The New Order: Fading Light
Chapter 7: Giving Ground
It was late in the evening when Domino entered the cell again. She found the Professor curled up in a corner, struggling to breathe, his mouth hanging agape as he whimpered in pain. Domino smirked at him "I think you've had enough," she said, pulling the antidote from her pocket "I almost feel sorry for you old fool," she knelt beside him and drove the needle into the flesh of his arm, depressing the plunger and letting the antidote rush into his veins.
She stood up and kicked the old man in the ribs "We'll find some use for you yet, useless old man," with those words she left the cell.
Samuel struggled into a sitting position. The antidote's effects were not as immediate as they had been the first time. He could breathe again but the burning sensation, though less than it had been, still persisted. Samuel staggered to the basin in the corner of the cell and splashed cold water on his face before greedily gulping down as much of the cool liquid as he could.
He collapsed to the floor again and let his eyes drift shut. He was exhausted. He had fought against the toxin for the better part of the day and it had taken all his strength to do so. Domino's words had barely registered in his mind. He didn't give any consideration to what Giovanni might have planned for his future.
The only thing Samuel knew was now. And now seemed pretty bleak. But at least now he could rest. His fight against the toxin had been ended. The burn was slowly fading away now. Samuel could finally rest. He allowed sleep to take his weakened mind. Sweet dreamless sleep welcomed him with opened arms.
XXX
Millie Randolph stretched in the back seat of her car. She lifted her head and looked around her. It was night time. She had been unconscious for several hours. She looked down to see that she was no longer wearing her nurse's uniform. She quickly scrambled to find the duffle bag she kept in the back seat with a spare set of street clothes in it.
After she dressed she went through her personal possessions to see if anything else had been taken. The last thing she remembered was the woman apologizing before Millie had lost consciousness. It was obvious to Millie, as she found that her wallet and everything else were in their proper places, that the other woman's motive for attacking her was to gain access to the hospital.
Millie climbed out of her car just in time to see Doctor Min coming across the parking lot. Millie ran to meet her colleague "They finally let you go?" Millie asked.
"Just barely," Doctor Stephanie Min replied "I thought they were going to cart me off to the interrogation center. But something truly miraculous happened, Millie."
"Miraculous…?" Millie questioned.
"Remember the young woman I told you about?" Doctor Min asked "The red head who'd been hit by a Hyper Beam."
"The one that Giovanni's been pressuring the director to clear for release into his custody," Millie asked, she was familiar with the case.
"Exactly," Stephanie replied "My staff and I were being questioned because Giovanni's decided it was high time to charge us as resistance sympathizers."
Millie chuckled hollowly "I suppose he's not as dense as we were all hoping, is he?"
"Suppose not," Stephanie remarked "Anyway," she continued "She's gone missing while my staff and I were in the offices being questioned. Suspicion has automatically shifted off of us," she said excitedly.
"That's great," Millie said "But I don't think I'll be sticking around in this City very long."
"No," Stephanie agreed "We've all agreed. You'd better get your family together and shove off tonight. Zack, Nora and Todd are already on their way out of town."
"What are you going to do?" Millie asked.
"I'm going to head west and join up with the Johto resistance," Stephanie told her "We're always hearing about how they need doctors for humans."
"Good luck," Millie said as the two parted company.
"You too," Stephanie said as she hurried away.
XXX
"It's late," Drew remarked as he kicked dirt upon the fire. It was a cold night and they could use the heat that the fire created but it was too risky to let it be spotted by Rockets while they slept.
May shivered as she laid out her sleeping bag "I suppose we should wait until daybreak," she wished she could tend to Max's grave for another day or two but they had seen Rocket patrols coming through the woods and had narrowly avoided one of them earlier. May had wanted to leave right then. It wouldn't be fair to Drew to end up getting caught because of her stubborn unwillingness to leave her brother's grave.
Drew of course wanted to wait until morning. There were a lot of dangers associated with traveling at night that Drew would rather not encounter.
The fire was sufficiently stamped out. In the relative darkness of the moonlight Drew came and took a seat beside May on top of his own sleeping bag. "You'd better rest up. We've got a long way to go before we meet up with the others on Mt. Coronet."
"Yeah," May nodded though she knew Drew couldn't see her. She snuggled down in her sleeping bag. As she closed her eyes a thought occurred to her. It was something that grief over Max's death had not allowed her to pay any mind to until now.
She felt Drew burrow into his sleeping bag beside her and automatically turn in her direction. She sighed heavily, trying to push the thought from her mind, but it persisted. There was no avoiding what she had done. As her thoughts circled round and round the singular truth she sniffled.
"What's wrong?" Drew asked immediately.
May shook her head violently. She didn't want to talk about this with him, not tonight. She squeezed her eyes tight and tried to keep from bursting into tears. How could she have done what she had done, even as overwhelmed with grief and rage as she had been? How could she have ever asked Blaziken to do what she had commanded in those moments that had seemed so desperate? She couldn't stop the tears from coming as the true weight of her actions caught up with her.
"May," Drew reached a hand out and traced the outline of her cheek "What is it?" he pleaded softly.
May sighed again, she couldn't stay silent forever "Do you think he had a family?" she asked in a whisper.
"Who…?" Drew asked, momentarily confused.
"The man I killed," May said her words nearly lost in a sob of anguish.
Drew reached out with both arms and pulled May's entire sleeping bag with May in it into his arms "Oh May," he whispered soothingly. He couldn't be sure. He didn't know what to say to that question.
"I was so angry," May buried her face in Drew's neck "I just wanted him to burn and, and, I made it happen…"
Drew just held her. He didn't know what to say. He wished more than anything that he did. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of May's hair as it tickled his nostrils "It wasn't fair that the Rocket made it out when Max didn't," he stated.
"But was that a reason to kill him?" May whimpered.
"I can't answer that," Drew said honestly "But Team Rocket's taken more than a few of ours without batting an eyelash. I don't know if it's a good thing that there's one less Rocket out there because of you or if saying that makes me sound like a heartless bastard. I just don't know…" he trailed off.
"I killed someone," May whispered. "What kind of person does that make me?"
"It doesn't change who you are," Drew assured her "Like I said, they've taken away plenty of our friends and family without even a hint of regret about what they've done. The fact that you care means that you haven't let this war kill your humanity. You're still you May. Nothing is going to change that."
"Thanks," May sniffled. Drew's words hadn't absolved her of her guilt but talking to him made her feel a bit better. She shivered violently then "It's so cold," she observed.
"I know," Drew remarked as he too shivered. He withdrew his arms from around May, pulling them back into his sleeping bag. But without the contact between the two, somehow it seemed colder.
A thought occurred to Drew. He blushed as he considered asking May if she was up for it. She probably wouldn't go for it. Then again, how was he to know unless he asked?
"May…?" he asked finally "Do you think… that maybe… we could…?"
"Share a sleeping bag just for tonight?" May finished.
"Yeah," Drew murmured "You know… because it's so cold…"
"Well… it wouldn't be good if we froze to death," May murmured.
"So…?" Drew questioned.
"Yeah," May said "I'm okay with it if you are."
Drew kicked his sleeping bag off and managed to squeeze himself into May's sleeping bag. He wrapped his arms around her and together the two of them fell asleep.
XXX
Delia and Misty, who had by this time changed back into the clothes she'd arrived at the hospital wearing, found Pikachu easily in Viridian Forest. Pikachu was overjoyed to see Misty again but Delia did not share in the celebration.
"I'm going back for Samuel," she told Misty and Pikachu "The two of you go on ahead."
Misty's mouth hung open "You can't just… rescuing me was impossible enough but…" the Team Rocket interrogation center was impregnable. Security was much tighter than at the hospital. If Delia went back, she was as good as captured.
"I'm not going to lose him if I can help it," Delia said firmly "I'll won't be able to live with myself, always wondering if I could have done something."
"You won't be living at all if you go back," Misty told her.
Delia cupped her daughter-in-law's face "You of all people know that I can't just walk away."
Misty nodded. She knew just how much her mother-in-law cared about Professor Oak and how much he cared about her in turn. Misty let her eyes drift shut. She often wondered if she could have done something to save Ash. She didn't want her mother-in-law to carry a similar burden. "Please be careful," she said finally.
"I will," Delia promised. She removed something from her pocket and handed it to Misty "Keep these safe for me…?" she asked, placing something in Misty's hands.
Misty looked down at the two soft, small objects "Baby socks?" she asked in confusion.
"Ash's baby socks," Delia explained softly "Keep them safe for me."
Misty wiped the back of her hand across her eyes "I will," she promised "And good luck."
"Thank you," Delia replied. She bent down and patted Pikachu on the head "I know I promised I'd take care of you…"
"Pika," Pikachu said understandingly.
"You take care of Misty," Delia said warmly "Make sure she stays safe and finds the resistance. They'll take care of both of you."
"Pika, pika," Pikachu said emphatically.
"I'll see you two again someday," Delia said as she turned back in the direction of Viridian City.
"I hope so," Misty whispered as she sat with Pikachu on her lap, watching Delia walking off towards the city that held nothing but danger for those who dared oppose Team Rocket.
XXX
Early morning sunlight found Wendy already awake. Instead of collecting firewood and food for the morning meal, she was sitting upon the rocks at the far end of the island, staring down into the water at the wrecked sailing vessel.
Her parents had wanted to protect her and her younger siblings from the affects of the war. But something deep down inside Wendy wanted to fight. If she didn't stand up against Team Rocket, there would be nowhere that Ellie and Ben would be safe from the war.
Someone had to stand up for what was right. But she was almost certain that Ash wouldn't let her. It wasn't the way trainers should begin their journeys, he had said. But no trainer would be able to start their journey in piece if someone didn't stand up for the world now. Wendy didn't doubt that Ash had her best interests in mind. But after hearing what Dawn and Brock had had to say about the world with Team Rocket in control, she couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
Besides, the resistance needed Ash and Ash wouldn't go back unless Wendy and her siblings were taken care of one way or another and if they accompanied him then he could return.
Wendy sat there for a long time. Her mind kept coming back to the same conclusion. She would fight, she would join the resistance and she would fight. She would fight for all people and Pokémon. She would fight to make the world a place that her mother and father would be happy to know that their children were living in.
Wendy was broken from her thoughts by the sound of footsteps. She looked up to see Ash. The older trainer dropped into a sitting position beside her. "I thought I'd find you here," he remarked with a soft smile.
"I want to fight," Wendy told him "I want to help the resistance."
"You're still young," Ash told her "When I was your age…" he stopped, thinking of how old that made him sound. Besides, what he was doing when he was her age was still pretty reckless for an eleven year old. He cringed as he remembered a certain encounter with Lugia and the Legendary bird Pokémon.
The Chosen One, a lot of responsibility to place on the shoulders of a boy who couldn't tell the fighting type and normal type moves from each other half the time. And in the back of his mind he wondered if he still carried that burden. Had he ever stopped carrying that burden?
If he still carried the brand of Chosen One then hadn't he cursed Misty by asking her to marry him? Had he cursed Aurora by being her father? Had he cursed Aurora by passing the power of Aura along to her? He was almost sure he had.
"When you were my age…?" Wendy's question snapped Ash from his thoughts.
"Uh," Ash began as his mind made its way back to the conversation at hand "Well, um… That's not important," he said quickly "Come on," he told her as he stood up "Brock's cooking something other than baked apples for breakfast."
After they'd eaten breakfast there was more talk of the resistance and Ash returning to the fight. Brock, Dawn and Wendy were all adamant that he had to go back but there was no clear plan how to go about it.
"Even if I agreed that you could fight in the resistance," Ash said, looking pointedly at Wendy "And I'm not saying you are. We can't take Ellie and Ben with us, it's too dangerous…"
"And we can't leave them here by themselves," Dawn concluded.
"Ash needs to get back to Kanto," Brock mused. He was silent for a minute before he came upon the answer "Of course!" he shouted, jumping into a standing position.
"What is it?" Dawn and Ash asked simultaneously.
"I'll stay here to look after the kids," Brock told them "I can't do nearly as much for the resistance as Ash can. And the island will always be here waiting for you guys when you need a place to hide out."
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked.
"Honestly, it's the best thing," Brock said "The kids need someone to look after them and Ash needs to get back to Misty and the resistance. I'm a good trainer but you know there's been some tension ever since…"
Ash and Dawn nodded. Brock's parents had become Rocket loyalists in the interest of protecting their Pokémon Gym and their family. It wasn't as if Brock had much to look forward to going back to the resistance. Lt. Surge especially was distrustful of Brock. It really was the best thing for Brock and for the children.
"If you're sure Brock," Ash said, reaching out and shaking his friend's hand "Thanks."
"Tell Misty I said hi when you see her," Brock smiled.
"I will," Ash promised.
That afternoon Ash packed his clothes back into the backpack he'd been carrying when he'd washed up on the island. Dawn familiarized herself with the mechanics of the boat and the maps and charts. The island was marked on the map but it was so small and near the edge of a group of several others. Team Rocket would probably never find it even if they were looking.
Ash and Dawn were ready to shove off when Wendy came running towards them "Please, let me go with you?" she begged.
"Stay with Ellie and Ben," Ashe told her "Brock will take care of you guys."
"I wanna help fight Team Rocket," Wendy persisted.
"That's not the best idea," Dawn told her "If you come with us, you're bound to see some things that… well that no child should ever see."
Wendy planted herself firmly in the boat "You need all the help you can get, don't you?" she asked.
Ash lifted the girl out of the boat and set her, kicking and screaming, on the beach "This is not your fight Wendy," he told her "You and your Pokémon belong here with Brock and your siblings. We'll be back to tell you all about our great successes before you know it."
"We'll send a messenger Pidgey every week," Dawn promised.
Wendy huffed and ran back in the direction of the camp. "You're not being fair," she called over her shoulder.
"And that just proves she's not ready for war," Ash murmured, smiling in spite of himself. He turned to Dawn "Let's go."
As Dawn started up the motor and began to pull away from the island Ash turned back to look at the place where Wendy had been standing. Had he ever been that innocent, that naïve? The days before the war had begun seemed like a lifetime ago.
XXX
Deep within the Ilex Forest in the village of Broadleaf, seated around a table in the school house, the Johto resistance was planning their next move.
"The latest news from Sinnoh is grave indeed," Prima, unofficial leader of the Johto resistance, stated as she stood at the head of the table.
"Agreed but we can't just drop the fight here to help them," Tracey put in.
"Why not?" asked Kenny. Kenny was only one of several citizens of Sinnoh who were currently in Johto.
"I know how you feel," Angie spoke up "But if we leave now then there's nothing preventing Team Rocket from taking over all of Johto."
"We're spread too thin," Rudy, member of the Orange Crew and yet another trainer who was far from home, said "Team Rocket has successfully divided us."
"We are a lot stronger than Team Rocket thinks we are," Harrison said suddenly "We shouldn't turn tail and run just because we got some bad news."
"It's not just bad news," Kenny objected "It's disastrous. We've lost Veilstone City. We've practically lost Sinnoh. The only reason we're still here is because we're trying to come up with some surprise genius plan to get Goldenrod City."
"We have a good chance of taking Goldenrod," Prima reminded him "The Rocket presence is nowhere near as large as it should be to keep control over a city so large. Goldenrod's residents are on our side. Team Rocket has few allies in this part of Johto."
"I can't just sit here while we lose Sinnoh entirely," Kenny said, standing up.
Just then the town's council leader knocked on the door of the school house. Prima walked to the door and opened it "Good afternoon Mr. Horn. Is there something the matter?" she asked.
"A Pidgey just delivered this," Mr. Horn handed Prima a piece of folded paper.
"Thank you," Prima said as Mr. Horn turned to leave. She walked back to the head of the table before unfolding the note. She read it to herself. Her eyes flickered with anger briefly "It seems," she began "That Lt. Surge has abandoned Kanto to the Rockets in favor of allying himself and the remaining members of his group with the Sinnoh resistance."
This news sparked many a mumbled question around the table "How can they do that?" Tracey asked.
"That Lt. Surge always rubbed me the wrong way," Harrison murmured.
Kenny sank back into his seat "They just abandoned Kanto?"
"That's what the message says," Prima reiterated. "The question is should we join them?"
"I'll stay here," Kenny said quietly "We can send a group to assist them after we take Goldenrod."
"Just what I was thinking," Prima smiled slightly in Kenny's direction.
XXX
"What's eating you today?" Rain Curare asked as she passed Ian on the way up to the room she was staying in "You haven't seemed yourself since last night."
Ian simply nodded numbly at the purple haired woman. He wasn't even sure who "himself" was anymore. Rain had always been someone he could confide in but he knew he couldn't talk to her about this. It was she, after all, who had preformed a great deal of those executions last night. There was no question in her mind about where her loyalties lay.
"Hey kid," another voice called from behind him "Stop slacking and start doing something useful with your damn self!"
Ian turned to see Lorne Nightfang, the leader of their battalion. The tall man with his black hair pulled back into a ponytail was never fond of Ian. To Lorne, Ian was just an annoying kid. As the youngest of the group, Ian was a favorite target of Lorne's.
"Leave the poor kid alone," Rain said, turning at the top of the staircase to berate Lorne "He's not your slave boy."
"Course he is," Lorne laughed, slapping Ian on the shoulder "Besides, kid needs to pull his own weight around here. After all the work we put in last night."
"Yeah," laughed Brad Hellfire, a red haired man who was second in command of the battalion. "Poor kid didn't have the stomach for it," he laughed.
"Don't listen to them Ian," Rain said, coming over and slapping the two men's arms away from the boy "They'll be plenty of other resistance scum that you can kill," she smiled at him. Ian figured that her words were meant to make him feel better.
"Thanks, Rain," he replied in a murmur. She wasn't helping.
XXX
Samuel pulled himself into a sitting position at the sound of footsteps. Domino had left him alone since his last dose of the antidote. He had hoped that she would leave him alone for however long he had left in this nightmarish place.
The footsteps drew closer. He caught sight of Domino as she opened the cell door "Brought you a little cellmate Professor," she laughed as she pushed someone inside. The figure fell to the floor almost immediately.
Samuel crawled over to the person on the floor. The woman rolled over in his direction. Samuel gasped as he caught sight of the woman's face "Delia, what are you…?" he pulled her toward him and embraced her. "It's good to see a friendly face but you shouldn't be here."
Delia wrapped her arms around his neck "I don't care," she whispered "I couldn't lose you. I've lost so much. I'm not gonna lose you."
A/N: Well, I managed to finish this one a little bit quicker than the last one. So now I'm worried that since it didn't take me a week to write that its no good. For all the hopeless romantics out there, I hope you enjoyed the Contestshipping and Eldershipping moments. For the Pokéshipping fans, keep hope alive, the time for Pokéshipping is drawing nigh. I hope you enjoyed this and as always, reviews are welcome and beloved.