Me: *studying for finals* Sigh school is no fun. It never is.

Gardevoir: *crying to self* And it's over in two weeks.

Me: WHOO HOO!

Gardevoir: *glares* I can still remember the first day of school when I was saying that. *sigh* It seems like it was only yesterday...

Me: *blinks* No, yesterday we were skipping everything to watch Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (love that show XD)

Gardevoir: *facepalm* Arceus you make me wonder.

Me: *gasp* Speaking of which! Did you know that Syaoran's right eye is damaged?! *rageface* I'm only on episode 19, but I want to know who hurt my precious Syaoran's face!

Gardevoir: *narrows eyes* Then go watch it.

Me: *sadly turns back to books* But I gotta study... *goes back to studying*

Gardevoir: Well, while she's immersing herself in knowledge, you all can get to the chapter. Disclaimer: Eon has no ownership over Pokemon in any way. She's just here to write.

Chapter Eighteen: Red

I knew something was wrong the moment I woke up to silence. It wouldn't have worried me so much had I not seen a lump under the covers of Green's bed. I checked the clock on the wall and looked back at him shocked. Already it was a little past ten, and he still hadn't gotten up.

Running a hand through my messy hair, I slowly got out of bed, feeling the floorboards creak beneath my feet. I saw the third bed we'd brought in yesterday was empty and guessed that Silver was already awake. Turning toward Green, I tried to keep quiet and tiptoe over to him. His blanket covered most of his body, leaving only his brown hair visible. I came to a stop at his bedside and tilted my head at his motionless form.

It was strange to see him all bundled under a mountain a blankets when normally he would have been up and trying to get me out of bed. He usually never slept in like this. I kept waiting for him to shift or something, but he didn't. I scrunched my eyebrows. Something is definitely wrong.

I reached out to poke him but abruptly stopped when I remembered White trying to do the same thing at the Pokemon Center. Instead, I searched for a more indirect way to wake him up. Going back to my bed, I grabbed a pillow and ducked behind the mattress. My eyes watched from just over its edge as I gripped and launched the cushion. It hit him lightly and bounced onto the floor. I huffed when he didn't move and snatched another pillow to throw.

"Don't do it," came his mumbled voice from beneath the blanket. I blinked in surprise and walked over. His face emerged with a drowsy glare as I pulled the cover back. "You're lucky I let you do it the first time."

I blinked a moment and threw the pillow back on my bed as he began sitting up. "So you were awake." He simply nodded and leaned his head against the wall. I sat on the end of his bed. "And you didn't decide to get up?"

His eyes shifted away. "I was tired."

I raised an eyebrow. "You didn't seem all that tired when we got back last night."

And he hadn't. When the fireworks had ended, Yellow and I had gone back to find him and Blue. But she was gone, and he'd been standing there all frozen and stiff. Yellow had called his name, and the look on his face was instantly gone. All he told us was that Blue had gone back early. Then he hadn't said another word the whole way back.

He simply gave a sigh and lay back under his blanket. I raised my other eyebrow as well. My hand shot out to rip the covers off him again. "What's wrong?"

He glared. "Nothing."

I gave a light huff. "Green."

He sighed at the soft concern in my voice and sat up. "I messed up, Red." I tilted my head, and he put a hand to his. "With Blue, I mean."

"How so?" I asked him in slight confusion.

He didn't answer me right away, instead standing up and starting to fold the blanket over the bed. When everything was back in order, he just stood there for a moment before sighing. "Blue…told me something last night…"

My confusion deepened further as his face went slightly pink. "What'd she say?"

His eyes widened at my incredulous tone. His hand went to his cheeks, and he scowled at the heat he found there. "Nothing. Never mind."

I chuckled a little. "I don't think it's nothing if you're blushing." That seemed to make the red increase, and he looked away before mumbling something. I put a hand to my ear. "Couldn't hear you."

He glared at me slightly before face-palming. "She told me she cares about me."

Puzzlement lay heavily on my mind. "That's it? So why are you—" Then it sunk in. "Oh."

He nodded, pulling his hand away. "Exactly."

I put a fist to my chin. "Huh. I would've thought you'd be the one to confess first." He smiled sarcastically and hit me upside the head with a pillow. I fell on my side and sat back up with a smirk. "So what's the big deal?"

The fake smile fell. "She thinks I don't care about her."

"Well, what gave her that idea?" I asked him. My eyebrow rose again. "Did you tell her how you feel about her?"

He bit his lip. "No."

I sweat-dropped. "That's probably why."

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy breath. "Yeah, and now I have no idea what to do."

I blinked a moment in thought. "Why don't you hang out with her for a while?"

His eyes widened. "Huh?"

"You know, try to get things back to normal."

"Um, I don't quite think she's in the 'hang out' kind of mood," he muttered.

I shrugged and grabbed my extra set of clothes off the nightstand after getting up. "You never know until you try, right?"

He only stood there studying the ground. After a silent moment, I headed to the bathroom and left him to his thoughts.

"B-Blue?"

I didn't move.

There was a poke on my shoulder. "Hey, are you hungry? We could go get some breakfast."

I was lying on my stomach glaring at the wall behind the bed. Barely lifting my head, I shifted my gaze to her. "I'm fine." She got that worried look in her eyes, and I gave a guilty sigh. "Really, it's okay." I glared at the wall again. "Just trying to bring myself back to reality is all." She tilted her head a little, and I just waved a hand at her. "Come on. Let's get something to eat."

Blaine's house/Gym was a rather roomy place, and we almost got lost trying to find the kitchen. There was a loud crashing, though, and we followed it to find Red buried under a pile of pots.

"Oh!" Yellow exclaimed. She quickly ran over and started pulling pans off his head. "Are you alright?!"

He chuckled a little and rubbed his head. "I'm okay. I just thought I'd try to make eggs or something for breakfast."

Yellow smiled faintly and grabbed a small pan. "Allow me."

As she dug through the fridge for the egg carton, Red started picking up the rest of the pans, and I helped him arrange them on the hooks hanging from the pot holder dangling above our heads. I could feel him watching me as we continued working. At one point I turned to ask him why he was staring, but he ducked to grab the last pot. When he came back up, he focused on placing it on the hook as if he'd never been looking at me.

I raised an eyebrow but let it go as we started getting plates out for Yellow's completed eggs. It was silent as we sat down to eat. It only got more awkward from there as Red and Yellow tried to make conversation and I left them hanging. Let's just say that for once, I wasn't in the most talkative mood.

"So, um, Blue," Yellow asked timidly as I harshly put down my fork. I was tense, and I knew it was obvious. "Do you want to go out and walk around town? I hear they have a local clothing store."

I perked up a little at that. Glancing over at Red, I perked up some more. "Sure. Red, you sit tight, and we'll be right back."

His eyes widened. "I'm going, too?"

I got up from my chair and winked. "Of course."

"Yellow?"

"…Yes?"

"I don't think this is a clothing store."

She sweat-dropped. "B-But there's still clothes."

The two of us plus Red stood gaping at the cultural convention before us on Cinnabar's main street. Vendors lined the walkways on either side, each sporting merchandise from different regions. There were Gracideas from Sinnoh, Secret Base equipment from Hoenn, Castelia Cones from Unova, and much, much more.

"Wow," Yellow breathed in awe. "There's just so many!"

Red's lips quirked at the sight of all the stalls and carts. "I had no idea there was a cultural festival in town."

I smiled, starting to walk. "Might as well not waste the opportunity. Let's have some fun!"

They were right behind me, and it didn't take long for us to merge into the flowing crowd. We passed various stands, all with smiling people who urged the passersby to stop and look. At one point, Red and Yellow spotted someone selling Pikachu merchandise. I wasn't even surprised when I turned around and found that they were gone.

So I decided to go off on my own for a while. I just wandered aimlessly, not really looking for anything in particular. That is, until I saw a jewelry stand. There weren't even two seconds before I was standing before the large array of gems. I'd always had a love of shiny things.

My hands traced along the stones and precious metals, not quite touching them but grazing their smoothness. Glancing up, I saw that there were more necklaces hanging around a viewing mirror. I lightly fingered them before looking in the mirror and checking my reflection.

I froze instantly, staring behind myself in the mirror. Right at the edge of the crowd, a glimpse of a gold-rimmed black shirt flashed in plain sight. I whipped around, but there was nothing. Sighing, I turned away and started searching for Red and Yellow.

"I think I'm going crazy," I muttered.

"It's only a matter of opinion," said a familiar voice.

Curiously looking over my shoulder, my eyes widened at what they found. "Black!"

The brunette grinned and waved his hand. "Come on! White's here, too!"

I swiftly followed him through all the people to a stand sponsoring the BW Agency. I could see Red and Yellow were already there, a bouncy brown ponytail popping out over their heads.

"White!" I exclaimed, watching her face light up as I ran over. "What are you doing here?"

The young girl laughed. "We heard about the festival and decided to get in some extra advertising time. But I never thought we'd run into you guys!" She beamed at Yellow. "It's so good to see you awake!"

Yellow giggled a little, and Black joined White behind the counter. "I didn't think we'd see you guys so soon either. But I'm glad we did. Silver's been really helpful."

Red raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

There was a tap on my shoulder, and Silver suddenly appeared at my side holding a business card. "BW Agency. Best talent bureau in Unova."

I laughed at him and took the card. "So this is where you've been."

He gave the rest of the cards to Black. "That and setting up for the exhibition match."

Red poked his head in eagerly. "Exhibition?"

Black nodded happily. "Silver and I are going to battle while White sets up a stage for a mini promotional musical. That way we can get people to come before it starts!"

"Sounds logical," Yellow commented.

"Hey," White said curiously. "Where's Green?"

I stiffened, and Red watched me intently before answering. "Why don't you go get him, Blue? He's probably still at the Gym."

My teeth grit a little, but I didn't let it show. "Okay."

Yellow's eyes grew worried while everyone but Red scrunched their eyebrows in confusion. Putting a smile on my face, I turned on my heel and grudgingly headed for Blaine's home. I took my sweet time, though. In fact, if Red hadn't looked so resolute when he asked me, I'd have probably refused. I sighed. At least when the exhibition match starts Red and Yellow will have some alone time. Just what I'd been hoping for. At the thought of my meddling, I smiled a little and entered through the Gym doors in front of me.

The entire building was silent inside. Blaine obviously wasn't home, and Arceus knew where Green was. I first checked the kitchen then moved onto his room when he wasn't there. Again I came up empty-handed and decided to chance the many other rooms in Blaine's vast home. There was a dining room, living area, basement bar, even a den, but no Green.

I sighed. "Where'd he go?"

"Looking for someone?"

I nearly jumped a foot I the air and mentally sweat-dropped. Too many people were answering my rhetorical questions today. I turned and glared lightly when I found Green holding a book to his chin. "Just you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

I frowned. "Yeah. Apparently there's a cultural festival in town, and Black and White are there. Oh, and Silver and Black are going to have an exhibition match to attract people for White's musical display. So, come on."

He nodded slightly and walked past me. "Let's stop by the kitchen first. I haven't eaten yet, and lunch sounds really good about now."

I scoffed a little but quietly followed at the grumble in my stomach. In the kitchen, Green headed for the cupboard, and I plopped down at the bar. It was positioned on an island that stood in the middle of the room and housed a double sink. I sat with a hand holding my chin, foot bouncing impatiently on the leg of the bar stool. Green had a cup at the counter, and I raised an eyebrow as he grabbed the coffee pot. "You're having coffee at noon?"

"No," he said, spinning a spoon in the mug. After clanging it on the top, he put the spoon in the sink and handed me the cup. "You are."

My eyebrows scrunched slightly before I gently took it from him. "Well, thank you."

His head nodded slightly, and he opened the fridge to grab the ingredients for a sandwich. "I knew you hadn't had your morning coffee yet. You weren't irritated enough."

I paused mid-sip. "What do you mean?"

He pulled the bread off the pantry shelf without looking at me. "Well, after last night, I was expecting you to be rather upset today. So when you only followed me here without arguing, I realized you hadn't had your morning fighting fuel."

I slowly set down my mug with a sigh. "Green…"

My voice made him turn around curiously. "Yes?"

My fingers traced the edge of the cup, and I locked my eyes on them. "I'm…I…well, what I mean is…" I growled inwardly and forced my mouth to form the words. "I'm sorry."

He froze and almost dropped the peanut butter jar. "What?"

I nervously continued focusing on my coffee. "I-I don't think I have any reason to be mad at you. It was just a simple question, and I guess I kind of overreacted."

The sentence left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I knew what I'd said was true. I'd known it ever since I first woke up. That's why I'd been irritated all morning. I didn't particularly enjoy admitting when I was wrong.

He slowly set down the peanut butter and picked up the jelly. His head was away from me so I couldn't see his expression as he said, "You don't need to apologize."

My eyes widened, and he turned around with a carefully blank face, biting into his finished sandwich. I let go of my coffee and stood up with scrunched eyebrows. "B-But—"

"Come on," he told me firmly. His sandwich in hand, he walked out of the kitchen. "Let's go watch the exhibition match."

I stood staring at the table. My mind was moving sluggishly despite the caffeine, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I shook my head a minute later and rushed out to the front doors to catch up with Green. Not seeing him there, I burst outside to find out which way he'd gone. Turning my head, I saw him waiting just down the road, eyes watching me expectantly. Again that bewilderment took over my thoughts, but I kept it to myself as I ran over to him. He waited until I was at his side to start walking once more.

We talked about trivial things on our way to the battle, discussing little topics that didn't really pose any meaning. When I slyly mentioned how I'd left Red and Yellow together on purpose, he rolled his eyes and ate the last part of his sandwich.

"Pesky girl."

I whipped my head up to look at him with wide eyes, but he had already moved onto asking me who I thought would win the exhibition match. When I didn't answer right away, he turned to find me staring and blinked.

"So?"

I watched his eyes for a moment before smiling with a giggle. "Silver of course!"

He blinked and rolled his eyes again as I started theorizing about how my little redhead would defeat Black. And as we continued walking and arguing over the battle, I couldn't help but smile to myself. For once, things felt normal again.

I anxiously tapped my fingers against my side. "Do you think they're okay? They should've gotten here by now."

Red chuckled and grabbed my wrist. "Yellow, I'm sure they're fine. Let's go find Black and Silver."

I obediently followed as he took me through the crowd. Black and White had closed up shop for the day about an hour ago and went with Silver to set up the battlefield. Red and I had walked around a little longer to wait for Green and Blue, but the match was going to start soon, and Red was eager to watch it.

Around us, countless vendors were also closing down to watch the upcoming battle. I kept an eye out for Green and Blue, but by the time Red stopped, we still hadn't found them. We'd arrived at the battlefield. I noted that it appeared to be in the same field that we'd watched fireworks in last night. A fine mass of people had already gathered and sat in a ring on the surrounding hills with Black and Silver at the center. They appeared to be conversing, and Red and I fought through the crowd to get to them.

"Hey!" Red called out as soon as we reached them. "You guys ready?"

Black nodded, and Silver glanced around. "Where's Blue and Green?"

Red waved a hand. "They'll be here soon. You might as well get started."

Black frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know if we'll have enough room, though. There's a lot more people than I first expected."

White suddenly burst from the throng of people, panting as she aimed for us. "Geez, there's a lot of people!"

Black observed the crowd in thought. "How are you going to set up your stage? No, scratch that. Where are you going to set up your stage?"

White sighed and held her head in a hand. "I have no idea. There's just no room here!"

Red suddenly held a finger up at us to wait and pulled out his Pokegear. He walked a little ways away, and I titled my head. "I wonder what he's doing."

White sighed again and pulled her hand away. "It doesn't matter at the moment. Right now, we need to figure out what to do with this crowd."

A second later, Red came running back with a grin. "Problem solved! Blaine just said we could use his Gym for the battle, and you can stage your musical out in the back field, White!"

The blue-eyed girl's face lit up in delight. "Red! You're a genius!"

Silver nodded in agreement, but Black gave an exasperate gesture at the crowd. "'How are we going to direct all of these people to the Gym?!"

White thought a second before smiling with an idea. "Black, Silver. You have Flying types, right?" They nodded, and she clapped her hands. "Alright. Bring them out." As they set to that, she walked over to me with pleading eyes. "Could I borrow your aerial Pokemon? I hate to be a bother, but I don't have any others on my team besides Yang."

I nodded at her with a smile. "Sure! You can borrow Kitty." I pulled a Pokeball off my belt and released him. He let out a cry and beat his wings to stretch them out.

White's eyes widened, and she carefully stroked a wing. "It's such a pretty Pokemon."

"He," I laughed.

She laughed in return, and I instructed Kitty to listen to her. A few minutes later, they were flying above us between Black and Silver. Pulling a portable microphone from her bag, White clicked it on and smiled.

"Welcome, everyone!" She announced loudly. "We seem to have an overflow of spectators today, but that's okay! If you would all just follow me and our two trainers, we would like to lead you to the designated battlefield in the Cinnabar Gym to begin the match!"

The crowd cheered and eagerly trailed after the trio as they flew off towards the Gym. Red and I stood watching, and our eyes widened as we saw two people lying on the ground in the wake of the stampede. We quickly ran over to find that it was Green and Blue with swirls in their eyes.

I bent down and gently helped her up as Red did the same with Green. "Finally decided to show up I see," the black-haired boy chuckled.

Green only glared lightly, and Blue looked around in confusion as they got to their feet. "Where'd everybody go?" She asked.

Red nodded in the direction of the receding crowd. "There wasn't enough room here so I called Blaine. He's doing something in Fuchsia City today so he let us use the Gym for the battle."

"That was nice of him!" Blue said cheerfully. She snuck a glance at Green and smiled slyly. "Well, we should probably head over then." She latched onto his arm and winked. "See you guys there!"

I stood there with a gaping mouth as she suddenly sped away with the brunette in tow, leaving Red and me there alone. Red blinked in surprise and shook his head. "Sometimes she really confuses me."

I smiled. "But at least she seems to be getting along with Green again."

He nodded slowly before smiling back. "For now at least." Turning to where everyone had left the field, he looked back at me and waved a hand. "Hopefully we can get there before it starts."

I walked to his side, and together we set off for the Gym. Despite the need to arrive on time, we found ourselves taking a pleasant walk through the mostly-empty streets. As we passed by the BW Agency stand, I couldn't help but stop and stare at it for a moment.

After a minute, Red noticed that I was no longer with him and circled back. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head quickly and smiled reassuringly. "Oh, no. Everything's fine."

His eyes softened. "Yellow, what is it?"

I turned back to the stand, and the smile slowly frowned. "I was just wondering what it'd have been like." I looked down. "If I'd been awake that is." Red blinked and watched me as I sat down with a sigh. "I never got to spend time with Black and White like you guys did, and it just seems like I missed out on a lot."

Red sat down beside me and scratched the back of his head. "You didn't miss much, really. We were on the run most of the time anyway from Melany and Amber."

I stiffened a little at that, and Red did the same at my reaction. Slowly, he pulled his hand from behind his head and sat it in his lap. There was a moment of silence before I opened my mouth. "How bad was it to see him again?"

Red stared at his palms. "I ran into him back in Celadon so it wasn't too much of a shock to see him again. But I still had the worst urge to just hit him." He looked at me from the corner of his eye. "How were you so calm around him?"

I almost chuckled. "I wouldn't exactly say I was calm."

Despite my light tone, Red turned his head to me with serious eyes. "Yellow, why do you still trust him?"

The air between us was thick at those words. "He's not bad," I murmured with as much conviction as possible. "I just know he isn't."

"How are sure that he wasn't just lying to you the whole entire time?" Red asked cautiously.

I thought back to the night of the eclipse. Amber's tears had been so genuine, and I'd heard the truth behind his words when he mentioned saving "her". My eyes flickered to the afternoon sun before falling back on Red. "There are some things you just can't lie about."

He didn't say anything, only focusing even more on his hands. Things were quiet for a while, and I was trying to think of something to say when he spoke up. "I wish I could be as optimistic about him as you."

I tilted my head. "Why can't you?"

He chuckled a little. "It's not that easy."

My eyebrows scrunched as I turned to him. "Well, why not?"

The slight smile fell from his face, and he looked at the sky. "Because I'm afraid that he might take you away from me."

I rolled back on my bottom and wrapped my arms around my knees. "We're doing pretty well at running away. I haven't been kidnapped yet."

Red sat motionless. "That's not quite what I meant."

Confusion was evident on my face as he suddenly arose and I stood up with him. "What do you—"

"Yellow," he said before I could finish my sentence, "there's something I need to tell you."

My puzzlement grew as he turned his back to me, hand at the base of his neck. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

He paused and slowly turned back. "I know. I've been trying to say this for a while now, and if I don't say it now, I'm not sure if I'll ever have the chance to do it again."

Finally bringing his eyes to mine, I froze at what I saw there. Suddenly I was hanging in mid-air again, one hand in Red's and the other in Amber's. Red's gaze now was the same as it'd been then, the same expression his brother had worn at that exact moment. I'd found myself staring at the softest shades of amber and red. It was like glimpsing upon two pools of honey and crimson, each warmed by some unseen internal fire. The same fire that was faintly burning in Red's eyes at this very moment.

I felt like I knew what that fire was, but I couldn't quite place my finger on it. I lifted my hand up as if in question, and at the same time, Red pulled his away from the back of his neck. The two collided, and my eyes widened as my new power kicked in. My tongue sang with the strange taste of Cheri Berries and mint, and along with it came the same fire I'd seen in his eyes. Now it raced across my skin, filling every part of me with its gentle warmth. It was the type of warmth that seemed to envelope me in a soft happiness. It was such a simple touch yet full of so much care.

Wait. …care?

My eyes widened as Red gave a sigh. "Yellow, I—"

My hand jerked away on its own. The movement startled Red a moment, and he tilted his head. I took a slight step back, and he retracted the hand he had been reaching out to me. He opened his mouth uncertainly but closed it a second later.

He didn't need to finish his sentence. I already knew what he was going to say. And he knew I did, too.

Taking another step back, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as his eyes widened in confusion. "Yellow?"

I helplessly opened my mouth to say something, letting it gape a moment before clamping it shut and swiftly turning to run away. I heard him call my name, but all I could think was to run. I had to get away from him. I didn't think I could deal with something like that at the moment. Amber's face flashed through my mind, and I cringed as I ran. Not when I still had some things to think through.

I was so caught up with my predicament that I had no idea where I was until I ran into something and fell backwards. Cradling my head, I picked up my hat and looked up to see that I was sprawled before the front doors of Cinnabar's Pokemon Mansion. I was seeking refuge from others so I could have some time alone with my thoughts, and this seemed like the perfect place. Straightening my hat on my head, I pushed against the old doors, relieved when they gave way to my touch. They creaked open on their hinges, and I slipped inside, submerging myself in the darkness as they slammed shut once more.

Green

"Thanks, White!" Blue yelled as the other brunette waved and ran off to set up her stage. She turned to me with a light huff. "Okay! They're still getting the crowd settled into the stadium so we have some time to go find some seats of our own."

I nodded and followed her through Cinnabar Gym's front doors. We'd run into White just a few minutes ago while arriving for the battle, and she told us that it would be starting here soon. It was a going to be a simple 2-on-2 match so she had enough time to set up in the back field. I knew it wasn't going to last very long, but Black and Silver were definitely going to give the crowd a show.

Inside the Gym, the battlefield was completely surrounded by bleachers full of eagerly-awaiting spectators. Black and Silver had yet to appear, and that only seemed to make the anticipation in the room rise. Blue managed to spot some open seats in the front row and dragged me over to them before they were claimed by someone else. I nearly fell over as she threw me into one of them and plopped down in the other.

"You don't have to be so rough," I muttered.

She rolled her eyes at me with a smirk as I sat up. "Oh, don't be such a baby."

I huffed at her and looked on either side of us, seeing no more free seats. "Is there going to be any room left when Red and Yellow get here?"

Blue shrugged. "If not, then they can just stand with the other people who couldn't get seats." She grinned. "Side by side, together among all those people…."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You planned that didn't you?"

She only giggled. I sighed which only seemed to make her laughter rise. Shaking my head, I snuck a glance at her out of the corner on my eye. The smile on her face was evidence of her happiness, and I felt a sting of guilt at how long it'd been since I'd last seen it.

"Hey, Blue."

She turned to me still chuckling. "Yeah?"

"You know, I will answer your question." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know when, but I will."

Her smile vanished, and she looked down at the battlefield. "It's okay. I don't really care about it anymore."

I looked at her and frowned. "No, I mean it, Blue. I will—"

"Green," she cut me off. "Just drop it. It doesn't matter to me anymore."

My jaw slowly shut, and I stared at her in surprise. She kept her gaze averted from mine, and I watched her intently until her eyebrows scrunched as she focused on something in the distance. "Red?"

That broke my stare as I looked up to see the black-haired boy approaching us alone. His hands were hanging at his side, and he was watching his feet as he walked. He stopped and looked up when he saw that he'd reached us. "Hey guys. Has it started yet?"

Blue tilted her head. "It's about to. Where's Yellow?"

He smiled half-heartedly. "She said she had to do something and told me to go on without her. She'll be here in a little bit."

The puzzlement lightened on Blue's face but still remained. "Alright, well you made it just in time!"

He gave a faint chuckle, and I raised an eyebrow at his strange attitude. Standing up, I leaned my head near his. "What happened?"

He paused before answering. "I tried to tell her."

My eyes widened a little before I nodded. "I'll go find her."

"G-Green!" He stuttered in surprise.

I met his eyes solemnly. "Just let me try to talk to her."

He held my gaze for a moment before silently nodding his head. "Okay. I have a feeling she headed towards the Pokemon Mansion."

I nodded back and left him with Blue. Fighting my way through the crowd, I glanced over my shoulder. Red was watching me, still a little surprised, but quickly shook his head and sat down next to Blue who was tilting her own. A memory from the night I lost my temper about Amber with Yellow popped up as I continued walking. Shaking my head slightly at Red, I turned back around and focused on weaving around people. This probably wasn't the right time for him to tell her how he felt about her. She was probably still…confused about Amber.

Finally I was able to break free of the throng of people and flung myself out the front doors before I got sucked back in. I stood there panting a moment, glaring at the mass of bodies, before dusting my arms and setting off. Outside, it was much less crowded and easier to maneuver around anyone that might come along. I aimed my path for the north side of town, and it wasn't too long until I was standing before the grand old Pokemon Mansion. The building had been abandoned long ago but was still visited by someone every now and then.

Grabbing the handles, I gave the front doors a one-over and slowly opened them. They groaned loudly, the noise echoing into the mansion's interior. The closing of the doors resonated through the floorboards with a boom, and I could vaguely make out my surroundings with the sunlight streaming in through the windows lining the walls. All the furniture I could see was coated in a thin layer of dust, and darkness stained the corners where the light could not reach. Despite all that, the building had a comfy aura to it that could instantly make someone feel at home.

I was observing the particularly interesting carving of a mahogany table when I heard something crash on the upper level. My head whipped up at the noise, and I silently followed its sound. Swiftly ascending the stairs, I slowed down upon reaching the top and squinted my eyes to see into the faint light. Walking over, I realized it was Yellow struggling to upright a fallen wall desk.

I gripped the other end of the small table and helped her, causing the short girl to jump back in surprise. "My Lugia! Who is that?" I finished resetting the desk and stepped into a shaft of light for her. "Oh! It's you, Green!" I nodded and watched as she gave a sigh. "I'm sorry. I heard something and knocked this over. I guess it was you coming in. Wait, why are you here?"

Seeing a door up ahead, my curiosity took over a moment, and I walked inside the room. It was an ornate dining hall, surprising since it was on the second level instead of the ground floor. Yellow came in after me and stood with her hands behind her back. "Um, Green?"

I turned to find her standing next to me. "I came to check on you." She tilted her head. "Red told me you'd suddenly gone off." I raised an eyebrow as her light green eyes widened a little. "I figured something might be wrong."

She looked down at the dining table and started rocking on her heels. "Oh."

I glanced at her and stuffed my hands in my pockets. "Yellow, I'm sorry."

The blonde's head came up in surprise. "Whatever for?"

I sighed. "I shouldn't have blown up on you the other night like I did. I was really worked up, and it wasn't right of me to take it out on you."

She blinked and gave a weak chuckle. "No, that's alright. I probably needed to hear what you said anyway."

I turned my eyes to her. "Still, I hope you don't let it bother you too much."

She didn't say anything, only frowning a little.

My eyes narrowed a pinch. "And don't let it affect how you answer Red, okay?"

Yellow remained silent, slowly straightening her crooked hat. It looked as if she was about to say something when a set of windows on the other side of the room suddenly flew open and clanged against the wall. Our heads shot up in time to catch a glimpse of a blue tail before it was gone, and we heard wings beating in the distance.

Yellow's hand fell from her hat, and she was already halfway to the window by the time I realized she was gone. Running behind her, I stopped suddenly when I found her standing at the window sill, a folded sheet of paper in her hands.

"What is it?" I asked, slightly alarmed.

Her eyes widened. "Amber."

Me: *glances up from books* Dun dun dun!

Gardevoir: *sweatdrop* I don't think there was enough suspense for that.

Me: *closes books* Oh well!

Gardevoir: *raises eyebrow* Done studying, eh?

Me: Yup! *whips out laptop* AND NOW TO SYAORAN!

Gardevoir: *facepalm*

Me: *watching episodes* Ah, Syaoran...

Gardevoir: *smirks and whispers in ear* Spoiler Alert: He's a clone.

Me: *jaw drops open*

Gardevoir: *skips away* Hehe my work is done!

Me: *frozen from shock* B-But... *mind explosion*

Haha! Stay tuned everyone! *tear tear* All that's left now is the final chapter... ;D Review and return!