Chapter 69

Mark's in there, somewhere, Maple thought as she and Quickstep approached the edge of Palkia's Woods. The trees looked bigger that day. Taller. They stretched towards the bleak sky, searching for where it ended.

She wondered if they might meet Mark in those woods. Her stomach was in knots as they passed the tree line. Palkia's Woods always felt bigger on the inside, but still…what had Katana told them again? That all you needed to do was think of a location and the woods would take you there? Did that mean that if she thought about Mark too much she'd leave Quickstep?

Maybe. But maybe that would be better than meeting him alongside Quickstep. The human Mienshao was nice and everything, but he certainly wasn't Kim. Would Mark be mad to see her walking around with Quickstep? Maybe…though, Mark didn't really get mad about that sort of thing.

Maple took a breath and reminded herself why she was there. Mark was somewhere in these woods training Cherry, yes. But she had a job to do. Meet RiverofTears's human Pokémon and try to get their help. Once that was done, then she could see Mark again.

Still…what was he doing? Were he and Cherry both okay? When Cherry had fought the Aipom, Maple had to rescue her once. They might need her help again…

And as much as Maple was worrying about Mark, was he just as worried about her? Or was all of his attention on Cherry? Maybe if Cherry was doing well, he might have some time to think about other things…like her.

Or did he think about something else…maybe somebody else…maybe Sprinkle?

"H-how far is it?" Maple asked Quickstep, trying to distract herself.

"Won't be too much farther," Quickstep answered, "once we reach the river, we'll follow it downstream. That's the easiest way to find them."

"Towards the ocean?" Maple asked hesitantly, "the beach?" She had only encountered sand a few times before she had evolved. As a Leafeon and an Eevee, she hated the grainy feel of it between her toes. It was also near-impossible to clean. After meeting Sprinkle, her dislike for the beach only increased.

"Not that far down," Quickstep corrected, "there's a flower meadow about a mile in-land. That's their favorite spot. In all likelihood, they'll be there."

"Oh, okay," Maple said, equally relieved and further confused. She had assumed from her name that RiverofTears specialized in water Pokémon. If that was true, wouldn't the beach be the best place for them? Water Pokémon should prefer the beach.

But what did she really know about RiverofTears? The only one of her human Pokémon Maple had ever seen was Teardrop, the Milotic-woman, from the opening ceremonies. The rest were a mystery to her. They might not be water-types at all.

At first, Maple thought that the sound of rushing water coming through the woods was just her imagination.

"Alright," Quickstep called back, "now we just need to head south for a bit and we should find them."

"Okay," Maple agreed.

She could only hear the river and not really see it, but she wondered if it was the same river that flowed from the lake that Aurum fished at. If that was true, then all she needed to do was turn around and start walking the other way and she would find Mark.

Most of the stories that Maple had heard when she was small had some sort of symbolic lesson in them. Something like, "Don't Take Sweets from Strangers" or maybe something more like, "Friendship Conquers Evil." They were nice and all, but sometimes Maple wanted stories to just be stories.

But as she thought about how easy it would be to turn around and go find Mark, she couldn't help feeling that it was symbolic, somehow. She didn't want to leave Mark behind, but was that what she was doing?

No. She would be back. She shook her head. Symbols were stupid, anyway.

"How much farther?" Maple asked, growing impatient. Did Quickstep not know the shortcuts that Katana did? They should have arrived already…

"I'm not sure, exactly," Quickstep said a little too light-hearted for Maple, right then, "I try to avoid the place whenever possible."

That didn't answer Maple's question, but his tone suggested that she wouldn't get a better one.

They walked for another ten minutes, the wild Pokémon in the area changing as they went. The common Wurmple became Weedle instead. Here and there a few Kakuna were stuck to the trees. Thankfully, Maple didn't see any Beedrill. She was confident that she could defeat…pretty much any of them, but the huge, aggressive bug-types were never one of Maple's favorites, to say the least.

The trees alongside the river began to thin out and Maple started to see it as well as hear it. The water was just as clear downstream as what it was at Aurum's lake. And, just like the lake, the river was alive with water Pokémon. The river was filled with the always-present Magikarp while Poliwag waddled in small groups along the shore. Maple smiled at the little tadpoles with legs.

One of them caught her gaze, but like usual, the tiny thing made an indignant squeaking noise and foam began to bubble up around its mouth. The others noticed what it was doing and also began mimicking what must have been a very offensive gesture to them. Maple kept her head down and trotted a little to catch up to Quickstep.

"Here we are," Quickstep said, before calling out, "hey, Tear! Good to see you!"

Maple peered around him to see the very same Milotic-woman she remembered from the opening ceremonies. Teardrop sat on a small ridge jutting overtop of the river. She sat with the end of her feet dipped into the water. She was dressed in the same outfit she had worn that day; a plain white tank-top and a long skirt speckled with blotches of red and blue bordered by black. A long lock of red hair fell over each shoulder and one down the center of her back.

She looked lonely, sitting there. There were no Pokémon within at least fifteen yards of her. When she looked up, her expression appeared as though she were waking up from a dream.

"Quickstep?" she asked, blinking her pale red eyes slowly.

"Yessir," Quickstep chirped, bounding forward to greet her, "you out here all by yourself?"

"Hmm?" Teardrop looked around the area, still half-asleep, "looks like I am." Covering her mouth, she gave a small yawn and stretched her arms behind her head.

"Umm…" Maple spoke up, but was reluctant to step closer to Teardrop, "hello…my name's Maple…"

"Hmm?" Teardrop yawned again before looking at the Leafeon-girl, "I apologize…Maple, you said? Katana's Maple?"

"Oh, yeah!" Maple perked up at the mention of her tutor, "she's been helping me a lot!"

"I know…" Teardrop lowered her head a very small amount, "you're lucky. She doesn't train many others. Usually she just wants to fight Tempest…" Teardrop's gaze dropped back to the water. She swirled it with her toes and watched the ripples spread outward.

"Where's everybody else?" Quickstep interrupted, his eyes searching the area.

"Somewhere over there," Teardrop waved towards the opposite side of the river. Though not immense, the river was too wide to cross. It was at least thirty feet from one bank to the other and there was no bridge nearby. "I assume you need a ride." Teardrop slowly rose to her feet and stretched once more.

"Well, not all of us can Surf," Quickstep pointed out, "just go easy on the first-timer." He jerked his head towards Maple.

Maple suddenly grew alarmed at the word. Surf? She knew what it was, certainly. Trainers could ride their own water Pokémon using Surf, but how could Teardrop take them across the river? The mental image of standing on Teardrop's back while she swam through the water seemed much too absurd to be true.

"It's alright," Teardrop consoled. Her voice was light and flowing, now that she was fully awake. "It's nothing to be afraid of." She held out her hand. Maple stepped forward to take it while Quickstep stood on the opposite side, holding her other hand through his sleeve.

"You'll only get a tiny bit wet," Teardrop insisted, "just step out with me…" Teardrop and Quickstep each stepped down onto the water with Maple only a moment behind them. Maple didn't even realize what had happened until they were done.

The three of them were not standing in the water. They were standing on top of it. The waves lapped at the sides of their feet.

"Now, just stay calm…" Teardrop said, smooth and velvety. Even still, Maple started in alarm as a much larger wave bubbled up behind them. The wave rose up almost to knee height before spreading outward. As it did so, the three human Pokémon began to be propelled forward across the water to the opposite bank.

Maple felt her legs lock in place. She didn't move even the tiniest bit; for fear that it would break the technique or Teardrop's concentration. Out in the middle of the river, the water was deep enough that Maple would be soaked up to her waist the instant she fell in.

She looked down for only a second, but she was glad that she did. The water was clear and beautiful. It did not sparkle, but it was wonderful nevertheless. A Basculin was racing through the water, right underneath her feet. It rose up a few inches and she could feel the scales on its back before it dove deeper and broke away.

"Here we are…" Teardrop cooed as the wave slowed to a stop and they arrived on the opposite bank. The trip took no longer than a few minutes. Maple already wanted to do it again.

"Alright, thanks very much, Tear," Quickstep said coolly as he stepped onto dry land.

"Holy Arceus! That was awesome!" Maple shrieked, leaping onto the grass. She kicked into the air a few times, flinging water as she did so.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Teardrop smiled briefly before dropping her gaze once more, "if it's alright with you…" she hesitated a moment, "I'd like to stay here."

"Huh?" Maple stopped celebrating to look at the young Milotic-woman, "are you sure?"

"Yes," Teardrop nodded, "it's…peaceful here." Maple was about to ask her why when Quickstep spoke up.

"Of course, Tear," he nodded, steering Maple away with the sleeve of his left hand, "go back to your nap."

"Thank you, Quickstep," Teardrop sat down onto the bank, stretching her legs out so that her feet touched the surface of the water.

"Shouldn't she come with us?" Maple asked, "Isn't she…well, RiverofTears's strongest? She should come, right?"

"She's River's favorite," Quickstep answered, "but she's not really the one in charge. That would be the three that we're going to see."

"Who are we going to see, then?"

"They call themselves the Meadow Sisters," Quickstep sighed, "none of them are related, though. Don't ask. They're all nuts, if you ask me."

Quickstep took the lead again as they continued. The trees began to grow thinner as they left the river behind. They soon came to a small hill that crested into a clearing and…

Maple stopped just so she could admire the sight.

Once, when she was a Leafeon, Mark had taken her to the flower meadows in Floaroma Town. Alongside her trainer, she had played for hours in endless flowers. Then and now, her own idea of heaven would be to go back to that moment. The only difference was: she wanted to be human for it.

The flower meadow before her was not as grand as Floaroma Town, but Maple still stood in awe of row after row of beautiful flowers. Few things in life were more beautiful than a flower meadow.

"This wasn't always here, actually," Quickstep informed her, though she was hardly listening, "Briar made it."

"Briar?" Maple came out of her flower-induced coma long enough to ask. As she looked over the field, she could pick out a few figures standing amidst the rows of yellow and pink and white.

One of them took to the air and began flitting towards her. A large set of insect-wings fluttered rapidly to keep the figure airborne. At first, Maple thought it was a true Butterfree. But as the girl came closer she began to make out the long, brunette hair and the thin limbs that were plainly human. The girl wore a sparkling purple tunic that ended in the shortest skirt Maple had ever seen. Small ballerina shoes tipped her feet, making her look like a fairy straight out of a story book. In addition to her wings, the girl also had a pair of antennae sprouting from the top of her head. Her large eyes were a shining pink and seemed to have many different segments to them, much like an insect's eyes. Surprisingly, the effect was actually very pretty.

"SweetsweetsweetArceus! It's you! It's reallyreallyyou!" the fairy-girl spoke so fast that even Maple had difficulty following her speech. She moved in dizzying circles through the air around Maple's head.

"Me?" Maple managed to stammer out.

"Yesyesyes!" the girl squealed.

"Pixie, sloooow…doooown…" for emphasis, the end of Quickstep's sleeve began to lower a little bit at a time. It had no effect.

"C'monc'monc'mon!" the Butterfree-girl, who was apparently named Pixie, grasped Maple's hand and began tugging her forward toward the flowers. Maple might have protested if they were walking towards anything different.

"Holy Arceus!" another voice called from somewhere beyond Pixie's fluttering wings, "she's so cute!"

The next figure to come rushing up to meet the Leafeon-girl was yet another female human Pokémon. Despite the late-spring heat, the young woman was dressed in a light-weight fur coat and a flowing, white scarf that was so long it reached down to her knees. Her steel-gray hair made her look older than what she truly was, but it was somewhat balanced out by the bright, lively look in her brown eyes. Her large, rounded ears twitched excitedly as she bounced up to meet Maple. She was small, slight and somewhat mousy, as only a human Cincinno could be.

"Cashmere! It'sherit'sherit'sher!" Pixie screeched.

"What about me?" Maple asked again, but she was just as easily ignored.

"What was it like?!" the Cincinno-woman squeaked, "What was it like when PureBlueSky turned you down?"

"Huh?" Maple stared, "well, it was-" She was about to say that it was "awful," but both girls began chattering as one while dragging her along towards the center of the flower meadow.

Pixie cursed PureBlueSky and men in general, as being useless and lazy. Cashmere's remarks were only slightly less sexist, but they were equally unkind. Though the two seemed to agree, they spoke as if they didn't. Each new remark was more absurd than the last and Maple's head was soon spinning. They finally stopped chattering when they were only a few feet from the last of the three Meadow Sisters.

Briar, the creator of the meadow, was a human Roserade. Of the three, she was the most elegantly dressed. Her dress was two-toned, forest and dark green. The skirt extended down to just above the knee while her light green stockings stopped just short of them. A deep green cape, bordered by gold was draped over her shoulders. Each hand was gloved in a different color; one a scarlet red, the other cerulean blue. Her shoulder-length hair was silver; not blond or gray, but a metallic silver.

She was kneeling as Pixie and Cashmere first dragged Maple over, but she stood up smoothly as the girls crowded around her. The Roserade-woman was clearly the oldest of the Meadow Sisters, the most mild-mannered, and probably their leader. If Maple was going to enlist their help, this was the woman that she needed to convince.

"Maple," she said it as gently as a grandmother might, "welcome."

"Umm…" Maple was stunned by the total silence that fell when this woman spoke, "hello…are you Briar?"

"I am."

"Oh, well…" Maple stumbled on how to begin. She hadn't thought of what she could say to them.

"Tell me," Briar beckoned, "how did Sky look to you? I've heard that he's not eating much these days."

"Well, he's…" Maple paused, catching herself. How did Briar know that she had talked to PureBlueSky? That wasn't even an hour ago.

"Don't worry, my dear," Briar took Maple's hand away from Pixie and patted it, "we pride ourselves on being well informed of the latest gossip," she deliberately paused for dramatic effect, "For instance…did you know that PureBlueSky is indeed considering your offer?"

"He…what?!"

"Yes," the Roserade-woman smiled, "it came as quite a shock to us, as well," once again she paused, each word she spoke carried a deliberate weight to it, "Tempest, bless her heart, can be very persuasive when she wants to be. Of course, it was you who helped to open Sky's eyes."

"Me? Really?" Maple could hardly believe that idea. To think that she could help convince PureBlueSky to do some good!

"But, alas…" Briar sighed heavily, "Part of their deal was that Sky must confess his feelings to our own, lovely, Rachel. A deed that I fear he is still incapable of."

"Rachel?"

"That's RiverofTears's real name," Cashmere put in.

"Too true," Briar nodded, "lately, however, she has been separating herself from her alias. Unlike Sky who barely remembers what his real name is."

"Umm…okay…" Maple nodded. There was something going on here that she didn't understand. "But, wait. How did you know I talked to PureBlueSky anyway?"

"In due time, dear," Briar took Maple's hand once more and began to kneel down among the flowers again, "first you must tell us about your adventures on our little island. We'd love to hear you tell them."

At first, Maple did not join Briar. If the Roserade-woman knew she had talked to PureBlueSky, then she must also know why she had been talking to him. And knowing that, Briar should also know why she had followed Quickstep out to meet the Meadow Sisters in the first place. So, what did Briar want with her? Maple had come for help, but Briar didn't even mention the possibility of giving it to her.

Maple had a sinking feeling that this visit was going to be a waste of time.

Still…the Meadow Sisters acted a bit strangely, but they were also kind. They didn't mean her any harm, they just wanted to talk. And in every direction Maple looked there were flowers everywhere. They looked and smelled wonderful. It couldn't hurt to stay here for just a little while…

As she knelt down, she realized that Quickstep was no longer with her.

Maple's escort remained where he was as he watched Maple be overrun by the Meadow Sisters. It was a little sad, but bringing her here was still better than chasing after RiverofTears herself.

According to Astral, Rachel had moved on and was doing her utmost to forget that the Four ever existed. She was only calling herself RiverofTears and dying her hair to please Silph and, most of all, Teardrop. Three years was enough for her to begin hating the mask that Sky and Edge had asked her to wear.

Speaking of Astral, Quickstep had his own reasons for visiting the meadow. He need only take a closer look at his surroundings to spot the human Bronzong meditating on top of a nearby hill, overlooking the flowers. Quickstep strode over to meet him.

Like any other genderless Pokémon, Astral had turned into neither a man nor a woman upon evolving into a human. Quickstep only referred to Astral as "he" because most of his traits, like his voice and his build, were largely masculine. However, to say that Astral was a "he" was fundamentally incorrect.

"Quickstep," Astral greeted without rising or opening his eyes. The human Bronzong was dressed in a full length robe colored a strange blue-grey. Two large, red circles ran the length of the robe from mid-thigh to mid-calf and a steel grey sash was wrapped around the waist. An elaborate arched head-piece, that Quickstep had never seen Astral take off, stretched over his head. A blue-grey staff with small bells hanging off the end of it lay in the grass in front of him.

"Hey, Astral," Quickstep sat down next to him, extending his long legs and folding his sleeves across his lap. Astral did not stir from his meditations. "So, what's the latest?"

"You only came to press me for information?" Astral opened one ruby-red eye to look at him.

"It's no worse than what the sisters do to you," Quickstep shrugged. By that time, Maple was talking to Briar. No doubt the Roserade-woman would tell her nothing while probing the poor girl for information that Briar already had. The Meadow Sisters were useless without RiverofTears's command.

"Very well, then," Astral sighed. He hated having his psychic abilities exploited strictly for gossip, but he still could not penetrate through the screaming horrors that covered the southeastern side of the city. "Aurum has learned of River's engagement."

"Really? How'd he take it?"

"How would you react if your granddaughter never told you that she was getting married?"

"Fair enough," Quickstep nodded, "anything else?"

"Little of any value."

"Does that include the little Leafeon and her friends?"

Astral opened both eyes this time and stared stoically at the human Mienshao. "The girl is five years younger than yourself and still a teenager. Pursue someone else."

"Hey, you should know that I'd never act on those thoughts, asshole," Quickstep attempted to defend himself against someone that could read his thoughts, "look, just humor me."

"Thankfully, the girl does not have any interest in you," Astral turned away and closed his eyes again, "her trainer is never very far from her thoughts."

"Really?" Quickstep asked, "Where is he then?"

"On the opposite side of-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Quickstep interrupted, "it was a rhetorical question," but his curiosity got the better of him, "what about the trainer?"

"His thoughts are usually elsewhere," Astral reminded him, "as we've heard, he's much like Sky. He burdens himself with worry and often forgets about those closest to him."

"So he doesn't love her?"

"I read minds, Quickstep," Astral dismissed the question, "not souls."

"So he does love her?"

"I repeat. I-"

"Fine," Quickstep waved him off, "what do you think, then?"

"They're still young," Astral said with knowing confidence, "anything is possible. And, as I said, I don't read souls."

"Man, psychic powers are useless," Quickstep smirked, "can't even tell if two people love each other."

"Love is-"

"A very complex emotion," Quickstep finished for him, "I know, I know," he paused to think for a few moments, "Anyways, you think she can convince these catty little weirdos?"

"You were better off with PureBlueSky," Astral said plainly, "the Meadow Sisters only want to take a look at the newest piece of gossip before turning her back around and sending her on her way."

"Not exactly what I was hoping to hear," Quickstep sighed, "what about Edge? You know, the guy you're supposed to hanging out with instead of the gossip triplets?"

"Since you had to ask, you clearly don't know him very well," Astral said calmly, "Edge is brave to the point of recklessness. Point him at an enemy and he'll kept fighting until nothing's left."

"Sounds like a good way to get himself killed," Quickstep added.

"For his sake, don't go to him," Astral sighed heavily, "we still don't know who these people are. Give Sky time to find his courage. He is our leader, even if he doesn't realize it yet."

"You sound like you believe in him more than your own trainer," Quickstep scoffed.

"We all know you hate him, Quickstep," Astral regained his stoic composure, "but you still respect him."

"I thought you said you couldn't read souls," Quickstep sprang to his feet. He didn't feel like talking to Astral anymore.

AN: so…the real question is: is it okay to wear a real fur coat if it used to be your fur? Or is it still bad taste?

Oh, and if you think Surf is awesome now, you should wait until Teardrop uses it in battle.

And, oh, yeah…sorry to anybody who wanted me to do Disney nicknames for RiverofTears's team. I wasn't feeling a whole lot of love over that idea. And to be perfectly honest, it would've looked kinda weird alongside everybody else's nicknames. It just wasn't meant to be, really.

Anyway, I had another one of those weekends where I didn't have enough time to finish. They tend to suck. I hate missing posts. That, and I felt REALLY bad about leaving the story at a depressing point for so long, so, here's this one mid-week.

I think that's it. I hope everybody's enjoying the holiday season. I shall see you again on Sunday with another chapter.

Thanks for reading!