*Did you guys like the spoilers? :P XD Remind me to do that more often... 12 reviews last chapter! :DDDD So psyched and HAPPY! XD Of course, spoilers are only for review counts that are multiples of fifty... *hint* *hint* XD Read on (and review while your at it.)!*

Chapter 18

Silver's gray eyes were clouded over with exhaustion and worry and somewhat faded panic, but not even those could disguise or hide the undeniable, almost startling joy, lighting them up with a warm metallic glint. He pulled away from Blue, only slightly though. His hands were now at her sides, almost like cage bars, protecting her from the storm, his long, red hair still brushing her pale, almost ivory skin. His lips were still slightly parted, and so were hers, and he wondered if she was aware of what he had just done. If she felt the same he did right now.

Now that she was breathing, living, he felt embarrassed, a light pink brushing his cheeks with color. It may have been CPR, necessary to save her, nothing... romantic, but it was still, it was still- a kiss. Kind of. Did it count if the other person was unconcious?

Oh arceus... What am I doing to myself! he wondered, attempting to clear his head, erase the feeling of the past few minutes, his lips on hers, how soft they were...

Silver knew it wasn't time to be worrying about trivial matters, it was something he often scolded others for, and was very confused to find himself in such a situation. He was supposed to be the calm focused one! Gold was the one who often spaced out at the thought of girls, especially after a makeout session with Crystal. Silver was the one who smacked his best friend across the face and pulled him back into reality. Luckily, Blue's voice called him back, out of his wandering thoughts, directing him back to her.

"S-Silver," murmured Blue, opening her eyes weakly, voice a whisper. Silver could only hear it because he was still so close, so close that he could feel her breath on his face, sweet, warm air that was such a comforting relief in the relentless wind that chilled him to the bone. Such a beautiful voice too, because only a minute ago, he was afraid he'd never hear it again, the special voice that belonged to Blue and Blue alone. He'd almost lost that precious sound.

"Don't talk," he replied, placing his fingers over her lips, and even through his gloves, he could feel the cold, the way her body felt like ice. His fear and worry made him freeze as well. Blue might be breathing, but she was far from safe. Hypothermia was still a very potential threat. He wasn't going to let his panic show though- despite being trapped in trivial thoughts, he had to stay calm. Now wasn't the time for hormones, he knew that. "Just relax. Go to sleep. When you wake up, you'll be safe, I promise."

I promise that you'll be safe with me. I promise that you won't be hurt, won't die. If only that could be true. If only I could promise you that, Blue.

She coughed, and the worst part was that Silver could hardly hear it, the hacking, broken noise barely audible. He knew she was coughing from the way her body shook, an irregular rhythm where her head kept flying forwards.

"Can't sleep," she whispered, slowly raising her arms to wrap them around his neck, pulling him back down towards her. He could feel her cold, wet hair on his face, her small, gasping breaths. Silver flushed, albeit unintentionally. How could he be like this, when Blue was in such a state? "It's too cold to sleep."

"Sleep," he wanted to say. He wanted to gently pry off her arms, lay them to her sides. With his fingertips, slide her eyelids closed, and wait for her to fall asleep. However, that was not what happened.

"B-Blue-" started Silver, stuttering, completely and utterly embarassed. Even in this situation, he felt strangely bashful, as if the energy he'd spent fighting to save her had rid him of the ability to keep up his usually calm, cool, emotionless demeanor. It was somehow uncomfortable, and most definitely foreign. It made him feel like someone else entirely.

Seeing Silver's utter awkwardness, and noting the dire fact that it was a very bad situation for Silver's 'secret' crush to be showing, Crustal decided to step in. Everyone had been simply gawking, holding in slight snickers at the sight of the cool, even cold, teen completely losing it, though they had their own anxious reservations over their other friend. It was as if the storm had disappeared, and it was a normal day. They were starting to take in any distraction. And that was not a good thing.

"Parasee, Spore," commanded Crystal a few meters up, her loyal Parasect appearing in a flash of red light. Silver's head jolted up, surprised, having almost forgotten that there were other people. He looked very sheepish, though very, very worried.

A single spore landed onto Blue with perfect accuracy despite the harsh hurricane-like conditions, and with a weak protest, her eyes closed once more, and her arms slowly fell down to her sides. Silver was still protectively covering her, as if to shield her from the elements. There was silence. Now that the distraction was over, they could reflect, and feel the late impact of the shock.

That close. They had been that close to losing one of them, one of the Dex Holders. Blue had probably been within seconds of drowning, and was still at the verge of dying.

Silver wished dearly that there was something he had that was not wet, that he could use as a blanket for her- his cold, wet clothes were probably far from comfortable when pressed onto her skin. But he had about as many options for another umbrella as well.

"The shore looks just as bad as it is here," noted Green, his eyes narrowing as his Charizard flew in small circles to keep afloat, its tail flame small, but still lit. The flying Pokemon, despite the hard, energy-sapping journey, still looked ready for a second flight. Green's Pokemon were well-trained in the art of endurance.

For a second, Silver didn't know what the hell Green was talking about. It looked absolutely terrific to him- the sky was clear, no clouds in sight, the sun's rays shining bright and warm across the brightly colored sand. It would be perfect. It was safe for Blue there!

Wait... Sand isn't yellow, orange, and red, he realized with a jolt.

That was what ticked him off. Not brightly colored sand- fire. The boardwalk, beach chairs, umbrellas, all burning up in searing hot tongues of fire. The fire had been more than just Groudon's doing- Silver could make out a star-shaped burn in the ground, a clear marker of Fire Blast. He remembered Emerald telling him about Rei having hinted that his Salamence's Fire Blast could burn Emerald's Sceptile into a pile of black ash- and Silver believed it. He'd never seen a more powerful remaint of a fire-type move.

"But it's safer there then here- the fire is only on the beach right now. And we'd be out of this storm too." It's safer for Blue there than it is here, Silver thought. But what could the temperature change do to her?

"We'll find someplace safe for Blue, don't worry," said Yellow, her exhausted, only half-happy smile painted onto her face, forced. Silver had forgotten she was sitting beside him. "The rest of us will go and fight Rei- you want to take care of Blue, right? And it's not safe to leave her alone anyways."

Silver nodded. Even though he was furious with Rei for being responsible for this- for everything, Blue was his first priority. He would do anything his power to save her, even I'd it meant skipping out on the big battle.

"Hide in the rocks," said Gold, his rain and wind-shielding goggles obscuring much of his face. Silver perked over the edge of Mantaro's wing to see Gold's finger pointed towards a large stony outlook, where the shade shielded the ground from the fiery sun, and the fierce waves not reaching a majority of the rocky formation. "Hide there- we'll make sure Rei doesn't get to you."

"Thank you- but how do I make sure she doesn't- doesn't," Silver's voice broke, unable to complete his sentence. He wasn't going to even imagine the possibility. Coming close to it once was more than enough for him.

"I'll stay with you too," offered Yellow, brown eyes shining with concern. "I've been looking into medicine, and maybe I could try to heal her. Just a little bit."

I thought Yellow could only heal Pokemon? thought Silver, looking at the little blond girl with new interest. But it was clear from her expression that it would only be an experiment, she'd never really tried before- however, there was no better option.

"Thank you, Yellow," said Silver in a tone thick with gratitude.

They were only a little way out from the shore now, and the waves, though still much more violent and large than normal, were far less dangerous than they had been farther out. The rain, the battering, chilling rain had also ceased, disappearing into a baking sun. Despite feeling half-frozen, Silver still felt hot- much too hot.

We're going to need that shade... he thought glumly, almost feeling sweat underneath his gloves already, either that, or the trapped rainwater that had somehow gotten in.

"Make sure she comes out safe- got that, Silver?" said Gold, somehow managing to make the question sound like a lighthearted challenge despite the situation. "That's your fight."

"And you have to beat Rei," countered Silver, a slight smile on his lips, so small, that Gold almost missed it. "Otherwise, we're all dead."

After leaving Silver, Blue, and Yellow back at the beach, hidden and safe, the rest of the Dex Holders had started their search for Rei. It was hard to tell wear the man may have been- but they watched out for the telltale wings of a Salamence and saw nothing in the skies. Which meant they had to search until they found signs.

Lilycove was burning into ashes- the department store, the hotels, the special battle arena constructed for the festival, even the contest hall- nothing was spared. It wasn't easy to see past the flames, but after a quick look from the skies, Red had confirmed Rei was not in the city. Which left either the outskirts of town or the whole of Hoenn.

Crystal had wanted to try and help out around the city, try to put out the fire, help get people medical attention- however, the flames still danced, fire much worse than what had burned down the festival. It was chilling to see just how much more power Rei had obtained in a matter of days- was it really possible to defeat such colossal power?

But Green and Red had refused her suggestion, the former with an almost apathetic frown, hiding emotion behind a Poker Face as usual, while the latter shook his head sadly, knowing that it would only hinder them.

"We'll need every bit of strength we have to defeat Rei- and that involves staying out of whatever we don't need to be involved in," Green had explained, viridian-hued eyes cold and determined. "And defeating him saves more people in the end, doesn't it?"

"Sometimes we have to make choices," Red had continued, regret shining in his crimson eyes, a striking contrast to his best friend. "And we have to work for the greater cause this time- sorry, Crystal, but we can't. Not now."

"It's okay, Crys," Gold assured his girlfriend, trying to avert her gaze from the burning city, the sounds of distant screams of pain and fear. His metallic yellow eyes were sympathetic, yet they looked bright and excited as usual. They were walking into a battle of course. "They'll have organized evacuations by now and stuff- most people will be okay." I hope, was added on as a silent afterthought.

The outskirts of town consisted of the nearby Safari Zone- now abandoned, open courtyard-like, whose flowers had wilted in the heat, and forests to the north, thick, dense lush trees, where the flames had not yet spread. None of them seemed like likely hiding places, and why would a powerful trainer like Rei even bother with hiding?

In fact, he had appeared to them last time, boldly and ostentatiously showing himself to Sapphire and Emerald, challenging to a fight he was sure to win. The man had nothing against direct face-to-face encounters, even when anyone else would have been lying low.

"It's awfully... quiet here, isn't it?" said Crystal awkwardly, looking around the empty, dead place, completely devoid of people and Pokemon barring them. "I think maybe Rei left already. There's no reason to stay here."

"Well we don't have radios to hear the news, only our Pokegears, and splitting up is probably the worst thing we could possibly do. We'll have to search this area as well as possible; let's just cross our fingers and hope for the best," said Red, sighing. "The forest is probably the best place to hide."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Emerald, purposely striding over towards the trees, the tips of his long, draping shirt and pants black with soot. Everyone followed after him a little hesitantly, but with the same drive. There was no room for hesitation at this point in the game- they had to be ready for anything.

"But why would he be waiting anywhere?" murmured Crystal, eyes dark with thought. "If he's got so much power on his side, why not just get rid of us?"

"Don't say that, Crys," said Gold half-jokingly, cracking a smile, his arms thrown back over his head as if relaxed. "Wouldn't you rather be alive? And it's probably better for us to find him- I don't like being ambushed."

"Yeah, I guess," she answered, though he hadn't answered her question. However, it did comfort a little bit, and Gold's smile tugged at the edges of her own lips, pulling them into a faint wisp of a grin. "Maybe it's not a good idea to think too hard."

"We're Pokedex Holders. We're good at thinking on our feet. Remember how we fought Archie at the Battle Frontier? We'll just keep making things up as we go," Gold replied, as if there were nothing to worry about. But he did feel nervous, a nerve-wracking, butterfrees-in-the-stomach kind of feeling. Good thing he could pretend it wasn't there. "Too bad I don't have a Rei costume. It'd be awesome if I could trick his Salamence or Gengar."

Crystal didn't reply as they trekked farther into the forest, thinking about how preparation had went into that fight. All the research about Jirachi, the ultimate moves, and if they had made one misjudgment, they still could have lost that battle. And Rei had more than a Surskit and an energy based monster. He had the floods and rains of Kyogre and the droughts and fires of Groudon. A much more formidable opponent.

And they didn't have much preparation on their side, and they didn't even have all ten of them fighting. With Yellow and Silver caring for Blue and Sapphire and Ruby missing, there was only five of them battling. That was half of them! At least Silver and company had handed off almost all their Pokemon, keeping only one each (except Blue, since she was unconscious, they took all of her Pokemon) for protection. They would have to depend on their secret weapon- Rayquaza.

"I found something!" announced Red after another five minutes, leaning down, looking at the ground. "It looks like a footprint- a dragon footprint."

He took out his Pokedex, holding out the camera scanner to the dent in the ground, and the machine quickly identified it as a Salamence footprint. Red could feel his pulse racing. This was it- looking closely into the dark of the forest, he could see the trail of footprints leading deep into the trees. It'd been a while since he'd had a battle that made him feel like this, feeling the excitement before the battle even began. Here was a worthy opponent, one even stronger than himself. He shivered with anticipatik and fear. How would it end?

At least Yellow is by the shore... he thought to himself reassuringly. If anything happens, she can always escape. After all, she kept Kitty with her- she'll be able to fly away, thank arceus.

There was a crunch of leaves beneath someone's feet. None of the Pokedex holders had moved a step. Red's eyes darted around, as did everyone else's, looking for the source of the sound. Was it just a wild Pokemon? Rei?

"I finally found you!" exclaimed a familiar voice, though it sounded... off somehow. But it was a relief to hear it anyways.

Six, thought Crystal happily. Six of us to fight!

"Prissy boy!" exclaimed Gold, surprised, running up to the black-haired boy. "Do you have your memory back? How did you get away from Rei?"

Ruby's mouth opened as if to answer Gold, and in that instant, Crystal saw the evil in his eyes, the emptiness, and knew. This wasn't Ruby.

Ruby laughed, a smirk sliding across his face. Beams of ice suddenly fired from behind him, and the Pokdex Holders' feet were trapped, frozen, in a solid blanket of an Ice Beam.

"Surprise!" he said, and Emerald could tell he looked like Rei, the smile, the tone...

Ruby stepped forward, and his Pokemon appeared from the trees, as if magically from the shadows. They looked reluctant, worried, but they had to obey their trainer. As Ruby was forced to obey under the influence of the orb.

"Before you can face my master, you'll have to face me!" he announced, red eyes suddenly glowing with glee. "Let this be a battle we won't forget! Milotic, Hydro Pump!"

*Oh god, what have they gotten into this time? It's the awesomeness I dub 'Evil!Ruby.' He's very evil, and very, very hot. :3 XD Now time for a bit of Rei Q & A (with my own questions to make it more exciting. :P)

Aeyra: Time for another Q & A with Rei! (it rhymes!)

Rei: I would like a valid reason why I'm tied to a chair.

Aeyra: You were threatening to kill me, so... Well, you'll escape otherwise. :P *clears throat* Okay, first question. "What's your favorite thing to destroy and why?"

Rei: Destroy? Hmmm... People who annoy me. Which would include you, your reviewers, and all of the Dex Holders. Because you're hindering my ultimate plan of world domination.

Aeyra: Good luck with that. Next question: "Do you hate Sapphire and Ruby's relationship because it reminds you of you and Amethyst?"

Rei: YOU ARE NOT FIT TO SAY HER NAME! I don't actually hate them though. I just find them amusing, and it's fun to just watch Sapphire break and play with the pieces.

Aeyra: Now time for my questions. Which is your favorite Pokemon to use?

Rei: I can use my Gengar to drive you to freaking insanity, then have my Gallade slice you into little tiny bits, and then have my Salamence eat you. My other Pokemon of course can also do a pretty good job of killing you. It just matters which one is more useful at the time.

Aeyra: Will you tell us what these other Pokemon happen to be?

Rei: No, that would make it easier for you to counter me, wouldn't it? I'm done with this stupid Q & A! *destroys world in fiery blaze*

... yeah, I guess that's it. XD As far as review replies go this time, I answered most by PM for spoilers, but the ones I didn't answer because they asked for nothing now all get virtual hugs and free cookies. :3 Of course, everybody gets those. XD Next week, next chapter, as usual! Please review!*