Chapter 63
For the first time in her life, Maple was not awake at dawn. She never minded waking up with the sun, she liked it. It was the right time of day to get up. When the world finally started to warm up again and fill with light. Night could never last forever and she wanted to be one of the first people in the world to see it end.
But on the morning of Day 6, she wasn't. When she did wake up, Cherry wasn't next to her and Mark wasn't in the opposite bed. They had woken up before her. That was another first. They were whispering, nearby, trying not to wake her.
"We only have today and tomorrow to train," Mark was saying, "That should be enough time."
"I'm fighting Shinobi?" even with her voice lowered, Maple could hear the fear in the little Charmander-girl's voice. It wasn't quite fear, though, it wasn't strong enough. Part of her was looking forward to fighting him.
"Maple can learn Aerial Ace, too," Mark wasn't the type of person to go in without a back-up plan, "but, yes, I need you to be ready. She can't fight the entire tournament by herself."
Winning the tournament was the last thing on Maple's mind this morning. She didn't care if they lost, so long as she didn't lose Mark. She had pushed him away before and she wouldn't do it again. Instead, he was going to slip away. And then what would happen to them?
"Is she going to be okay with Kim?" Cherry asked. She didn't know much about Kim and her group. They had helped rescue her from Team Deus, but she still didn't trust them.
"She'll be fine," Mark reassured her, "Kim told us about the tournament and guided us through the first few days. She's been a good friend to us," he paused for a moment, "I'm more worried about us. And finishing your training in time."
Maple decided to get up. She eased herself out of the bed, still groggy. A nearby clock told her it was seven thirty. If she had slept the entire night, she was sure that she'd feel fine. But her pillow was still a little damp, and she remembered why all too well.
"Good morning!" Cherry greeted. The girl trotted over and presented Maple with a strip of bacon, "want some? It's delicious!" She tore off a bite of her own, her eyes lighting up with intensity.
"Sorry," Maple shook her head, "no meat, please." She rubbed at her left eye, trying to force herself awake.
Mark parted the curtains, trying to let in a little more light, but somehow that made it worse. The skies outside were not the clear blue that had been such a welcoming part of Himitsu Island. Instead, the dull gray of rainclouds blocked the light of the sun. Maple groaned at the sight. She really needed the sun this morning.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded at their door. Mark opened it to see Kim, Volt and Sprinkle all ready for the day.
"Mornin', noob," Kim nodded, "you still want us to get rid of the Leafeon?"
"I don't want you to 'get rid of her,' " Mark sighed, "just, look after her for a little while."
"It's a joke, idiot," Kim tapped his arm, "loosen up a bit. Maybe invite us in?"
Awkwardly, Mark stepped aside and waved them in. Kim came in first, followed by Volt who hunched forward slightly, and last Sprinkle, whom Mark couldn't help but quickly scan up and down. The Vaporeon-girl took notice and the end of her lip curled into a smile, making the boy blush violently.
"Mornin' sweetie!" Kim called, throwing her arms around Maple. She knew immediately something was wrong. The Leafeon girl never held back on showing physical affection, but when Kim hugged her, the girl didn't hug back.
"So are we ready?" Volt asked, he sounded as groggy as Maple.
"Be patient, asshole," Kim snapped back. She turned back to look at Maple. That same hurt from yesterday was still in her eyes. Was this a mistake? Mark was asking for space, but that wasn't all of it.
Then she remembered the last conversation she had alone with Mark. The boy had told her that Maple was in love with him, but he didn't know if he could return that love. That was before the attack on Team Deus and everything that followed it. Three days had passed since then. Time that the boy should have used to get closer to her, not push her away.
But Maple was starting to put the pieces together. The hurt in her eyes was too obvious. She knew. By God, she knew and the idiot was pushing her away without even realizing it.
This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. She was helping to split them up. Time apart wasn't going to fix this. But what could she do? Refuse his request at the last minute? Make them face each other?
No, that wouldn't work either. Then she would be betraying both of them and Mark might do something even stupider if he wasn't prepared. They needed time together, but they also needed time for Mark to figure out what his stupid little teenage heart was telling him.
And what did any of this matter to her, anyway? It was a petty dispute between two teenagers that she barely knew. Why should she care? Kim had her own problems to work out.
But when she looked at Maple, she thought she knew. She had seen a lot of hurt in her life. A lot of wishes that weren't answered. Her own had been shattered years ago and she still wasn't on her feet again. Maybe she just wanted to see one person in this whole world actually achieve their dreams. She had been hurt bad, but she wasn't done trying.
"It's okay," Kim told Maple with a gentleness that surprised even her, "we'll take care of you." Maple nodded, her ears bobbing up and down. "Come on." Kim took her hand and started for the door. She waved to the little Charmander-girl as they went.
"Watch after your trainer," she warned her, "he may not realize it, but he's still a noob." The girl snickered at the comment.
As Kim walked past Volt, she noticed that Mark was still standing behind Sprinkle, his eyes lingering on the Vaporeon-girl. He snapped to attention at the last moment, vainly trying to hide what he'd been doing. What had he been looking at? Her hair? Her tail? Her ass?
Teenagers, Kim thought, seriously. Well, at least she would be getting those two apart. It couldn't be good for Maple to see him looking at sluts while she was feeling abandoned. And Sprinkle would only welcome the attention, even if it meant nothing.
"See you later," Kim nodded as she walked past Mark, still holding Maple's hand.
For good measure, she punched his arm. Hard.
Lionel was biting his lip so hard, he was afraid it would start bleeding. He felt exposed and vulnerable back above ground. Too many people knew what he had done. And in this city, that was smaller than it looked, there was no telling when someone would jump out and attack him. The look of hatred in Silver's eyes and Mark's cold rejection still held onto him.
"Can't you go any faster?" the frantic boy asked the Gardevoir-woman kneeling on the ground with her eyes closed.
There were few Pokémon that seemed to fit their human roles as well as this Gardevoir. Aside from the clearly human features on her face, there was little difference between the two forms. Her white dress pooled on the ground around her feet while her hands were folded in her lap. Her skin was pale and her features delicate while her mint-green hair covered half of her face. She was beautiful, but there was something tragic about it. As if she was wilting.
The Gardevoir-woman had been sent with Lionel and Whisper to search for the human Meganium. They had set a trap for her at Cal's match the day before, but the Meganium hadn't attended and Cal's subsequent victory went flawlessly. At the very least, that confirmed that the girl hadn't told anyone and Cal remained a stranger above ground. But he couldn't take another risk like that again. The Meganium-girl needed to die, and soon. So it became Fate's job to find her.
"What's taking so long?" Whisper snarled at the woman, as well, "it can't be that hard to pick her out." Whisper was uncharacteristically disguised as another of Cal's human Pokémon, a bloated man with light brown skin wearing a poncho and a green, leaf-like sombrero. He could only be a Ludicolo. The menacing growl of his speech did not fit the expression on the jovial face he was borrowing.
Fate opened her right-eye to a slit and peered at Whisper.
"Leave me be," her voice was no louder than a soft breeze, "you know nothing of what I'm doing." Her eye closed again and she took a deep breath to renew her concentration.
"You bitch!" Whisper snarled at her, "I could throttle you right here!"
"Do so and you'll reveal yourself to the Salamence-woman watching us from above," Fate pointed straight up. Lionel followed her finger, but he couldn't see anything, "she'll recognize you in a moment. And there is a great deal of lingering resentment towards you, in her heart. You hurt a dear friend of hers very deeply. I believe she wants to tear your limbs off one at a time, rather than let you escape again."
Whisper tried to peer upward, but the strange sombrero blocked his view. He tossed it away in his rage and tried again, but still found nothing. Nevertheless, he did not challenge Fate a second time.
"What are you doing?" Lionel asked, curious.
"I can only concentrate if you stop talking," Fate replied coldly, "but if you can do that, I will explain."
Lionel wasn't sure whether he should say he understood, so he was greatly relieved when she continued.
"Becoming human enhanced my psychic powers beyond what I believed possible," Fate explained, "I'm now able to read minds and project my thoughts across great distances. At this moment, I'm searching for the Meganium-woman whom Cal wants."
Again, Lionel thought she stopped and he was about to ask her to continue when she spoke up.
"This power is not without cost, however," she inhaled and exhaled deeply, "it requires a considerable amount of focus and energy. To search the entire island will take some time."
It was nearly a full minute before Lionel worked up the courage to ask another question.
"So…you're reading the minds of everyone on the island?"
"As I said, it requires much concentration," she sighed, "but yes, I am. Though I cannot read the thoughts of dark or psychic-type human Pokémon. Dark-types are immune to it and psychics project their own barriers against it."
"Whoa..." Lionel gasped in disbelief, "so...could you...see the future too?"
"No, I cannot," Fate shook her head, though only slightly, "however, there is a Gothita-girl at headquarters that can. Though she's...mentally unstable."
"Wow…" Lionel marveled. He had seen a lot of the power of human Pokémon firsthand, but Fate was the first psychic type he had ever encountered. He wondered if they all could do this. If they could, what was stopping them from finding out where Team Deus was hidden? Maybe they already knew…
"Couldn't you do this back at the base?" Whisper growled. Clearly, he despised the form he was forced to take, but it was the most non-threatening one they could use. Cal hated the human Ludicolo almost as much as Whisper hated posing as him.
Fate shook her head, forgiving Whisper's interruption. "No," she said, "I cannot concentrate that close to the sub-basement. Even now I can hear them screaming…"
The sub-basement. Lionel hadn't been permitted to go down there, but he knew what it was. It was filled with failed experiments. Half-transformed human Pokémon that were broken and twisted into horrible creatures filled with rage. He could only imagine what terrible things Fate could hear.
"I've found her," Fate declared, though her whispering voice did not change, "yes…she still remembers the fear and isolation of the prison. I'm certain it's her."
"Perfect!" Whisper made the soft face of the Ludicolo-man sneer, but the expression was laughable rather than menacing, "Where is she? I'll kill her myself."
"She's not alone," Fate shook her head, "there's another with her…I can't read him, though. He must be a dark-type…"
"Silver…" Lionel supplied Fate with his name, "there was a human Absol named Silver with them. That must be him." Of course he would be with her. The anger and desperation in his voice had been so intense he likely wouldn't leave her side ever again. And Lionel hadn't even been the one responsible for capturing her.
"Very well…" Fate continued to concentrate on the Meganium-woman, "good, she's told no one about Cal."
"Really?!" Lionel couldn't believe it.
"Most people would prefer to forget the terrible things that happen to them," Fate explained, "she believes that it's over and that she's safe with the human Absol…she loves him."
"That doesn't matter!" Whisper snarled again, "where are they?! I can kill both of them myself!"
"They're going to the woods," Fate opened her eyes, "you won't be able to follow them. Palkia's Woods will shield them."
"The woods?" Lionel was just as doubtful as Fate. Mark had somehow made it in after Maple, but Lionel had no idea how he had done it.
"What about the woods?" Whisper scowled at the two.
"They're…magic," Lionel tried to come up with a word that made sense, but it was no good, "you can't follow somebody else into the woods…it won't let you."
"What? Can't you psychic your way in?" Whisper turned to Gardevoir-woman on the ground.
"No," she answered firmly, "it doesn't work that way."
"There's always a way in!" Whisper screamed.
But Fate shook her head, in defeat, "not one Team Deus member has ever found their way through those woods. Try if you like, but you will fail." She stood in a single, fluid motion, barely even wrinkling her dress. But her eyes remained unfocused and distant. "I will continue to follow her, but your role is done until I need you."
"Now you're in charge of us?" Whisper scoffed. As a Ludicolo, he was three times her size, with hands as big as dinner plates. He could snap the delicately built Gardevoir-woman in half if he chose.
"No, I am not," her eyes continued to stare at the ground, half-glazed over, "but if Cal wants her dead, then so do I."
She took another deep breath and Lionel wondered what it must be like to be a human Pokémon under Cal's command. The woman was hurt and broken, but she talked about killing someone like it meant nothing to her. It was just another order from her trainer, nothing difficult or even unusual.
All of the human Pokémon that Lionel had were leftovers from the experiments. They were all half-transformed and would stay that way forever. He didn't have a single one that could think for its self the way all other human Pokémon could.
And the ones that could think for themselves were as diverse as the humans who trained them. They ranged from Maple's unwavering devotion to Mark to Whisper's almost murderous hatred of his own trainer. Where did Fate fit into that scale?
"Lionel," Fate's head turned, but her eyes did not lift, "report back to Cal. Whisper and I will remain here, in case something changes."
"Alright," the boy nodded before racing off.
"So we lost," Whisper rolled his eyes.
"No," Fate once again shook her head and took a deep breath, "we are waiting until the right moment, that is all."
"Fine…" Whisper snarled, "But I was promised the chance to kill and now you're telling me to wait. Seems to me like I'm still in prison."
"You have my sympathies," Fate said without a shred of sympathy, "but you should learn to hold back. Your recklessness almost killed you."
"The last person who told me to hold back is the next person I'm killing once this Meganium-bitch is dead and cold," Whisper told her, "you want the next spot on the list?"
"Only if it pleases Cal," Fate told him before turning away.
There was something cold and helpless about the way she said it that sent shivers down Whisper's spine.
AN: in some ways, I was holding back on introducing psychic-types until after Mewtwo demonstrated some of his awesomeness. Serenade (Cara's Jynx) is really just not all that powerful though. I suppose she could do the same things as the other psychics, but it's not really her thing. And hell, who says she even knows how to do it?
on another note, I wasn't very happy with the ending of the last chapter. it was kind of anti-climactic for introducing somebody as important as RiverofTears (not that Edge's intro was that great, but that was mostly to fill time and I'm willing to let it go, for now at least), so I went back and lengthened it a bit. It's not much, but it's VERY important so I highly recommend going back and re-reading the new version.
SPOILER: the short version is that RiverofTears is engaged and has a nice job and is building a new life for herself. She's the one who's moving on and "getting too old for Pokemon." Pretty important stuff that really should come out the first time we see her.
So, anyways, take a look at it if you want (or read the spoiler). And if you liked it better the old way, be sure to let me know. But i am definitely killing off PureBlueSky/RiverofTears shipping with that chapter, which is the most important thing. Though I've played up PureBlueSky/Tempest shipping so much that I doubt anybody will notice or care particularly much.
And finally, on a lighter note, I started looking at the rest of RiverofTears's team and I'm thinking the whole team could have Disney themed nicknames. So far, this is what's been introduced/what I've been using, so far.
Milotic – currently named Teardrop, but I'm thinking of Ariel for the Disney theme
Chandelure – currently named Luminous, but could be renamed Lumiere
Roserade – currently named Briar, thinking of using Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty's name when she was living with her fairy god-mothers)
Butterfree – currently named Pixie, could be renamed Tinkerbell
So, that's the list, but I'm willing to bet that we could come up with two more to fit into this theme. And RiverofTears absolutely would have done this when she was younger. I mean, provided that Disney still exists in the Pokemon world, and I really don't see why not.
So, if you're in a Disney kind of mood and want to suggest some new Pokemon with Disney themed names (or help with renaming River's current team) then just let me know and we'll pick some favorites (maybe even vote, we haven't done that in a long time….). Either review or send me a PM, whichever way you prefer and we'll get this started!
Wow…..another seriously long AN…oh well, I always start to miss you guys whenever I miss a week…
So, that's it. Thanks for reading!