Chapter 86

"We're going to lose, you know," Sparks grumbled as he finished his sandwich, "us versus one of the best trainers on the island and four versus six. I don't mean to alarm anybody, but we're screwed."

As he looked around the table, however, his words did not have the kind of effect he expected them to. He couldn't even be sure if anyone had heard him. Ebony was struggling to stay awake, Trine was drumming on the table with his silverware, Mano and Duon were accusing each other of being out of tune at the end of the concert, and Serenade and Cara were both bent over Cara's phone as she looked over their new budget. No one looked up.

"Hey!" he tried again, louder, "we are right and truly screwed! Am I the only one who cares?"

"Yes," Ebony yawned, "we are very screwed. It happens. Now, shut up." She adjusted her hat over her eyes, intending to sleep for the next ten or fifteen minutes as the others finished eating.

"And that doesn't bother you?" Sparks raised an eyebrow.

"No."

Giving up on the Honchkrow-woman, Sparks tried the others. Maybe if he asked Cara directly…

"Hey, Cara," he tried.

"…minus food, minus travel expenses…am I missing anything?" she turned to Serenade and the Jynx-woman shook her head, "then that leaves us with…"

"HEY! Cara!" Sparks shouted.

"Not now," she waved him away, "I'm budgeting. We need to make this money last."

"What about the match?"

"What match?"

"The one we have to go to in half-an-hour," Sparks stared at his trainer, "shouldn't we be planning for that?"

Cara stared back, "I don't see why. We're going to lose."

"What? Are we giving up, or something?" Sparks looked around. Was he the crazy one or the only sane one?

"We're not forfeiting," Cara explained, "if that's what you mean."

"Try to keep up, sweetie," Serenade smiled at him.

"Don't you mock me!" Sparks yelled, losing his patience.

"Settle down, Sparks," Cara said, calmly, "I don't think I ever told all of you, anyway."

"Tell us what?" he asked.

"I…never really planned on trying to win the tournament," she shrugged, "never really wanted to battle."

"What? Why?"

"We're not here for the tournament," she reminded him, "we're here to put on a few shows, make some money and go home. I entered us in the tournament more to advertise than anything else."

"Advertise the band? That's it?" the anger was fading from his voice now.

"Yeah…" Cara shrugged, "that's it."

"Seriously?" this time Sparks was asking the air. There was nothing left in his voice but disappointment. He was the only one that wanted to win. He was the only one that even cared.

Cara had to feel sorry for him. Of all of her human Pokémon, Sparks was the one that missed battling the most. Their first tournament match had been against an inexperienced newcomer with only two human Pokémon and not much talent. Serenade and Ebony dealt with that, easily enough, while Sparks stayed on the sidelines. Before that, their last battle hadn't happened in months.

The human Luxray needed a strong opponent, competition, or at least some action. The band ate up most of the group's time. But Sparks had no part in that and nothing to do to occupy himself. The biggest match of their lives as human Pokémon was less than an hour away. But Sparks was the only one who saw it that way.

Cara had no more time for training or competitions. That part of her life was over and was just a collection of memories. It had been fun while it lasted, but everyone grew up eventually.

But where did that leave Sparks and Ebony who weren't really involved with the band? What could they do? She had no answer.

Cara's thoughts drifted to even darker ideas. Ideas like: what if the band failed? What would happen to them all if the band wasn't enough? She was sitting there budgeting out all of their expenses for the next year. What about the year after that? And the year after that?

She took a moment to clear her head. They had just finished their biggest show ever the night before. She shouldn't be worrying, she should be celebrating. They should all be getting drunk and passing out on the floor of their hotel room. Well, the band should. She was still the manager. Actually, given Ebony's high tolerance for alcohol, it would be incredibly expensive for them to get drunk at all, let alone pass out.

At any rate, Sparks probably had the right idea. A battle. A tough battle with RiverofTears. She wouldn't win, but she could still have some fun.

"I'm sorry, Sparks," Cara sighed, "you're right."

"I am?" he sat up, "I mean, yeah, of course I'm right. So, what do we do?"

"You're going out first," she told him.

"Awesome, awesome," Sparks nodded, leaning over their table, "good start. Uhh…what about after that?"

"Hmm…" Cara thought for a minute, "I don't know…we'll see what happens."

"Huh?" Sparks's jaw dropped open.

"We'll see what happens," Cara repeated.

Defeated once more, the human Luxray sank back into his chair. "You people suck…" he muttered.

Cara put a hand over her mouth to hide her smirk. She checked the time, on her phone.

"C'mon," she told the others, "somebody nudge Ebony. We need to get going."

The rain continued its steady pace as Mark, Maple and the others made their way to the stadium for that afternoon's match. There was no telling when it would stop, but that wouldn't change the schedule. The field could be muddy and covered with puddles and the match would still continue.

At the gate, Mark nervously showed the attendant the silver card that Silph had given him, hoping he didn't need to explain himself any further. The whole thing had happened in such a rush that he never had the chance to ask what to do if it didn't work. However, his fears were groundless and the attendant led the group of two humans and four human Pokémon up the stairs to Silph's private box without argument.

"Mr. Silph will be with you shortly," the attendant instructed as he opened the door, "please make yourselves comfortable."

Mark had never been in box seating before. In fact, he had never really understood how and why they were supposed to be so much more special than the normal stadium seats. But even he could tell that these were not normal box seats.

The room was set up more like an office meeting room than anything else. An oval table with ten plush, high-backed chairs was the center-piece of the room. The table had a variety of hors d'oeuvres set out with no less than seven different dips. Mark could only guess that Silph used his box as a meeting room, as well. But what drew everyone's attention was the enormous floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking the stadium.

Maple and Cherry each rushed over to look out on the field below. They were positioned perfectly in the center of the field, and though they were hundreds of feet up, it still somehow felt close.

"It's like we're floating in the air," Maple mused as she pressed her hand against the glass. She leaned forward against it to enhance the feeling, but slowly, just in case they really were floating in the air and the glass was an illusion.

"Wow…" Kim nodded as she looked around the room, "good work, noob."

"I didn't do anything…" Mark admitted, "If anything, thank Cherry."

"Huh?" the Charmander-girl turned back from the enormous window, "what'd I do?"

"Scored us awesome seats, that's what!" Volt declared as he picked up a pretzel, chose a random dip and began eating.

"Hey! We don't know if that's for us!" Kim scolded him.

"Oh, please," he dismissed her warning as he moved to try another, "they'll never notice."

"They will if you eat it all," Sprinkle teased. Nevertheless, she peered at the spread, bending over the table as she did so and earning a few glances from the boys.

"How long 'til the match starts?" Kim asked, attempting to divert their attention.

"Uh, about twenty minutes," Mark answered, "we're still a little early."

Silph and Claire didn't arrive for another ten minutes. By that time, Volt had emptied half of one of the dip jars and eaten most of the pretzels and Maple and Cherry had rolled several of the chairs over to the window.

"Claire!" Cherry called from the center of the window, "I saved you a seat!"

"Thank you!" the Skitty-girl cheered as she trotted over to join her new friend. The girls crowded around the row of chairs. Cherry took the center with Claire at her right and Maple at her left. Kim sat next to Maple, with Sprinkle at her left. The boys were still standing, and since Volt was still experimenting with dips and hors d'oeuvres, that left it to Mark to greet their host.

"Uh, it's nice to see you again," Mark stuck out his hand, "uh, sir."

"Haha," Silph chuckled as he shook Mark's hand, "no need for the 'sir.' That's only if you work for me. You don't work for me, do you?"

"Uh, no," Mark shook his head.

"Ah," Silph nodded. He seemed genuinely unsure if Mark worked for him or not. "Then call me Al. Or Silph. Most people around here call me 'Silph' or 'Mr. Silph.' I don't care for 'Mr. Silph' either, though. Too formal."

"Uh, Silph, I guess," Mark settled for the middle ground.

"There we go," Silph grinned, "I apologize for being late. I had a meeting over lunch which ran unexpectedly long."

"Oh, it's no problem."

"Oh, I should tell you, though," Silph grinned, despite the fact that his tone suggested it was a warning, "the match will probably start a few minutes late, as well. You see, I was meeting with RiverofTears, at the time."

"What?!" Kim's chair spun around and the girl was on her feet in moments, "you talked to who?!"

"A RiverofTears fan, I take it?" Silph's grin grew wider.

"Ever since the last tournament," Kim walked over to stand with them, "how well do you know her? What's she like?"

"Well, I've known her for years, truth be told," Silph nodded, all too happy to share, "as to her personality…well, she has new responsibilities nowadays. She's a very strong young woman."

"Awesome…" Kim marveled at the small amount of information, eager to learn anything at all about her mysterious idol.

"At any rate," Silph changed the subject, "I hope you like the room. I've had quite a few important meetings over matches up here," he gestured to the table, "help yourselves to the spread," Volt shot Kim a smug look when he said this, "and there's a small fridge in the corner there. It should have water, soda, and I think a few beer bottles, as well. Though you look a little young for that…"

"I'm not!" Volt announced as he began searching for the fridge that he had somehow overlooked.

"Technically, you are," Kim pointed out.

"Heh," Volt smirked as he helped himself to a dark brown, glass bottle, "try and stop me."

"Fine…" Kim groaned, "Maple! Kick his ass!"

"Huh?" the Leafeon-girl's long ears perked up.

"Never mind," Kim waved her away, suppressing a grin.

"Haha," Silph chuckled at the exchange, "never a dull moment with human Pokémon around is there?"

"Uh, Silph?" Mark asked.

"Yes? Umm…Mark, right?"

"Yes, sir," Mark nodded, "uh, sorry. Anyway, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but…can I ask you something?"

"Certainly," Silph nodded, "what is it?"

"Well," Mark looked around the room, "this is all very generous of you…but, I'm still confused. You barely know us. We just met. Why do all of this for us?"

"It worries you that much?" Silph asked, studying Mark with keen curiosity, "I suppose it's understandable. Especially for a Pokémon trainer…a human Pokémon trainer, at that. You all have to learn to protect yourselves at such a young age. I was always studying business or some other boring thing. Never had the time for Pokémon that weren't pets. I never even dreamed of leaving home. I can't claim to know what it's really like."

"I'm sorry if I-"

"No, no, it's fine," Silph interrupted, "I've just always been fascinated by Pokémon trainers. And human Pokémon are even more curious. Everything little Claire does fascinates me. She's like us, but she's not like us all at the same time. I love my little girl more than anything."

Mark turned away to look over at Cherry and Claire, leaning across their chairs as they talked to each other. The two had met that very day and were already best friends. They were the same age and though there might be a dozen other young girls exactly like them in that very stadium, away from Himitsu Island, they might never see another. If not for that very tournament, Cherry and Claire would have lived their lives alone, with no friends. No one who understood what they were or what they were feeling in quite the same way.

Was that it? Was that the answer? Was the entire tournament all for her? All for one, small, sweet little girl with bubblegum-pink hair?

"Though I must confess," Silph went on, "I do have a small bit of business I'd like to discuss with you."

"Business?" Mark asked.

"More like an outside opinion," Silph corrected, "I just need to ask you a few questions about a subject that's been bothering me."

"Okay…" Mark added, warily.

"Oh, let's skip the wordplay," Silph chuckled, deciding that Mark neither understood, nor cared to understand the subtle rules to the games he had to play to get what he wanted, "I'm thinking of building a school for human Pokémon."

"Really?" Mark asked, "That sounds awesome."

"I thought you might agree," Silph put a hand on the boy's shoulder, "come, sit. We'll talk during the match."

"Ugh…stupid, stubborn, rich, jackass," Rachel muttered under her breath as she stormed into the locker room, "just because you have money, that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

The rest of her meeting with Alfred Silph had gone entirely as predicted. He did everything he could, used every trick at his disposable to try and change her mind. Worst of all, he tried to appeal to her old self and their friendship when she was RiverofTears. She had made a mistake in dressing as RiverofTears. Hell, if she could, she'd change into her work clothes and wash the dye out of her hair, just to get his attention. Just to make a statement. She would not bend to the man and give him what he wanted.

Himitsu overflowing with human Pokémon. When she was a teenager she might've dreamed for such a thing, but now she was fighting against it with all of her being. She was her mother. She hated it and she couldn't stop it. What was wrong with her?!

"River…" Teardrop called out.

"My name is RACHEL!" Teardrop's trainer whirled at the voice coming from behind her.

Teardrop drew back in shock. And she wasn't the only one. Cashmere, Pixie, and Briar were all waiting for her in that locker room.

Rachel stared at them for a while, unsure of what to say. Did they know that she refused Silph? They always made Astral tell them bits of gossip. She looked to Briar. The Roserade-woman was calm, meditative, waiting for Rachel to make the next move.

"You know," Rachel turned away, "look, I wish I could agree with him, too. But-"

"You're not your mother, dear," Briar told her, "you had to make a choice, and none of us blame you for it."

Rachel turned back to her human Pokémon. The four women that still held a loyalty to her that she didn't deserve. She hated it, but she knew what she was doing to them. No school, no college, no more human Pokémon living on Himitsu Island. She was abandoning them. Maybe not that day, but soon. If she wanted her new life, she had to give them up.

"How can you not?" Rachel asked them, "You've been nothing but kind and loyal to me. You evolved for me…" She focused on Briar as she talked. Cashmere and Pixie hid behind the older, stronger woman, scared. But Rachel dared not even glance at Teardrop.

"We had our own reasons, as well," Briar explained, "human life is not easy, we've learned that much. But we won't run away from it."

"What will you do?"

"Oh, I'm certain there's something," Briar sighed, "human life is also…diverse. There's something for everyone."

Rachel nodded. "If you need help-"

"We will not burden our trainer," Briar shook her head, "you've taught us everything you could and everything we need."

"Alright," Rachel nodded. There it was. This was the end of the road for them. When this tournament ended, Rachel would be saying goodbye to her human Pokémon. They would find new lives and Rachel could start hers. If only it didn't hurt so much…

"First we need to bring your grandfather home," Briar added, "if, of course, you still want that."

"Yes," Rachel nodded, once more, "I miss him, too much. This is his home."

"Whenever you're ready," Briar bowed her head to her trainer.

Two of the Four reunited. It was Rachel's dream. The one part of her old life that she wouldn't say goodbye to. He had left three years ago. Sky, Edge and Aurum all left, scattered in separate directions, leaving only River behind. They would never be Four again, but Rachel would not lose any more of her family. Not when she had to give up this one.

Briar studied the poor girl in front of her. Ever since she had fought and began training with this girl, she had been watching her grow. As a teenager, her heart had been broken and there was nothing Briar could do to help mend it. So the girl grew up and pushed away the past, even though it was killing her.

What would she do if there was someone who could rescue her? Someone who could appear and brush away that pain? What if there was someone who could save her from herself?

But the Roserade-woman knew there wasn't. And so, she would take her sisters and pray that her trainer found happiness when they were gone.

"River?" Teardrop spoke with a small voice.

"I'm sorry, Teardrop," RiverofTears told her favorite, "for everything."

"It's alright," Teardrop shook her head, "but, we still have time. Can't we…just pretend it's still the old days? Just for a little while?"

River sat down next to her first Pokémon and her first human Pokémon.

"Yeah."

The two hugged each other until the attendant said it was time to start the match.

AN: River/Rachel has become much more complicated than what I had originally envisioned for her, truth be told. Originally, I kinda figured she'd just be a long-lost love interest for Sky and Edge, but the more I talked about her, the more ideas I had for her own, rather depressing plotline. It's far from over, but still I like this Rachel/River much better

Btw, I started re-reading the story when I can. There's a few minor edits I'm going to have to make here and there (making sure Fate is referred to as a psychic/fairy-type is the biggest), but nothing too major. Mostly just updates for X/Y and minor spelling and grammatical stuff. Grammatical stuff I'm always going to be loose on, though. Sometimes I just like to screw with stuff (like sentence structure) just to make it sound cooler or more dramatic (who uses a semicolon, really? I'd rather just start a new, incomplete sentence :-p ).

Anyway, I guess that's everything for now. Cara vs. RiverofTears begins Sunday!

Thanks for reading! (I forgot that last time. It's seriously been too long)