FOREVERMORE

~Part Three Of The Forever Trilogy~

Chapter 39

Calm Before The Storm

May 20, 5001.

(Topaz's POV)

The next few months went by rather fast. We trained ourselves, our Pokemon, and in the new technology that Am had instigated. Many birthdays came and went. The atmosphere was very intense, especially since we were preparing for our first direct assault on the Government. I had never trained so much before in my life.

A lot of us got together—as in the majority of single people. It was crazy, really. I guess Crimson and Indigo really started it, along with Cerise and Shirou. After them, it was Grey and Fiori, Jasper and Esmeralda, and then even Cyan and Jewel. I was really happy for Grey, though—he needed someone like Fiori to cheer him up. And, well, I liked seeing everyone happy, especially since with the war finally revving up, there wouldn't be much happiness anymore.

As for the Resistance, we were doing well. Thanks to Am, and Plato who did all the designing, we had brand new technology. Plato had designed actual weapons for us, and now we were just waiting for them to be made. He also designed vehicles for us to use. The navy—led by Indigo and now, ironically, Navy—had a battleship in the making. The fair force—led by Crimson and Cyan—had fighter jets on the way, and Crim and Cyan would even have their own personal jets. As for the army—led by Rubin, Gold, Sapph, and Fiori—we were getting hovercraft, along with hovercycles, which were basically motorbikes with the hover mechanism, allowing them to fly. All of the Pokemon who would be out of their Poke Balls for long periods of time—such as Apollo—would be getting armor. Everyone had a standard issue gun that had two settings—laser and bullet. Laser couldn't kill unless you shot them in the heart, and bullets did more damage and were easier to use to kill. We even had uniforms now, both formal and for battle—blue for soldier, red for commander, forest green for commander, and white for High Commander. Now we were getting recruits from all regions, and the castle was filling up, looking like Mount Silver once had been.

But today was a free day. We were taking if off, giving everyone in the Resistance a break. My friends and I were headed to the beach in Undella Town, which I found ironic since we had already been there in the past, which for us was nearly two years ago. It would be nice to just chill and have fun and act like the teenagers we were. Shirou, Alan, Kate, and Raven were coming, too. We were even going to let out our Pokemon to have some fun.

Right now I was in the changing room, fixing my hair before heading out. Sapph and Indi still had to put their swimsuits on. Mine was a pale gold strapless tankini. It fit me perfectly.

Also, in the past few months, I finally hit a growth spurt. I grew a full two inches. And, well, I didn't just grow up; I grew out, as well. My chest was far from being flat now; if I ever wanted to, I couldn't masquerade as a boy anymore. It would be too difficult. I no longer looked like a little kid, which relieved me. I was probably only slightly smaller than my sister now.

"Jade, can you hand me my bathing suit?" Indi called from her stall.

"Here you go!" Jade exclaimed cheerily, handing a bikini over the top of the stall that was definitely not the modest one-piece Indi had brought with her today.

"Hey! This isn't mine! I can't wear this, are you crazy? Give it back, Jade!"

I sighed as I finished my ponytail.

"I don't think so!" Jade sang sweetly. "You can't wear that boring old thing! You have a nice figure. You need to show it off!"

"N-No! Come on, Jade! Just give it back! Please."

"Nope!" She laughed deviously.

"We should just go," Viola said to me as she walked to where I was standing, in a modest purple bikini.

"I'll wait for you, Indi!" Perla exclaimed, jumping up and down in her sky blue one-piece.

"I. Hate. All. Of. You," she said darkly.

"Aw, you're starting to sound like Uncle Blue!" Perla whined. "Don't be like Blue, Indi!"

Indigo groaned from behind the stall.

"Come on! The boys are waiting!" Cerise exclaimed, dragging Sapph and Jewel along with her. My sister was in a red bikini, Sapph was in a dark blue one-piece, and Jewel was wearing a lavender tankini with a skirt bottom.

"That's the spirit!" Fiori cheered, following them, wearing a modest bikini that was the same color as her eyes.

"Let's go, then," Esmeralda said, adjusting her green one-piece.

We all headed outside, except for Jade, Indigo, and Perla. It was oddly hot for a day in May, and in Undella Town in was no different. The beach was packed, and I wouldn't be surprised if paparazzi were sneaking around somewhere. I had left my Pokemon with Rubin, so I felt weird without them as we searched for the guys.

The aroma of barbeque led us to them. They had claimed a portion of the beach for us, and already Jasper was cooking on the grill we brought with us. Suddenly, Raiden was with me, having leaped up onto my shoulder to perch there.

"We're back!" Cerise announced, before bounding up to Shirou, who was in black trunks, glomping him from behind and nearly knocking him into Alan. He ended up laughing, and even Kate, who had arrived earlier and already changed, smiled and laughed a little. Alan just gave them irritated looks.

Sapph and I walked over to where Rubin and Gold were sitting. They were getting along much better now since the incident, and were once again friends. Gold grinned up at as, making Sapph roll her eyes at him until he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheek. She flushed bright red, and elbowed him in the ribs.

Sapph turned out not to be pregnant. It had just been a mistake. The pregnancy test she took was wrong. The doctor she went to confirmed it. Both she and Gold were relieved about this, though Gold was kind of sad in the end because he'd been getting all excited about being a father.

"Jeez," Rubin deadpanned as he often did now. "Can you two behave?"

"Neverrr," Gold said with a playful smirk, and I laughed.

Rubin gave him a dry look as I sat down next to him. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt along with blue swimming trunks. Well, he probably wanted to hide his scars. He turned to me, giving me a warm smile, blatantly ignoring his sister and her boyfriend.

"Hey," he greeted me, before leaning forward to give me an affectionate kiss, which I happily returned. "You look amazing."

"Thanks," I said, and I couldn't help but blush a little even though he'd told me that before. This time I scooted closer to him so that our legs were touching, and I kissed him.

"Argh, will you two lay off?" Sapph snapped angrily, having finally pulled herself out of Gold's grip. "Arceus, I don't want to see that." Gold snickered, and she swat at him.

Rubin no longer had any qualms about showing his affection for me. He was much more intimate with me, though nothing ever happened like when we got back together, which did disappoint me. But that was his choice, and I was going to respect him for it.

"Too bad," Rubin said defiantly, slipping his arm around my waist, pulling me even closer. "Deal with it, Sapph. You don't have to watch, you know."

She scowled and glared at him, and pointedly turned her body around so her back was to us. Gold snickered, and I stifled a laugh as Rubin kissed me again.

"Why aren't you flustered, Rubes?" Goldy asked him, smirking playfully. "I mean, T's showing more skin than she usually does!"

Rubin pulled away, releasing me, and returned his attention to our friend. He shrugged. "I've seen her in less."

...

...

...Wait, he knew he said that, right?

Gold's jaw dropped, and he just stared at us. Sapph whipped around, and gave us a horrified look. I was frozen in place, not sure what to do. Rubin blinked, realizing what he just said. And what everyone else was taking it as.

"Crap, I just said that, didn't I?" he said at last.

Gold closed his mouth, and then grinned widely at us. "Yup."

"What?" Crimson demanded from his spot nearby; we were all close, and everyone had heard what Rubin had said. "You what?"

"It's not what it sounds like!" Rubin said hastily, raising his hands in a calm down gesture. "I swear to Arceus it's not!"

I wished it was.

"Suuure," Gold drawled, his grin having changed into a smirk. "Just admit it, man. You and Topaz had-"

"Gold," I said as calmly as possible, interrupting him. "We did not. Just shut up. You're embarrassing us."

"Ugh, fine. You kids are no fun," he said, sighing. He grabbed Sapph's hand, and stood up, pulling her to her feet. "C'mon, let's go for a swim."

We watched them walk away in silence. I looked over at Rubin, pursing my lips. I felt a little bad.

"Was I too harsh?" I asked, looking up at him.

He looked down at me and shrugged a little. "Well, it's true."

I looked back out at the ocean, and then back at my fiance. "We should go join them and swim."

"Uhh, no thanks," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What?" I asked, frowning. "Why not?"

He silently pointed to his stomach. I was right. He didn't want anyone to see his scars.

"They're just scars, Rubin," I said gently. "Nobody cares if you have scars."

"I care, Topaz."

"It won't hurt you if anyone sees your scars," I said, still trying to be gentle.

"Yes, it will," he said, still be stubborn. "I don't want anyone to see. What will they think?"

"They'll think you're badass."

He gave him a dry look. I sighed, and brushed my bangs out of my eyes.

"Just take it off," I said.

"No," he said firmly.

"Please," I begged, moving onto my knees, sitting on my legs. "Take it off and go swimming with me."

He shook his head no.

I reached out to do it myself, but he pushed my hand away. I kept on trying, and eventually he had enough. He pushed me down onto my back, grabbing, my hand. He pinned me down and leaned over me.

"Stop it," he growled, glaring at me.

Well, he sure knew how to turn me on.

"Hey, guys, I found this cool-" Gold began, only to cut himself off. "Holy Ho-Oh, what the hell is going on? I can't leave you two alone for one second, can I?"

Rubin pushed himself off of me before anyone else could respond, and shot Gold a fierce glare. "Shut it."

Gold merely smirked at us deviously as I sat back up. "You know you like it, Rubes."

"S-Shut up! Get your head out of the freaking gutter already! Arceus."

...

(Indigo's POV)

"N-No! They can't see me like this!"

Jade and Perla were pushing me and dragging me along towards our spot on the beach. I was in that atrocious bikini that Jade gave me to wear. She actually got Perla's Ponyta to burn the swimsuit I brought to wear originally. So I had no other choice but to wear what she gave me. I felt so naked like this.

"C'mon, Indi, Crim will love it!" Jade exclaimed with glee as she continued to drag me along. "Don't be so uptight!"

"Yeah!" Perla agreed, giving me a push. "Loosen up a bit!"

"This is going to end badly," I promised them.

"No it won't!" Jade replied, giving me a reassuring smile that did not make me feel any better. "It'll make things much better! Trust me on this!"

I gave in. I let them drag me to the spot on the beach where everyone was waiting for us. There was no point in resisting them. They would never give up. They didn't know the meaning of quitting. I blamed Green and Pearl. I now understood why Cyan called Jade pesky. She could be so annoying at times, and Perla was like her little shadow, which did not help.

"Sorry we took so long!" Jade exclaimed once we got there, giving me one final push towards my boyfriend. "This one was being difficult."

"But she's fine now!" Perla chirped before heading off to harass Argent.

I shot Jade a fierce glare before forcing myself to sit down on my towel next to Crimson. I pulled my legs up and hugged my knees to hide my chest. I felt so vulnerable like this, and even a little violated.

"I-I-Indi," Crim stammered, his face turning as red as his name. "Y-You're-"

"Don't say it," I sighed. "You're getting all worked up."

He turned even redder, and then, moments later, his nose began to bleed.

Again.

Why did this always have to happen? Dear Arceus.

...

(Fiori's POV)

I couldn't have been happier.

It was warm, the sun was out, we were at the beach, and I was with Grey. Everything was just perfect when I was with him. He just made everything better. I just felt so lucky to finally have him.

I couldn't help but remember the day he finally asked me out.

It was a chilly day in March, and we were out training. The snow was finally melting, though there was still a lot left on the ground, frozen solid from piling up throughout the whole winter season. I had heard of a King's Rock in the area, and had dragged out to train and help me look for it. I wanted Caecilian to evolve, so I wanted that rock so he could be a Politoed.

We had Kitty and Squirrel out looking, too. We were on the route outside of Victory Road. Lots of high leveled Pokemon kept popping up, so we had my Hydreigon and his Serperior out as well to deal with them. Still, compared to our Pokemon, the wild ones were weaklings.

Kitty and I were combing through the tall grass. So far we had no luck at all. I was getting frustrated. Grey was further away, walking along the path with his Pachirisu.

An hour later, after no success, we took a lunch break. Grey was oddly quiet; he was usually more open when it was just the two of us. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, wondering what he was thinking. What was going on in his mind?

"Grey," I said after a moment, and he looked at me. "You okay?"

He didn't answer right away. "I'm fine."

"Liar," I said, turning my whole body to face him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, still looking at me. "I was just... thinking."

"About what?" I asked, leaning forward, curious.

Again, he hesitated. He looked away from me, staring at the Pachirisu fluffing her tail at his feet. Finally, he sighed, and looked back at me.

"About us."

That caught me by surprise. I froze a little in place. It made my heart skip a beat, and I silently chided myself. There was no way he meant it like I was hoping he did.

"What... What do you mean?" I asked slowly, trying to keep myself calm and not get too hopeful.

I doubted he would explain, but I had to ask. Grey was not a person who explained. He just didn't bother to do it. And I could tell by the look on his face he wasn't about to do that now, either. Instead...

He showed me.

Squirrel suddenly froze, and looked up at her trainer. She quickly moved out of the way, scampering off to join Viper, who was having a glaring contest with Kitty, as per usual. I frowned, confused by her sudden actions.

"What's wrong with-" I began.

He cut me off by leaning across the space between us and kissing me.

I so did not see that coming.

At first, I was so shocked I froze up. But then the realization of what was happened dawned on me. It was almost unbelievable. So I snapped out of my daze, and returned the kiss, pressing my lips to his. This was what I had been wanting for such a long time, and it was perfect.

When he pulled away, he said, "That's what I mean."

Best day of my life.

Later on, we did find the King's Rock and got Caecilian to evolve into a Politoed.

I was so happy. Grey was starting to loosen up a bit, but not by much. It was my goal in life to make him smile. And I hadn't seen his wonderful smile in a while. So, what would I do today?

...Not tickling. That ended... awkwardly...

I'd think of something. I always did.

...

(Navy's POV)

These kids were too good.

The beach was my favorite place; I loved the ocean. It just called to me; it always had. I took Blastoise out on the water, and went surfing with him. Only on water did I feel free and truly myself.

I had fit in rather nicely once everyone finally grew to trust me. It was great to be away from Synis, and the admins. I could finally be myself. Jewel was still slightly wary of me, but that was understandable. That girl had to take after her mom. She was just way too nice to be Synis's daughter.

A huge wave came up. Blastoise and I rode it until it crashed onto the beach. Blastoise blasted water out of his cannons, sending us up into the air so we wouldn't crash onto the sandy beach.

This was the life.

I returned to the beach since it was time for lunch. Fiori and Jasper were serving everyone. I sidled up next to Grey, who was probably the most best friend I had here. He had changed a lot since he had ditched the Government, and not just in the physical aspects.

I wondered if he knew he was a father.

Well, I wasn't about to tell him. That was a conversation I'd like to avoid.

I sat down with Grey and Fiori to eat. As always, she and I did most of the talking, while Grey inputted here and there. It was really easy to get along with them. I would go hang with Indi, but Crimson would be breathing down my throat. That boy was way too overprotective.

Just then, Gold dispersed from his girlfriend to come sit with us. I grinned at him and we fist bumped. Though he did seem down about something, and that something he brought up.

"Am says this will be our last vacay," he said with disappointment. "That sucks. No more fun!"

"We're in war," Grey replied flatly. "There's no time for fun."

"You know that means we're going to start dying, right?" I asked them.

Fiori and Gold stopped in the middle of whatever they were doing, and stared at me. Grey didn't react; he just nodded. Of course he knew that. I guess everyone else had to realize the reality of our situation. Not all of us were going to come out of this alive.

"Don't... don't say things like that, Navy," Fiori said, taken aback.

"It's true," I said with a shrug. "This is war. Only the strongest can survive. And then there's freak accidents that get the strong."

"Navy, stop that!" Fiori snapped. "Nobody's gonna die!"

"Fiori," Grey said, his voice surprisingly calm and gentle, and he waited until she looked at him to continue. "Navy's right and you know it. He's just stating the facts. But I doubt it'll happen anytime soon. So... don't worry about it, okay?"

She bit her bottom lip, and her eyes flicked down to her hands, which were wrapped around a glass of ice cold lemonade. She sighed, and then looked back up at him. She gave him a little nod.

"You're right. I just... don't want anyone to die," she said, her voice soft.

"Nobody wants that," he said, still being gentle, and reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "But for now, everything's going to be okay."

She smiled up at him, her cheeks slightly tinting pink. And he smiled back, though it was very faint and lopsided. Grey rarely smiled, and I guess Fiori was the only one who could get him too.

They were so cute together. There was no way I was going to ruin their relationship by telling Grey about his kid. They were just a great match.

...

(Jewel's POV)

"...You've never been swimming?" Cyan asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"Um... No," I said, embarrassed. "There was no need to go swimming back in Pallet Town..."

I was standing in front of him, and we were near the water's edge. The deep blue water was splashing up against the tawny sand. The younger kids were playing in the water, making lots of noise.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense," Cyan said, rubbing the back of his head. "I could teach you-"

Suddenly, Ethan blasted by on Evan's Feraligatr, sending a wave of water towards us. I leaped backwards as the water was dumped on Cyan, totally drenching him. I was sprayed a little, but not totally drenched like my boyfriend.

"Let me guess," he deadpanned as the water dripped off him, his spiky hair sagging with water. "The annoying Jin."

"Yes," I said, and then I couldn't help but giggle a little.

He rolled his eyes at me, and then turned to face the ocean. I walked closer to stand next to him and look out at the sea. It looked really beautiful. The water sparkled from the sun shining down, and it went out as far as I could see.

"Wow," I breathed. "So... beautiful."

Cyan looked down at me and smiled. I beamed up at him, a warm feeling filling me. I had been so surprised when he asked me to be his girlfriend, though I had seen all the signs. It made me feel lucky to be with him.

"So," he said. "Do you want to learn to swim or not?"

I looked back at the water skeptically.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he promised.

I looked back up at him and smiled. "Okay then, Cyan. That sounds good to me."

Meh. I feel this chapter is a fail, but whatever.

'Cause guess what? THE FIRST BATTLE IS NEXT CHAPTER. YESSS ACTION I AM IN NEED OF SOME VIOLENCE SORRY.

And in case you didn't know, Forever and Ever, the Beta Line (what would have happened if the kids were never kidnapped) is up and going. There hasn't seemed to be much interest in that, so here's just a reminder. Same with Evermore, the sequel to both the trilogy and FaE.

Also, I need some workers for the wiki! I have some people helping out already, but more help is needed. Same with the TV Tropes pages. I'll probably put links up on my blog, but you can just Google it. Also, don't forget my blog, neverfurtherforever.

I kinda wish Res-Fiction was real, oh my god. That would be awesome. THAT WAS RANDOM BUT I'M IN A RANDOM RAMBLEY MOOD RIGHT NOW.

OKAY ICEY OUT NOW

GO AND REVIEW EVEN IF YOU NEVER HAVE BEFORE

I would love to hear from all my readers.