Chapter 13 Dance of Trouble! Aqua Attacks!
The group finally arrived at Lake Valor after spending a few ddays in Veilstone City at the game corner and also having Marty getting Branch sent to him from Celestic Town. When they got to the area, they saw that the whole place was buzzing and getting ready for something.
"Whoa, this place seems to be buzzing!" Eliza exclaimed.
"I think it's the ddance!" Harper said.
"Dance?" the girls asked.
"Since after the dance, there was a dance held before the contest so that the competitors and their Pokemon would have fun before they compete the next day." She explained.
"That sounds like fun! We should go shopping for the dance tonight!" Eliza exclaimed.
She noticed that Rusty was staring off into space.
"Hey! Rusty, are you in there?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
"Hello!" she yelled and then hit him.
"Ah! What the hell was that for?" he asked.
"You weren't responding to me at all!" she answered.
"Yeah, you seem to be out of it lately especially after we left Veilstone." Maritza said.
"You alright?" Eliza asked.
"Yeah, I will be once I have some fresh air." He answered as he got up. "I will see you guys later."
They watched him leave.
"He is so out of it." Maritza said.
Eliza nodded.
"We shouldn't worry about it so much, let's just go and get what need for the night." Harper said.
They all headed for the boutique.
Rusty was looking over the lake with Sparkplug at his side and then remembered all of the different fragments of memory has been getting and then remembered how Ike seems to give him these fragments when he is around.
"Why am I remembering all of these things?" he asked.
"Remembering what?" he heard and saw Flint.
"Flint? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I heard rumors of Team Aqua being here, so I came here and will make sure that nothing will happen." He answered.
"I see, I guess you are on high alert while you're here." Rusty said.
Flint nodded and said, "Be careful while you're here, somehow what you're remembering maybe something that has to do with how you got here in the first place and that you might be a target."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Just saying, watch your back." Flint answered and walked towards the resort.
"That guy is surre a mystery." Rusty said.
"Rai rai!" Sparkplug said.
Meanwhile, John, Ike, and Shelly arrived at Lake Valor and found the place bouncing as well.
"I guess we arrived in time for some kind of event." John said.
"This is a good time, we can find our target and attack when people are having fun." Shelly said with a smile.
Ike saw Flint walking towards the hotel and said, "It looks like we're not alone."
"Damn it, why would an Elite Four member be here?" John asked.
"It's because I took out their leader back in Eterna and blew cover back there, oh well it doesn't matter to me now." Ike said.
"What should we do now? Take him out while it's still daylight?" John asked as he was about to grab his sword.
"Not now, if we do, we will reveal who we are and he may call the rest of the elite when that happens." Shelly said as she stopped him by having her hand on his arm.
John grunted and said, "Very well, if we end up running into him when we find Rusty, he is mine to take down!"John exclaimed and walked away.
"I guess he wants more blood despite his stabbing Rusty that day for his betrayal." Ike said with one eye open.
"Yes, butt we can't take any unless we get him back and return his Pokemon to him." She said as she held a lurre ball.
"Right, I guess we should head off and find somewhere hat evening, the girls were finishing up with getting their Pokemon ready for the dance when they heard a knock.
"Come in!" Maritza exclaimed after she put a ribbon on Lily's fin.
The door opened and in came the boys and their Pokemon.
"Well, you guys ready?" Marty asked.
"Almost done." Eliza answered as she put a ribbon on Sparkle.
She saw Rusty in his tux and his hair was down and blushed.
"Whoa Rusty, you sure know how to present yourself!" Harper exclaimed.
"Yeah." Eliza said shyly.
"I guess I don't matter much." Marty said.
"You do, but you are my brother and I already seen you in a tux before and I haven't seen Rusty in one due to him being a ranger most of the time." Maritza said.
Rusty cleared his throat and walked over to Eliza said, "Shall we head down?"
She blushed and took his crooked elbow and nodded.
They all left the room and headed for the ballroom where they found all the contestants, their friends and family members that traveled with them, and their Pokemon either dancing or eating or mingling with each other.
"So many people here!" Eliza exclaimed.
"Yeah, especially with the ones that have competed in the other contests around here." Harper said.
"I guess we should head in and enjoy ourselves." Maritza said.
They headed into the room and joined the ccrowd by having snacks and talking with a few of the other contestants until Rusty heard a special song and turned to Eliza asked, "May I have this dance?"
She blushed and said, "Sure."
"Rai?" Sparkplug asked Sparkle.
"Pi!" she responded.
The four of them headed to the dance floor.
"Is it me or do those two seem to becoming a couple?" Harper asked.
"Well, it does seem like it especially when Eliza worries about Rusty a lot even with what is going on with him now." Marty answered.
"I have a feeling that there is something that there might be something they might go through soon." Maritza told them.
"Huh?" Harper asked.
"I don't know why, but ever since we knew Rusty, he had a something in his past he lost and might be remembering it somehow and it is causing him pain." Maritza told them.
Marty sighed and said, "I guess we have to just hang on and see what happens and what we think about the both of them, it might either break them apart or bring them closer." Marty said.
Ike met up with Shelly and John a few minutes later after scouting around at the dance. They were changed out of their formal wear and into their uniforms.
"did you see him?" John asked.
"Yes, he is with Eliza." Ike answered.
"Elm's niece I take it?" Shelly asked.
Ike nodded.
"What should we do with her? She might get in the way." John said.
"Leave her to me and you two take care of their friends." Ike answered and turned to get to the plan.
Flint was listening in behind a column and whispered to himself, "Damn it, I knew they would be here, I better warn Eliza and Rusty."
He headed back to the ballroom.
A few minutes later, both Eliza and Rusty were on the balcony getting some fresh air and taking a break from the dance.
"Finally some air!" Eliza exclaimed.
Rusty nodded in silence.
Eliza looked over the balcony at the view of the lake and said, "It is some view, huh?"
"Yeah, it is!" he said.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Ever since I met you when I first arrived, have you ever thought that we would be this close?"
"No, I guess I met someone that would free me."
"Free you?"
"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that I have some kind of past and it had to deal with me hurting a lot of people and I don't know why."
"Rusty…"
"I can't remember all of this and now I am just starting to in fragments."
"Your memory is starting to fix itself." They heard and turned to see Ike.
"Ike? What the hell are you doing here?" Eliza asked.
"I came to see Rusty and return his memory." He answered as he brought out the lure ball. "I hope you remember this."
He threw the ball and out came a Starmie covered in bruises and there were a few chips in the jewel and the casing around it was broken off. Rusty looked at it and his eyes widened and then all of the memories started to come back to him.
"N-no…nooooooooooooooooooo!"
"Rusty?" Eliza asked as she was about to run to him and then was kicked by Ike and she screamed in pain.
Maritza heard the scream and asked, "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, it came from outside." Marty answered.
The three of them were about to head outside and a pair of swords came at them.
"Don't think about helping your friends." They heard a girl say.
They saw the guy with the sword and noticed the same kind of Aqua uniform that Ike had on.
"Damn it!" Maritza exclaimed.
"Come with us or no one will get hurt!" the guy said.
"I guess we have no choice!" Harper exclaimed.
They were about to get up until they heard ,"Rapidash use swift!"
The attack flew at the two Aqua members and they screamed and went down.
"You guys okay?"
They turned and saw Flint with his Pokemon, Rapidash, standing in the hall.
"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Maritza asked.
"To take down Aqua of course, they are after your friend Rusty!" he answered.
"For a member of the elite you sure are annoying!" one of the members said as he got up.
"We will take you out before you get in the way of retrieving our former member! Go Walrain!" the girl exclaimed and sent OUT HER Pokemon.
"You too Poliwrath!"
Both Pokemon were out and in full force.
"Damn it! Return Rapidash!" Flint exclaimed and returned it and threw another Pokeball. "go Driftbloom!"
"I should help out!" Harper exclaimed.
"You sure?" Maritza asked.
"Yeah, Rusty and Eliza need you and their Pokemon! Now go!" Harper exclaimed.
Both twins nodded and ran out with the other Pokemon following them.
Back on the balcony, Eliza was pinned down by Ike's boot on her shoulder.
"So, you remembered yet Rusty?" Ike asked.
"R-rusty…" Eliza said.
"Yes…" he answered as he stood up.
"Good, now you will return with me, Shelly, and John to meet with Archie." Ike said with a smile on his face.
"I think not!I will never let you take me back! I betrayed the team for a reason and now you will regret ever messing with me and my friends! Starmie water gun!" Rusty yelled.
His Starmie sent out its attack and Ike was hit and he was launched off of Eliza and flew into one of the columns.
"Eliza!" Rusty yelled and ran to her.
"Rusty?" she asked and sat up and held her injured shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm here, you okay?" he asked.
"What is going on and what does Ike mean by remembering everything?" she asked.
"I will explain later, I need to get you to a doc-" he was cut off when he felt pain in his back and screamed.
Ike stabbed him with a dagger and ripped it out of him and laughed.
"No Rusty!" Eliza yelled.
"Son of a bitch!" Rusty said with the pain in his voice.
"Now will you rejoin us or will you have to die in order to save your girlfriend?" Ike asked.
"Never! Starmie use your aurora beam!" Rusty yelled.
Starmie did as it was told and hit Ike head on and the shock of the blow caused the balcony to shake a bit.
"Damn, even though Starmie went off for a year, its aurora beam is still strong." Rusty said.
"Huh?" Eliza asked.
"We need to get out of here or we will get caught in the collapse of this balcony and lose our lives." He told her and then remembered the lake. "Can you swim with that shoulder?"
"I think so, why?" Eliza asked.
She was lifted and he didn't answer as he did and ran over to the balcony's edge and jumped and Eliza screamed and then Rusty's Starmie followed.
Author's Commentary
Finally I fixed the Word problem or shall I say get this chapter finished! As you saw, finally Rusty got his memory back! I bet you are wondering, what's with the weapons? How else did Rusty get his scar in the first place? I thought it would make it more interesting for them to do so since they are a pretty ruthless team. I think that would probably explain how some Pokemon can die or something. Just saying. Well, got to run for now and look out for the next chapter!