- N - = Nicky's part

- J - = my part

Chapter 034 - What is correct to do

- J -

"Well, I had a notebook – it'd probably be easier to explain if I had it with me but I can't find it…"

Amethyst flinched and flickered. Hadn't Stephanie shown her a notebook that morning? Her drunkness didn't let her recall what the notebook was about, though.

However, the small brown-haired woman remained silence.

"...please promise me you're not going to… freak out or anything."

Amethyst nodded. She noticed Serena was trying her best to not look into her eyes... and also spotted the Joy's pokémon -which was its name again? Audino?- coming into the living-room.

The pink-haired woman seemed suspiciously nervous. It made Amethyst regret her drunk status; what if Serena was going to tell her an important story? Amethyst leaned back in her chair (almost at the same time than Serena), trying her best to pay all her attention.

"...The truth is… after it killed my Sawsbuck, I was distraught. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. All I wanted to do was to grab a gun and shoot that thing in the head. I spent weeks studying what it could be, and when I finally figured out I was dealing with a Zoroark, I bought a hunting rifle and went after it."

Zoroark. Yes. Amethyst had seen that pokémon today. Serena had showed it to her just a couple of hours ago.

"Whoa!" The petite woman couldn't help but scream. "You're sooo brave!"

"I knew it was living in the mines - [...] Roark was in the mines when I got there – and I thought he was hiding the monster from me – he kept telling me to get away, and not to stay in the mines past sunset…"

The younger woman in front of Serena frowned. What was the Joy trying to tell her? Was Roark the beast's guardian or something? Was the beast Roark's pet?

Serena's Audino had served them tea. Serena poured a glass for Amethyst and handed it to her.

"Thanks, Serena." The chestnut-head muttered; then she looked at Audino, smiling. "Thank you, sweetie."

Amethyst kept listening to Serena's story. By the looks of it, it seemed like Roark had something to do with the beast. Amethyst was at least able to deduce that. She tried not to think too much, though, since she didn't want to miss what Serena was saying.

"And he – to my surprise – he starts… growling at me… And the next thing I know, he's doubled-over, telling me to run, and screaming like something was trying to burst out of his chest."

"What?!" The purple-eyed trainer couldn't help but scream. What the hell was the Joy going to say now?

However, Serena paused for a moment. Amethyst noticed she was trying to relax. The blue-eyed woman seemed to be in a mess of emotions. Amethyst pitied the poor Serena. The Joy finally got to look into Amethyst's eyes. She was mentioning something about The Reynardine, but Amethyst wasn't able to relate the restaurant to the beast issue. At least in that status...

"…Roark's the beast."

"Gasp!"

Amethyst didn't even have time to flinch. She gasped and stayed like that, mouth agape, and her purple eyes totally open.

"I found out that night in the mine, I probably wouldn't've survived if Roark hadn't tried to hold himself back. I never told anyone – but Roark asked me to stay with him, just to be safe. Most people just suspected I didn't want to rely on my family anymore when I stopped living at the Pokemon Center – it's true in a way, but not the only reason."

"Ah..." Was all Amethyst could say, trying to process all that information. She gulped, still shocked. So, that was the main reason for Serena's behaviour... But what the...! Roark was the beast.

How was that even possible?!

Serena kept talking. There were many things Amethyst wanted to ask, but she was too dizzy to talk, and she didn't want to interrupt Serena, anyway.

"...around a year ago, he told me he started shifting at night, usually around the full moon, but sometimes the night before or after, too. He doesn't know why, and if Byron knows, he's not telling Roark – he hasn't spoken to his dad in nigh-forever."

"B-but there has to be a reason!" Amethyst exclaimed, overwhelmed. "This can't be happening for no reason!"

"...Sometimes I take notes in my notebook, but I don't know where it is anymore. The notebook's for a project for school… at least, it was supposed to be at first. I don't know. Now, it seems too private."

Amethyst opened her mouth to speak, but Serena kept talking.

"This… this is a lot to take in. And if you think I'm batshit insane, I'm not going to hold it against you."

The chestnut-head watched Serena as she got up from the chair. She seemed to be having a really tough time.

"I'm going to get more tea. You should take that jacket off – it gets warm indoors."

Unconsciously, Amethyst grabbed Riley's blue jacket on her shoulders, but didn't get rid of it yet.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I've never said anything like this to the Joys at the Center, or to my family. And I don't have any friends in this region… I guess I really needed to get this off my chest. The notebook worked for a while, but I can't be the only person living with this secret. I'd explode."

Amethyst nodded. Despite the shock, she felt somewhat flattered. Serena hadn't known her for more than two days, and she already trusted her enough to tell her the secret!

"If you have any questions… If there's anything, anything I could help you answer… just ask."

Before Amethyst could reply, Serena left. The purple-eyed woman stared at the living-room's door for a few seconds, still overwhelmed.

"Wh-what has just happened?" She exclaimed, shaking her head and looking around.

By shaking her head, she just got to get dizzier. Great, Amethyst, you're so clever... She got rid of Riley's jacket, throwing it to the sofa. It was then when something fell off from the jacket pockets.

"Eh?" Amethyst asked, surprised; she hastened to pick the items that were now scattered over the sofa. "Newspaper clippings? What's the meaning of this?"

Then, she remembered. The clippings talked about a beast, a monster that ate pokémon... Amethyst had recognized one of the clippings.

"Ms. Brown showed me this same clipping this morning!" Amethyst exclaimed, starting to recall. "And, if I'm not wrong, she showed it to Riley too at the mines! He kept it with him... with all these other clippings..."

Amethyst suddenly shut up. Riley had more clippings other than the one that Stephanie had found that morning. Which meant that...

"Serena!" Amethyst screamed, getting up from the sofa, all the clippings in her hands. "SERENA!"

The chestnut-head got out from the living-room and bounced into the kitchen, where Serena was making more tea. Such was Amethyst's haste that she almost fell onto the floor after tripping over a chair.

"Serena...! Ouch!" Amethyst exclaimed, after tripping; she managed to stay by her feet and showed the clippings to Serena. "Look what I found inside Riley's jacket!"

She was so engrossed with the whole Roark/Zoroark issue that she didn't stop to think if she was betraying Riley.

"Ms. Brown found one of these this morning," Amethyst explained. "and she showed it to Riley later at the mines. Apparently, he didn't know anything about the clipping, but yet he kept it with him... And now it seems like he already had more clippings about the beast."

Amethyst was aware of her poor manners of explaining, but didn't really mind at that moment.

"I-I think Riley's been researching about the Zoroark issue!" Amethyst exclaimed. It wasn't probably new to Serena, since her relationship with Riley had been quite... tense since the beginning.

But Amethyst wanted to break the news she'd just discovered to Serena, anyway.

"And there's more." Amethyst added. "That notebook you talked about..." She took seat, just in case. "Well, Ms. Brown showed me a notebook she'd found last night. She told me she got it from your Audino..."

Amethyst's words came out of her mouth by themselves, she didn't have to think. Were those the alcohol effects too?

"To be honest," The chestnut-head said while Serena had a look at the clippings. "I don't know how to feel about this, I mean, I just found out that a Gym Leader can turn into a pokémon and, while it scares me, I don't feel so bad. Maybe... maybe it's because he's with you... But still... why? Why can Roark turn into a pokémon? That's insane!"

Amethyst planted her hand on her own forehead, sighing. It was pointless to ask Serena, since she'd said herself she didn't know why Roark was like that...

- N -

Serena was a mess of emotions. In between asking her 'Oh good Lord, what have I just done?' and wondering if Roark would ever forgive her, she felt… good… to have someone to tell the tale to.

Amethyst hadn't, she realised, reacted to the story in any way to show she didn't believe it. It had only been – two days? No, less – but there was something in the quiet dexholder that had tugged at her trust. Amethyst radiated security, and it was a relief to tell her what she'd known… but still, she wondered how Roark would react to finding out she'd gone and blabbed. Maybe it was best not to tell him yet.

As the teabag turned the hot water golden yellow, Serena drummed her fingers on the table. Roark… …He'd have to turn tomorrow night. And that was the big problem. Would he be able to keep himself human all night? No, that was out of the question. How was he going to lead the Dance once the moon rose?

Her Audino looked up at her, a vague smile on its face. She smiled back, making the little creature giggle with happiness. Maybe Amy would have an answer.

"Serena! SERENA!"

The Joy flinched, startled. Amethyst was bounding towards the kitchen, tripping over a chair as she did. Audino rushed to her side, looking concerned, but the dexholder seemed more excited with what was in her hands.

"Serena...! Ouch! Look what I found inside Riley's jacket!"

Riley. Bile rose in her throat.

"Ms. Brown found one of these this morning, and she showed it to Riley later at the mines. Apparently, he didn't know anything about the clipping, but yet he kept it with him... And now it seems like he already had more clippings about the beast."

Amethyst began to show her the clippings – one after the other. Riley had been a busy, busy boy.

While Serena thought she'd seen every newspaper article about Roark, she was surprised not to recognise some of them – they were old. Some were in languages she barely recognised, others were so old they…

So old they couldn't've been picked up the oldest, yellowing at the edges and soft like tissue paper.

"This is dated twenty years ago," She muttered, "Riley knew about the original black beast, the one at the Reynardine."

"And there's more. That notebook you taked about... Well, Ms. Brown showed me a notebook she'd found last night. She told me she got it from your Audino..."

Serena's eyes narrowed. Trust Blondie to take things that weren't hers. Audino whimpered, afraid to be scolded for a lapse in judgement. Serena did nothing, but eyed the clippings with interest.

"To be honest, I don't know how to feel about this, I mean, I just found out that a Gym Leader can turn into a pokémon and, while it scares me, I don't feel so bad. Maybe... maybe it's because he's with you... But still... why? Why can Roark turn into a pokémon? That's insane!"

Serena finally found her voice.

"T-thank you," She managed. "I… It's a big relief you're not freaking out," She admitted. "I'm not telling Roark anything yet, so don't mention you know this in front of him. I don't know how he'd react – and with the full moon tomorrow, he might turn tonight if he gets upset."

She played with her pink hair, braiding it absentmindedly while looking over the clippings Amy had laid out on the kitchen counter. Audino picked one up and stared at it.

"Audino," It took it from the Normal-type, and skimmed it.

It was one of the older ones, about the original Reynardine beast.

"There was a Zoroark here before, the one at the Reynardine," She continued to braid her hair, "look at this – Riley knew about it before – but what happened to it? I know an Aura Guardian fought it, and it was never seen again… Riley probably wants to do the same thing to Roark…"

A panic rose in her chest.

"What if Riley kills him?"

She looked about afraid.

"Amy! What if the last Aura Guardian really did kill the first beast?"

- J -

Dizzy Amethyst stared at Serena while the hot-pink-haired woman had a look at all the clippings. The Joy seemed strangely surprised at a few of them, as if she didn't recognize them, but the chestnut-head tried to ignore such discovery.

Serena looked bothered when Amethyst told her it was Stephanie the one who was holding the precious notebook at the moment. No wonder. Stephanie was a nice chick, but too much stubborn and quite annoying and busy-body at times. That was Serena's notebook, and it was DEADLY important for her. What if Serena saw herself ruined just because of one of Stephanie's pranks?

"Wait," Amethyst found herself thinking. "does this mean I have to choose between Serena's side or Ms. Brown's side?"

Maybe due to the effects of being drunk, Amethyst started to think about stuff which didn't have anything to do with what she was telling Serena. While the blue-eyed Joy listened at Amethyst's feelings about the issue, the younger woman was starting her own mental war:

"Ms. Brown is a good girl, and a Dexholder, just like me." Amethyst thought to herself. "I like her because she reminds me of the old days with my friends, when we were young and carefree. Plus, she doesn't make me feel uncomfortable, and she always make me laugh. She's quite a busy-body, but she's just a kid after all and simply wants to get into adventures."

"Now, Serena has opened her heart to me despite being a serious lady and knowing each other for just two days." The purple-eyed trainer kept thinking. "She's mature and she actually trusts me, even though I'm quite a bad trainer; she accepts me the way I am. Maybe she's trying to help hide a monster, but… but it's because of the most beautiful thing in this world."

"Love."

"…full moon tomorrow, he might turn tonight if he gets upset."

Amethyst flinched. She'd stopped listening to Serena for a moment, but managed to process that last line.

The sudden image of Roark becoming all insane, turning into a beast and starting to kill everyone appeared on Amethyst's mind and didn't please her at all. However, she remained silence. They could just be the alcohol effects.

"Audino."

Serena's pokémon'd took a clipping which had fell of Amethyst hands and Serena was already reading it. The bushy-haired woman couldn't figure out what Serena's expression meant. She certainly looked surprised, even somewhat intrigued. But why?

While the Joy kept reading that last clipping, Amethyst continued her mental war. Not only she was trapped between both Serena and Stephanie's sides, but there were more people involved.

…Important people, as she already knew.

"Am I betraying Riley by telling Serena?" Amethyst asked to herself, a bit frightened. "Or Ms. Brown, for that matter? Ms. Brown trusted me her feelings about this issue, and now I'm telling everything…"

Amethyst felt terribly bad.

"But Serena is doing this because she loves Roark. She REALLY does!" The chestnut-head bit her lip. "And I can't ignore something as beautiful as that…"

It wasn't a secret anymore the fact that Amethyst had a weak spot for romance.

"I just don't know what's correct anymore." Her final thoughts were.

Serena finished reading that last clipping. She didn't seem to repare on Amethyst's distress, as she seemed pretty much frightened herself, as well.

"What if Riley kills him? Amy! What if the last Aura Guardian really did kill the first beast?"

The petite woman opened her eyes totally, mouth agape. That line made her realize certaing things.

"Maybe I don't know what I ought to do." Amethyst said, finally talking out loud. "Maybe I don't know what's correct anymore. But I do know that Roark is NOT a beast; he's a human who can turn into a pokémon, but a human after all. He has feelings and emotions! As much as I love Riley… I'd NEVER allow him to kill another human being!"

Amethyst grabbed Serena's hands. Her face was sweaty and red, and was horribly exhausted, but she had to do what her heart was telling her to do. She had to tell Serena!

"Serena, I'm so sorry I've kept things from you," Amethyst said. "when you've opened your heart to me just after two days…"

Of course Serena had been keeping Roark's true nature from her, but that was something Amethyst didn't HAVE TO know, after all. While one of Serena's precious possessions being stolen was actually something the owner should have known!

"As I just told you, Ms. Brown has your notebook." The purple-eyed woman said. "I don't know what's she goind to do with it… Serena, you know Ms. Brown is what I can consider a friend, but what she's done 's wrong, that's why I'm telling you."

"The reason why it took me so long to heal her bruise at breakfast was because she was showing me your notebook and the single clipping. We kept talking about the 'beast' for a while and tried to figure out Riley's intentions about the issue."

"Ms. Brown's kept thinking about the beast since then! At the training, at lunch… And now seems almost as interested as Riley." Amethyst sighed. "I just… wanted to forget about the issue, but it seems like I can't run away from it. I don't know if Ms. Brown has come up with any new theory, but now that I know all the truth… Serena, PLEASE, keep Ms. Brown out of this issue. I know talk is cheap, but you have to try… I don't want her to get into trouble! This is so serious…"

"And Riley…"

Amethyst looked up, directly into Serena's blue eyes. The chestnut-head's purple eyes were a bit teary.

"Riley's a good friend of Roark's and his father." She said, gently. "If what you said is true and he really wants to kill his childhood friend just because of some stupid legend, I'd be… so disappointed…"

…Maybe insulting myths, something which Serena loved, wasn't the smartest thing to do, but the purple-eyed trainer realized too late. Myths actually interested Amethyst as well, but she did NOT know a thing about the old battle between the Aura Guardian and that Zoroark, anyway.

Amethyst sighed again, starting to feel even dizzier.

"I… love him." She muttered. "Don't let him do that to Roark… but don't hurt him either… Please…"

Enough was enough. Amethyst finally knew the truth about Roark and Serena and had, finally, managed to realize and express her feelings about that whole issue, so she could finally rest in peace.

The chestnut-haired woman collapsed in Serena's arms, too tired, too dizzy…