"He screamed." Miyuki announced, glaring at the unconscious boy lying at her feet, though she held something else too in her gaze.
"He screamed?" Drew questioned, looking down at the boy as well, whose cheek May was experimentally poking.
"He screamed." Damon confirmed, rubbing at his shoulder which were more than aching after carrying the boy's dead weight from the deep hidden Magma headquarters to where they had landed their helicopters under the thick canopy of the trees to keep themselves out of sight. And they had landed quite far, for extra precaution.
He smiled slightly when Carlos came up behind him and placed his hands on his shoulder and began massaging them gently. Miyuki crouched down near Kei when May stood up, tilting his face sideways to inspect the bruise forming on his jaw, tracing it lightly with her finger.
"Who screamed?" Everybody turned to look at Ayame and Chiyo making their way towards their little group. Shu grinned, wrapping an arm around Ayame's waist.
"He screamed." Daichi replied, looking amused.
"Shut up now." Miyuki said lightly, standing up from her crouch, "They all get it. He screamed." They stood in silence for a few moments.
"Who'll go back to the headquarters with May and Drew now to drop him back there?" Shu questioned, breaking the silence at last. The two teenagers looked up quizzically before the implication of the words hit them.
"Hey! We are not going anywhere!" Drew protested.
"You are, kids." Shu replied, not even turning to look at them. Daichi decided to take pity on them when they protested again, edging on begging.
"Come on, boss. What harm could they be?"
"They can get hurt, Dai." Shu turned to stare at the ginger, "I will not be seeing them hurt."
There was a moment of silence, broken at last by May, "Shu, this won't be the first time we are up against some criminal organization, or against Magma-dan."
"And? Can you tell me that you were never hurt?" Shu asked, crossing his arms.
"We are here, aren't we? We lived, didn't we?" May retorted. "We fight every time with them."
"You were with your friends every time. You do what you want with them, I don't care. But right now, you are with me. I don't want you two to get hurt. Because you-"
Drew was standing behind May while the rest of the group was watching the two sides like they were watching a tennis game. They grew slightly more interested as they watched Drew leave May's side and creep towards Shu. Drew slowly, carefully, settled his chin on Shu's shoulder, bending only slightly enough to be comfortable, for Shu was almost the same height as him. Shu abruptly cut off mid-sentence and everybody else watched in interest as Drew's mouth began to move in a whisper. Other strained their ears hard to hear but it was clear enough for Shu. "Every time you were not there, were you, onii-chan? But this time you'll make sure we are not even scratched, won't you? I want to fight side-by-side with my big brother, for once, please. Every time we were up against a gang, I was alone. Let me fight with you by my side, let me experience that. We'll win. This was my first contest with you watching me, let this be my first fight with you…"
The on-lookers nearly jumped out of their skins when Shu suddenly twisted around and held Drew in a head-lock. "You are just like maman. So manipulative."
"I lived with both you, and her, and dad. It grows on a child." Drew replied cheekily, moving one hand up to pinch Shu's nose. "Frere…"
"Ow!" Shu yelped, jumping away from the younger boy, holding his nose.
Drew looked around at others giving him blank stares, "I did not pinch that hard."
"You punch hard! I didn't realize my nose still hurts after so long!" Shu replied in a muffled voice. One look at everybody's faces told that they were all drawing up blank. Suddenly May jumped.
"Oh, are you talking about when you both fought that night? After you two got me to sleep?" Shu nodded, and Drew gave a sheepish grin.
It was Daichi who spotted a rustle in the bushes nearby and made to follow, startling the others. "What, what is it?" Ayame asked, everybody snapping to attention instantly. Daichi stared at the bush for a few moments, before relaxing a notch.
"Nothing…an animal maybe…" Daichi muttered, turning back to others, "Anyway, what is to be done now? I say we drop him back to the headquarter, and we attack now. Forces are on their way."
Shu agreed, "Try to retrieve the stone. If not possible, no problem, break the damned thing. No regrets."
"Make teams." Chiyo said, moving over to stand with May. "May and me."
"Right." Shu muttered, thoughtful for a moment before he spoke again, "Drew and me. Miyuki and Ayame. Carlos and Damon. Works for everybody?"
"Perfect." Was the mutual agreement.
O.o
"Move the troops." A man ordered.
"Are we to attack, sir?" Another, younger, man asked meekly.
"No," The other man sneered, "We are going hoola-hooping with whole troops."
"MOVE THE TROOPS OUT!"
O.o
"Is that a zubat?" Mack turned away from the group, staring at the passage they had just come from.
The other three also turned, the blue-haired man moving forward and lifting his arm for the Zubat to settle on. "A message. The brats are planning on an attack."
"What's new?" Courtney demanded, swishing her clock as she moved over to the man and the Pokémon. "We already know that. They will attack."
"But you don't know how soon." Kei replied, glaring slightly at the woman. A blast made them all whip their heads towards the ceiling, where they were sure a bomb-blast had taken place just above the underground passage they were in.
"Now we know how soon." Mack said, urging all of them to move quicker now.
"Zubat says…" Kei began but then stopped, looking thoughtfully at Courtney who stared back warily, "But you wouldn't care to know, would you? You already know everything."
Everyone except Courtney looked on it amusement as they followed Kei, leaving Courtney spluttering in indignation.
O.o
"Aerial attack." Daichi called out the warning. Carlos and Damon stopped, in the process of getting in the helicopter. "Our fighters are nearby, really. We won't need to fight."
"Now what?" Miyuki asked, coming out of the helicopter where she had just settled the unconscious boy to be taken back to the Headquarter.
"You can't go. The helicopter will be attacked on sight." Shu declared, pointing at Damon and Carlos. Then turning to look at Drew and May subtly, he started, "Someone stay back here. Guard the helicopter and him."
Daichi came to the rescue of the two teens, "We need someone who can hold their ground here if something were to happen."
It took a moment for the implication of the words to sink in. "Hey, what do you mean to say? We can hold our grounds!"
"Then you want to stay here?" Daichi growled.
"We are weak." Drew declared.
"Pathetic, really." May added. Shu and Daichi shook their heads as Ayame and Chiyo laughed. Shu turned to the blond still standing near the helicopter.
"Will you stay? Ayame can stay with you."
"I'll stay. Ayame can proceed." Miyuki replied, looking behind her at the sleeping boy before looking back at Shu.
"I don't mind." Ayame said, peeking around Shu to give the blonde a brilliant smile. "I'll also stay."
"I also want to stay." Damon moaned. Daichi smacked his head.
O.o
"How long do you think they can be delayed?" Mack asked, worriedly looking up at the ceiling of the underground passage they were in. The others did not reply, focusing intently on the dull reddish light coming from the huge cavern ahead. Mack clutched Kei's arm, "What do you think?"
Kei took a deep breath but shook off the man. After another insisting whine from Mack, Kei stopped, letting the other three go ahead of them. Glaring slightly at the man, he spoke, "What?"
"How long do you think they can be delayed?" Mack repeated, "Do you think the troops can hold up on their own?"
"Why are you being such a worry wart? If we do it quickly enough, we can do it!" Kei said, trying to look reassuring.
"I'm still worried, you know."
"Of what?" He was growing impatient, looking in the direction of where the others have already gone, wanting nothing more than to go after them.
"Are what we doing…is it right?"
Kei turned his head so fast that Mack was sure he heard a crack. Kei stared at the hooded man who stood before him with such a child-like earnest gaze that he almost pushed him away. "What, in the name of Groudon, are you saying, Mack?"
The others had proceeded further without them, a fact that Kei was aware of but try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to care now. The question that this man had chucked on him was too much to handle. He almost snarled when Mack opened his mouth to answer but then remembered that he actually wanted an answer. "I am just asking if what we are doing is right. Awakening the legend, tempering with the planet…"
Kei actually emitted a low growl when Mack hung down his head, the tip of his hood providing a cover for his eyes. He placed a hand on the man's head, surprising the man to look up at him, and pushed back the hood off his head.
"Since when are you so unsure of yourself, Mack?"
"I am not unsure of myself, you know. I know I can kick asses with my illusions. It's just the cause that I am worried about." I stared at him. He stared back. We stared some more and then some. Finally, Mack groaned, "I just can't talk to you when you are like this!"
And he turned away and followed others into the cavern, pulling his hood back into place as he went. It took him a few moments to recollect himself and go after him, muttering all the while. "I am under the orders. I do not enjoy going around like this."
O.o
Drew felt slightly uncomfortable, even as the hand on his shoulder managed to calm him down enough. He tried not to show his discomfort as they moved through the forest, sounds of blasts and shouts overhead providing the background. He felt Shu squeeze his shoulder slightly, and knowingly. Drew slowed down, and smiled when Shu sped up the rest of the gap, moving closer to him.
He turned his head a little, looking at May who seemed to be in a hushed conversation with Chiyo. He wanted to touch her, hold her hand, hug her. It had been so long he had not even looked at her directly, much less talk. He was craving now.
He was jerked out of his thought when Shu pulled him to a side abruptly. Before he could question the odd behavior, a wounded Gliscor fell right before him with a thud, shocking him speechless. But Shu pulled him along and Drew saw Chiyo doing the same to May. "But, Shu, the Pokémon…it's wounded and-" Before he could complete the sentence, a Tropius swooped down with a man dressed in all whites on its back. He watched as they gave the Gliscor first aid treatment and called it back in its pokeball.
"Don't worry, kid. Lives and health of Pokémon is given a high priority here. No Pokémon gets hurt if they can be saved."
So….uhm, yeah. Late update, I know. It came to December. I had no ideas for this chapter, which must be quite clear after you read it… I'm sorry for the abrupt ending but I just can't find a good place to end it. I am not going to bore you with my long explanations but just know that exams are taking its toll on me. I have so much pending work written work… I am going to have to stay up late tonight….
Thank you so much for your reviews…they actually mean a lot….please continue with you support!