A/N: Hey guys, super sorry for the delay. I got sick in the midst of writing this and it was the kind of sick where I couldn't even read a book without getting nauseous, much less write :( But I'm all better now! :) And we're back in business. You know I wouldn't abandon this story, right? It just might take me a while to update sometimes. So, without further ado, please enjoy the final chapter of Part II! After this, we get to see all the characters at once. But first...you must survive this chapter :)
Rant over! Read on!
-Silvia
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokespe, or anything else. This is fan-made fiction.
It was time that Poppy gave Black some answers. He discovered her in the courtyard the next morning, lying on a stone bench, staring up at the sky. The clouds were reflected in her eyes, moving slowly across her vision. Had there been sunlight, Black would have seen his shadow fall over her. She stared up at him, blankly, unsurely, surprised that he was there wearing such a scary mask over his usually happy expression.
"When were you going to tell me?" he asked in a low voice. Poppy sat up so that he could park himself beside her.
"Tell you what?" He had a feeling she knew exactly what.
"Everything. The prince. Sinnoh."
Her eyes fell upon their feet, unable to meet his gaze. "I don't know," she mumbled. "Perhaps I just did not want you to worry. I…I'm sorry." She wrung her hands anxiously, like secrets still sat like stones within her. Black watched her arms. He knew that black cloth would rap parts of her legs, her stomach, her back, and all of one arm, from a past she never spoke about.
N had said he was innocent. That Black blamed him wrongly. If, hypothetically, that was true, then who committed the crimes? The murder of the president had Surge written all over it, but what of everything else? N had said that people close to him were harbouring secrets.
Making a split-second decision, he lashed out and grabbed her other arm, pushing up the sleeve. She yelped in surprise. On the pale skin of her forearm, even without the sunlight, he could see fading white scratches that would surely scar. Not nearly as badly as the scars beneath the black cloth, but enough to be a constant reminder of what she had done.
N had not been lying. Poppy was the one who had tried to kill White.
It was the ultimate betrayal.
Poppy seemed to know this too. Her vacant eyes pooled with tears, turning them even foggier, but she did not cry. She made no noise and no water slipped past her eyelids. As furious as Black was, this came as a relief. There had been too much crying already. There had been too many confrontations and sickening reveals. His chest was too tight to take much more. It wasn't fair.
Black wanted to reach out and hold her or do something, but he was frozen. Instead, he said, "I can protect you, Poppy." It was hardly a whisper, yet he knew she could hear it. "You just have to let me."
She didn't let him. She ran inside.
Black felt so small in that moment, as he looked up at the stars and the towering treetops. N joined him on the bench, taking Poppy's place, not saying a word.
"I'm getting pretty tired of seeing your ugly face." Black sighed. "So you saw all of that?"
N nodded solemnly. "Black, there are some things that you will never be able to control. People will betray you, disappoint you, or you will do the same to them. It's the way of this world. Now that you know the truth about Poppy—"
"I know the truth," Black interrupted, "but I also know who she is. I know she does these things because she has to, and that we must help her before she makes a mistake."
N shook his head. "Black, you still do not understand. You think you know her, but you do not. The person beneath is the person you see with her. Sure, she is being influenced, but she's done bad things before we ever arrived at the estate, things she doesn't wish to speak about. Do you really think we can change her nature? Or," his expression changed to something of pity, "do you believe that you especially can fix her? Save her? Do you fancy her, perhaps?"
"That's absurd," Black snapped immediately. He knew all too well from yesterday's confrontations that he hadn't the slightest idea of what love was.
N shrugged. "I am only trying to help."
"I don't need your help." Black shoved himself up and left the courtyard, stomping off through the hallways, distraught, and not just from his conversation with N. Everything was spiraling out of control around him. He needed to regain his grip, fast. And he needed help.
But how was he to ask for help from people who he hurt so terribly? All of their lives were in danger already, and he couldn't owe them anything more. He resolved to fix this himself.
On the contrary, his friends opted not to let him fix it himself. Perhaps they guessed that he would make a mess of things if he were on his own, or perhaps they were too dedicated to their missions to quit now, because Wally and Belle were at the main gate of the manor that very afternoon. Unlike White, they didn't know how to sneak in. Unlike White, they were there.
Black went out to meet them, but he didn't open the gate. Instead, he clasped the wrought-iron bars with his hands. "You shouldn't be here."
Belle rolled her eyes. "Do not protest. We're here to plan our next step."
"What you two need to do is remain safe," Black explained. "Or have you forgotten your identity already, Bianca?"
"Pssh," Wally scoffed, "who needs safety? Black, you'll break like a particularly stale cookie if we leave you be. And do you honestly believe we will? I hate to break it to you, but—" he looked between himself and Belle, "—you're sort of stuck with us, mate."
Belle beamed. "Now let us in!"
Black gave in. He smiled, albeit resignedly, and let them into the estate. They sat on the plush couches in the parlour again. It was a wide room with lots of openings. Black didn't trust many parts of his home any longer, but what the parlour lacked in privacy, it made up for in ample escape routes.
"So you have a plan?" Wally began in a hushed tone.
Black stared down at the coffee table. "Um…well, I at least know what we need to accomplish."
"What's that?"
"We need to rescue my cousins before my uncle sends them to Sinnoh, and we need to stop Poppy. And eventually, we have to return Sinnoh and Unova to peace and before the war with the monarchies becomes any more terrible."
Wally and Belle exchanged looks. "Well," Belle said brightly, "seems easy enough."
"I don't know where Poppy is right now," Black admitted, going on, "and we can't fight this battle on our own."
Wally finally said what they were all thinking. "We need White."
"She's angry with me," Black replied, not meeting either of their concerned, green-eyed gazes. "She won't come if I'm here."
"Then I'll get her," Belle suggested, as if it were that simple. "We're both ladies, and I'm sure we can come to some agreement."
"Then you've never seen her angry. When that girl is fuming, she is not a lady but a lion."
Belle rose nonetheless, waving him off. "You boys continue your battle plan. I'll persuade her."
As soon as Belle was out of the room and starting off bravely out of the estate, the boys were joined by a new guest.
"What do you want, N?" Black barked immediately, exhausted with his cousin's interferences, especially after their discussion earlier that morning.
N raised his empty hands in defense. Black glared as if his palms were the single most evil things in the whole world. "I happened to overhear that you needed assistance with your plans—"
"You're on quite a streak of overhearing today, aren't you?"
"—and I would like to aid your cause."
"We don't need help from the likes of you," Black snapped, cutting off whatever Wally had opened his mouth to suggest.
"Allow me to plead my case," N tried to reason.
This time, it was Wally who piped up before Black could. "Why don't we wait for the girls to come back before we make any rash decisions? Whether the rash decision is agreeing to N's terms or not," he added at Black's pointed look. Wally may not have seen it, but deep down he was still the former prince of Unova. Negotiating and politics were practically in his blood.
Belle returned a quarter of an hour later, beamish as always, White in tow. Black saw her and felt as though he hardly knew her. She spared him nothing more than a glance, and though she no longer seemed furious, he knew it was foolish to think he was forgiven. She probably only came out of loyalty to Wally and Belle. Still, he wished she would accept him as her best friend again. Unfortunately, they were both too proud to fix what was broken. He wasn't about to ask for pardon and she wasn't about to give it.
N broke the tension. "Ladies, I know you must think me absurd to offer my help in the ploys you are creating, but the gentlemen have granted me the chance to say my piece, and so hear me out.
"Firstly, I've already told you that I only work for myself. My selfishness should be easy enough to believe. Any action I take is to ensure my own benefits. Staying in this estate benefits me, however, crimes do not. Next, the murder of President Juniper has Surge written all over it, and I would not bloody my hands with such an obvious target. I'm sure you've also found the true culprit responsible for the attack of your White."
Black's face darkened at the memory. He looked to his friends and clarified in a low voice, "It was Poppy." They sat in stunned silence.
N nodded and went on. "And, you'll remember, it was you three who began the conflict on the Ferris wheel. That day, I honestly wanted to talk." He spread his hands again, as if that somehow made him innocent, but Black was not convinced that N did not enjoy picking fights. "And, lastly, I was not anywhere near any tricks or traps at the library. Whatever sort of freak accident or foolish prank that was, it had nothing to do with me. I had not even known it occurred until you burst out upon me like a frazzled hawk."
Belle looked to Black, who had somehow become their rough and ready leader. "Should we accept his testimony?" Here they were, young and foolish, acting as if this were court.
"We can't be sure if he's telling the truth about all of it," Wally added, "but I do believe him about the library. If he had set off the traps to harm us, why would he help us now?"
Black considered, staring off, deep in thought. N also opted for silence, not saying anything further to help or injure his case.
It was White who sliced the silence open with her gasp. "Of course! It's rule number seven! The criminal in these cases could not have been N, for that would simply be too obvious!" It was the first thing she had said the whole time. She did not look at Black as she spoke, but he knew it was meant for him. Who else would know their rules?
N blinked, confused. "Thank you?"
Black let out a sigh. In the end, he had known N since they were children, and he had to at least try to believe him. Black swore to himself that he wouldn't let his guard down for a single moment, though. "Alright. We do need all the help we can get."
They managed to work out a plan, Black the main mastermind, the rest adding their help. Together they would rescue Poppy and the rest of the former street kids and escape with them to a safe place. N claimed to know one.
First, Wally—as Poppy's target—would lead her to the city's port, as if he were leaving the nation, so that she would have to act on the spot. White would then distract her while N took Wally's place. Though N was taller and did not look much like Wally, in the crowd it would be more difficult for Poppy to tell. Meanwhile, Black would ensure Wally's safety by walking the length of the docks, and then into the city.
After having distracted Poppy, White would take a direct route into the city, but with plenty of twists and turns. N explained that his idea of the separate routes would throw of anyone tailing them—"Who would follow us?" Black asked. N rolled his eyes. "Perhaps you're too dense to noticed, but you're always being watched. You're the son of the bloody president."—or suspected them of foul play.
On board a ship set course for Kanto, so it seemed as though that was where Wally was escaping to, Belle would tail Poppy. One of two things could occur from there: either Poppy would not have the will to murder, or she would and Belle would stop her. Then she, N, and Poppy would exit the boat and rendezvous with the others at the large fountain at the centre of the city. From there, they would round up the remaining street kids trapped at the estate and take them away from danger.
There was nothing beyond that. Assuming they made it that far, they would continue to pursue the goal of taking on the Harmonias.
Unfortunately, they would not make it that far.
The following day—the day of the grand plan—was decidedly not off to a great start for White.
She wished that she had never fought with Black. She probably should have apologized to him, or at least said something to him, but she was still too angry and hurt. Part of it was the blind rage of the unrequited feelings, and that was not Black's fault. That was hers. She was just so furious and embarrassed with herself. Every time she saw him, or thought of him and that damned beautiful smile of his, it scorched her heart.
She had been trying to get her feelings across for so long that she had forgotten to just be with him and be his friend. Until, finally, he struck the final blow. Really, it could have been worse—he could have chosen Belle over her—but it still set them spiraling apart.
White knew she had to let go, but it wasn't easy. There would be no quick solution. The feelings were still raging on inside her heart—the anger, frustration, and love—no matter how many times she threw a damp cloth over them. She let herself fall too far, and was an idiot to get so distraught when she hit the ground and nobody caught her.
This was all still burning from her mind as she made her way to the port, whereupon she promptly went to the wrong dock and got lost in the swarms of people headed this way and that. She forgot the name of the pier she was supposed to be going to. Thankfully, though, N found her while on his way, and didn't ask if she was lost, though he probably knew. He just walked with her to the correct place and tried some idle conversation that went no where.
"What if Poppy actually shoots you?" White clumsily blurted somewhere along the way.
N chuckled, unabashed. "Black has faith in her, and so do I, but in different ways. Black has faith that she is a good person and that will show through. He is convinced that she would not willingly kill the prince.
"I, however, know that she hesitates to kill for Drayden and Ghetsis, questioning their morals and her own strength. I think that if it were not a mere battle of politics, which she hardly understands, she would have no killing. This may be her first kill order, but she has killed, and I'm sure she hasn't told Black that. She wants to protect him." He sent White a sly glance. "But in all honesty, we won't even really give her the opportunity to shoot. Belle will corner her, and we'll all get off that boat safe and sound."
"And then we'll have to gather the rest of your…" she searched for a word, finally settling on, "siblings," even though it didn't sound right. She was already dreading this next challenging task.
N nodded, and then noticed her struggling to keep up with his long strides. He handed her his canteen. "Here, you've winded yourself running about." At her glare, he quickly added, "And the weather is unusually warm for December, and you're wearing quite a large coat." White nodded in approval of this and took a sip of the water before handing it back to him.
Grasping for a topic, she said, "So the holidays are coming at quite a difficult time."
"Especially for us," he agreed. "This may just be one plan, but I think it's setting something off. If we get my siblings on our side and build up a resistance, we may just be able to overthrow the Harmonias and their associates. It will be difficult and we'll need all the help we can get, so Black will have to learn to trust me." He smirked, and White felt herself smiling slightly too. The idea of Black trusting N was absurd. White wasn't even sure she trusted him, but he didn't have any weapons on him, his hands swinging freely at his sides, and seemed in no particular stance to attack. He hadn't even committed the things they had accused him of; since he disagreed with the Harmonias, he wouldn't have murdered the former president; Poppy had been the one to attack White; and Wally had caused the library mishap.
"Speaking of that," White started, "if you're so trustworthy, then tell me why you're helping us?"
N shrugged. "I work for myself, not the Harmonias, and I've decided that this plan could benefit me." He paused, then added, "And I've also decided it's the perfect way to be rid of you and your little gang."
He stopped walking and faced her head on. She halted too abruptly, stumbling a bit, her heart freezing. All she could get out was, "What?"
N considered the clouds above, calm as the peace before a storm. "See, I figured if I pretend to help you, I could really twist this ploy in my direction."
White's wide cerulean eyes burned holes into him. She couldn't believe herself. She'd let her guard down for but a moment and he struck! Inside she felt weak, anxious for the others and the dangers they would face. She had to warn them! "And how exactly are you planning to accomplish this?"
He smiled placidly. "White, you're too much. I can see why Black dotes on you; you're one tough girl to take down. You're too stubborn to even admit defeat. Tell me, how are you feeling?"
Her eyebrows knit together. She was strangely dizzy. Wasn't that from knowing that the plan was going to fall apart? No, it couldn't have been. It was such a physical faintness she felt rolling over her.
Her eyes flickered to the canteen and panic swelled within her. "You son of a—" She couldn't finish. Her voice was swallowed as easily as the rest of her would be. He grinned maliciously, making her insides squirm. The bastard had drugged her!
Her knees buckled. She had just enough time to hear N say, "Farewell, then, little fighter," and watch as his accomplice, Morty, emerged from the crowds at the dock, coming towards her.
She collapsed, her head spinning and going blank.
Unknowing of the terrors that White was facing, Black and Wally were carrying out their plan. N arrived at the docks at the precise time and place. As Wally ducked behind a building that sold fishing equipment and found N waiting, he hissed out in a whisper, "Where is White?"
N shrugged, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion and uncertainty. "I'm not sure. She must have backed out. I haven't seen her all day. But we don't really need a distraction anyways. Poppy will find me in the crowd." He pulled on the cap that Wally had been wearing and shoved the younger boy behind him. "Go on, get out." He burst into the crowd, ducking his head. He wore relatively the same outfit as Wally, and with his hair sticking out of the cap, Poppy would definitely mistake him for the prince.
Wally snuck away from the port, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Black came from around a streetlamp. "Don't surprise me like that!" Wally scolded. "This plan is already making me worried enough."
"Relax, Wally," Black chided. "Everything will be fine." He grabbed Wally's arm and the two began making their way from the port into the city.
Wally shook his head. "I didn't see White. I don't think she was there." Black's gaze whipped towards him, so Wally waved his hands. "I don't think it's a big deal. We didn't even really need a distraction. She must have just decided that she couldn't go through with it. You know her; she's always sensible."
"But she would do this," Black argued. "I know she would go through with this plan. She wants to help us, I know she does. I know her, and this isn't like her."
"Do you know her? Really? She's seemed fairly angry with you as of late."
"I…I'm not sure anymore."
Black began explaining his confrontation with her to Wally. It felt better to tell someone, and maybe Wally could help him. "The whole time, I didn't know she felt like that," Black went on. "I mean, you think you know a person, and then you realize there are these things that they feel that they never even tell you about. I thought that if she loved me, I would know, but I didn't know. I hurt her because I was completely oblivious to how she felt."
"There's nothing you could have done," Wally assured him. "Even if you had known, what could you have done? You don't love her, but you still want to be her friend. It's complicated. In fact, it's a lucky thing you both made it so far without this happening. But really, she'll be fine. It will take time, but you have to let these things blow over."
Black managed a laugh, but it sounded rough and false. "How did you ever get so wise, Wally?"
"I read a lot."
"Ah, books. The remedy for everything."
They were still at the port, near one of the emptier docks by now. They were nearly past the dock when they were approached by a large, surly man.
Black stopped upon seeing him. "Surge? What are you doing here?" The only explanations he had were that Surge wanted to help in the plan, or that he was drunk and knew Black and N would be at the port.
But, somehow, Surge was scarily sober, with a dark expression painted on his face. "I came to find you, Black," he replied, cracking his knuckles.
"Oh, skies," Wally squeaked out, just loud enough for Black to hear. "Oh, no. That's the universal sign for 'I wanna tousle'. That definitely means he's going to 'take care' of us. Oh, no, oh, what have we done?"
Black put a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, Wally." Inwardly, he was thinking, how is this boy a prince?
Black stepped forward. "So, what did you need me for, Surge?"
"I think you know, Black Harmonia." Black did not like the man's threatening expression or the ominous way he said his name.
"Does this have to do with N?" Black asked, never giving up his suspicion.
"It's much greater than that," Surge answered, "but, in part, yes. N is a man of simplicity and he follows the path he chooses. He has decided that it will be advantageous to our cause if you and your little friends were to disappear."
Now Black backed up. "Surge, I don't think you want to do this."
Surge squinted at him as if he were still the small child he was when they first met. "You don't know a first thing about what I want to do." He threw a punch with his huge fist. Black ducked out of its path and landed a kick to Surge's gut. It barely had an effect. Wally felt useless, looking on, as Surge pulled a gun from his belt and aimed it at Black.
"Stop," Black ordered. "All the other things you've done, you can be pardoned for, but you will forever have my blood on your hands if you murder me."
"And what witnesses will there be?" he gestured to the empty dock, just the three of them. Before Black could even get another word out, Surge's shot ripped through the air and hit Black. Wally cried out as if the shot had hit him, but Black was silent. His brown eyes wide in shock, he toppled backward, only to fall into the harbour with a mighty splash. Wally hadn't been able to tell where Black was shot, and he didn't hear any further sounds. That meant that he was sinking, drowning, bleeding out in the water.
Surge turned to Wally and decided he wasn't worth wasting a bullet. Apparently, Surge had no clue that the former prince of Unova stood before him. Instead, he hit Wally across the head with the barrel of the gun. Wally clattered to the ground, using the impact to throw himself down. Though the pain exploded inside his head, he was still aware of everything around him. Nonetheless, he decided to pretend he was unconscious.
Surge bought it and hefted him up easily, tossing him into the ocean as easily as if he were a lucky penny. Wally knew he would leave quickly afterwards, lest someone saw him murder two young boys.
Wally opened his eyes underwater and searched frantically for his dying friend.
Black had found Poppy that morning and told her that he was going to meet up with the prince by the port. He should not have told me, she thought to herself. He's only making this easier for me. Whether that was good or bad, she could not tell.
Through the binoculars, Poppy spotted green bangs sticking out of a cap. Her spindly target was moving steadily towards the port. She saw his face, anxious as he navigated through passing people. She frowned, wondering where his companions were. "Where are you going…?" she grumbled, but fear seized her as if it were a physical thing that could reach out and grab her heart.
Because she knew that if he got on a boat, it would all be over. She could not let the prince leave the kingdom, where he would be out of her grasp.
She would have to kill him now.
Suddenly very aware of the rifle pressed against her side, she made her way towards the port. In her thick, dark grey cloak, she looked like any other villager, and she wore gloves as well, as if without them anyone could see the blood on her hands.
The knot in her stomach tightening, she lost sight of him for a quick, panicked moment. It took her longer than she'd like to admit to find him again, climbing aboard a ship that would bypass Hoenn, before reaching the actual destination of VermillionCity. To most of the citizens, the actual destinations were obvious. Thankfully, the government had more important issues to deal with than ships illegally traveling to antagonizing nations.
She didn't hesitate to sneak on with the cargo being loaded. Moving, getting on the boat first, was distracting her from what was ahead. One step at a time, she told herself, biting the inside of her cheek until it grew raw. One step at a time…
She was on board. She was on board with a rifle under her cloak and she was going to kill the former prince of Unova before he could get away.
Adrenaline coursing through her system, she slipped away and found the entrance to a vacant, above deck storeroom. It was not on as high ground as she would have liked—the watch tower would have been much more preferred, if not for all the people within it—but it was just high enough to shoot at someone standing on deck. She shoved open a window, put her rifle up to it, and peered out. There he was; in his commoner's clothes, tall and lanky against the hunched crowd, his back to her, gazing out at the glittering sea.
It mattered not how far he was. She was a decent shot and could probably send a bullet straight through his cap.
But did she really want to?
I have no choice, she chastised herself glumly. I must do this. It is for the betterment of the people.
She aimed the rifle for his heart, blood thudding in her ears. For a few endless moments, she waited. Waited for something to stop her, for something to go wrong. But nothing happened. Nothing saved her.
She shot.
The rifle bucked, and the bulled hit the prince squarely in the shoulder. She had missed the heart by far, but it could still be enough to kill him. Every other passenger on the boat whirled around and gasped. All Poppy heard was the ringing in her ears, but she was certain there were muffled shrieks in the background. It would have been so much easier if he fell forward, into the ocean to drown, but instead he stumbled back into the crowd.
Medics hauled him away. Footsteps shook the floors. Poppy's apprehension returned as she suddenly realized that the man she had shot was not the prince, but somehow that was overshadowed by the fact that she had just shot someone. She turned to leave the storeroom, but the door was already open. She expected it to be an officer, a witness, a member of staff, or anyone that might drag her away and lock her up for life.
Instead, it was a horrified girl with watery green eyes, whom Poppy didn't recognize. The girl opened her mouth and shrieked, "How…how could you have shot?!"
A/N: ...
...
...yeah, I really just did that again...
*runs and hides under desk*