Panic Sinks In, Chapter 79

I stared out from the Pokemon Center's front window towards Mt Coronet. It wasn't identical to my dream, but it was undoubtedly the thing Cresselia tried to warn me about. I was simply too late in preventing it from happening. What's more, in my haste, Vulpix was the one to pay the price. It had already been a few hours since Nurse Joy rushed her into intensive care. Despite my certifications to follow her in, she prevented me from doing so.

"It's best if you remain out here," she had said to me. "Try to relax and leave everything to me."

She had a point, of course. I was already terribly shaken up by the whole ordeal, and in the operating room I'd only make things harder for Nurse Joy. So I remained in the lobby, Haunter being my only company. Together we stared out towards Mt Coronet, all the while thinking. I was determined to stop Giovanni, but was that really my burden to bare? I was one person, one trainer amidst thousands touched by Team Rocket's activities. I was certainly not the most hurt by their activities, so why was I pushing myself so hard to stop him?

Needless to say, this line of thinking, this trap of self-doubt I was consistently falling into would only serve to hurt me further. Once the idea that I had no business trying to stop Giovanni took root in my mind, Vulpix's suffering was all for naught. It was my poor decision that got her hurt, and put her life in danger. And if the worst came to pass, it would be my fault she died. Just the mere thought of that got me clasping my chest and breathing heavily.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for someone," came a strong, feminine voice from the entrance of the Pokemon Center. Torn away from my crippling thoughts, I looked to the person, a blonde woman dressed completely in black.

"Nurse Joy is in the emergency room," I quivered, trying to compose myself.

"Actually, I'm looking for a girl named Star Light. You wouldn't happen to be her, would you?" She was looking for me? Who could she be? And how did she know my full name?

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Cynthia," she said, walking up close, "I'm the Champion of Sinnoh."

"You're...? The Champion? Like Lance?"

"Then you must be Star. I spoke with Lance earlier about what Team Rocket was up to here in Sinnoh. He told me to find you, that you could prove helpful in the fight against Giovanni." I couldn't help but laugh a bit at that suggestion.

"He said that, huh?" I took a seat on the couch nearby, my motivation now completely sapped.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, my Pokemon is in there," I said, pointing to the emergency room.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm certain Nurse Joy will have him or her patched up and ready to go before long. In the meantime, we need to discuss some strategies on how to face Giovanni." She didn't seem to be catching onto what I was implying.

"I'm not going to help." My reply was dull, almost lifeless. This Cynthia did't know me, so she was at a loss for words.

"Lance assured me you'd do all in your power to stop Giovanni. That he went so far as to recommend I seek you out-"

"Thank you," I cut in with a louder voice. "But I can't help you."

A tense silence filled the room. Cynthia got the message this time, and turned around to leave the center. The whole time, Haunter remained equally silent and still, more shocked at my behavior than even Cynthia. Just as she was about to leave, she turned around to face me one last time.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you. Good-bye." With that, Cynthia left the center. Some time after the automatic doors closed, I felt a tear stream down my cheek.

It would be the first of many tears to follow.

~o~

The next morning, the streets of Oreburgh City were rife with panicked citizens. The swirling cloud above Mt Coronet was now in full view, and the presence of Team Rocket grunts all around the city only made things worse. Many people feared this to be the end of life as they knew it. Yet, all of this meant next to nothing to me. All that mattered was Vulpix's condition, which remained a mystery the entire night.

I ended up falling asleep sometime after midnight, unable to keep my eyes open anymore. When I woke up, the light above the emergency room was still on. And the longer it took for Nurse Joy to emerge, the more panicked I started to feel. Were Vulpix's wounds really that severe?

A couple hours later, the light finally went off, and the doors swung open to reveal Nurse Joy. Instantly I ran up to her, expecting to see Vulpix somewhere nearby.

"Is she alright, Nurse Joy? Can I see her?" I tried to get a glimpse past her, but there was nothing in the hallway.

"Star, I'm afraid there's not much else we can do for Vulpix." Those words drilled deep into me, and I almost felt my heart stop. This couldn't be happening.

"What do you mean?"

"The wounds were extensive, Star. I tried all night to save her, but it was too much to handle." I could hear my heart beat loudly in my ears. My fingers and hands were trembling.

"Is she...?"

"She's in room two. You should go see her."

Nurse Joy stepped aside, allowing me entry. I ran down the hallway, skipping over the first room. In room two, I saw Vulpix lying down on the stretcher, covered in bandages. Nearby, there were piles of other bandages, all stained red. The ones on her body were slowly being stained red as I approached. Vulpix was barely conscious when I stood before her.

"Vulpix? Are you okay, girl?" I asked softly. The small fox looked up at me, hardly able to move without injuring herself further. I held her steady, and leaned in closer.

"It's okay, you'll be fine soon enough," I whispered to her, the tears in my eyes welling up. "Nurse Joy is doing everything she can."

Vulpix breathed in slowly, and I couldn't help but feel it was one of her last breaths. This couldn't be happening. She made one final effort, and gave me a lick on the cheek. After that, her body went limp. She didn't breathe again.

"Vulpix? Come on, wake up, girl," I pleaded pitifully. My Pokemon didn't move; she didn't hear me anymore. I felt someone standing behind me.

"Star, you should come with me," I heard Nurse Joy say softly. But I ignored her; I couldn't leave Vulpix behind.

"Vulpix needs me," I said to her, "she's just tired, is all."

The tears didn't stop streaming from my eyes. I knew that was a lie; I knew very well what was Vulpix's fate. I knew it even as Nurse Joy and her Chanseys dragged me away from the room, almost kicking and screaming. Yet, I could do nothing to stop myself. My best friend was gone.

And it was all my fault.

~o~

I wandered out into the streets a short while later. Haunter remained close, blending into the scenery as to not cause further panic. Not that it mattered to me anymore; I was a failure as a Pokemon Trainer. I didn't deserve to have any other Pokemon in my possession.

After a while, I just collapsed on the ground somewhere. I just sat there, in the middle of the road, crying my eyes out. I was beyond distraught, and well beyond any drive to do anything other than sit there and weep. That is, until a figure stood over me.

"Got ourselves a crybaby here," it said, the voice gruff and strangely familiar. I didn't look up at him, and just kept crying to myself. A second figure joined him a moment later.

"What's wrong, kid? Scraped your knee or something?" This voice was also familiar, and noticeably softer in tone.

"I told you to stop all that sissy talk! You're a member of Team Rocket, for crying out loud!" The more these two talked, the stronger the memories became.

"Sorry, boss. But I just can't talk down to a kid like that. Feels wrong, especially when she's already crying her eyes out."

"This is why you don't take notice of the kid, and more of the belt of Pokeballs around her waist. Go on, take it."

Though I was devastated by Vulpix's departure, and for a moment I was actually intent on not interfering with the grunts, I came to a stunning realization. I looked up at the two grunts, recognizing them through my tear-filled eyes. They were the same grunts that saved me in Johto from drowning. When our eyes met, the nice grunt instantly recognized me, and pulled away.

"I knew you didn't have it in you. Watch how it's done," said the other, reaching in for the steal. At that moment, I was filled with a newfound energy. A newfound rage.

"Leave me ALONE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, knocking the grunt back on his butt. My scream caused Haunter to reappear behind me, ready to defend me from these grunts.

"K-Kid, hand over the Pokemon, or else-"

"Or else what?" I spat back in the grunt's face. All that sorrow was quickly converting into rage, and the tears had come to a full stop. "Because of you, Vulpix is dead! And now you want my other Pokemon? I won't let you have them!"

The fear was now showing on the grunt's face as he tried to scurry away from me. The nice grunt, meanwhile, raised his hands in surrender. Ignoring him, I focused my attention on the other one trying to escape. He was reaching for a Pokeball, so I decided to put a stop to that.

"Haunter, Lick!"

Heeding my order, the ghost Pokemon swooped in on the grunt, swiping at him with his large tongue. Just like a Pokemon, the grunt was left paralyzed and helpless. I slowly walked up to him, and took away his Pokeball belt. I dangled it in front of his face for a bit.

"Now you know what it's like for the trainers," I said. The grunt could do nothing but stare at me in his paralyzed state.

"Star! What's going on here?" This new voice came from Cynthia, who was still in the city, surprisingly. I handed her the belt.

"Just helping to clean up this mess," I said, before turning my sights to Mt Coronet. This wasn't about stopping Giovanni anymore. It was about something much darker.

"Let me call the authorities, then we can press on to Mt Coronet." She said, reaching for her Poketch.

"I'll go on ahead," I said, leaving her behind with the two grunts. "I'll meet you there."

Ignoring most of the other people running around in the streets, I walked out of the city and towards the base of Mt Coronet. With Haunter at my side, and the others of my team at the ready, I was going to have my revenge. This was all for Vulpix, I kept repeating to myself.

This was all for her.

~o~

Guarding the base entrace of Mt Coronet were several grunts. My distress and rage aside, I knew it would be suicide to force my way through, so I remained hidden behind some bushes nearby. I had to either get past the grunts undetected, or knock them all out with a single strike. I knew very well using Pokemon against humans was illegal, but I couldn't afford to waste anymore time battling each of these grunts one by one. Fortunately, I had Haunter here to help me out, as well as the perfect bait for these grunts.

I released Clefable from her Pokeball. I whispered my plan into her ear, and then let her jump into the open to draw their attention. As expected, the grunts jumped at the prospect of capturing Clefable, and instantly gave chase to my Pokemon as she led them away from the cavern entrance.

"Haunter, help Clefable escape. Do whatever you have to to stop those grunts." I instructed, keeping my voice firm. The ghost Pokemon nodded, and vanished into thin air. I released Vaporeon and Yanma, whom had rejoined my roster after the incident with Vulpix, and had them accompany into the cave.

Much to my good fortune, the path leading up to the summit was marked with lanterns left behind by Team Rocket. Vaporeon took point, making sure the caverns ahead were safe, while Yanma covered my rear in case the grunts showed up again. To be honest, I was surprised at how silent the caverns were. I didn't run into a single grunt or Pokemon the entire time, which had me a bit on edge. Whatever that dark cloud over the mountain was, it was scaring away the Pokemon.

A short while later, I popped out in the summit. Unlike the base, which was still silent and tranquil, the summit was caught in a fierce storm. There was no rain, just a violent wind that nearly knocked me off my feet. I put both my Pokemon away, just to be safe, and Clefable as well once she and Haunter joined up with me again. Above, I could hear what sounded like claps of thunder, yet now that I was closer to the black clouds, I realized they weren't really clouds at all. It was more of a black mist, swirling slowly but surely around the peak of Mt Coronet. How Giovanni was able to create this was beyond me. But not for long.

"Well, if it isn't the thorn at my side." His voice, surprisingly clear considering the howling winds, reached my ears. I followed it to the source: the man standing right underneath the mist.

"Giovanni! You're under arrest!" I screamed at him, trying to keep my balance in the strengthening winds.

"Lance sent a child to do his job? The League must be seriously hurting for help these days. How do you intend to stop what I've already started? The gateway is open! Soon, the Pokemon Giratina will enter our dimension! And when that happens..." Giovanni showed me a Master Ball, its purple color glowing in the strange light emitted by the black mist. Just how was this man able to get a hold of so many of those things?

"I won't let you! Haunter, grab that Master Ball!"

My ghost Pokemon reappeared right in front of Giovanni, but before he could swipe the Pokeball from his hands, Giovanni vanished into thin air! Confused, Haunter looked around for the man, but he was no where to be seen. Suddenly, his laughter echoed throughout the summit.

"If you intend to stop me, you'll have to follow me into the Distortion World! Beware, though: there's no turning back if you enter!"

His laughter echoed again throughout the summit. His taunt was successful, to say the least. Without thinking twice, I called for Haunter to hoist me up into the black mist after Giovanni. Even if there truly was no way to return to Sinnoh, I wouldn't let him escape again.

As the black mist transported my body and Haunter somewhere else, only one image remained firm in my mind's eye.

This was all for her.