave himself up to the police, and he told them he was the mastermind behind the giant chasm fiasco in a ploy to get the rest of the remnants off the hook, but the remnants themselves are saying that it was all Zinzolin's fault, because it's the truth, and because it's not fair for Grimsley to take all the blame, regardless of their motives their stories contradict themselves, which is affecting our cause,"
"good observation, what do you think Bianca?"
"well, uh, most of the remnants do not want to cooperate with us because they fear they'll just get in more trouble, so we should talk to Grimsley and tell him to change his story instead,"
"that's...an idea," Jonny continued, "but he's probably in jail by now."
Cheren sensed Helma's distraction and freed himself from her headlock, falling butt first on the wet grass. Both Helma and Jonny reacted immediately and tried to grab him again but he started crawling backwards with the aid of his sweaty hands,
"stop this right now you beasts! What is wrong with you?" Cheren exclaimed on the ground,
"we could ask you the same," Jonny replied,
"oh yeah though guy? Let's find out who's wrong then, you should've never messed with a gym leader."
Bianca stepped forward decisively, "I've got my pokemon with me Cheren, why don't you threaten me instead?" She then asked with significant candor,
"I have no intention of hurting you or your pokemon Bianca, but you do need to come with me so you can face your comeuppance, and it is best if you stay out of my way,"
"you'll do no such thing," Bianca said. She took out a pokeball and Cheren got up and did the same. Both of them looked at each other's eyes and realized a fight was unavoidable.
Bianca called Musharna out, Cheren called his cincino. The two pokemon came out with the same aggressive attitude as their trainers, and the visible aggressiveness on their eyes clashed jarringly with their otherwise adorable appearances.
"Musharna, use trick room," Bianca exclaimed as she moved her hand forward, "I had a lot of time to come up with new and more vicious strategies while I was grounded on my room, so thanks for calling my dad on me,"
"he came on his own, Cincino, use tail slap."
Cincino stepped forward. Gray and white fur covered its small, plushie-like body. Cheren's pokemon was as fast and dangerous as it looked adorable and inoffensive; very. It attacked first, Cincino ran up to Musharna and jumped to strike it with its tail, slapping the hovering pokemon on the face four times, each more hurtful than the last,
"don't worry Bianca, you can beat him just like Grimsley did!" Jonny shouted from the sidelines,
"shut up! I was trapped in there with all of you, I wasn't given a fair chance," Cheren shouted and growled, "you see! This is what I am talking about, do you have any idea how humiliating it would have been for me if everyone found out I got taken down by a bunch of mooks? My reputation would've been destroyed."
Bianca stayed silent, she only observed as musharna closed its eyes and became engulfed in pink glow. Then all of the sudden four walls, a floor, and a ceiling appeared on the battlefield, made out of blinking transparent squares that disappeared seconds later. Still, the pokemon could feel the effects it had left around them, the pink round pokemon, which was usually slower, could move faster and more freely while cincino, normally a fast pokemon, started struggling to move its limbs,
"perfect Musharna, come back, Stoutland, come out," Bianca exclaimed, her pokemon went back to her and the fluffy four legged stoutland came out to replace it,
"Stoutland, use protect,"
"Cincino, use tail slap again."
Cincino ran to attack Bianca's pokemon once more but didn't make one scratch on it.
"Cheren, you are like the youngest gym leader ever, who knows? Maybe you'll become the most powerful trainer of all time one day..."
"I doubt that," Jonny intervened,
"...but as it stands now," Bianca continued, "there are many more trainers who are more powerful and experienced than you, and Grimsley is one of them, you were always very impatient...now watch this, Stoutland use last resort!"
The four legged pokemon growled heroically and winded up its powerful attack, then it sprinted like a bullet and hit Cincino directly with its head, throwing the small pokemon far away, instantly defeating him,
"Grimsley is much more powerful than me," Cheren said as he called his pokemon back, there was a strange shine on his glasses. If Bianca could've seen past them, she would've noticed the despair in his eyes, "so why should I bother right? I should just let him take over Unova as the new leader of team plasma and freeze everything and everyone again, listen to what you are saying Bianca!"
He then nervously called out a stoutland of his own, Bianca's tactics had taken him by surprise, and he didn't know how to handle it. And another look into Bianca's eyes just filled Cheren with more doubt and hesitation, she looked like she wanted to end him,
"what I would like is for you to listen to me Cheren," Bianca said incensed, "you've got it all wrong...I will have to knock the rigidity out of you,"
"let's see who's pokemon is faster, stoutland use return!" Cheren cried out,
"Stoutland, use last resort," Bianca shouted,
"oh no, mine was faster," Cheren lamented, as he saw his pokemon struggle more than Bianca's thanks to Musharna's trick room, which was still in play. Bianca's stoutland winded up an extremely powerful attack and released it at Cheren's own stoutland, knocking it out with one attack,
"I'm faster than you and yet you've attacked first," Cheren said as he called his fainted pokemon back, "and I'm stronger than you and yet you've beaten me, tell me Bianca, if you are so wise, how was I supposed to react? They were all members of team plasma after all,"
"I wasn't," Helma intervened, infusing even more doubt into Cheren's mind; he had already lost. He turned to Helma and looked at her in the eyes for the first time ever. He remembered the first time he had seen her and Jonny, back at the ruins of N's castle, way before all the tragedies had taken place. He remembered when he found Grimsley, who during that moment seemed like a cold and arrogant douchebag. His presence provoked aggressiveness. Cheren interpreted it as coldness and disdain instead of what it was, wariness and caution. Cheren told the remnants and Grimsley to stop, when they already had stopped. He told them to leave, when they had already hidden on a cave. He was basically breaking into their home, how were they supposed to react? But they did not tell him anything, how was he supposed to react? A fight ensued, he lost. They kept him there because they feared that he would go back to his house and cry to his friends about what some mooks on a cave did to him, which is exactly what Cheren did once he escaped. He cried to Colress and told him they were going to take over the world. Cheren stopped daydreaming.
Bianca then exchanged pokemon once more, stoutland returned to her and musharna returned to the battlefield. Meanwhile Cheren released his porygon-Z to continue the fight, but the red and blue toy-like pokemon came out unsure and distracted; it could sense its trainer's despondence and doubt.
"Cheren, I get where you are coming from, I really do, there's nothing wrong with being cautious." Bianca took a pause from the battle, but Cheren didn't,
"Porygon-Z, use shadow ball!"
"Musharna, use light screen!" Bianca shouted right after Cheren, causing her pokemon to create another blinking wall in front of it for just a second. It partially protected it from Porygon-Z's shadow ball which hit it right on its head, but Musharna didn't faint,
"it was valid for you to be wary of them, but if it weren't for you spreading lies about them so quickly when they weren't doing anything wrong, we could have focused on the actual threat, there's somebody else moving in the shadows why won't you believe me?...Musharna use trick room,"
"Porygon-Z use shadow ball again." Cheren's pokemon attacked first, his black spherical attack hit Musharna again. Bianca's pokemon really resented the attack. It was obvious from its look that Musharna had almost no energy to go on, its eyes looked tired and sad, and yet it stayed wide awake, and trapped both pokemon inside a trick room once more.
"It's not personal Bianca," Cheren said,
"what do you mean it isn't personal, how am I not supposed to take it personal?...Musharna come back, Chandelure come out!" Bianca angrily exchanged her pokemon for a third time, she was rabid. Meanwhile Cheren had broken down even more, he was on the verge of tears.
"I don't hate you at all Bianca," he audibly growled, "I just wish you wouldn't act like this!"
"Chandelure, use overheat," Bianca shouted at her pokemon. The fire ghost type obeyed her dilligently and showered Porygon-Z with fire from all sides, fainting it instantly.
"You obviously hate me Cheren, I thought you were my friend,"
"how can you say that? I did everything for you!" A tear rolled down Cheren's cheek as he called another fainted pokemon back and called his Bouffalant out,
"give me a break!" Bianca exclaimed, "Chandelure, use overheat again!"
"Stop!" Cheren shouted, he couldn't continue. He lowered his arms and ran towards Bianca, only to be stopped by Chandelure on his way. The half ghost type kept Cheren from reaching her and he couldn't help but back away, filled with fright,
"tell your pokemon to let me pass," Cheren said as a drop of sweat fell from his cheek,
"why should I?" Bianca asked,
"please Bianca."
Chandelure took a furtive glance at Bianca, who nodded, just then the ghost stood down and let Cheren pass through. He knelt right in front of her and grabbed her hands,
"I wasn't lying when I said I did everything for you, I only have two real friends and you are the most important one. I sent you that letter because out of all people I wanted you to save me, you were the only one who always respected me, from the beginning you never doubted of my ability, unlike everyone else, I wouldn't have been embarrassed at all if you had come and saved me from Grimsley,"
"wow," Jonny intervened again, "I guess you and I have a lot more in common than I thought, I like you now,"
"really?" Cheren asked,
"ha, no way dude that was a joke."
"We have to finish this...Chandelure use calm mind," Bianca spoke with a calm, even soothing voice,
"just wait and listen to me Bianca,"
"I'll listen to you, don't worry," she said, and chandelure stayed put and focused to regain the energy it lost with the last attack,
"fine whatever, Bouffalant! Use head charge...wait, don't!" Cheren shouted, regretting his words almost immediately. His horned pokemon sprinted all the way towards Chandelure and tried to tackle it head on, passing right through it without dealing any damage,
"really Cheren? A normal attack against a ghost...oh well, Chandelure use overheat again," Bianca said and Chandelure listened, showering Bouffalant with fire and fainting it right after the flames ceased,
"It's over, now you must listen to me." Bianca moved his hands away from Cheren, "I was there, were you were, and I saw a group of good people who regretted their past actions and changed, but even after seeing that with your own eyes you weren't willing to listen to them."
Cheren put his hands on the grass and started tearing pieces apart, "fine, I'm not sure if team plasma and Grimsley aren't evil yet though I must say...but you are right, I could have listened to you many times but I didn't, I was too proud, I wish I could take it all back I really do, please forgive me,"
"well," Bianca continued, "if you are being truly honest, I can't see a future where I don't forgive you eventually, but I'm not quite ready yet,"
"I understand," Cheren said, rather relieved,
"it will be even harder, nigh impossible, for me to forgive you, just saying," Jonny spoke with his arms crossed,
"alright guys let's give him a break," Bianca said, "there's something you can do for us that will certainly speed up the process Cheren,"
"what is it?" He asked expectant,
"get us a meeting with Grimsley..."