We didn't get along at first.

Scorch and I, that is – though I didn't exactly get along with Archer either. For the short time we travelled together after leaving Oakroot we only ever bickered and taunted each other when the other's Eevee decided to ignore our commands. We got sick of it easily and parted ways, and so I was left alone with Scorch. What I found amusing was that I seemed to get along with Archer's Spark better than my own Pokemon and visa versa.

I thought that my own Pokemon was disobedient, rude and hot-headed. "Scorch," I said for the fiftieth time, my voice started to get marred with annoyance, "Could you please listen to me. After all, we're going to be together for quite sometime."

The Eevee let out a huff as if to say, 'Are you kidding me?'

I sighed, I had wasted far to much patience on him as it was together, "Look, I know you'd probably be happier with Archer – but I'm afraid you're my Pokemon, so we're just going to have to sort it out. It's already night-time though, so I think we should just give it a rest for today." I turned away to set up camp and out of the corner of my eye I could see the Eevee sort of deflate in exhaustion and relief – had refusing to acknowledge me as its trainer really been that tiring?

A lump formed in my throat, how was I supposed to survive out here with a Pokemon that didn't even like me when I couldn't return home to my mother? Archer clearly had the more docile Eevee – Spark was so much gentler than her male counterpart. Archer could survive out here. I couldn't it. And it vexed me.

Hot tears of frustration started to well at my eyes and I roughly brushed a hand over them. I would not cry in front of my disobedient, troublesome Pokemon. And I would rather be caught dead than admitting that I actually kind of missed Archer's company. I slipped into my sleeping bag after scarfing down a couple dozen berries – if they were poisonous then heck, my Pokemon may even feel a little bit remorseful.

The disappointment overcame my resistance though and I soon found myself pressing my face into the pillow of my sleeping bag, shaking like mad – trying to muffle the sobs in vain. After a couple minutes, a small rough tongue swiped at my cheek and I glanced up startled, peering at a small Eevee face through tears.

He flicked his tail as if to say, 'This doesn't make us friends or master and trainer, you got it? It's just rude to just leave a girl crying.' I snorted tearily – this Pokemon almost had too much character.

"Alright then, we'll forget about that," I muttered, shuffling over so that the Scorch had a place to lie. I mock glared at him cheekily, "But we'll get back to it tomorrow." There was an eye roll. "So you're a bit more decent than I first thought, huh?"

He gave me a scandalised look, 'Of course!'

There is nothing quite so exhilarating as the wind rushing through your hair as you ride atop of a rapidash galloping at full speed.

Of course, Kyle and Neo would differ with this opinion as the soared through the tunnels upon their pidgeot and dragonair, respectively. I hadn't realised how much I had missed the company of other humans, but now that I was with me it brought as much relief as it did pain as I realised the hole inside me and beside me could not be filled – not even with the companionship of thousands.

Neo's grey eyes met my own and almost softened a bit – I must've had some sort of lonely look on my face, so I quickly blanked it, but he flew down closer to my rapidash. "You don't have to hide it, Jaye," he said, it was almost too kind for Neo, really, "You can have plenty of friends in one life, but you as for your rival – there will never be a replacement. If it helps though, you can have Kyle – I won't miss him."

"Hey!" snapped the aforementioned Kyle, "I don't remember being yours to give away."

"These two are funny," an amused chuckle blended in with the pounding of Cinders' hooves on the hard ground – it was almost impossible to hear. "Almost as funny as I am." Was, I corrected silently – almost as funny as you were. "Always the optimist, Jaye."

"We're going to have to get these tunnels checked out again," Kyle mused in a slightly worried tone, "Don't want one caving in – you can already see a few cracks. I'm sure Kev will know what to do about them." My gaze shot up to the ceiling – seeing the thin spiderweb of crack running through it. My heart jumped to my mouth, thudding almost as fast as the hooves on the ground.

"How much longer?" I choked out.

"Huh?" Kyle frowned, "About thirty minutes to an hour, why?" His head turned my way, "Hey Jaye, you don't look to well. Are you feeling alright?"

"Let's just keep moving," I forced out, "The faster, the better right?"

He looked even more suspicious but only said, "Yeah, let's pick up the pace a bit." He urged on his pidgeot, as did Neo and I followed suit. I squeezed my eyes shut, just wanting, wanting so much to get out of those tunnels as fast as I could. Bile fought it's way up to my throat and I leaned my head against my rapidash's neck, wishing the tunnel walls would disappear into nothingness as echoes from the past screamed in my head.

Why does time slow in moments of pain?

Kyle

"Is she asleep?"

It was Neo's voice, penetrating the long silence that bounced around the tunnel walls endlessly – and thank god for that. Silence was an utter killer. I turned my head to look at the girl riding the rapidash below us – her face pressed against its warm neck. Something had obviously upset her, I could hear it in her voice twenty minutes ago – perhaps it was the air, it was rather stuffy in these tunnels.

"Is it really kind to separate her from her memory of the other kid?" The dragon trainer asked, "She really seems to cling to it – it's almost like it's the way she reminds her that she's alive, because if she were dead at least he'd be there."

"That's exactly why Kevin thinks she needs to let go – because she'd rather be dead, or lost in some figment of the past – never moving forward, only looking back," I answered wearily. "You were quite clinging to that kind of memory when you first arrived at the resistance."

"But it's her rival this time, her best friend, she'll always feel like a part of her is missing," Neo argued.

"Then that hole needs a filling," I replied. "It can never be what was originally there – but hey it can be something else, like her duty to the resistance – to ensure that Archer's death didn't go unnoticed or without its revenge, like the many others that still need to be recognised."

"You're actually a really cruel person, aren't you?" Neo smiled grimly, "You're just good at hiding it. Man, I really wanted to meet that Archer kid – the two rebel trainers together."

"Not everything went as planned," I admitted, "I was shocked when I saw Jaye Falconer stumble into the tunnel I watch – looked a bit more like a ghost than a human though. She went absolutely white when she first saw me." I looked back down at the girl, "I think this has been good for her – she's got a bit of colour back."

"If you say so," Neo glanced back up at the ceiling of the tunnel, "Those cracks are starting to get a bit wider. Kevin should definitely look at them before the next supply run. Maybe the syndicate found the tunnel and deliberately created these cracks as a death trap." He frowned as if realising something, glancing between Jaye and the cracks in the ceiling, "How did Archer Hawken die?"

I shrugged, "The only ones who know that are probably the syndicate and Jaye." I watched him stare at the ceiling, trying to clue into what he was thinking. "Wait, you aren't suggesting that… it was a cave in?" It would explain a lot – why Jaye had freaked out… and that was after I had mentioned the cracks in the ceiling, and it would explain why a lot of tunnels had simultaneously collapsed a few weeks ago. I met Neo's wide eyes, could it be?

"The rocks crushed him," it was a thin voice, rising from below us. "We found had stolen a blue-print of a pattern a few days earlier and we're trying to decipher its meaning. We were hiding out in a cave when we'd figured it out. It's the pattern of the cracks – made for the maximum amount of damage – brain injuries, spine injuries… death." Jaye paused in her story, her voice beginning to break a little. "That's when we heard voice – their voices from one side of the cavern – the side we'd entered it, so we knew we had to go. Then as we were running we wondered how they had found us and why they weren't coming from the other end and then… and then we looked up to the ceiling but we knew what was there already. The pattern – they were herding us towards our deaths, or entrapment." She looked away from our eyes, "They had planned to get the two of us." She opened her mouth as if she were going to say more, but decided against it a second later and chose to end with, "But they didn't."

"I see," I said, softly, "Do you still have the blueprint?"

"Yeah," even from where I was sitting I could see her hands tremble as she reached into her bag and pulled out a folder, I flew lower to meet her and take it. "I was trying to look before, but the ceiling was too far away. Perhaps… you can take a look." I grimly nodded, opening to folder to see the pattern – my eyes met Neo's and I could see the same fear in his eyes that I felt in myself before I urged Pidgeot carefully up to the ceiling.

One mistake, one tiny mistake, and the world could blow up.

-Somewhere in Raeonn-

Click, click, click. My shoes tapped against the floor – click, click, click. I had walked down to the cells so many times that I had counted the number of taps I made. When I was in a better mood, when things were successful, it took approximately seven hundred and thirty clicks. When I was enraged it took six hundred and ninety. Today was one of those six hundred and ninety days.

The prisoner was not eating and it was only a matter of days before he wasted away.

I had caught one of the most potentially perfect weapons and I was not going to let that slip away so easily.

The prison guard hurriedly saluted me, muttering under his voice, "I told 'im, sir, I told 'im if 'e weren't gonna eat 'is food there'd be consequences. 'E ignored me, sir, and went back to sleep."

"Oh shut up, you blithering idiot," I snapped. Incompetent guards – couldn't threaten properly if you paid them. Just like incompetent retrievers – though they had managed to get the boy they'd been unable to get the girl and the blueprints as well, leading to yet another wild chase. I undid the chains on the cell door with a clang and stepped inside.

There he was – resting against the wall with his injured jolteon resting on his lap, both of them dying. His face was white as sheet ad gaunt, with trickles of sweat running down his cheeks, his breaths were heavy and his hair was plastered to his forehead. It was even smaller and frailer than before. So lifeless compared to the boy I had met many years previously. I sneered; well I wouldn't let them die quite so peacefully. If the only option turned out to be death, it would be the death of being ripped apart by my own hands. However, there still could be a chance. I kicked his rib, causing him to groan. Before he would curse and spit and pull against his chains to try to get to me, to kill me. But he didn't even have the energy or willpower left for that anymore.

He wanted to die to save his little friend.

Too bad.

I yanked his head up by his hair to face me, "Think I would let youjust die? I don't think so. You've caused me much trouble over the years, I only think it's fair that it's repayed."

"Make me," His voice was hoarse and barely audible, "I will never work for the likes of you. Never."

I laughed harshly, "I didn't say you had to be willing. I heard you were refusing to eat. Well I have a plan B, I always have a plan B – if you refuse to eat the food yourself, then we'll just have to inject the nutrients into you. You'll be fully conscious so you can feel the pain and the helplessness as you're unable to do anything about it, and then afterwards, we'll put you under and change you." He watched with glee as the prisoner's eyes opened with horror. "Brings back some bad memories, doesn't it – if you can even remember anything of those seven days. That's a comparatively short time compared to what you have coming up."

"Please, I'm begging you," he whimpered, "If you have even the slightest scrap of mercy, just let me die."

I pretended to consider it for a few seconds and shook my head, "Sorry, kid – I don't believe in… what was it again? Oh yes, mercy." I clicked my fingers and watched as the boy weakly struggled to get away from the men filing in with the needles.

Not even his jolteon could save him now.

Jaye

I held my breath as Kyle examined the cracks in the ceiling.

This couldn't be happening again, the very thought sent past shocks through my system – my legs weak, my breath raspy and thin and when I closed my eyes I could rocks falling, tumbling, crushing. Would I lose two more people this time? Would it be Kyle shoving the blueprints into my hand and telling me to run, run and never look back, would it be Neo's grey eyes meeting mine, full of fear, before gritting his teeth and nodding before the ground gave way? How far would I run this time?

And after what seemed like forever, Kyle pulled away from the roof – my heart thudded in my throat, pounded in my head. He flew back to us, shaking his head, "No, we're safe. But that was too close – once we get back we need to inform the others right away, make sure everyone knows what to look for in the tunnels." He let out a shaky breath, "Let's just keep moving and get these supplies as soon as possible, I don't want another scare like that today. We're only about twenty minutes away from Juniper City. One things for certain… we have to stop the syndicate before the create anything else like this," he stared at the blueprints in disbelief and horror. "How they even managed to come up with this is… beyond me."

"Let's keep moving then," Neo replied tightly, "And pray that the pattern doesn't suddenly appear up ahead. Kyle, you fly close to the ceiling to make sure of that – as soon as we see it, we turn back."

It seemed like the only choice, and Kyle knew it, "Kevin won't be happy – our scouting bands need medical packs, we only have one or two left, and Gerry has a habit of getting hurt."

"He'd be even less impressed if we managed to get ourselves killed and lose the blueprints in the process."

"Let's just keep moving for now," I interjected, "We'll decide what to do if we get to that, for now I, for one, just want to get out of these blasted tunnels." The two agreed and on went galloped, with as much speed as possible, towards Juniper City.

Chapter 3 end.

Author's note:

So yes, alright, it's been a heck of a long time. School, work, sports. So I just popped onto fanfiction and I was like 'The Oncoming Storm? Forgot what that was about.' So I read it and it inspired me to write another chapter.

Yes, it is a bit different than what I had planned because, well, I don't even remember what I had planned – but oh well.

:D

Please read and review.

~MFT