FOREVERMORE

~Part Three Of The Forever Trilogy~

Chapter 33

To Energize

February 6, 5001.

(Navy's POV)

"I'm eighteen, yeaaah!"

"For the love of Arceus, Gold, we know already!" Sapph snapped.

"Well, excuse me for being excited about being a legal adult!" Gold huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

We were walking on a route headed for Mistralton City, where the sixth Gym we needed to challenge was. I had been having a interesting time traveling with them. They had been opening up to me as the days went by. I had to say, I got along the best with Gold and Indigo. Sapph was pretty easy to get along with as well, if you didn't make her angry. Topaz, well, she was having her own problems right now. I was pretty sure Crimson hated my guts, but whatever.

"Guys, knock it off," Topaz said to them, sounding annoyed. "Don't start already."

I honestly wondered how those two stayed together when they fought so much.

Sapph scowled. "Whatever!"

I snorted, and stuffed my hands into my pockets. Those two were better than TV. I was good at reading people, and I had pretty much figured out the dynamic going on here. Indigo and Crimson liked each other; Gold and Sapph liked each other enough to stay together even though they fought all the time; Topaz was lonely without Rubin; I was becoming friends with almost everyone; Crimson hated my guts for some reason, probably because I talked a lot with Indi. I was very observant.

"Thank you," Topaz said.

A few minutes later, it was decided we would take a break for lunch. We all gathered around a spot where Topaz had Valor, Rubin's Camerupt she was training for him, melt the snow. We all sat down, and food was exchanged.

I was perfectly fine minding my own business, and then Indigo decided to join me. We sat in silence at first, and I was very aware by the scowl that had planted itself on Crimson's face. I ignored it; he could get over the fact that I was friends with his girlfriend. That was immature.

"What do you think Mistralton will be like?" Indi asked.

I shrugged. "Don't know. I've never been there."

"Back in the past, it was used to transport goods to other regions via aircraft," she said. "But with the Empire and all, I don't know if they'd still do that."

"I guess we'll find out," I said.

She nodded, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. I looked around. Crimson was sulking while talking with his sister. Gold was chatting with Sapph, and they actually looked civil for a change. I leaned back, propping myself up on my elbows, and looked up at the clear sky.

It really felt good to be free. Even if being 'free' meant a prisoner of the Resistance.

I wondered if I'd ever be truly free.

I looked back to everyone, who seemed so peaceful. I wondered what we'd all be like if we were never taken from our homes. What would have happened? We'd never know. But right now I needed to earn everyone's trust, and I was doing well so far.

"Navy?" I looked over at her. "You know, I don't regret coming here to find Cyan."

I stayed silent, letting her talk. She probably needed to vent.

"I mean, I have two other siblings—Cobalt and Larimar. Cobalt's thirteen and Larimar's eleven. But I never forgot Cyan. He was only three years older than me. I have vague memories of him. So I wanted to find him. And I'm glad I did. And now I can do something to help."

I was silent for a moment. "I don't remember anything about my family. Nothing at all."

She frowned. "Synis never told you anything?"

"Why would he?" I snorted. "He's... messed up enough as it is."

"I'm sorry, Navy," she said.

I shrugged. "Don't be. I'll survive."

I decided to change the subject, moving onto something else. "So, did your boyfriend have any other reason to come out here other than to find his sisters?"

She blinked at me, and flushed a little. "What, Crim? He's not my boyfriend. And no, I don't think so..."

"Why am I not surprised?" I said with an amused snort.

She rolled her eyes at me, and she shook her head. I merely smirked at her playfully.

"Are you sure you're not dating?" I added.

This time she glared at me. "We. Are. Not. Dating."

I laughed. "Sure, Indi, whatever you say.

"We're not!"

...

After we finished our meal, we headed back off. Indi went back to her boyfriend, and Sapph started getting snapping again. All was usual. I expected all of this, even if it did get annoying. Finally, Mistralton City came into view. It took us another half an hour just to reach it.

The city was smaller than I expected. There was a long, deteriorating runway with a old plane sitting in front of what must have been the Gym. Snow started falling again right as we gratefully walked into the Pokemon Center. I was so grateful to be back in the warmth of civilization. Traveling in winter was tough.

"I'm starving," Gold said. "Let's get some-"

"Hey everyone!"

I turned around, and what do you know, it was the two Unovans—Shirou and Alan were their names, I believe. The former was the Champion, and the latter was just his manager. Shirou gave us a friendly wave, while Alan looked like he rather be somewhere else.

"Yo!" said Gold, grinning. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oh, just stopping by to see who'd get here first," he said. "And to see if you need any help."

"But if you don't, we'll be on our way," Alan said.

Alan really needed to loosen up, didn't he? Shirou seemed perfectly fine to me, but Alan was just so... uptight. I was always relaxed; I had no idea how people could stay so wound up and on edge. I doubted I would ever understand.

"Oh, you can stay," Topaz said, obviously trying to be friendly and not the easily irritated girl she had been in the past couple of days. "We appreciate it."

"Yeah, we can have even more fun now!" Gold said with a smirk. "Not that it wasn't a party before."

Sapph smacked him upside his head. "Stop it!"

"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "What did I do now? Is it a crime to want to have fun?"

"There's no time!" she said. "We're running out of time, haven't you noticed?"

"But it's only February," Indigo said, looking confused.

"What are we, on a schedule or something?" Crimson asked.

"Who knows what Synis is planning right now!" Sapph exclaimed. "He could be sending his admins to kill us or something!"

"Oh, chillax woman," said Gold. "You're just paranoid. You need to chill, seriously, get laid or something."

...What?

"SHUT UP!" she screeched, punching him in the arm hard enough to make him sidestep. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY!"

"...Am I laughing?" he said.

Topaz facepalmed, Indigo sighed, Crimson shook his head, Shirou looked shocked, and Alan looked annoyed. I sighed; it would take a while for me to get used to the Kimu antics. This wasn't the first time, nor was it the last.

"Agh, leave me alone!" Sapph snapped, giving him a fierce glare before storming off to leave us all alone.

"...Remind me how they're together again?" I asked.

"I have no idea," Topaz sighed.

"I'm starting to wonder myself," Gold said, looking frustrated.

"Anyhow," Shirou said, clearing his throat. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Anything Shiu can do for you," Alan clarified, giving his friend a glare. "I have work to do."

Of course he did.

"Well, you can do work while hanging out with someone!" Shirou said.

"Like... like..." Gold snapped his fingers. "Like T!"

T? Oh, he meant Topaz. That was his nickname for her. He only used it.

"What? Why me?" she asked, snapping back to the conversation.

"I dunno," he said, shrugging. "Otherwise you'd be all miserable alone."

She scowled, glaring at him, and he actually flinched. "I am perfectly fine by myself." And then she marched off.

"You're really messing up today with the girls, aren't you, Gold?" I said. "What are you gonna do next? Piss off Indi?"

"Hey, it's not my fault everyone's PMSing at the same time!" Gold exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest indigently.

He was such a idiot. You don't just say that. Seriously.

"Gold, just shut up," Indi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

...

(Topaz's POV)

Oh my Arceus, everyone was just irritating me today. I don't know why, they were just bugging me. Gold and Sapph were driving me crazy. I needed to get away from all the insanity so I could just sit down and clear my head so I could think straight.

I loved my friends, but they were going to drive me crazy someday.

It was still snowing when I got outside. The blast of cold air helped me get a grip on myself, and I took a deep breath. Okay, I was fine now. I sighed, and stuffed my hands into my pockets, my gaze drifting down to the snow covered ground.

I wasn't miserable alone. I was always miserable.

I didn't feel like dealing with anyone else. They just reminded me of what I didn't have. Even Gold and Sapph, who fought so much, reminded me of what I lost. Crimson and Indigo weren't even together, but the way they treated each other made you think they were.

My boots crunched into the snow as I walked along. Raiden released himself from his Poke Ball as he usually did, and leaped up to perch on my shoulder.

I sighed again, and turned my head to look at the Pikachu on my shoulder. "What should we do? Some training?"

"Pika pi pikachu," he said, a frown forming on his little mouth. No, you're sad.

"Hey, Topaz!"

I halted, and turned around. It was Alan of all people, his Emolga swooping through the air with him. Raiden tensed on my shoulder. I ignored him, staying silent and unmoving until the guy reached me.

"What?" I asked, my tone colder and harsher than I intended.

He seemed surprised by my harsh tone. "...I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Oh," I said, taken aback by that. "Sure, I guess."

I kept my hands in my pockets, looking around. People were heading outside to get out of the snow. But I wasn't ready to go back in, and it wasn't like I was needed. I sighed, and looked back up at him.

"Just walk with me, I guess," I said before moving back into my old pace.

But I ended up asking the first question.

"Why don't you battle anymore, Alan?" I asked, looking back up at him as we walked.

He stiffened, and a grimace formed on his face. "Oh, that..." He sighed. "I'm not that good a battler."

I frowned. "Hey, how can that be true if you earned all the Gym badges? You have to give yourself some credit, Alan."

He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. "It's a long story."

"I have time," I said.

He looked down at me, something flickering in his pale blue eyes, but it was gone too quick before I could identify it. He looked away, looking around our surroundings. I followed him to sit down on a bench. Raiden leaped down onto my lap. Vex perched on Alan's shoulder, and the two rodents began the never ending silent taunt session they seemed to find themselves in.

"The truth is," Alan began after a moment of silence as he seemed to gather himself together, "I was the Champion before Shiu."

I gasped, totally caught by surprise. I just stared at him, and even Raiden paused in his taunting to gape at the blue-haired boy. I couldn't find my voice, I was so shocked. I never though Alan of all people would be a Champion. He didn't seem the type. But it made sense, kind of, why he chided Shirou a lot for slouching his work.

"It happened three years ago, when I was sixteen," he said. "Kate sensed a disturbance on the Unovan-Sinnohian border, so we—that is, Shiu and me—went to check it out. We split up to make the patrol go faster so we could catch whatever was causing the problem. And I found it."

He paused, taking a deep breath to calm himself. This story obviously bothered him.

"Two trainers were trying to escape some of the Empire's soldiers or something," he continued. "All I remember is that one of them was blonde, and had a shiny Raichu of all things. The trainers and their Pokemon were severely injured, and I realized that that guy had to be the one who was trying to kill them."

My breath caught. That sounded like Flax and Bolt. Crap. Why was everything connected?

"So, doing my duty as Champion, I tried to protect the trainers so they could get over the border. If they were in Unova, they were safe. If the Empire attacked us, we'd declare war on them. But this guy was stronger than I expected."

Alan closed his eyes, his hands clenching into fists. Vex grew somber, lowering his eyes.

"He crushed us like we were nothing," he finally said. "His Raichu—he called it Bolt—nearly killed Vex. The trainers and their pokemon were knocked out, if not killed, by the soldiers with the boy. He had to be no older than me. And... he would have killed me if Shiu hadn't arrived."

It was Flax, that bastard.

"You're the Champion?" the curly, pale blonde-haired boy said, looking down at the fallen boy at his feet, his shiny Raichu's tail pressed up against his neck. "How pathetic. Unova has low standards."

Alan grit his teeth, sweat dripping down his grit-covered face, his spiky, snow blue hair plastered to his face. He was stuck on the ground, caught in a position he never imagined. This should have never happened. Maybe he was weak.

"You are a disgrace to Unova," the boy said. "I'm from Unova, too. I would like my Champion to be able to hold his own against a trainer who doesn't even have a single badge."

"Shut up," Alan spat, his eyes flashing with anger. "You're no Unovan if you serve the Empire!"

The boy smirked, and flipped his hair. "I don't serve the Empire. I serve Obsidian Synis and myself." He then looked down to his smirking Raichu. "Bolt, finish this weak excuse of a Champion!"

But suddenly, a yellow blur blasted across the clearing, and slammed into the Raichu, knocking the electric rodent off of the sixteen-year-old. Another boy appeared, with short, flat, black hair, and a very angry expression. The yellow blur, a Jolteon, bolted back over to him, its fur spiked up, crackling with electricity.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Shirou yelled. "Liore, Quick Attack again!"

With the enemy distracted, Shirou ran up to his fallen friend, and pulled him up onto his feet. But Alan was shaken, everything he knew just torn away from him. He had failed to protect the trainers.

"Alan! Alan! Snap out of it! Alan! Alene!"

But there was no response.

"Agh, I'll just do this myself!" Shirou said, taking out two more Poke Balls. "Go, Roccia, Tuono!"

A Gigalith and Zebstrika appeared in a flash of light. The electric equine leaped to join Liore, while the rock creature positioned himself by his trainer and his trainer's friend. But no matter how he tried, the strange boy and his Raichu got away with the soldiers and the fallen trainers.

Alene Vin, the Unovan Champion, the last Champion of the world, had failed to protect trainers, had failed to do his duty, and had lost a battle. He was not worthy of anything.

Alan was frozen, unmoving, not saying anything. I was concerned. This was not a normal reaction. I reached out to put my hand on his shoulder, and shook him a little.

"Alan? Alan, are you okay?" I asked.

His eyes snapped open, and he looked down at me. He was silent for a moment, coming back to reality. I took my hand off his shoulder, giving him space. This was terrible. What happened? What did Flax do? Did I really need another reason to hate that bastard?

"Shiu saved me, but they got away," he said. "The Empire's soldiers and the boy got away."

"But... why aren't you Champion anymore?" I asked. "Why is Shirou it instead?"

He looked down, staring at the snow covered ground at his feet. Vex's ears drooped, and he let out a sigh. I looked down at Raiden momentarily.

"I gave up the position," he said. "Shiu took it."

"What?" I gasped. "Why?"

He leaned back, and looked up towards the sky, his face full of a look I took as self-loathing.

"I lost. A Champion doesn't lose. I failed to protect those trainers. They're probably dead. I let them die. I let my Pokemon nearly get killed. I wasn't strong enough to save the both of us. I have no right to battle if I can't prevent my Pokemon from getting seriously injured. I lost my skill. It's gone, if I even ever had it. It was probably just luck. Shiu has talent. I'm... nothing."

Anger filled me just hearing him say that. I pushed myself up off the bench, and whirled around to stand in front of him. I was furious for him giving up like that.

"Don't you dare say that, Alan! Everyone loses a battle once in a while. The boy you battled sounds like someone I know," I said. "Flax Ama, one of the Government's admins. He's strong, the strongest out of all of the admins, if you don't count Karen. You weren't prepared. It's not your fault you lost! You can't blame yourself! You can't give up! Only quitters lose, Alan."

He looked at me, his eyes cold. "I guess I'm a loser, then."

...

I really was pissed off now.

How could Alan give up like that?

Seriously!

I was frustrated with everyone now. Why was everyone so difficult? Why couldn't something just be simple for a change? This was driving me insane!

...Why was I so angry? Crim must have been rubbing off on me or something. Or maybe Sapph.

I was inside now, leaving the room I was sharing with Indigo and Sapph to head downstairs to the Pokemon Center. I was hungry, and needed to get some food. I was glad to be rid of my bulky winter clothes, and felt much better now that I could move freely.

As soon as I got to the bottom of the stairs, I was stopped yet again, but this time by someone tolerable—Navy. I didn't mind him as much as I thought I would. He wasn't so bad, and with what I knew of him now, it was hard to believe he was trained to be a admin.

"Hey, wanna get a bite to eat?" he asked.

"Sure," I said; I needed to get these things about Alan, Shirou, and Flax off my mind.

So, we got something to eat, and sat down at a booth. Raiden sat himself down on the table, helping himself to the food I had gotten. I laughed, the first time in a while, and just gave him all my french fries. I looked back up at Navy, and he looked amused.

"There's something bothering you, isn't there?" he asked.

"How'd you ever guess?" I asked dryly.

"I can read people," he said with a shrug. "It's a gift."

I rolled my eyes, and stole back one of the fries from Raiden.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

I sighed. "Do you remember Flax being sent after two trainers at all three years ago?"

He blinked, surprised. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, Flax bumped into Alan of all people," I said. "He apparently beat the crap out of him and his Pokemon and Shirou had to save him. That's why he doesn't battle anymore. That's what's bothering me."

He grew silent, his eyes flickering down to stare at his food. "Well then. That actually explains a lot."

I sighed, and picked up my fried chicken sandwich and took a bite of it.

"...You know he likes you, right?"

I nearly choked on my food. "What?"

When I looked back up at Navy, his expression was very serious. I set down my sandwich and just looked back at him, waiting for a response.

"Alan likes you," he clarified.

I stiffened. "How do you know that?"

"I can read people, it's a gift, remember?"

I groaned, and slapped my forehead. "Great, just great. That's exactly what I need right now. Someone else who likes me."

"Well, it's nothing you can do about it," Navy said. "Don't get yourself worked up over nothing you can fix. You know why you've been so uptight lately? Because you're stressing yourself out over trying to fix everything—your relationship with Rubin, Gold and Sapph not getting along, seeing if I'm a crazy admin, helping Alan, saving the world. You're going to burn yourself out."

I just stared at him.

For someone I was convinced was evil for the past two years of my life, he had good advice.

"I know," I sighed. "I just can't help it."

"It's in your nature," he said with a nod. "You'll be fine! You just need to take a breather. The world won't end if you relax for one day."

...

February 7, 5001.

(Crimson's POV)

I walked along with Indi, heading out to get some training done before the Gym battle tomorrow. I was glad to be outside, actually, in the fresh air, even though it was cold. It was just me, my best friend, and our Pokemon. It just couldn't get any better than that.

I opened my mouth to say something, but was interrupted.

"Hey, Indi! Crim! Mind if I join you?"

Yes Kaigun, I do mind.

But Indi's expression brightened, and she smiled. "No, not at all! It's more fun when there's more of us."

So here I was, just me, my best friend, our Pokemon, and the annoying guy that seemed to be after my best friend somehow and I had no idea why I even cared.

...Why did I care?

I mean, Indi was my best friend, I shouldn't care if some guy was after her romantically. We were like brother and sister, practically grew up that way! No no, maybe I was just jealous of the idea of Indi spending time with someone else other than me.

Yeah, that was it.

"All right!" I exclaimed. "Let's train, guys!"

I took out Fiero's Poke Ball, and released the Charizard. He appeared in a flash of light, and let out a friendly roar. He eyed Navy like he always did, and then unfurled his wings, and took to the air. He followed us above as we walked further in, and then Indi and Navy released their Blastoise.

"So, how are we training?" Navy asked.

"Dunno," I said. "Just wait for some wild Pokemon, I guess."

I walked a bit further away from them, looking around. I didn't really see any activity, we might have to move on. Fiero swooped down closer, probably to try to scare some of the wild Pokemon out of hiding. I sighed, stuffing my hands into my pockets, and turned around to face them.

"I don't think any are coming out," I said.

"Oh well," sighed Indi. "What can we do, then?"

"Well," said Navy. "I guess I'll just leave you here with your boyfriend."

WHAT?

WHAT DID HE JUST CALL ME?

WHAT?

WHAT?

WHAT?

NO, HE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT.

"What?" I asked.

Indi flushed bright red. "Stop that, Navy!"

"Did you... Did you just call me her boyfriend?" I demanded, my eyes wide with shock. No way!

Navy gave us strange looks. "Yeah. Aren't you?"

"SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

...

February 8, 5001.

We entered the Gym, which was behind the old airstrip. It took us a second to find it because it was hiding behind the old jet. Shirou and Alan had decided to stay with us, so they went with us to watch us challenge the Gym leader. And Shirou told us about her.

Her name was Ariel, and she was a master of Flying types, namely birds. He said she was a little quirky, but overall a fun person. We decided I would battle first, and I didn't mind at all. I loved battling, and hopefully this Gym would actually be a challenge. Though I doubted it.

Shirou walked ahead of us, and Alan followed him. We lingered, looking around the Gym, which reminded me of a airport or something.

"Hey! Ariel! You here?" Shirou called.

"Oh! Shirou! Alan! Hold up!"

There was a loud BANG! and then a blur dropped down to the floor in front of us. A girl leaped to her feet, a bright expression on her face. Wait, she wasn't quite a girl, more like a young woman. She had to be in her early twenties. She had bright auburn hair, and sky blue eyes, reminding me a lot of the Mistralton Gym leader back in the past, Skyla. She was wearing a cropped white tank top, pale blue jean overall shorts, and white boots. Her hair went a little past her shoulders, and she had a sky blue feather-shaped clip in her hair, a lot like the clip Fiori used to wear.

"Hiya!" she exclaimed, grinning. "Oh, you brought the Resisters!"

'The Resisters'? We had a name now?

"Yep!" Shirou exclaimed, smiling. "Crim here's going to be your first opponent!"

Ariel gasped, slapping her cheeks, holding her head. "Oh my Arceus! You look just like that one Pokedex holder guy!"

I grimaced, and let out a strained laugh. "I get that a lot."

"That is so cool!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist into her palm. "Are you related or something?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Oh my Arceus, this is so awesome!" she squealed, jumping up and down. "I get to battle people related to the Pokedex holders!"

We all sweatdropped. Shirou laughed, and rubbed the back of his head. Alan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"C'mon, let's do this!" Ariel exclaimed, and then proceeded to grab me by the hand and drag me away towards the battling arena.

She let me go, and bounded across the arena, and then whirled around to face me. She struck a pose, pointing her finger in the air, like she was Sailor Moon or something—and I only knew this because Larimar would play her dvds over and over again whenever I went over to the Oak house, saying I reminded her of Tuxedo Mask every single time for some reason.

"All right! I'm Ariel, the Mistralton Gym leader! I'm excited for our battle! Don't hold back, okay? This is gonna be so much fun!"

She took a Poke Ball off her belt. "Go, Swoobat!"

A Swoobat appeared in a flash of light, letting out a battle cry. It flapped its wings, soaring higher in the air. I look out my own Poke Ball, and released the Pokemon inside.

"You're up, Rupe!" I exclaimed.

My Golem appeared in a flash of light. Ariel gasped, her eyes wide with shock. She obviously had never seen this kind of Pokemon before, which made sense, considering we were in Unova and not many Pokemon from other regions lived here.

But Ariel snapped out of her daze, a determined look appearing on her face. "Swoobat! Psychic!"

That Swoobat was fast, and a wave of energy hit Rupe fast, making her cry out in pain, and slide back a few inches in the dirt. But that wasn't enough to knock her out. I pointed to the Swoobat.

"Rupe, use Stone Edge!" I commanded.

The Golem leaped forward, brandishing a piece of sharpened stone. She leaped into the air, and stabbed the Swoobat right in the chest with the sharp rock, executing Stone Edge efficiently. The bat Pokemon cried out in pain, falling down as Rupe elegantly landed on the ground.

The Swoobat was out. Ariel returned it, and sent out a female Unfezant it its place. I returned Rupe, surprising some people, and sent out Fulmine to replace her. The Raichu let out a battle cry, balling her paws into fists, her cheeks crackling with electricity. She smirked devilishly.

Once again, Ariel looked surprised, but she steeled herself. "Unfezant, Fly!"

The female Unfezant launched herself higher into the air, out of Fulmine's normal firing range. But I knew a way out of this. That was why I thought her this move while she was just a Pikachu. No one seemed to remember this attacked worked on Pokemon out of normal attack range.

"Fulmine! Thunder!"

"Rai rai," she said tauntingly, as dark clouds formed under the ceiling, crackling with lightning.

Thunder crackled, and a wicked lightning bolt shot down from the clouds, hitting the Unfezant hard. And like that, it was out too. But Ariel looked unfazed. She sent out a Swanna.

Once again, I shocked everyone, and returned Fulmine, sending out Fiero instead. Why? Because Fiero was my starter, and I was feeling nostalgic. This Swanna had to be Ariel's strongest, and though Fiero wasn't the toughest Pokemon on my arsenal, I wanted to give him a go.

The Charizard unfurled his wings, and launched himself into the air, hovering up to face the Swanna. He didn't seem bothered by the typing that was against us. That was Fiero for you.

"Surf!" Ariel ordered.

"Fly!" I countered.

Fiero launched himself higher into the air as the Swanna sent a wave of water across the arena. The Charizard avoided the attack entirely, flying all the way up to the ceiling. He looked down at the enemy, and bared his fangs, and then tucked his wings in, and dove with lightning speed towards the Swanna.

I literally heard a CRACK! when the two Pokemon collided. The Swanna was sent crashing towards the ground, and Fiero seemed to be following the same course. But he pulled up at the last minute, unfurling his wings. When the Swanna made impact, dirt and dust exploded everywhere, blinding us.

I covered my mouth and nose with my sleeve, coughing out what I had breathed it. The dirt and dust settled, and I saw that the Swanna was still hanging on. The bird Pokemon took back to the air, obviously damaged, but not totally done. I was shocked; that impact should have knocked it out.

Ariel grinned. "Swanna! Roost!"

No, if it healed, we'd be in trouble!

"Fiero, Dragon Claw, quick!" I commanded.

The Charizard slapped his wings to his side, giving him a quick blast of speed. His claws extended, and he slashed at the healing Swanna. It squawked in pain, not done healing itself. And that was it. The Swanna was knocked out.

We won the Jet Badge.

...

(Topaz's POV)

After my battle, I sought out Alan to apologize for my outburst the day before. I had been thinking about it, thinking about what Navy said, and pretty much how harsh I must have sounded to him. Even though I didn't feel the same way about him that he did me, I wanted to at least be friends with him.

So I healed my Pokemon, and went looking for him in the Pokemon Center, in the cafe, since that's where Shirou told me I'd most likely find him. And I did; he was sitting at a booth, sipping a cup of coffee, his Emolga chewing on some poffins or something.

"Alan!" I called.

He looked up at me, surprised. I stopped next to his booth. Vex paused in his eating to glare at Raiden, who was perched on my shoulder as usal, and them resumed his feast. The Pikachu tensed, and I fought the urge to sigh.

"What?" he asked.

"Can I talk to you?" I asked.

Again, he was surprised. "Sure. Sit down."

I slid down in the seat across from him. Raiden leaped onto the table, causing Vex to hiss and guard his poffins. Raiden rolled his eyes, and puffed out his cheeks before sticking out his tongue. That really pissed the Emolga off.

"Guys, knock it off," I said. "Alan, I want to apologize for yelling at you earlier. It was rude of me."

He blinked, and then looked down at Vex and gave the electric rodent a hard look. The Emolga sighed, and offered Raiden one of the poffins. The shiny Pikachu gladly accepted it, grinning cheekily before stuffing it all in his mouth at once. I fought the urge to facepalm.

"You... You don't have to apologize," he said. "It's nothing."

"It is something!" I exclaimed. "I shouldn't have reacted that way. Overreacting runs in my family. You should see my brother." I grimaced. "Look, Alan, I want to be friends, and I don't want there to be any bad blood between us. I have enough bad blood in this world already."

Too much to list.

"There's no bad blood," he reassured me.

I smiled, and looked down at our two electric rodents. They even seemed to be actually getting along. I was starting to feel better now, with something to focus on other than my breakup with Rubin.

Rubin. Oh, I missed him.

No, I couldn't think about him right now. I needed to focus on Alan.

"Good," I said. "I'm here for you, Alan. If you need anything, you have me. And you have Shirou. And from what Shirou's been telling me, I bet my sister would be there for you too. You're not alone, Alan. You never were. Okay?"

He nodded, and I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch up slightly into a tiny, nearly invisible half smile, but then it was gone.

"Okay."

ASDFGHJKL THIS WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL.

Last chapter was on Shirou, this one is aaaall Alan.

Now you know why Alan is the way he is.

And now you have even MORE of a reason to hate Flax. Yay!

OH MY GOSH NAVY I LOVE THIS BOY. SERIOUSLY. AHAHAHAHA.

Navy is everyone's therapist because he's the most sane. Which is saying something considering he was with Synis longer than anyone else.

Anything else... Hmmm...

NO, I THINK THAT'S IT.

YESSS, WE'RE SO CLOSE TO THE GOOD STUFF FINALLY.

THE CESSA ARC IS SO INTENSE GUYS. YOU HAVE NO IDEA. And by intense, I mean when it comes to emotions and violence. It gets REAL.

THE END OF THE PERMA ARC IS DRAWING NEAR. DUN DUN DUN.

REVIEW'S ARE LOVE.