Chapter 19

The man in the alley sucked in his breath in surprise. Behind me, the unknown assailant was using his free hand to grab the arm I used to wield the sword. He pinned it behind me and pressed my body against the chilled metal wall of the building I had once used for cover. "What do you think you're doing out so late, young lady?"

That voice! I've heard it before. But who? Who was it?! Think, Rui, think! The only other clue I had about them was that they had a ring on their ring finger: this guy was married. Annoyed that I didn't answer, he pressed my face into the wall harder with his gun. "Girls shouldn't be snooping around where they don't belong."

"Who are you?" I snapped. "Don't be a coward."

"Rui?" Wes' voice called from behind. My napper froze. "Rui where are you?"

"You got lucky this time," the voice behind me hissed. "If I didn't need you, you'd be dead right here, right now." Need me? He released me and started off into the night. It didn't matter how quickly I turned around, it was too dark to catch where he went or who he was. The feather, likewise, had disappeared. I swore in frustration. Even the alley was empty, and they hadn't even activated the lever to go inside. It was like they had vanished.

"There you are." I nearly had a heart attack when Wes placed his hand on my shoulder. He turned me to face him. "What were you doing?" His face was hard to read, but his voice said it all: he thought I was trying to run away again.

"The Ho-oh feather," I replied. "Someone had it. I saw them."

"You did?" Wes scanned the area, as if he could find them. "Where'd they go?"

"They ran when they heard you." My hand grazed the back of my head where the gun had been placed. "Thank god you did, too. One of them had a gun to my head." He placed his hand where I had mine. It hadn't come to my attention that I was shivering. A gun to my head was enough to make me nervous. What if he had just decided to finish me there? Stop thinking about it, it was over, I'm fine.

I followed him back inside through the window, which he shut and locked behind him. "We'll check the Under again tomorrow to make sure everyone is gone. If those two idiots are smart, they'll have ran the other way." He paused, waiting for a reply, which he didn't get. He saw me curl up on the bed, shivering.

A simple pull of a trigger: that was how close to death I was. Grandma and Grandpa would've been devastated. Wes, Duking, and Silva wouldn't have been able to get there in time. Probably the worst of it all, my family would probably be relieved. No more dealing with Rui, they'd think. No more annoying pokemon at their doorstep or police asking if she'd been abused. No more problems, that would be the end of that.

I felt Wes sit on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?" Terrible. Destroyed. Utterly devastated. Not in the mood to talk, mind you. "Well, this came in today." He set a phone on the side of my bed. It was an old flip phone, a lot like the one I had as a kid. Wait, was it the same brand? Huh. I wonder how he managed to get the one type I actually liked. I wouldn't let him see that though, at least not right now. "I'll let you sleep." He switched off the lights and lie down beside me.

Feh. There's no way sleep was going to come to me tonight. A whole night of depressing thoughts and tossing around was sure to follow. Now I was starting to feel like talking to Wes was a good idea. Why was it every time I decided to ignore him, it ended up biting me in the butt a short while later?

My phone buzzed. What the hell… I flipped it open. My cheeks were suddenly red hot with embarrassment.

It was a text from Wes. He had added his full name to his contact, the name that I had recited flawlessly to Lady Venus that day, and added a cute emoticon with sunglasses next to it. The message he sent me simply said, "Hai :3". Who goes around wearing that kind of tough face and texts like that? This guy was full of surprises.

"Hi," I responded, quietly punching the buttons so he didn't hear me writing a text and erasing it several times in frustration before sending the single word. He didn't need to cover up what he was typing; he knew exactly what to say.

"So how'd ya know my name?" Somehow I knew that topic would come up. Not like this, though. This was a complete surprise to me. Wes was right behind me, lying in the same bed, and he thought it'd be cool to randomly start texting?

Ok, it was cute.

"Grandma told me." It was getting harder and harder to want to ignore him.

"Unfair. She didn't tell me your full name :(". My face was hot now. I'm glad he was lying behind me so he didn't see it.

"Jessica."

"Rui Jessica Yurika?"

"Yeah." Now he took a moment to respond.

"It's cute ^.^". Then, punching buttons loudly so he could let me know he was still typing, "Venus had an obsession with me when I was working with Team Snagem."

Was… was he explaining why that girl was so attached to him? Why would he feel the need to do that unless… Unless he felt like he owed me the explanation? Oh god, my heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. He noticed I wasn't typing and added, "I'm still very single."

I twitched. What the hell was I supposed to say to that? It turns out there was no need for a response, because he sent yet another text. "Don't go off on your own again, alright?"

"I thought I could handle it," I replied, finally able to come up with something.

"Sometimes you can," he started on the text, "but we're partners." He paused. "If it wasn't for you, I would still be in the Under. Doesn't that prove how much I need you?" A warm weight enveloped me. Wes was wrapping his arms around my waist, head on on my shoulder. "You're not alone anymore," he whispered softly. "I'll protect you just like you protected me. You just have to trust me." Finished, he began to pull away.

I couldn't help it. My hands took both of his and kept them firmly on my waist. He paused, his heart doing a dizzying leap in his chest. "No, stay like that." There was a pause. "I'm cold." Probably should've noticed that we had yet to cover ourselves with the blankets, but it was the lie I was going with.

"Like…?" His body slowly moved back to where he was once positioned. Arms around my waist, chin on my shoulder, quivering slightly. Unlike me, he could control that. Soon as he was still as a board.

"Y-yeah. Just..." I adjusted myself to where I was comfortable. The pokemon trainer waited for me to situate before gradually situated himself as well. His hands tightened and released quickly, almost like a twitch.

"Then I'll stay like this." He pulled me upwards against his chest and gently pressed his legs against the back of mine. He was trying to cover up his racing heart by taking a deep breath, but I knew better. Now the calm, collected Wes was beginning to feel a little anxious himself. He wanted to say something, I could tell, but he couldn't muster up the courage to say it. That, or he was afraid of stuttering.

"Goodnight," I said softly. Wes took another deep breath.

"Goodnight, Rui." The two of us huddled closer one last time before relaxing and, eventually, falling asleep.

Hands down, that night was the best sleep I'd ever had. Usually whenever I slept it was patchy because of how many times I randomly woke up in the middle of the night and lie awake until sleep took over again. This was the first time I was able to go the whole night without waking up or, even better, having a single nightmare. There weren't any sweet dreams to take the nightmares place, but just being able to get a full rest was enough for me.

Wes didn't move in his sleep. Like, at all. He stayed in that one position the entire evening, breathing softly into my hair. Now that I think about it, I must've done the same because we both woke up in the same position. It would've been nicer to sleep longer, but Wes' phone was ringing off the hook in that jazzy ringtone I had heard before.

Grumbling, he sat up to answer it, keeping a hand on my arm. "Hello?" His was was groggy, almost drunk like. He must've fallen into an even deeper sleep than I did because when I woke up, I was up for good. He paused, listening to the mayor ramble on about something that was too faint for me to hear. He rubbed his face with his free hand and sighed. "Right. We'll keep an eye out." More rambling, then a click. He set the phone down and rested against the headboard. "He just noticed the feather was stolen," he relayed to me. "Taken in the middle of the night, just like you said."

"Makes sense." Man, I was worthless when it came to fighting with people. My blade could only purify Shadows now. Before it had helped me get out of that fight with the thug who wanted to steal the colosseum gear. Was it impossible to fight any of the Shadow's trainers anymore?

"Well, we have things to do." He stood up and brushed himself off. "I take it you're going to wear the clothes you slept in?" I blushed at the thought. He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm wearing the same thing, too." He stood up and brushed himself off before offering me a hand. I shyly took it. He helped me to my feet and smiled. It was such a soft grin; I felt myself beginning to fill from the warmth of it. The smile I returned must've seemed drunk because Wes chuckled at it.

"To the Under again?"

"I'M COMING WITH YOU!" Duking was suddenly in the room. Behind him, doubled over itself and torn right off the hinges by the force of his kick, the door skidded to a stop at the bed. I had jumped and rolled backwards to the other side, falling to the ground with a thud. Wes looked genuinely surprised but didn't move as Silva came rushing up to him with his fists balled at his sides.

"You heard the man, we're coming with!" My arms were tangled around me and my leg had popped painfully but I still managed to look over the edge of the bed with a scowl.

"Was it really worth kicking down the door?!" I yelled at Duking. The man smiled, his mustache wet from sweat.

"Thought it'd be a nice surprise. Needed a new door anyway."

"You two were thinking of joining, then," Wes guessed, kicking his toes on the ground to expel any rust that gathered on his boots. "You'd be walking back into the situation that got you captured."

"Didn't you say the Under was deserted now?" Silva crouched slightly, ready to burst with energy. "If anyone is down there, I doubt they'd be able to take the four of us on! Rui the Light! Wes the trainer! Duking the muscle! And Silva the handsome." He said the last words seductively, blowing a kiss against the far wall as to not seem like he was hitting on any of us.

"You're brain dead."

"Am not!" Silva shouted in my direction. He pointed his finger at me. "You know it yourself! That sword can't harm real people, and that's exactly what we're trying to find down there! So you might as well shut yo trap and let us join you!"

"I suppose two extra helpers wouldn't hurt." Silva slapped Wes on the back.

"That's the spirit, pretty boy!" The able pokemon trainer narrowed his eyes dangerously at him, but Silva had already zipped out of the room, hooting a victory chant. "I love our team! What are we going to call ourselves? The Fantasy Foursome? No, no, that just sounds weird! Anyways, there's trouble afoot!"

"What did you do to him?" Wes asked the question like a statement. Duking shrugged, a sardonic smile.

"I let him have a cup of coffee to sample. When I returned from the bathroom, he had already downed three more." He shrugged. "The kid likes it. Why would I try and stifle his fun?"

"Whatever the cause," Wes said, changing the subject. "The Under might have a few looters left behind. We have to remain cautious or risk getting him captured. Again. And I don't quite feel like helping him if he wanders into trouble like he has before."

"I'll keep him under control."

Wes and I had to step around the crumpled door to leave the room. Duking lead the way to outside, where the morning sun was just illuminating Pyrite Square. Trainers milled about aimlessly, paying us no particular attention. None of them had crossed paths with us in the Under, so it was safe to assume the vast majority of crooks and thieves had taken off elsewhere in Orre. Only pokemon tilted their confused heads at us as we entered the dark alley that lead to the Under.

Silva was in the alley, trembling from excitement. When Wes put in one of the spare Shadow Pokemon he kept on him in case a door like this appeared again, Silva was the first one inside. The elevator squealed in alarming protest as he jumped up and down on it. Duking rolled his eyes and hefted the boy over his shoulder, where he squirmed.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything wrong! Put me down!"

"You're being more annoying than a drunk spinda," Duking snorted. "You're staying with me until you crash from the caffeine." Wes and I boarded the elevator. As he pressed a few buttons on the overused panel, Duking adjusted his friend onto his other shoulder.

"I'm never gonna crash!" Silva objected, finally going limp. He propped his head up on an elbow that he pressed into Duking's back. He stuck out his lower lip in an annoyed pout. "You never let me do anything fun!" The elevator gave an unnerving lurch as it set into motion before loudly descending. This time as we fell I was almost certain that this elevator was louder and more unstable. Could've been because of how many people rode it out of the Under in yesterday's commotion. It did have quite a few dusty footprints on it.

It stopped at the bottom, opening the door only halfway before screeching to a painful stop. Duking had to force it open with both arms so we weren't confined inside. Silva looked a little more shaken now that he knew the way out might not be fully functional. He swallowed his jitters and stuck close behind Duking as we exited. Wes, though it wasn't really needed, took my hand to help me cross over the border from elevator to Under. I've already turned red enough, so this time, I was able to keep my face a neutral color.

Empty. Every buildings, every street, every corner of the Under had been completely flushed out by yesterday's panic. The cage were Silva had been trapped was run down, pushed aside by massive crowds to get to the elevator. The lights in the buildings had been nearly all been busted out. A few that had been forgotten to be shut off flickered. I doubt anyone would be able to help us in the shop or the pokemon center. We could probably just use whatever we needed, though.

"How did you know that Venus girl, anyhow?" Silva asked, bringing the silence to a halt. Wes and Duking both looked back to the boy. "You know, the girl with the dress and-"

"She's an admin for Team Cipher," Wes interrupted, looking back to the road. "I was an admin for Team Snagem, so the two of us worked hand-in-hand with Shadow Pokemon. I visited here for a special interview on their stupid news network and she fell in love with me during it. After that, they had to get people to stop her from leaving the Under to come see me in the Snagem hideout. Contrary to what you guys must be thinking, this is only my third time down here."

"So she thought you were still with Snagem when she asked for Suicune," I guessed.

"No, she just does whatever she can to try and sway me."

"Makes sense," Duking said. "She's not the only one who has their eyes on you." I expected him to show some sort of acknowledgement at me, maybe a wink, but he kept his eyes forward. Instead it was Silva who nudged me, shaking his fists in front of him in unnecessary excitement.

The edge of that gorge that lead to the news station was still empty. the little ufo was no longer there, so we'd probably need another way to cross. Jumping it wasn't going to be the right move to make.

"Espeon," Wes started, "can you get us across?"

"Es…" she replied softly.

"Two at a time, then." He pointed to Silva and Duking. "Start with these two." Espeon bowed her head. The red gem on her forehead ignited in brilliance. As Wes returned Umbreon to his pokeball, the two Pyrite Townies started hovering. Duking looked worried, but Silva was quivering with excitement. He wanted to say something, but it looked like he couldn't speak. I guess the effects of psychic powers restricted their movement when carrying them places. It was the same when Espeon had saved me from falling off the edge of Mt. Battle back when we were battling Entei.

Before they knew it, both of them were on the other side. The psychic pokemon jumped onto Wes' shoulder. When her gem started glowing again, I felt my limbs go numb. Well, not numb. More like trapped in place, a lot like being stuck in a rubbery cast. I could blink and breathe, but it was almost as labored as being put in a crate. The only thing keeping me from freaking out was Wes, who had snuck his hand in mine before we crossed.

Wes was the first one to touch down on the ground. When he was there, his foot caught on the ledge and he went falling onto the dirt. Espeon lost her balance and went falling with him. The focus broke and suddenly they were on the dirt, but I was too far off the edge to fall like them. I watched all of their faces turn to horror as they the ledge masked them from view and the darkness swallowed me whole.

Rui Registered Wes In Her PDA!

Wes And Rui Are Falling In Love!

Rui Tripped And Fell!

Saving Game…

Game Saved!