Chapter 56

The normally calm clearing in the center of Palkia's Woods became a chaotic battlefield. Aurum's ghosts shot blasts of dark energy at Lily and Eric's human Pokémon, while Tsunami and Fernelia countered with ice and concentrated sunlight. Shinobi darted here and there amidst the chaos, striking at the two ghosts quickly before vanishing. However, even without Nails, the human Ferrothorn, Billow and Mortem easily held their own. Outnumbered three to two, the ghosts still held their ground against the less experienced human Pokémon.

Off by herself, Maple watched the group. But as the minutes began to drag on, she wondered if there was anything else she should be doing. She was the only one left after Aurum had given orders to all of his students. The only one whom Aurum had forgotten about.

She looked over at the old man sitting in his folding chair. Despite all of the noise just behind him, it was hard to tell if he was awake. His head was slumped forward and his straw hat covered most of his face. The end of his line bobbed lazily up and down, though Maple had never seen him catch anything.

Should she ask him what to do? She didn't want to disturb him, especially after what had just happened. Aurum was always strong around her. He was usually grouchy, but he could also be kind and wise. But until today Aurum had never sounded so…old.

But what could she do? The fight she was watching was for Lily, Eric and their human Pokémon. If she got involved, then it wouldn't really help them.

Could she go after Mark and Cherry? Somewhere in those woods, Cherry was chasing after Aipom with Mark and Katana looking after her. Surely they wouldn't mind if Maple tagged along, right?

Maple fidgeted in place as she debated what to do. Their last visit to Aurum had been all but dedicated to her own training. Now half of Aurum's team had become committed to training Lily and Eric. Not only that, but Maple's sparring partner was guiding Cherry with Mark. Maple was the only one left out.

Finally, she mustered her courage and shuffled over to Aurum. She came up from behind him, still too nervous to disturb him. When she was about three feet away, Aurum still had not taken notice and she began to circle around to the front, hoping he wasn't really asleep. She was just a few inches away from the fishing pole when Aurum opened one eye and peered at her, half scowling.

"What is it?" he asked. His voice was groggy and annoyed. He had been very clear that he didn't want to be disturbed.

"Umm…" Maple realized this was a bad idea, "well…are you going to…" she wanted desperately for Aurum to finish for her, but she had no choice, "is there anything I can do?" It was close to what she wanted to ask.

"You're asking me to train you?" Aurum opened his other eye.

"Umm…yes?"

"No," Aurum closed both of his eyes, again.

"Umm…" Aurum had confirmed her fear, but hearing it hurt more than what she expected, "why not?"

"I can't," Aurum shook his head, "your fighting style most closely matches Katana. Without her, I can't train you."

"Oh…"

"And you're already becoming much stronger," Aurum added, "There's little that I can teach you that you won't learn on your own. It's best to find your own way now."

"But," Maple was confused, "earlier you said that we need to train every day…"

"True," Aurum nodded, "but it's your trainer that needs to learn that discipline. Your training is as much his responsibility as it is yours."

"Oh…" Maple looked at the ground, "so…what should I do?"

"That's your own decision," Aurum answered, "go find him, or not. It doesn't matter to me. You're a human Pokémon. You can make your own decisions."

"Okay…" even more lost than before, Maple left Aurum to his fishing. She supposed that what he told her was true. She had learned a lot from Katana and she really was stronger. She didn't feel much stronger, but she did manage to beat Nails, with Mark's help, that was. Maybe Aurum really couldn't teach her anything else.

Well, it did answer one question for her. There was no point in staying where she was. Whether Aurum really couldn't train or he just didn't want to, staying there was a waste of time. The only thing to do was to go and find Mark.

She was glad for that, though. After battling Nails, she had realized something very important. Well, it was something she knew already, but putting it into words seemed to change everything.

Did Mark feel the same? He had never said so, but he was always nice to her. Maybe he did. After all, they had spent a lot of time alone with each other before.

But…that was before. They weren't alone anymore. Now there was Cherry and Lily and Eric.

Had he forgotten about her? No, that couldn't be. Even if she wasn't the center of his attention, he couldn't have just forgotten about her. He had even promised to teach her and Cherry how to read. But when would they have time for that? There was Team Deus and the tournament to worry about. Maybe after that was over, they would have time. Then they could learn to read and be happy together. Maybe…

Still confused, Maple began to wander into Palkia's Woods. But she had no idea where she was going.

"This little brat yours, too?" Whisper smirked down at the blond boy sleeping on the floor of Cal's office. With the surface no longer safe, Cal had decided to hide Lionel in the Team Deus underground. Farin no longer gave a damn what happened to the kid, but Cal was holding out hope that he could prove useful.

"You could say that," Cal confirmed. He began prodding the boy with the tip of his shoe, "up, Lionel. I've been up all night and you don't see me complaining."

Groaning, the blond boy sat up and blinked. He began to stretch, but Whisper interrupted him by grasping his collar and lifting him into the air. Lionel began to shake as he looked at Whisper's murderous eyes.

"Put him down," Cal commanded, though he was very pleased to see Lionel wide awake, now.

"Lionel, Whisper. Whisper, Lionel," he introduced the two once Lionel was on his feet, "shake." Cal would not have been entirely upset if Whisper broke Lionel's hand, but part of him was also glad that he didn't. He might need that hand someday.

"So, who's really in charge around here?" Whisper disregarded the boy and looked straight at Cal, "you're not the type to be in charge of something like this."

"Is that so?" Cal challenged, but after a moment he continued, "as far as you're concerned, I am in charge around here. I'm the highest-ranking member who still knows what this organization really is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that we're going to dethrone the man who is in charge," Cal smiled.

"Mutiny, is it?" Whisper grinned, "I didn't realize I was being recruited for a job like that."

"Is that a problem?" Cal asked.

"No," Whisper shook his head, "I've followed cowards for long enough. Just tell me who to kill and I'll take care of it."

"We're not really going to kill Farin are we?" Lionel asked. The boy's eyes were wide with fear. Of course they were; Cal would have been stupid to expect anything else.

"No, we're not," he shook his head and Lionel let out a sigh of relief. Cal wanted to kill him. The man had been stupid enough to let somebody get inside the base just to show off some pets. He claimed he was after bigger prey, but if he wanted one of the Four, he shouldn't mess with small game. It was a waste of time and energy that put Team Deus at great risk. If those damned kids had gone down to the basement…

But Cal remembered his roots better than Farin did. Farin wanted glory, but there was no such thing for Team Deus. Not now, not ever. They needed new management. Someone with a cool head and his feet planted on the ground.

"If you're not going to kill him, then why am I here?" Whisper put in. Back in top form, the human Zoroark wanted to test it out. Cal had promised him the right to kill and now was the time to deliver.

"Why, I'm glad you asked, Whisper," Cal grinned, "because Farin made a very grave mistake letting those kids in here. You see, there's somebody up there who knows my face. Nobody can know my face." He gritted his teeth.

"That's Phase One of our little movement," Cal straightened, "you're going back up to the surface to take care of a few loose ends. Both of you."

"Me?" Lionel asked, appalled by the notion of returning to the surface, where he was a hated fugitive.

"Don't be stupid," Whisper scoffed, "the kid'll just get in my way."

"I assure you, it will take both of you to get the job done," Cal told them, "both of you will be hunted once you're on the surface. Learn to work together or both of you will fail."

The human Zoroark and the blond boy looked at each other. Neither one of them had expected this and neither one of them wanted a partner. But Cal was out of options. If this was not dealt with quickly and quietly then there was no telling how long it would be before too many people knew his face. His identity was precious to him, but it was his alone. Cal wasn't even his true name.

"Her name is Aroma. The last time she saw me I caught her and brought her here. This time, I want you to kill her."

It was a long time before Maple stopped to check her surroundings. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't realized what direction she was walking in. The trees were growing closer together and there was no noticeable path. Even the wild Pokémon were different. At some point, Rattata had become Bidoof and Wurmple became Sewaddle.

When she looked up, Mount Totetsu was enormous. Just a few more lines of trees and she would be standing on it. Somehow she had wandered to the opposite side of Palka's Woods and farther away from Mark and Cherry.

She shook her head. That couldn't have happened. She hadn't been walking long enough to reach the mountain. It was miles and miles away from the city, she couldn't have walked that far. But the sun looked much higher in the sky than before. The shadows were short, as well. She thought it had only been twenty minutes, but somehow several hours were gone. The morning was already over.

Maple sighed to herself. As she did so, the shadows got longer again. She looked up sharply and saw that the sun had lowered again. But it had gone the wrong way. It went east instead of west, back the way it had come up. How could that happen?

"Don't wander too close to it," a strange, yet calm voice sounded from behind Maple. The Leafeon-girl turned to see a figure, straight and tall emerging through the trees. She recognized it at once as Suicune, despite its human form.

"S-Suicune?" Maple asked, her eyes widening in wonder, "you, you mean, you can…?"

"Do you not trust your instincts?" Suicune asked, stepping closer. It extended a slim, pale hand, "come with me. Mount Dialga is not safe for someone like you. Years could disappear in the blink of an eye."

"O-okay," Maple nodded, taking the delicate hand. Suicune led her away, back into the woods and away from the looming mountain. She glanced back at the sun and watched it shift back to noon, hoping that it wasn't a different day.

"Here," Suicune stopped and let Maple's hand fall, "this should be safe enough."

"Umm…thank you," Maple said, grateful for the help. She felt incredibly nervous just to be in the presence of the legendary Pokémon. Even amongst Pokémon, few could say they were sure if legendary Pokémon really existed. However revered they were, legendary Pokémon were little more than stories passed down through generations. Maple had dreamed of meeting them when she was younger, but for it to be a reality...

"What are you doing here?" Suicune asked, peering down at the girl.

"Well…I got lost…" it wasn't a complete lie, but Maple could not meet Suicune's gaze. Its violet eyes studied the girl; they even seemed to be looking inside of her.

"You're much stronger than when I saw you last," Suicune observed, "that's good."

"Oh, thank you," Maple nodded, bowing her head before the living legend.

"Still…" Suicune sighed, but it did not continue.

"What's wrong?" Maple asked, she lifted her eyes, but still bowed her head.

"It's not your concern," Suicune said quickly, "it's a Pokémon matter, not a human one."

Maple recoiled at the remark. A Pokémon matter? Maple was a Pokémon. But the words were so cold. Was Suicune like the rest of the Pokémon? Always hateful and mistrustful of human Pokémon. No, no a legendary couldn't think like that. If it did, then Maple was terrified that it could be the truth.

"But I am a Pokémon…" she meant to say it more forcefully, but it came out as a timid squeak, almost a whine. She felt like a helpless child in Suicune's presence. She hadn't been able to sense the gap in strength between herself and Katana, but she could feel it now. With all of her training, Maple still felt like a weakling in Suicune's presence.

Suicune's expression softened as it looked at her. It wanted to tell her something, something that it shouldn't.

"No," Suicune shook its head, "you are a daughter of Jirachi, born of a wish."

"Daughter of…Jirachi?" Maple asked, "Then, it's true! The-the legend is all true!" Her eyes grew wide with excitement and she wagged her tail happily.

"It is," Suicune confirmed, smiling at her.

Maple cheered and spun in place. She was so happy, she wanted to hug Suicune, despite how disrespectful it would be. She hadn't been so happy in days. Not since she and Mark had…she stopped spinning.

"Yes," Suicune nodded, "Jirachi sleeps within the mountain and grants all Pokémon the power to grant their wish," it paused, puzzled by Maple's reaction, "did Mark tell you none of this?"

"Uhh…" Maple stared at Suicune, equally puzzled, "you…talked to Mark?"

"Yes," Suicune confirmed, "he has a very important part to play here. It is my duty to guide him to that point. So that he may do what I cannot," once again it watched Maple's expression change, "I had assumed he would tell you."

"No…" Maple shook her head, her smile fading, "he didn't…"

"Strange…" Suicune declared, "I suppose I'll never understand why humans keep secrets from each other."

"Yeah…" Maple agreed, cupping her hands together in front of her.

"Well, it makes no difference," Suicune sighed, "grow strong, Maple. Your task will be just as important as Mark's. Farewell."

Without saying anything more, Suicune turned and shifted back into its Pokémon form. It bounded away, leaving Maple staring after it. But her mind was no longer on Suicune or on the mission it spoke of. Only one thought repeated itself in her mind.

Why didn't he tell me?

AN: not too much to say with this one. It's a little short, but I'm pretty sure I've done worse.

So…yeah, I guess that's it…

Be sure to talk to your girlfriend, guys. And girls, talk to your boyfriend. Or, guys, talk to your boyfriend and girls talk to your girlfriend. Something like that. You get the idea.

COMMUNICATION, PEOPLE!

Anyways, thanks for reading!