Me: Somebody break out the confetti! Its time to celebrate!

Carlos: *shoots a confetti canon* Happy Birthday Yellow!

Gardevoir: *finger on chin* Who does he remind me of right there?

Max: *sweatdrop* I believe the name you are looking for is Pinkie Pie.

Gardevoir: *snaps fingers* That's it.

Carlos: *sees table of sweets* DOUGHNUTS!

Max: *facepalm* Arceus...

Me: *pops up behind Max* Oh and I brought special heart cookies too :3

Max: Nonononono! *dives under table*

Gardevoir: *sigh* Why am I surrounded by such weirdos? Disclaimer: Eon does not own Pokemon in any way. Just her OC's and the plot like you all know.

Chapter Sixteen: Green

It was a dark, cloudless night, and it was only thanks to the faint light from the waning moon that I could see Yellow in the close distance. She was flying in no particular direction, so it hadn't taken me too long to find her. The others would probably have a little more trouble catching up to us, but I wasn't too worried. They could handle it.

The petite blonde was heading south, leaving Fuchsia City in the dust as she made her way towards the ocean shore. I was worried that she'd keep on going when she closed in on the foaming waves. I was still a good half mile behind her, and if we kept flying, it would take a while to find a place to make her land. Thankfully she must have realized the same thing and abruptly stopped before she could get too far. A relieved sigh escaped my lips as her small form began to descend, and the urgency of the chase subsided.

By the time I left the trees for sand, she had sat down on the beach. Kitty was hanging in his Pokeball from the strap of her shoe, and her knees were pulled up to her chest. Her eyes faced the calming waves, her white dress rippling in the wind like the undulating water. I landed Charizard twenty feet down the shore and shivered at the cool breeze coming from the ocean. I had no doubt Yellow was freezing in her thin gown. Keeping this in mind, I stalked over to her with Charizard at my side.

She looked up as the glow from his tail suddenly enveloped her. "Oh. Hi, Green." She turned her head away again.

I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck. Giving a small sigh, I slowly sat down beside her and tried to think of how to break the thick silence. She shivered in the wind, and I blinked at her. "Are you cold?"

She nodded just barely, and I didn't even have to tell Charizard. Automatically, he lay down behind us. Setting his head by my knee, he curled his body around us and looped his tail behind Yellow's side so that it could lie in front of us with the ember of the tip acting as a fire.

The blanket of warmth seemed to put her shivers at ease, and she relaxed into Charizard's comforting hide. I watched a small smile light her face until she looked up at the sliver of the moon and it was lost to the deep abyss of her thoughts.

I twiddled my thumbs slightly on my lap. "So…how was your first full day awake?"

Her chin angled down slightly, but she didn't look at me. "It was…much different…than what I'm used to."

I nodded, and she twisted herself around to face me. "You and Blue are fighting more than usual."

I stiffened a bit but gave her a look. "What about it?"

She didn't flinch, only tilting her head. "Why is that? I realize that I probably must have missed something during my little nap."

I didn't laugh at her joke, and I could tell that she hadn't been expecting me to. Giving a scoff, I glanced down and crossed my arms. "Not really."

Her eyebrows scrunched. "Is everything alright? I've never seen you guys this angry."

"It's nothing," I said lowly through clenched teeth. My mind couldn't help but flash back to Red's surprised face and Silver's knowing look back at the Pokemon Center this morning. My eyes shut as Blue's words came rushing back. Do you actually care about me? I flinched just barely and forcefully shoved the thought away.

Yellow saw my slight cringe. "Green, are you okay?"

Trying to find a way to change the subject, it didn't take me long to find another topic, my fingers curling in response. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"

Her eyes widened, and she seemed to be taken aback as she swiftly turned to look at the moon again. "What do you mean?"

My lips set into a firm frown, and I lifted my arms up to put them behind my head and lean back on Charizard. "You seem to be having some trouble."

Her eyes snapped away from the sky, and she looked at me sharply in surprise.

I shrugged stiffly with closed eyes. "What? It's kind of hard not to notice."

She looked down and turned away. "Right."

I opened one eye and glanced at the back of her blond hair. "Hey."

She returned her gaze to me and tilted her head.

My eyelid slammed shut again. "You do realize it's not real, right?"

I could literally hear her freeze. "What's not real?"

Opening my eyes, I sat up again and brought my hands around in front of me. "This thing you have for Amber, this…" I set my jaw. "Infatuation."

There was a moment with only the sound of the breeze before the beach fell into an echoing silence. My eyes narrowed slightly at her quiet figure before I closed them and folded my arms. I really didn't understand this whole Amber issue. He was a liar and a traitor. He'd grown close to Yellow and the rest of us only to stab us in the back in the end. He could pretend to be as remorseful as he wanted, but I wasn't buying it. I may not have known him as well as the others, but he'd betrayed us—that was enough to label him an enemy in my book.

The ember of our "fire" flickered, and Yellow's eyes were wide as she watched it. "You don't know that."

Another stream of salty sea air washed over us before I opened my eyes and looked sternly at her. "Are you stupid?"

She whipped around with a frown. "No!"

I pointed a finger at her, my eyes narrowed. "Exactly. You're a rational person, Yellow. I know that, you know that, everyone knows that. But you refuse to see the logic in this."

She shook her head. "I understand what's happening perfectly fine!"

"Do you really?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She frowned uncertainly. "Y-Yes. Something's going on with Amber. This whole Team Rocket business isn't really him. They're somehow forcing him to work for them."

I rolled my eyes. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. There's no proof of that."

"Yes there is!" She said indignantly. "He told me himself that there was someone he was trying to save!"

"He was lying, Yellow!" I shouted at her, sitting back up as her fists clenched.

"No he wasn't!" She answered in a similar tone. "I know he wasn't!"

"Look! I'll admit; I've also considered the possibility of blackmail, okay?" I sighed heatedly. The only reason that I'd ever considered the idea was when White had told us that she thought he wasn't acting. "But after all that's happened over the past few weeks, it just doesn't seem likely."

Her voice was like a tight cord. "We don't know all the details. So there's every possibility that he's actually the good guy I know he is."

I groaned and face-palmed. "Yellow! Would you just stop a minute and look at what's right in front of you?!" I raised a hand and counted off on my fingers. "He betrayed all of us! He put you in a coma! Jeez, he tries to kidnap you every time he gets near you!"

Each accusation was like a blow to her resolve, and I could only hope that the logic of it all was reaching her. "I realize that you want to believe the best of him. He was a good guy and a good friend." My jaw set as she turned away. "But the keyword there is was."

She only stared at Charizard's tail as the wind disfigured the warm flame. "H-He was more than just my friend."

My hands clenched the ground beneath me, but the sand slipped right through my fingers, only angering me more. "Don't say that! It's not real!"

Her eyes cracked to mine like a whip, and I could see the flare from Charizard reflecting off the inner fire in her eyes. "How do you know?! You have no idea how I feel!"

I stared in shock as she jumped to her feet and stalked out of my Pokemon's circle of warmth, pacing up and down the shore as she grabbed at the silver leaves woven in her hair. Standing up and cautiously approaching, I stopped a foot away so I wouldn't be run over by her frantic marching.

"Yellow, calm down," I told her sternly, crossing my arms.

"Calm down?" She laughed ironically. "I think that's a tall order at the moment, Green. You don't know what I've been through this past month! Do you understand what it's like to have two people so close to you fight and pretty much have their friendship torn up over you?!" Her voice caught. "Or be torn up yourself between the two?"

Her use of sarcasm surprised me for a moment, and she went on before I could say anything.

"I-It's so hard," she said quietly. I saw that she had stopped walking, her head hanging down to look at the sand. Her hands were at her side, clenched into two little fists. "I've never had to make a decision like this. They're both great guys. It's like…" Her fingers released, and she looked down at her two open palms. "It's like…trying to choose the better side of a coin."

"Exactly."

She quickly glanced up as I walked towards her with narrowed eyes.

"That's why you think you have feelings for Amber," I explained as the realization flooded into my own mind. "It's because Red's been the one you've had feelings for, and he's so much like him."

She took a step back with wide eyes. "No, Amber is his own person!"

"Quite evident from his recent actions," I said through clenched teeth. "But when you look at who he is, you'll see that he and Red are not only twins in the body but the mind as well."

She paused mid-step, two feet from the frothing foam of the gentle waves. "So you admit that what Amber is doing now isn't his true self?"

I huffed and shook my head. "That's not the point. What I'm trying to say, Yellow, is that you've basically become a victim of your own mind."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

I sighed and held the bridge of my nose. "The only reason you warmed up to Amber was because he was the same as Red." Looking down at her, I crossed my arms. "So, when you and Red began having problems, you started going to Amber more often because you knew you could find comfort in 'Red'."

By now she had frozen completely.

I frowned. "But you're not the only one who was affected by it, Yellow." I stared her down. "Do you have any idea what that did to Red?"

Her mouth opened up in a gasp, but she was so shocked that her voice couldn't follow through with it.

I clenched my fists. "It hurt him, Yellow. It hurt him really bad. You know, while you were unconscious, he wouldn't stop beating himself over it. He kept blaming himself to the point that I had to slap him."

Her eyes were going glassy, and she bit her lip. "I-I never meant to hurt him."

My teeth bared on their own. "Well, I'm sorry, but it did! And the fact that you still 'felt' something for Amber even after what he did to you only hurt him more!"

She didn't say anything, but the tear on her cheek spoke enough.

I should've stopped then. I really should have. But I couldn't help but let out one last thought.

"So you see?" I muttered lowly. "This thing with Amber isn't real! It's only proof of how you feel for Red!"

My voice vanished in the overwhelming silence that had settled over us. I stood there in front of her like a stone statue while her shoulders quaked lightly, another tear trailing down her face to drip off her chin.

As the first one hit the sand at our feet, my eyes widened as I realized what I'd just done. I was suddenly struck with a giant wave of guilt, but it was too late. I heard the sound of shifting ground behind us and whipped around to find Red, Blue, and Silver standing there, frozen beside their aerial Pokemon.

After a few tense moments, I opened my mouth, but nothing would come out.

Another minute passed by with only the sound of Yellow's light hiccup. Then, faster than I could have ever reacted, Blue dashed forward at me, her eyes like little shards of ice. In a split second, her hand slashed through the air, and my head snapped sideways as it made contact with my face. The sound of her slap rang through the air, and I heard a collective gasp from everyone. Yellow's head shot up to stare at Blue. The furious girl was standing between us, her hand still poised from the blow. She was breathing fast, and my eyes were wide as she clamped her mouth shut and put her hand back at her side.

"Uh…"

Blue turned to Yellow who was stuttering with wide eyes.

"I-I…I'm going to, um…I'll be back in a bit," Yellow managed to say in a breathless tone before she suddenly released Kitty and grabbed on.

Blue's eyes widened, and she reached out too late as the blonde lifted off and flew into the night. She angrily looked to me with an air of hopelessness, but Silver took it upon himself to solve her problem. He grabbed onto Honchcrow's foot as the Dark type started beating his wings.

"I'll go with her," he said simply before flying after the girl.

Red, Blue, and I watched him go, and as soon as he was gone from sight, the brunette rounded on me with clenched fists.

"What…what did you do?" She growled at me.

I brushed my fingers against my cheek and cringed slightly at the sting. Her stony expression didn't change, and I pulled my hand away from my face. "I'm sorry, but somebody had to say it."

Blue bared her teeth. "But you didn't have to do it so roughly!"

My eyes narrowed. "I just wanted to get it across to her."

"I think she's got the idea now," Blue muttered coldly. "Arceus, why do you have to be so mean?!"

I bit back the hot retort on my tongue and looked out at the ocean. "I wasn't trying to make her cry."

"Well, you did," she snapped. Taking a moment to cool off a little, she sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "See here. Just because you're mad at me doesn't mean you should take your anger out on Yellow."

I bared my teeth. "I didn't take my anger out on her!"

Blue put her hand back to her side as a fist. "You really think that?! I understand that this whole Amber thing has…needed to be talked over, but that's no reason to explode on her because you're trying to find a way to vent yourself."

I was about to say something but stopped a moment. Thinking back to the beginning of our conversation, I grudgingly remembered that the whole thing had started out with Yellow asking about Blue and I.

Face-palming harshly, I realized that she was right.

"I-I'm sorry, Blue," I muttered softly as I took my hand from my face. "I didn't mean to say it like that."

Her eyes only narrowed. "Say that to Yellow. Don't apologize to me." She turned her back on me and took a step before stopping a moment. "At least not right now."

And with that, she stiffly walked to the edge of the forest bordering the beach. She returned Jiggly and released Ditty, and once it'd morphed into a tent, she silently crawled inside.

I watched her go and sighed. Looking up, I saw that Red was the only one left. He was watching me with wide, blank eyes, and I lightly shook my head. "I'm sorry, Red. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," he said softly, looking down. "I know you didn't mean to." He laughed softly. "To be honest, I'm kind of happy you did. I don't want her believing in a lie like that."

My eyebrows creased a moment. The reminder of blackmail popped up in my mind, and I tilted my head a little. "I know there's no way it could be real, but do you think Amber actually might not be lying to her about this?"

He didn't answer. Nor did he even twitch. He just stood there silently with his eyes trained on the sand. The sound of the waves in the distance was the only noise around us. He suddenly started walking towards where Blue had set up camp, and I followed him wordlessly. Aero was obediently at his heels, and as the boy lay on the soft grass beneath the sparse trees, the Pokemon sat behind him and began to curl himself around him.

Just as the rock-hard wings were about to complete the cocoon around the dark-haired trainer, his red eyes looked up and met mine. "It's what I fear the most."

Then Aero's dark curtains were drawn shut, and I stood alone between Red and Blue, each of them concealed by their Pokemon. My eyes lingered over Ditty's tent form until I tore my gaze away and settled down on the ground next to Aero. Charizard was close behind, his loud yawn echoing in the trees as he curved himself around me. I only got another glimpse of the moon above us before his wings blocked out the sky and shrouded me in gloom. My mind was like a whirlwind of a million different thoughts, but somehow I was able to push it down and let myself succumb to the darkness.

"We'll camp here for the night."

Amber watched Melany as she returned her Venomoth. He had Baga land softly next to her and let him lay down to rest as she looked around the clearing.

"Okay! Let's look for some firewood," she decided before stalking off into the trees surrounding them on all sides.

Giving a silent sigh, Amber followed her light footsteps into the dark.

Thank goodness for the moonlight, he thought to himself as he weaved his way through the forest after Melany. It was a slowly waning half-moon, but even then, the faint light was better than nothing.

Amber let out a yelp as he tripped over something and caught himself with a tree trunk. Looking down, he squinted his eyes and saw that it was a good-sized branch. He shrugged to himself and picked it up before continuing after his partner. Farther on, he found her bent over in another small clearing, twigs and sticks scattered around like confetti.

She noticed him approaching and grinned. "Jackpot!"

He only smiled slightly before kneeling over to start piling some into his arms along with the large branch he'd already found. As Melany did the same, she glanced at him before reaching out to pick up another stick. "So, how was your day?"

Amber froze immediately, and she looked up. "Something wrong?"

He frowned and went back to grabbing twigs. "Are you trying to make me mad? You were with me all day. You know exactly how it went."

"Yes," she agreed with a huff as she leaned over a rock for another stick, "but I was going more for an opinion there."

Amber didn't say anything. He only picked up one last small branch before turning on his heel and heading back for camp. Melany scoffed lightly and ran after him. Readjusting her pile of wood, she looked up at him from the side.

"Would you like to tell me?"

He was a good three inches taller than her, and he used every bit of it to send a glare her way. "Would you stop it? I've got a good feeling you already know what I'm going to say so would you stop acting like you don't?"

Amber gave a soft heated sigh and turned his head away to look forward. Melany's eyes widened, and she did the same. "I'm just trying to help, you know."

He didn't look at her. "What?"

She shrugged. "You know what they say. The first step to recovering is admitting that something's wrong."

Amber's eyes narrowed as he saw Baga coming up in the close distance. "What exactly are you trying to make me admit?"

She smirked. "And I have a good feeling that you know what I'm going to say."

His jaw clenched, and she made no comment as they entered their clearing again and set the wood in the center. After Melany set some stones around the edge of the pile, Amber turned to Baga who was lying down just five feet away.

"Baga?"

The Salamence lifted his head lazily and blew a jet of fire on the wood before shutting his maw and getting back to his nap. The sticks had quickly caught aflame, and Amber sat down against Baga's side as its warmth began to seep into the clearing. Melany stretched her arms above her head with a yawn before plopping down next to him, leaning her head back against his Pokemon. He glared at her a minute but gave a sigh and just let it be.

"So."

Amber's eyelids had been starting to close, but they snapped back open to find her looking at him from the corner of her deep blue eyes.

"Are you ready to admit it?"

He frowned. "Admit what?"

She lifted her head and wrapped her arms around her knees. "That you don't love Yellow."

He immediately froze.

She sighed and placed her chin on her kneecaps. "Come on. Don't give me that look."

He shook his head rashly. "Why would you say something like that?!"

She blinked. "Because it's the truth."

He could feel his fingers beginning to curl but forced himself to calm down. "And you know that how?"

Her eyes went from wide to narrow. "Because I know you, Amber."

The statement surprised him for a second. "What do you mean by that?"

She sighed again. "Look, dude. I've known you for a good while now. You know that."

Amber reluctantly nodded his head.

"And that means I know who you are, how you act, and what you're like."

Again he shook his head, but he didn't like where this was headed.

She looked at him sternly. "So that means I know that you don't truly have feelings for Yellow."

Amber clenched his teeth. "You don't know what I'm feeling."

Melany's eyes narrowed further. "Oh, I think I do. One word. Grief."

That was like a knife to Amber's heart. He glared at Melany, but she refused to stop.

"You're still devastated about Jade," she explained with a low voice. "And I don't blame you." The frown left her face for a moment. "To tell you the truth, I still kind of am, too."

Amber almost growled. "Would you stop trying to act like you care about her?! After what you did, it's pretty obvious that you don't!"

Melany blinked a moment. "Huh. You know...I'll bet Blue and the others are thinking the exact same thing about you."

Amber paused and bit his lip. "But that's different. I actually do care about Yellow."

She raised an eyebrow. "How do they know that?"

He looked down. "They don't." He glanced at her with narrowed eyes. "But I know that you don't care about Jade. You never did."

Melany didn't blink or show any anger in response. She only turned her head so that her cheek was resting on her knees instead of her chin. "And how do you know that?"

He frowned. "You never deny it."

She smiled sadly. "But I never agree to it either."

Amber thought he was about to explode. "Once! For once, would just come out and say something with no double meaning or hidden message?!"

Both eyebrows went up. "You want me to be straightforward?"

"Yes!" He shouted in exasperation, throwing his hands in the air. "Please!"

Her eyes narrowed. Bringing her head off her knees, she sat cross-legged and locked her gaze with his.

"You don't love Yellow. You never did, and frankly, if I know anything, you never will."

Amber, wide-eyed, was about to cut in when she held a hand up. "You wanted a straightforward statement, you got one."

Ruefully, he snapped his mouth shut, and she nodded before continuing.

"Amber, you've been holding yourself accountable for Jade's death ever since it happened even though it wasn't your fault. I'm telling you this because I don't want you to hurt yourself any more than you already have," she said softly.

"But it was my fault," he whispered with clenched teeth.

"No. It wasn't," she said firmly, but he shook his head.

"Why would I hurt myself?" He asked, adamant on not pursuing the previous subject further.

Melany seemed reluctant to move on, but she did so anyway. "You've fallen into a psychological trap, Amber."

He blinked in surprise. "C-Come again?"

She sighed. "You loved Jade. Totally and utterly. Right?"

Amber nodded slowly.

Melany did the same. "Exactly. And one does not just forget about someone like that easily."

He averted his gaze. "No."

"You haven't stopped grieving over her even though it happened a whole summer ago," Melany said matter-of-factly as if she was trying to show him how to solve a math formula. "That in itself shows how much she meant to you. And proves even further that any love for Yellow is futile."

He sat in shock unable to say anything, and she took the silence as an opportunity to go on.

"I'll admit. Yellow has the same caring nature that Jade had. And I'm going to guess that's why you formed such a deep attachment to her. Even though I strictly told you not to get close to Yellow when this whole mission started, I had a feeling you might." She sighed with a sweatdrop. "And you did. You thought that she could help fill the hole in your heart. But she can't, Amber." Her eyes filled with sorrow as his jaw dropped open a little. "No one but Jade can do that."

Amber slammed his eyes shut on the tear that was threatening to escape. "But Jade's dead!"

Melany nodded sadly. "I know."

Opening his eyes, they widened as he stared at the ground, and realization dawned on him. "So, you're saying that I was only…using Yellow?!"

She put a finger to her chin. "Subconsciously, yes. Consciously, no."

He groaned and dropped his face in his hands. "I don't believe this."

"You may not," she shrugged. "It's probably like I just dropped a giant bomb on you right now. But hey. You're the one who wanted me to be straightforward for once."

He simply nodded, and she yawned lightly. "Well, I think it's time we got to sleep. We head for Tohjo Falls in the morning." She turned to see him still staring at the ground in shock and cuffed him lightly over the head in an attempt to lighten the mood. "Good night."

He blinked out of his trance and smiled thinly before lying back against Baga. The Dragon type, realizing that they were done talking and ready to go to bed, shifted the wing on their side over them as a blanket so they wouldn't be cold.

Amber could hear Melany fall into sleep as her breathing slowed, but he couldn't stop staring up at the half-moon. What she'd said was running laps in his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe she was right. A day hadn't gone by that he hadn't thought of Jade, but he'd never thought that was the reason he'd started caring about Yellow. His eyes widened.

"D…Do I care for her?" He whispered to himself in the dark.

For the past few weeks, he'd honestly believed that he had. That was why it'd torn him to still have to somehow bring her back to Melany's Master. He hated that he had to choose between her and Samantha, but he had to get his Gardevoir out of there as soon as possible. His eyes narrowed in fury. Before they got from her what they needed. They'd told him that when he brought them Yellow, they wouldn't have to use Samantha's power, and she'd be released. But he had a feeling that Yellow was her replacement. So, he'd tried coming up with a plan to bust them both out of there as soon as he showed Yellow to them. But he was still unclear on a few details and could only hope that he had enough time to figure them out before they eventually caught her.

Giving a quiet sigh, he folded himself up under Baga's wing. At the moment, he had no idea how to answer his question. But what he did understand was that he needed to see Yellow. No Melany or plan to capture her in sight or mind. Just one more normal conversation with her so that he would know if what Melany had said was true. If he actually didn't love Yellow.

Silver

It didn't surprise me when she finally touched down, and I found myself hovering above her house with Honchcrow. She didn't return Kitty, simply letting him fly inside in the house behind her. I stayed in the air, unsure of what to do. However, when I saw her purposefully leave the front door open, I had my Dark type land and returned him before heading in after her.

Upon entering the house, I didn't have to have my knowledge of the past couple of weeks to know that no one had been here in a while.

All the plants throughout the house were beginning to wither from lack of water; a lamp in the living room was blinking slowly, the bulb strained from never having been turned off; and as we walked through the kitchen, I could see a thin layer of dust covering the counters. She walked over to the dining table in the other room, and it then occurred to me that she wasn't living here alone.

"So where's your Uncle Wilton?" I asked her, passing under the arch that led into the dining room. She was seated at the end of the table with her hands in her lap and Kitty floating behind her.

"Fishing trip in Johto," she said quietly, almost monotone.

Creasing my eyebrows, I walked over and observed her still form. Her wide eyes were glued to the grains in the table below her, and there was an almost imperceptible shake to her shoulders.

"Hey," I said in a soft, cautious tone. "Why don't you go take a shower? It might help you feel better. Besides, I think it's been a while since you've had one."

She didn't laugh like I'd been hoping, but she did stand up and start heading for the staircase after setting the Pokeballs attached to her shoe straps on the table. I watched her until she disappeared up the stairs and let out a sigh.

"She's really stirred up isn't she?" I asked Kitty.

The Pokemon hastily shook his head in worry, and I returned him to the only empty Pokeball lying on the table so he could get some rest. When that was done, I looked around the house, and seeing its current state, I decided to take some time and help Yellow out.

Fifteen minutes later, all the dust was gone from the kitchen, the Berry plants that occupied practically every free space of the house had been replenished with water, and the only thing I had left to do was stop the annoying light bulb from blinking.

First I tried tapping it, hoping it would somehow miraculously go back to normal, but all that did was make it blink faster. Narrowing my eyes at it, I reached into the lamp shade and tried that trick of twisting it in the socket. But as soon as my fingers touched the edge of the glass, they encountered a small problem. My hand ripped out of the shade faster than a bolt of lightning, and I stood there looking at the slight burn on it.

Glaring at the stubborn thing, I watched it blink three times a second for a good five minutes until I couldn't take it anymore and simply tore the plug from the wall. I gave a triumphant smile and threw down the cord as the light went out. I started turning away when the blinking started all over again. Growling, I was about to just pick it up and throw it at the wall when Yellow suddenly came down the stairs and saw my predicament.

Silently coming to my side, she put a finger to her chin and reached behind the stand the lamp was on. Instantly, the bulb stopped flashing, and I was tempted to just smash it from how quickly she'd solved the problem. Yellow's head reappeared, and she came back holding a plug.

"But I—" My voice cut off from irritation as I stared at my own cord that I had pulled out.

She smiled a little and pointed beside the lamp. "You unplugged the clock."

My eyes found the small digital clock at the base of the lamp where sure enough the time had gone dark. Rolling my eyes, I plugged it back in and reset the time. "At least that annoying blinking is gone."

I heard her give a light huff and set down the corrected clock. Glancing over at her, I saw that the same blank frown from before had returned and set my lips. Unfortunately, the shower had done nothing to calm her. Seeing that she was finally back in her normal clothes and straw hat with her Pokeballs in her belt pockets, I grabbed her long black sleeve and led her outside.

"Come on," I told her. "Let's go to the shrine."

She didn't argue, simply walking with me after we locked her house up and entered the Viridian Forest. We didn't say anything, and a thick silence permeated the air as we broke through the trees into the small nearby clearing that was home to the shrine we'd built that resembled the one in Ilex Forest.

Leaving her in the middle of the meadow, I went over to the shrine and climbed inside. It was actually quite roomy and allowed enough space for us to sit inside and light the candles we had placed there. Striking the match sitting by one of them, I quietly lit each one and waved the smoke from the little stick before setting it back where I'd found it.

Clambering back out into the clearing, I walked over to where Yellow still stood alone. The glow from the candles infiltrated the night air, and we were surrounded by a faint warm light that mingled with that of the moon. Taking her hand, I sat her down on the soft grass and told her to close her eyes. Her shoulders remained tense, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Just stop thinking," I instructed her like she had the first time we'd done this. "Whatever it is, just let it go for the moment."

She stiffened for a minute, but I smiled slightly as she slowly relaxed and began breathing deeply. Closing my eyes, I did the same.

Almost instantly, I was taken over by a force that I knew only to be the forest. It was a strange sensation, being able to feel the life force of such a giant and complex being, but it was something that I was glad Yellow had showed me. It allowed me to merge myself with one of the only things that calmed my senses and helped put me at ease.

As the gentle sways of the trees wore away at my normal irritation, I could feel my mind open up and only watched as my worries were swept away with the wind. The forest was one of the few keys to my thoughts, and sometimes it was just great to unlock and let everything go.

Slowly opening my eyes, I looked over at Yellow and saw a similar look on her face. A second later, her eyes opened as well, and she smiled at me. The girl let out a soft breath and slowly stood up, helping me to do the same. We were as open and free as the rolling grass beneath our feet and sighed in unison. It was like this every time we came out here, and it was one of the best things I could ever ask for. Being able to escape from the world every once in a while was nice.

Looking up at the moon, I saw that it was far past midnight and decided it was time we started heading back to the house.

"I'm going to go put out the candles," I told her. "Then we can go get some rest before we head back to Red and the others."

She froze suddenly, and I tilted my head. She didn't say anything, and I slowly turned around towards the shrine. I entered the small room and quickly snuffed out the lights. As I shut the door behind me, I noticed the strange silence and turned back to find Yellow standing still with her head hanging down.

"Yellow?" I called out softly as I came up to her.

She stayed silent, and I was about to say something again when she suddenly let out a frustrated cry and grabbed her head.

"Yellow?!" I exclaimed, but she took a step back and threw her hands down.

"I can't take this!" She shouted out, her eyes shut tight and her mouth twisted into a frown. "I can't…do this anymore!"

I realized in shock that my plan to calm her down had backfired. Whereas the forest had opened up my mind and let my worries ebb away, it had accidentally unlocked all the tension and anger that she had been trying to keep inside.

"Yellow, it's alright," I told her calmly, but she shook her head.

"No, no it's not!" She yelled into the empty air.

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly.

"There's just so much happening at once!" She face-palmed and started pacing around the small meadow. "We're constantly on the run for some Arceus-forsaken reason that we have no clue about! Green and Blue won't even talk to each other! Melany… I don't even know what kind of game she's trying to play! And then there's Red and Amber!" Her breath caught, and she suddenly stopped, grabbing at her head again. "Holy Ho-Oh, I wish I could just pound it all away with a hammer!"

My eyes widened in shock. Never, not once had I ever seen Yellow like this. She was always such a kind and calm soul. This was like someone had hit a reverse switch. All her anger was coming out at once, and she couldn't stop it. She didn't know how.

Swiftly walking over to her, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly. "Yellow! It's going to be alright!"

She seemed to break at my touch and crumpled to the ground. Bending down with wide eyes, I saw her wiping furiously at the tears on her face.

"I just…I don't know what to do," she whispered, loosely letting her hands fall on her out-turned knees. "I thought…I thought what I felt for him was real. But now I…" She hiccupped. "I have no idea what to think now."

Kneeling before her small form, I watched her tightly shut eyes and frowned slightly. It was such a sight to see her breaking down like this. It was one of the few things that I didn't think I could bear to watch.

I took her hand and slowly pulled her to her feet. She came along like a limp doll, and I started leading her towards the trees. "Come on. Let's go home."

The tears continued to roll down her face as I walked her back to the house, and even when I tucked her into her bed, they were still present in the corners of her eyes. I silently closed her bedroom door behind me and solemnly walked downstairs to lie on the couch. As I closed my own eyes, I could only hope that sleep was the answer to her stress-filled mind. Unfortunately, I had feeling that it was going to take more than just a good night's rest.

Hours Later...

Carlos: *looking at empty table* Where're the doughnuts?

Gardevoir: *rageface* In your stomach. And I didn't even get to have one!

Me: *kneeling beside table* Maxy, come out! All the cookies are gone!

Max: *narrows eyes* I don't believe you.

Gardevoir: No really. You're good.

Max: *reluctantly crawls out*

Me: Don't worry! I won't make you eat another heart cookie! *smiles and runs off*

Max: *narrows eyes again*

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop* She's got something planned for a future banter.

Carlos: *sadly poking at table* Where are the doughnuts?

Max: *walks over* Carlos?

Carlos: *looks up with wide eyes* Yes?

Max: Sigh. There's no doughnuts.

Carlos: *sadface*

Me: Haha! So how'd u guys like the chapter? *sweatdrop* Not exactly what I wanted to post on such a happy day, but hey. It needed to be done! XD Happy Birthday Yellow! Im so happy I used my entire evening to basically write this entire chapter and get poster by midnight! Whoo! Haha! Let me know what you all thought! Review and return!

P.S. Okay guys! I FINALLY got this chapter updated! Whoo! *sweatdrop* And it only took me two weeks! Whoo! XD Just some little things I changed, but hopefully it made reading it better! Happy St. Patrick's Day!