Me: *throws snowball over fort's edge* TAKE THAT MAX!

Max: *ducks behind fort of her own* Gardevoir! Snowball me!

Gardevoir: *hands over snowball and grabs one of own* Locked and loaded.

Max: FIRE! *throws snowball along with Gardevoir's*

Carlos: INCOMING!

Me: Duck! *grabs him and pulls down behind barrier just as cold missiles hit*

Carlos: That was close! *grabs another snowball and chucks it* You'll never defeat us!

Gardevoir: *to Max* I know! *throws chocolate into middle of battlefield* Look Eon! A truffle!

Me: *pops head up* TRUFFLE?! *runs out for chocolate*

Max: *launches giant house-sized snowball* Victory!

Carlos: Margaret!

Me: *sees snowball and quickly turns to Carlos* Don't worry! Just hold strong! Protect the fort-! *gets smashed by snowball*

Carlos: *anguished cry* NOOOO!

Gardevoir: Surrender!

Carlos: *starts launching snowballs angrily* NEVER!

Me: *starts hollowing out hidey hole beneath giant snowball* Hey guys! Sorry for the late update! Stupid school...haha! Well, since Max and Carlos can't go yet due to snow issues, we decided to have a fight! *evil smile* And I have the perfect plan...Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon in any way. Just my beloved Amber and Melany! ;) And don't forget that plot!

Chapter Fourteen: Blue

"Blue!"

I heard my name being called again, and any thought of Luna suddenly drained away as the familiar voice rang in my ears. My eyes were still closed, and I didn't dare open them in fear that my hopes for its owner would be destroyed. I mean, she was supposed to be in a coma!

"Blue! Wake up!"

The urgency in her voice was enough to convince me to chance it. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I squinted against the harsh light and tried to get them to focus on the face looking down at me.

"Are you alright?! You were yelling in your sleep!"

My jaw went slack as the blurriness cleared, and a pair of worried light green eyes met with my shocked blue ones. She had barely enough time to open her mouth in an attempt to ask something else before I shot up into a sitting position and crushed her in a tight hug.

"Yellow!" My voice was strangled by tears, but I didn't care. I was just so happy to see those bright eyes again.

She froze a second before laughing and hugging me back. "Yes, Blue. It's me."

I gave another cracking laugh into her hair before pulling away and realizing that I was in my room at the Pokemon Center again. Suddenly remembering what had happened before I'd passed out, I lifted my shirt and was surprised to find that there was no wound whatsoever.

I looked at Yellow with wide eyes. "Did you do this?"

For a second, her smile faltered, and she shook her head. "You were already like that when I got to you."

My eyes widened further. "You mean, you were already awake when I got shot?!"

She nodded. "I'm the one who found you. Green was there not long after I was, and we brought you back here."

Glancing past her, I saw that there was no one else in the room even though there was a steady stream of bright sunlight coming in through the window.

"It's about noon so everyone else is getting some lunch," Yellow explained, gently pushing me back against the pillow with a puzzled expression. "I heard you screaming in your sleep so I woke you up. Did you have a nightmare?"

I bit my lip. "Something like that."

She nodded. "Well, they gave you another transfusion last night so the dizziness should have probably worn off by now."

I nodded and smiled at her again. "I'm just so happy to see you awake again."

Yellow's face clouded over for a moment until she looked at a calendar hanging on the wall. "Blue, what day is it?"

My eyes widened before I realized that she hadn't seen daylight for a long time now. "It's July 5th."

Yellow nodded blankly a moment before giving a small laugh. "Looks like I woke up on the fourth of July, didn't I?"

I laughed. "That's a bummer! We never got to set off fireworks this year!"

"I'm sure we can whip something up."

Yellow and I looked up as Silver walked into the room with a plate holding a couple of muffins and an orange juice box which he set on the bedside table before handing me the dish and sitting down in one of the two available chairs. Red was after him, claiming the other for himself, and I watched curiously as Green stalked in behind them both and simply leaned against the wall, bangs shadowing his blank face.

"Really?" I asked the redhead before taking a ravenous bite out of a muffin. "That would be so fun! Plus, it'd be a great way to celebrate Yellow's awakening!"

Red smiled at the idea, and Silver nodded.

I glanced over at Green for his input, but he remained quiet.

My eyebrows creasing lightly, I turned back to the others as Yellow plopped down on the end of my bed, her white dress blending in with the blankets.

"So," she began softly. "I've been asleep for a long time, haven't I?"

Red paused, and Silver and I looked at her gently.

"Yes," I told her. "You first went unconscious on the 24—which was almost two weeks ago."

Her eyes widened. "B-but how am I still alive then? I need to eat and use the restroom and stuff!"

Red took the honor of explaining. "See, we found this green powder in your hair that we think…Amber used on you." He stopped a minute as she stiffened before continuing. "We sent it in to Crystal, and she told us that it had slowed down everything in your body and put you into a coma."

I saw her eyes grow even larger. "That's so strange."

Silver nodded. "It should all start kicking in sooner or later. It may come back all at once though since it's had some time to build up."

Right after he ceased speaking, there was a low growl, and I chuckled as Yellow gave a sheepish smile. "Guess that explains why I'm so hungry. But I don't need to—" Her face twisted up slightly, and she bolted out of the room. "Be right back!"

I laughed at her back, and Red stood up with a smile. "I think I'll go get her something to eat. She'll want it when she gets back from the bathroom."

I gave a soft snort as he walked out and turned my head to Silver. The redhead was watching the brunette in the corner of the room carefully, and I tilted my head as he stood up from his chair.

"I'm going to go do a quick check and make sure everything's still safe on the premises," he declared before striding out of the room.

Everything fell into silence once he stepped out, and I moved my gaze to Green who hadn't even twitched a muscle since he'd walked in.

Sighing as I set down the muffins, I propped myself up on my arms and pushed off the bed, surprised that I felt no burning between my shoulders anymore. Packing the thought away for later, I slowly walked over to where he was leaning against the wall and poked his shoulder.

"Hey," I asked with a puzzled voice. "What's wrong?"

He gave a low chuckle, but it didn't belong with the tight frown present on his face.

"Green," I said, starting to get a little frustrated.

He finally lifted his head, and I almost took a step back from the angry turmoil I found swimming in his eyes.

"You should know."

His voice was so soft that I almost mistook it for someone else's. He stood up straight and stiff and stalked past me, his black jacket gently brushing my shoulder. Whipping around, I grabbed his hand and forced him to stop.

"Green! Where are you going?"

He didn't move for a moment, his face hidden to me as I was behind him, but as soon as he turned around, I almost wished he hadn't.

"I'm done, Blue," he almost growled, looking down tensely. "I've tried my best to keep you safe, but I can't keep doing this. Watching you hurt yourself then waiting in fear to see if you manage to live through it again. I'm sorry, but…" His fist clenched slightly under my hold. "I can't take it anymore."

My eyes widened, and I locked my gaze with his fiery one as he looked up.

"Well, it's not like I ever asked you to keep an eye on 24/7," I told him frostily.

He narrowed his eyes, pulling his hand from mine. "Well, it's not like you should be throwing yourself headfirst into danger everyday anyway."

My fingers curled unconsciously, and I took a step towards him. "What's your deal? Why can't you just accept the fact that I'm going to get hurt?"

"Because I can't, okay?!" He exploded. Giving an angry sigh, he held his face in a hand.

Tilting my head curiously, the tension in my fists lessened a little, and I walked until we were standing face to face.

"Green, are you alright?" His eyes widened from behind his fingers. "It seems like something's bothering you."

He scoffed and removed his hand. "Yeah, your ill sense of self-preservation."

I shook my head slowly. "No…there's something else. Isn't there?"

He froze for a moment before recovering and walking over to the bed. One hand in his pocket, he used the other to pick up my white hat from the nightstand and observe it with wide, puzzled eyes. I paused myself when I recognized that look. It was the same one Red had when we were younger and he was just beginning to understand his feelings for Yellow.

I creased my eyebrows in thought as he set the hat down and looked out the window. Why would Green look like he was dealing with a similar dilemma?

I saw his fingers lingering over my hat and stiffened as I realized just what it was.

Green heard me go silent and turned around in curiosity only to freeze when he saw my wide eyes.

"Green," I said quietly.

He didn't answer, but I could see his eyes grow wide like mine.

Before I could stop myself, the same words I'd asked him only a couple of weeks ago came tumbling from my mouth again, though there was no humor in my voice as there had been then.

"Do you actually care about me?"

I watched as he became immobilized and remembered the last time I'd said that inside the TR tracker. Reverting back to myself for a second, I waited in hidden amusement for him to start blushing like he'd done at that time, but my eyes grew in shock as he suddenly turned his head away with a set jaw. His bangs had fallen to conceal his conflicting eyes, and he was trembling slightly as if fighting some kind of internal war.

My eyebrows creased in confusion, and I reached a hand out to him.

But that seemed to be the moment when he broke.

"Why…" He began, his voice almost a low whisper. "Why would I care about you?"

I froze. "What?"

He narrowed his eyes. "All you ever do is bother me, dragging me along with you wherever you go and just causing me trouble!" His voice was loud with frustration, but for some reason, it seemed as if it wasn't directed at me but more his own self.

He let out an angry sigh of disbelief like he was trying more to convince himself rather than me. "How could I ever care about you?"

There was a moment of silence, and I didn't notice that my teeth had clenched until they pierced my lip, and a drop of boiling blood surfaced. My voice was like a low motor as I said, "Well I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had become such a nuisance."

He frowned. "How could you not?! What with how many transfusions Red's had to give you, I'd have thought you'd caught on by now!"

"It's not my fault, okay?!" I yelled at him.

His green eyes flashed. "It is too your fault! Every time you've gotten yourself hurt, help was nearby. For Entei's sake, I was always only a phone call away! But you refuse to let me help you!"

I closed my eyes and shook my head, not wanting to hear this. "You know what, why don't you just go?! Then you won't have to worry about me anymore!"

He bared his teeth before whipping around and stalking for the door. "Fine! I guess I was only wasting my time with you anyway!"

He slammed the door shut behind him, and I gave an angry huff as the sound echoed in my ears. He just doesn't get it!

Looking for some way to vent my fury, I grabbed a muffin off the plate on the nightstand and bit into it, completely forgetting about the paper and just taking a bite. When it caught in my throat, I coughed angrily and threw the rest of it into the waste bin.

Crossing my arms, I started pacing the room, my feet restless as they continued to turn back and forth. I was so caught up in my mind of rage that I didn't even notice the door opening again.

Yellow gave a sigh and sweatdropped as she shut it behind her. "Wow, I didn't know I could hold that much…" She turned and saw my fuming form, pausing mid-step. "Blue, what's wrong?"

"That idiot!" I raged to no one in particular. "He doesn't understand at all!"

"Blue!" Yellow told me, walking over and holding her hands up. "Calm down. What happened?"

I didn't answer her question, though, only picking another muffin up and biting again. The blond-haired girl could easily see the tension in my shoulders and frowned slightly.

"Why don't we just sit down for a minute?" She suggested, leading me over to a chair. I collapsed into it obediently and refolded my arms. Tilting her head and putting a hand to her chin, she observed me carefully for a moment until the door opened again and Red walked in with another plate of muffins.

"Hey, Yellow, I—" He caught sight of me in the chair, and his eyebrows creased. "What's going on?"

Yellow took the plate from him and frowned slightly. "I think something happened with Green. I saw him down the hallway from here when I was on my way back."

Red blinked once before nodding and getting ready to head back out of the room. "I'll go find him."

Yellow gave him a small smile and shut the door behind the boy as he set off. Walking back over to where I sat glaring daggers at the wall, she picked up my own muffins and made me take them before settling into the other chair with her own.

"How about we start by filling me in on everything I've missed."

I sat in the Pokemon Center lobby on one of the comfortable couches trying to read the day's newspaper, but my mind was so full that the words seemed to blur together into a jumble of meaningless syllables. My hands gripped the paper with fists as tight and rigid as my Rhydon's hide, yet at the same time they felt as loose and unstable as a mountain of pudding.

Throwing the paper down on the table, I placed my chin in my hands and elbows on my knees as I stared angrily ahead at nothing in particular. The few people who had been walking into my line of vision caught sight of my tense stature and hurried out of the way of my glare.

This is not my fault. If that pesky girl just didn't insist on heading straight into danger all the time…

I shook my head, but the look on her face before I left her room faded into my thoughts, and I shut my eyes, biting my lip sharply as I leaned back against the couch.

"Hey."

I blinked and looked up to see Red staring down at me with narrowed eyes.

"What'd you do?"

I huffed and closed my eyes again. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

I felt him sit down on the couch beside me but only crossed my arms.

"Come on," he sighed. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I replied tersely. "I'm just fine."

"Yeah, well, Blue's not so I'm staying until I get an actual answer."

I opened my eyes slowly at that and looked down.

Red saw my hidden confliction and tilted his head. "Seriously; why are you acting like this?"

I turned my eyes to his for a moment and saw that he was genuinely confused. Giving a sigh, I facepalmed. "To be honest, I really don't know. Blue's not my responsibility so I shouldn't have to worry about her!"

Red paused a moment. "But you do anyway, don't you?"

I did the same and nodded, reluctant to admit it. "Yeah, I do. A lot." My fist clenched. "But she keeps insisting on hurting herself, and I don't know what to do! It's like she's doing it on purpose just to make me worry!"

Red looked at me quietly with wide eyes. "I don't think she's doing it because of that, Green."

I raised an eyebrow. "I know she's trying to keep everyone safe, but she doesn't have to be so reckless!"

The black-haired boy shrugged. "That's just who she is. You can't change that."

"No, but she could at least try," I muttered.

Red shook his head. "Why are you so upset about this? Not even half a year ago, we saved Deoxys from Giovanni, got turned into stone by Sird, and defeated Guile Hideout's giant sea monster at the Battle Frontier with the other Pokedex Holders. What we're dealing with now hasn't quite reached any of those levels yet." His eyes narrowed softly. "So why do you make it seem like it has?"

I didn't say anything for a moment. He had a point. We'd all been through worse than running from a group of villains who wanted Yellow for some reason. So, why was I worrying this much about Blue? Okay, I'll admit I'd always been concerned for her welfare like all my friends, but now…

My eyes shut tightly as memories flashed through my mind.

Blue cut up and bleeding like she'd been through a downpour of knives.

Blue screaming as she was carried away by an army of viruses.

Blue almost…dead.

My jaw clenched as the flashbacks brought a strange warmth to my eyes. Blinking fast, I almost recoiled in shock when something hit my hand, and I realized that it was a tear.

Then it suddenly made sense.

Red's eyes widened. "Are you…?" I saw it click in his brain, too, and shook my head as his mouth dropped open. "Green…you…you lo—"

"No!" I sprang off the couch, wiping furiously at my eyes. "I do not!"

Red stood up and reached a hand out. "Green, it's okay if you—"

"No! I don't!" I yelled again, causing a few heads to turn.

Red smiled nervously at them and pulled me into the back hallways that led to Yellow and Blue's rooms. I was too shocked to do anything but follow, and I didn't move when he set me against the hall and stared at me with wide eyes.

"Green, it's really not that bad," he said as if walking on eggshells.

I shook my head adamantly, and my face fell into my hands.

He gave a small chuckle. "How's it feel being on the end of realization this time around?"

I lifted my eyes up to glare at him, but I was still so shocked that it only came out as a confused look.

His eyes softened in bewilderment. "Why is it so hard for you to believe?"

"Believe what?"

Red whipped around to see that Silver had suddenly appeared behind him with slightly creased eyebrows. Looking over the older boy's shoulder, the redhead saw my frozen form leaning against the wall and nodded with a sigh.

"So he's finally realized it," Silver said with a knowing voice.

I stared at him as Red tilted his head. "You knew?"

Silver nodded. "It's not that hard to see. Besides, I care a lot about Nee-san. So, I can tell when somebody else does, too."

My eyes widened at him, and I snapped up off the wall with another shake of my head. "No, I don't-!"

Silver took one step forward and glared right into my eyes, cutting off the rest of my sentence. I glared back at him for a moment before giving a light huff and stalking off down the winding corridors.

Red and Silver stared after me until the black-haired boy sighed. "I don't see why he's taking this so difficultly."

Silver's face went blank with thought. "Red?"

"Yeah?"

"How many times has Green had to deal with a girl?"

The capped boy's face slowly dawned with understanding. "Never."

Silver nodded. "Do you get it now? Green-senpai is a Gym Leader and a researcher. He's always been able to plan out everything and find all the answers. Plus, he has basically no experience with the female gender. For once, he has no idea what to do."

The redhead watched as I disappeared around a corner at the far end of the hall.

"And he doesn't know how to handle it."

I leaned back in my chair as Yellow went to take our plates down to the cafeteria. It'd taken some long hours to fill her in on all that she'd missed, but now the girl was all caught up. The hotel hunting, the midnight fire, Mrs. Sage and Copycat, Kathy, our talk with Crystal, Black and White going home with their Eevees…all of it. She'd taken it quite well, but I could tell that it was a lot to absorb after being unconscious for almost two weeks.

As the door shut behind her, an image of Green suddenly flashed in my mind, and I could feel my blood boiling again. Immediately I searched for something to distract myself with. I had just managed to calm down after talking with Yellow for a while, and it might be better if I stayed that way.

Grimacing as I tried to force his face from my brain, I looked around the room and noticed the early afternoon sun turning the blankets on my bed from light blue to gold. My eyes widened a smidge, and any thought of Green left as a certain pair of bright eyes came to mind.

"Luna," I whispered in shock.

My past with the Mask of Ice was something that I would never forget. As a child, it was too traumatizing for me not to remember. Silver was too young to recall anything, but I had been old enough to do just that.

However, I knew for a fact that nothing in my dream about Luna had ever happened.

There were just too many points that didn't fit with the story I knew. For one, the Masked Man had only kidnapped four children—Will and Karen had willingly joined him. Not fifty. I shook my head. That would have been impossible for him to do. Surely that many disappearances in that short amount of time would have been noticed! The police could have easily traced it all back to Pryce, but I knew he wasn't dumb enough to set himself up for failure like that.

Besides…I put a hand to my chin. What had he done with the ones he no longer needed? Yes, he could have easily just disposed of them, but then he would have had a mountain of murders to deal with as well. And knowing him, he wanted to do things as unnoticed as possible. I bit my lip. As unnoticed as Luna's disappearance.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. There was something about her I knew. In the dream, I hadn't realized it as we had been meeting for the first time, but back in reality, I detected a sense of familiarity from her.

I grabbed my forgotten carton of orange juice from the nightstand and popped it open as I went through my clues. Luna had light blonde hair, her first Pokemon (I assumed) was a Venonat, she had quite the temper at times, and she could be pretty darn sneaky when she wanted to. I looked up at the ceiling and took a drink. But who would I know that would fit that description—

The orange juice came spitting from my mouth, and I choked as answer hit me.

The door opened again, and Yellow walked in just as my coughing fit subsided.

"Whoa," she said, looking at the spray of juice on the floor.

I gave another light hack and stood up. "Bad spit take."

She nodded and grabbed a tissue box to start cleaning it up. Bending down, I helped her, and together we silently wiped up the orange staining the white linoleum floor.

"I'd ask what caused this," she chuckled lightly, "But we don't have time for that."

I tilted my head as we finished and threw the soaked tissues in the trash. "How so?"

She clicked her tongue and wiped her hands off. "Well, Silver said it doesn't look like Melany and Amber are around anywhere so he thinks it might be a good idea if we all went out for dinner. You know, to help de-stress a bit."

I paused. "All of us?"

She nodded.

I narrowed my eyes. "Sounds fun."

Yellow

The tension was so thick that everyone at the table could have reached out and touched it.

That is, except for the two brunettes who were too busy glaring at each other across the table.

"So," I said softly from behind my tall menu. "What should we order?"

Since Red had to drag Green here and Silver Blue, it had been up to me to choose which restaurant we were going to. Melany and Amber were still a present threat so I had decided on a small place just down the street from the Pokemon Center that was famous for its delicious desert.

I could only hope that we'd last that long, though.

Our six person table was set near one of the front windows so we could look out at the street, the glass pane at Silver's back as he sat on one side and Red and I opposite him. Green was on Red's left at the one end of the table, and Blue was on Silver's, exactly opposite of the emerald-eyed brunette.

Green huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, we shouldn't be risking being seen anyway so let's just go with a big extravagant dinner that will totally let Amber and Melany know where we are. Perhaps they can join us before all hell breaks loose."

Blue narrowed her eyes. "Oh no, that would only bother them. Let's not waste our time with it and just go home."

Green glared at her. "Oh, but I'm just trying to be helpful and give Yellow a suggestion."

The girl's white hat bounced as she laughed sarcastically. "Well I—"

"Let's just go with the Saturday Special," Silver said lowly, cutting them off with a glare.

The brunettes only glared at each other again before scoffing and looking away. Silver shook his head, and I leaned over towards Red hesitantly.

"How bad do you think their fight was?" I whispered nervously.

Red frowned uncertainly. "Judging by the extra level of biting acerbity, I'd say worse than usual."

I bit my lip and watched them cautiously until a waitress came to take our order. Silver politely told her our choice, and she left the tray with our drinks to go put in the request. As she walked away, Green got out of his chair to pass out the glasses. Blue, however, had already jumped out of her seat so their hands met the tray at the same time, eliciting another burning stare between the two.

"I've got this," the green-eyed boy told her, his voice coated in fake sweetness. "I don't need help."

Blue only smiled at him and took the tray. "That's alright. It's no trouble."

Green bristled slightly but sat back down as she passed out the glasses. Once done, she set the tray in front of her, and Silver started talking as to avoid another argument. "So, Yellow, how does it feel to be awake again?"

I looked nervously between Green and Blue as they started glaring again. "Well, it's a lot better than the world of dark I had been in before."

"I'll bet," Red said cheerfully. I smiled at his attempt to brighten the mood, but it did nothing to affect the two brooding brunettes.

"I-I just hope I haven't caused any problems," I stuttered out, hoping it was the right thing to say.

It wasn't.

"Oh no," Blue said with a flick of her wrist. "It's been no trouble at all."

Green bared his teeth a little, and Blue narrowed her eyes. "Besides, I believe I got you caught up on everything."

The forest-eyed boy raised an eyebrow as the meal arrived, and Blue's drink tray was traded for our plates. "Oh? And what exactly did you catch her up on?"

"You know," Blue said absentmindedly, watching her food as she took a bite, "All that's happened to us since we left the Viridian Gym."

He took a drink. "Really? And you even mentioned jumping out of a burning building?"

Blue swallowed angrily and grit her teeth. "Yes. Why wouldn't I?"

He held his hands up and smirked cheekily, something quite unusual for him. "Just wanted to make sure you hadn't left out any details."

I saw Blue tense and bit my lip. She wasn't lying. She'd told me all that had occurred, from the hotel jump to getting shot by Melany. She'd even been having nightmares about the Masked Man again.

I paused as I was about to take a bite of my dinner and that ocean taste from yesterday swept across my tongue again. I was surprised that it'd come back and this time with a sharp rage that coursed through me and made my blood boil. Shaking my head, I reached forward to grab the salt container and brushed Green's hand as he went for the pepper. I dropped my fork when the salty tang suddenly transformed into an earthy, forest taste. It reminded me of the bright green oak leaves that hung on the trees this time of year, but the uncontainable anger that came with it certainly did not match the peaceful giants.

"Yellow?" Red asked with scrunched eyebrows. "What's wrong?"

I drew my hand back from Green's, and the earthy taste washed away from my tongue. I looked up at Red's expectant face and contemplated how exactly I was going to tell him about this new development. "Well, I'm not sure how to describe it…"

His soft eyes beckoned me on, and I cleared my throat tentatively.

"But…I think I've somehow acquired the ability to…taste…people's feelings."

Red and Silver openly stared, and even Green and Blue interrupted their glaring to look at me with wide eyes.

"What?" The black-haired boy said astonished. "What do you mean…taste?"

I shifted uncomfortably at the attention but gave a sigh. "Well, when I woke up, I got this odd sensation like the ocean on my tongue, and along with it came this excruciating pain in my stomach. I followed the taste, and eventually, I found Blue in the alley."

The aqua-eyed girl's face morphed into shock. "So, you can feel what other people do?"

I nodded, and Silver tilted his head. "And they each have a specific taste? Like a nametag?"

I nodded again. "I'm pretty sure Blue was the ocean, and when I was unconsciousness, it happened two more times." I looked over at Red. "One was when I saw your face. It was like a mixture of Cheri Berries and mint." He smiled a minute before freezing at my next words. "And then I saw Amber, and it was the same thing except there was ferns instead of mint."

The red-eyed boy looked down at his plate, and I clicked my tongue again before looking at Green. "And I believe yours is the forest."

The brown-haired boy's eyes widened, and Silver leaned forward on his hands. "So what's my taste?"

"I-I don't know," I told him honestly. "It normally just happens at random. I can make it go away, but I'm not sure if I can purposefully make it happen."

"Try," he encouraged me. "Knowing you, it might be another one of your Viridian powers."

My eyes widened. "Do you think so?"

He nodded. "I don't see why not. You can heal anything and telepathically move small objects like your Rod's Pokeball. So what's another power added to the mix?"

I nodded slowly, closing my eyes to try it. I sent my mind out like I'd done while flying with Kitty to find Blue's taste again, and just like then, there was nothing but the same ocean tang.

"I'm sorry," I said apologetically, "but all I'm getting is Blue's ocean."

Silver narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. So how were you able to taste Red and Green and even Amber?"

I looked down in surprise. "I have no idea. When I was unconscious, I was surrounded by nothing but darkness. I couldn't feel or think or do anything. Then there was this warmth in my hand. I tasted Cheri Berries and mint, and suddenly I was overcome with worry. After that, I was hugging Amber." Red tensed, but I didn't stop to notice it. "The mint changed to ferns, and the worry became sorrow. I think I broke down and started yelling which brought back that warmth and the mint, changing the sorrow to peace. Then came Blue's taste, and I woke up."

Red looked at Green who nodded. "That must have been the night she was screaming, and you held her, Red."

I nodded, and Silver put a hand to his chin. "Okay…so both times you were with Red and Amber…you were somehow touching them…right?"

I blinked. "Yeah, I was." I glanced at Green. "And just now, I tasted the forest when I hit your hand."

Silver nodded. "Then it looks like you can only use this power when you come into contact with the person."

"What about me then?" Blue chipped in. "I was nowhere near her when she woke up."

"You're right," I agreed, still tasting ocean and feeling her rage that had dissolved into excited interest in my new power. "Yet, I can still sense what your emotions are."

"Maybe it's not only direct but indirect contact," Silver suggested. "Do you have something of hers with you?"

I shook my head. "Not that I can recall."

Blue thought a moment before holding up a finger. "The shoes!"

Red tilted his head. "Shoes?"

She nodded quickly. "I lent her the heels she's wearing right now for White's party!"

"That's right!" I said, realizing that I was still in my white Grecian dress as well.

Silver gave a nod. "I'll bet that's it then." He held out a hand. "So how about we see what my taste is?"

Seeing the gesture, I reached my own hand out and touched the black material of his glove. Pushing the ocean taste away, I allowed room for another one to take its place. I was quite shocked to find that it was much like Blue's only without the salty tang.

"It's like…rain," I said in surprise. It wasn't at all what I would have thought his taste would be, but after getting to know him better and seeing how calm he could be at times, it made sense.

Red raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's not what I was expecting."

Silver shook his head. "Me either."

Green nodded in agreement, and Blue smiled. "Well, I'm happy with this new development! It sure saved my butt!"

I laughed at her as I pulled my hand back from Silver's but stopped a moment later when I realized that Green was shooting daggers at her again from across the table.

I sweatdropped. And they were doing so well…

"She wouldn't have had to save your butt if you hadn't gotten yourself shot," Green said lowly, eyes trained on the girl as her smile froze and slowly curved down.

"Melany and Amber were right there!" She yelled across the table. "What was I supposed to do? Just walk away and leave them there?!"

"Well you certainly didn't have to run into the path of a bullet!" Green shouted heatedly back at her.

"I didn't mean to get hurt!" She screamed indignantly.

"Guys—" Red tried to say before Green cut him off.

"You never mean to, Blue!" His fist clenched on the table. "But you do anyway! And it's because you never let me help you!"

"I never asked for your help in the first place!" She stood angrily from her chair, the meal long forgotten. "It's not like I need some guardian to watch over me day and night!"

"Looking back at your latest history of injuries, I'd beg to differ!" Green got to his feet as well and stared with wide eyes at her. "Why won't you just let me help you?!"

Blue snapped her eyes shut immediately. "No!"

Green's eyes widened in shock as she shook her head. His hung his head, bangs shadowing his face as her shoulders started trembling.

"You just don't understand!"

Red and Silver stared at the two's shared exclamation, and I held a hand up to them as they separately stormed out of the restaurant and back to the Pokemon Center.

Giving a sigh, Red put down his fork. "So much for dessert."

I looked over at Silver as he got up and paid the bill. "We should leave."

Turning around, I saw that the waitresses had seen Green and Blue's fight and were considering calling the cops. It had only been a shout-fest, but they had no idea of knowing what that would lead to.

I nodded and gathered my dress in my hands as we filed out of the building. "Let's get out of here."

I found Blue back in her room, angrily making her bed.

"Alright," I said with a hint of sternness as I shut the door behind me. "I think that was a little uncalled for."

"He's the one who started it!" She shrieked.

I held up a hand. "Still. If you two won't talk about it, then there's no use fighting over it."

She shook her head. "He's being stingy about my lack of dependence. That's all there is."

I frowned uncertainly. "I'm not sure that's the whole story. I mean, maybe you don't understand."

"No! He's the one who doesn't understand!"

"Understand what, Blue?"

She stopped mid-retort and snapped her jaw shut.

"The fact that you never call on him for help because you don't want to see him get hurt? That you actually do care about what happens to him?"

Her eyes widened, and she frowned, stalking off to the little bathroom on the far end of the room that I hadn't noticed until now. Following her, I leaned against the edge of the doorframe as she washed her hands from supper.

"You know, this probably isn't the best way of going about it," I told her quietly.

"Well it's all I can do right now," she sighed. "He won't even consider letting me fight on my own!"

"You can't exactly blame him. You've been hurt quite a lot recently," I pointed out.

"It just doesn't make sense why he would insist on keeping me from harm like this," she muttered, turning off the water and sighing. "Besides, there're things like my nightmares that he has no power over whatsoever."

I tilted my head. "That's right. You said you'd been dreaming about the Masked Man again."

She nodded slowly and bit her lip. "And I had another one last night."

My eyes widened. "So that's why you were screaming in your sleep."

She took a step back towards the shower on the other side of the small room to give me space to enter and sit on the floor. "It was such a strange dream. I think it was a memory like the others had been, but it was much longer and more detailed, and the weird part is, I don't remember any of it actually happening."

"What was it about?" I asked her.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall as she sat beside me. "Pryce had kidnapped fifty kids instead of four, and there was this girl I met named Luna. She was my partner."

My eyebrows scrunched. "But how could he have done that without getting caught? And I thought Silver was your partner!"

She nodded. "Exactly. And I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but Luna seemed a lot like…"

Her voice trailed off in disbelief, and I turned my head to her. "Like who?"

She swallowed uncertainly. "Melany."

My breath caught in my throat. "W-what?"

She opened her eyes and counted off on her fingers. "Luna had long light blonde hair that could have been cut like Melany's, she was very cunning and semi-rageful, and her first Pokemon was a Venonat."

"Which evolves into Venomoth," I whispered. Blue nodded, and I held my hands up. "B-but this was just a dream! There's no way that could have actually happened!"

"I don't know," she said uncertainly. "I fought with her outside your house the other week, and she knew the same fighting technic that I had learned in both real life and the dream."

I blinked fast. This couldn't be right. How could Melany of all people be someone Blue, supposedly, used to know?!

"Wait," I stopped her, remembering something I'd noticed when I'd found Blue in the alley yesterday. "Did Luna have…powers? L-like mine?"

Blue's eyes widened as she turned to me. "Yeah, she did. How did you know that?"

All the wind in my lungs rushed out in shock. "B-because, when I finally got to you yesterday, Melany had been by your side, and when she left, I found that you had already been healed!"

Blue gasped. "You can't be serious!"

Melany's final words came back to me, and I nodded. "Yes, and she told me to, 'listen to the signs' and that she would help me learn how to control them."

"Listen to the signs…" Blue murmured. "Wait. Didn't you say that your taste power had just started when you were looking for me?"

I froze, my blood running cold. "Yes, I did."

Blue turned to me with wide eyes. "Then, that means that she knew about it the whole time!"

I slowly looked up at the ceiling. "Normally, only people with the Viridian powers can recognize those of others so that would mean that Melany…"

Blue thought about it a moment and shook her head vigorously. "That's not right! Melany is not Luna!"

"Blue," I said ruefully. "We need to consider all the possibilities."

"No," she waved her hands. "I mean, she can't be Luna. Luna's eyes weren't blue! They were gold!"

My eyebrows knitted together. "Gold? Then how is it possible that she's so much like Melany?"

Blue shrugged hesitantly. "I-I'm not sure. But for some reason, I don't think it was just a dream. I think…I think it might have actually happened."

I shook my head and stood up to clear it, walking over to the sink set against the far wall with my back to the rest of the room. "But that doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't you remember something as significant as that?"

Blue came to my side as I began washing my hands. "I have absolutely no idea."

My eyes found a stubborn speck of dirt beneath of my nails, and I scrubbed harder. "Well, whatever is going on here, it seems as though Melany knows more than she's telling us."

"It's not like she's been telling us anything in the first place," Blue said sarcastically.

I nodded, scowling lightly when the dirt wouldn't come out. "True. Hey, is there a pair of tweezers in here?"

The brunette looked in the mirror above the sink but came out empty-handed. "I don't think so. Why, what's wrong?"

I bit my tongue and turned the water off, scratching under my nail at the speck. "I think I've got a tiny rock or something stuck in my finger."

Blue lifted the digit up to examine it before sliding her own long nail beneath my own to extract the debris. When she caught hold of it, I let out a cry as she pulled and it held fast to my skin. Seeing my reaction, she loosened up and frowned.

"Man, it's really wedged in there," she murmured.

I nodded, and she suddenly tugged on it without warning, ripping it out from under my nail before I could even register what was happening. The skin burned where the dirt had been, and I winced as I ran it under the water again.

"Well that sure was a persistent grain of soil," I commented before realizing that she'd gone silent and looked over at the girl to see her staring at what she'd pulled out. "Blue? What is it?"

The girl's eyes were two large blue marbles. "This isn't dirt, Yellow."

I felt my eyes widen. "What?"

She clenched her teeth and crushed the black dot between her fingers. To my surprise, it made a strange crackling noise, and she threw it in the trash can.

"It was a homing device."

She scoffed to herself and facepalmed. "I can't believe it. But that does explain why they've been able to locate us so quickly these past few weeks."

I froze, the sound of the faucet still going until Blue angrily slammed it off.

"H-how could she have done that?!" I cried out in disbelief. "She's never gotten near me!"

"How, you ask?"

Blue and I tensed immediately at the voice. Ever so slowly, we turned around in fear to find exactly what—or whom to be exact—we'd been hoping not to standing in bathroom doorway.

Melany smirked, her Venomoth's purple wings poking out from behind her black T-shirt.

"Well, why don't you just ask me yourself?"

Max: *throws another snowball* He's weakening! I just know it!

Gardevoir: *holds up megaphone* CARLOS: THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE. SURRENDER NOW!

Carlos: *fires multiple snowballs from marshmallow shooter* I won't! You took down Margaret, and now I'm taking you down!

Max: *ducks behind fort*

Gardevoir: *does the same* Don't worry! He'll crack soon enough! *hurls snowball* Give it up!

Me: *pops up from snow in front of Carlos and runs behind fort*

Carlos: Margaret! You're alive!

Me: *grins* And ready to win this battle! *turns to giant snowball that first took me down* NOW! ELECTRODE, EXPLOSION!

Max & Gardevoir: WHAT?!

BOOM!

Max & Gardevoir: *buried under mountain of snow from Explosion*

Me: *runs out from protection of fort and returns Electrode to Pokeball* Revenge!

Carlos: *jumping in joy* WE WON!

Max: *crawls out of giant snow bank* Holy Mother of Mew.

Gardevoir: *teleports out onto snow-covered yard* And I thought you'd been distracted by the chocolate!

Me: Gasp! That sounds so good right now! *runs inside to make hot chocolate*

Max, Carlos, & Gardevoir: *sweatdrop*

Me: Le gasp! Okay, so I know a lot of you guys already assumed that Luna was Melany, but I'm surprised nobody noticed the eye color difference. Well, except for one person. Cookie for you, Rippy! XD Anyways! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Looking forward to hopefully updating on Valentine's Day! Haha! Review and return!