Me: Last day of school, last chapter of the story *nod* Seems fitting. Geez guys, I worked on this for five straight hours last night, and you wouldn't believe how many words it is. Almost 10,000 O_O So I hope you all appreciate it. Now, it's time to give the reviewers a little thank you!
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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. That's just how it is.
Chapter Nineteen: Silver
"Go, Brav!"
"Feraligatr!"
The ground vibrated as my starter Pokemon emerged onto the field and let out a roar. Glancing around his huge form, I watched as Black motioned for his already-released Flying type to take its place across from my Water type. Its wings beat hard to propel it into the air, and even though Black wasn't as experienced as me, I knew his Pokemon were very powerful.
The crowd around us was cheering like mad, and the stadium echoed like crazy. Many of them were on their feet and yelling while others simply watched from their seats. A chant soon started, tons of voices combining into one to shout, "Battle!"
Not wanting to make them wait any longer, Black cupped his hands over his mouth. "Let's go! Aerial Ace!"
I narrowed my eyes. "Dodge it!"
Feraligatr tried to get out of the way, but Aerial Ace is known for its inability to miss. Brav's beak raked across his blue hide, and I winced as he cried out. The Flying type was in and out like a flash, swooping back into the sky within a matter of seconds. Feraligatr stumbled a little but had no trouble regaining his footing as I tried to come up with an idea.
Physical attacks were pointless as Brav was positioned quite far above Feraligatr so I tried a different tactic. "Use Hydro Cannon!"
A blast of water erupted from the Water type's mouth and headed straight for the Braviary. Black was fast to react, though. "Quick! Fly down and use Air Slash!"
Brav retracted his wings and quickly lost altitude, missing Feraligatr's Ultimate move by just a hair. Just as he'd cleared the powerful jet, he slashed his wings through the air and sent the sharp pockets headed right for Feraligatr. They didn't seem like they'd do all that much, but my mouth dropped open a little as he was blown flat on his back. It took him a minute to get back on his feet, and I could tell he had taken some damage.
"Alright, Hydro Cannon again!" I yelled.
As Feraligatr fought to shoot down Brav, I looked across the field at Black with a raised eyebrow. He smirked and looked up at his Pokemon. "Sky Drop!"
I raised my other eyebrow as well as Brav stopped dodging attacks and headed straight for Feraligatr. There was no way he was going to be able to pick up my almost-two-hundred pound Pokemon. My jaw dropped yet again, though, as with a grunt, Brav took Feraligatr to the sky. I clenched my teeth a little. I wanted to tell him to try and get out of Brav's grip, but then he'd just get hurt falling back to the ground. Looking up, I saw Brav reach his peak and let go of Feraligatr. I sweat-dropped. Guess it didn't really matter now.
I could only watch as Feraligatr flailed helplessly around before Brav slammed him into the battlefield and sent dust flying everywhere. The impact had the ground shaking, and the air slowly cleared to show my Pokemon struggling to get up. Before he was back on his feet, Brav was already flying again and awaiting Black's next order.
I was trying to come up with a plan when Black called out. "Sky Drop again!"
As Feraligatr stood up and Brav began to descend, I finally got an idea. The Flying type began to pick up speed in his descent, and Feraligatr looked to me in distress.
"Wait for it!" I told him. He nodded and kept his eyes locked on Brav who was getting closer by the second. I narrowed my own eyes and watched him approach. Closer…closer…. "Now! Dodge it and grab his tail!"
Brav was just getting ready to snatch up Feraligatr when I gave him the command. Just barely sidestepping, he managed to evade Brav's claws and snag his tail feathers. Once he had a hold on him, I didn't even have to tell him what to do. He immediately executed a critical hit Ice Punch. Brav gave out a cry and collapsed in Feraligatr's arms.
Black wasn't one to go down easy, though. "Come on, Brav! Sky Drop once more!"
The Flying type shook its head and hooked onto Feraligatr with his talons. Before his opponent could react, Brav quickly shot up into the air with a beat of his wings. Reaching the crest of his flight, he released Feraligatr and prepared to slam him into the field again.
However, I had a different idea. "Get yourself turned over and use Hydro Cannon on the battlefield!"
As Brav closed in, Feraligatr was able to twist himself around to face the oncoming field and let loose a pillar of demolishing water. It impacted the ground and sent him shooting up into the air past Brav. The Flying type was taken by surprise and stopped his attack.
"Now!" I yelled. "Use Hydro Cannon on Brav!"
Since the foe was now below him, Feraligatr was able to pause the attack that was keeping him suspended in mid-air and aim it at Brav who wasn't fast enough to dodge it. It rammed into his side and sent him colliding with the battlefield. He didn't move, and I smiled as Feraligatr aimed at the ground again and slowly began to descend.
Black was frowning and cupping his hands over his mouth. "COME ON, BRAV! I KNOW YOU CAN DO IT! SKY ATTACK!"
My eyes widened as his Pokemon actually began struggling to get up. I hurriedly looked up at Feraligatr and realized in relief that he was still in mid-air. If he was on the ground, it would have been easier for Brav to target him from the sky like the last time he used that attack.
But apparently Brav had another plan. Instead of trying to fly above Feraligatr and dive bomb him like last time, he bunched up his muscles and leapt straight into the air at him. Feraligatr was still twenty feet up descending on his column of water so he had no way of dodging Brav. The Flying type sent him flailing through the air, too unbalanced to use another Hydro Cannon to land.
"And now!" Black shouted in triumph. "One more time!"
Feraligatr was already beginning to fall towards the field, and that was all Brav needed to maximize his move's power. Tucking his wings in, he shot down at Feraligatr like a bullet and slammed into his unprotected underside. Right at the last second, Brav beat his wings and swooped back into the air, leaving Feraligatr to crash into the ground alone. An explosion of dust followed, and as it began to clear, it was obvious that my Pokemon had lost.
Black let out a cry and beamed at Brav who landed tiredly but cried back to him. "Way to go, Brav!" The brunette cheered. "Just one more opponent!"
Brav was about to nod and get back into the air when he let out a piercing cry and collapsed. Black's eyes widened, and he craned his neck to see my Weavile retracting his claw from Brav's feathers.
"You've always got to pay attention," I told him. "It's not that hard to get in another Ice Punch when your opponent's distracted."
He shook his head in disbelief and nodded mutely before returning his fallen Pokemon. His Pokeball went back in his pocket, and I raised an eyebrow in surprise as he turned to look over his shoulder.
"Are you ready?" He asked his hood. It quivered a bit, and the stadium seemed to gasp as a furry brown head popped out and blinked at everyone. The Eevee nuzzled Black's cheek before jumping out of her hidey hole and onto the battlefield.
"…Yang?" I asked uncertainly, trying to think of what his Eevee's name was.
He shook his head. "Nope, Yin." Glancing down at her, he smiled encouragingly. "Let's see if your training has paid off. Tackle!"
Yin nodded at him and started charging towards Weavile. Her speed was astounding, and Weavile only had a few seconds before she came barreling into his side. He was thrown back a good ten feet, and Yin retreated as he began to recover. Pulling out my Pokedex, I saw that the Eevee's speed was abnormally higher than its other stats, but overall, Yin was significantly weaker than Weavile. One hit and she would go down. The only problem was if we could hit her.
"Okay," I told Weavile. "Try an Ice Punch."
Leaping across the field, he closed in on Yin, and an icy aura enveloped his claw. Yin saw this and just as his fist was coming down, she jumped up and out of the way. Landing behind him, she bounced away again as he turned around and struck once more. The same routine went on for a couple more hits until Weavile punched an empty space once again and paused a moment to catch his breath. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Yin sprinted forward, raced up his arm, and Tackled him straight in the face. The blow sent him hurtling towards Black, and Yin landed softly on her paws. Weavile was on his feet in a second, eyes narrowing. That attack wasn't near enough to take him down, but I knew the fact that he couldn't just defeat Yin in one shot was making him irritated.
"Covet!" Black commanded.
Weavile watched warily as Yin calmly walked up to him and started rubbing her head against his side. He eyed her uncertainly, and just as he was about to move away, she slapped him in the face with her tail and unleashed a flurry of teeth and claws on his unsuspecting face. He let out a cry, and Yin scurried away to escape the Ice Punch he had aimed at her. Without even waiting for my command, he stealthily followed her and raised his claws for a Faint Attack. She nimbly dodged and jumped off his head to avoid being hit, sending him face-planting the battlefield. He lifted his head, eyes narrowed and a growl in his throat. He started standing up only to be hit in the back with Take Down. The blow sent him flying, and he landed in a heap in front of me. Frustration beginning to take over, he was about to head towards Yin when I told him to wait a minute.
I smirked at him. "I have an idea."
Once hearing it, he nodded and set out for the Eevee again. She saw him coming and dodged his Ice Punch. Weavile turned and started chasing her down with Ice Punches like he'd done before. Just like last time, Yin dodged them all, and Weavile stopped, panting, as they found themselves in a large puddle left over from Brav and Feraligatr's battle. As Weavile was trying to recharge, Yin dashed forward with another Tackle that sent him hurtling out of the puddled area. She landed comfortably on her feet again, paws sinking slightly into the somewhat deep water.
Seeing this, I waved at Weavile. "Alright, now use Icy Wind."
A freezing chill permeated the air as Weavile sent the move towards Yin. She was getting ready to run and dodge it when a strange cracking sound stopped her. Weavile smirked in satisfaction as the water she was standing in froze and immobilized her. As she struggled to escape, he jumped on top of the ice and began to skate atop its surface. Yin fought harder as he started closing, but by the time she got her paws freed, Weavile was already too close. He let loose a Faint Attack that was so powerful it sent shattered ice flying everywhere.
Everyone in the stadium was silent as the last of the shards settled onto the ground, and Weavile stood over a knocked out Yin. Then the crowd broke out in applause, and Black and I returned our Pokemon while walking to meet each other in the center of the field.
"That was so exciting!" Black exclaimed once we'd stopped to watch the crowd. "I never expected Yin to be that fast!"
"You must have trained her very well then," I told him with a nod.
He smiled happily, and we watched as White suddenly appeared in the air above us with Kitty holding her back and a microphone in her hand. She started introducing the BW Agency to the crowd and after a few minutes of announcements invited everyone out back for the small musical production.
Black and I watched as everyone started filing out the doors to the back field, and the stands soon became empty save for two people who were walking down the stairs towards us. Blue was nodding her head in approval, and Red was making no attempt to hide his delight. He walked right up to Black and gave him a high-five.
"You know, you held up pretty good against someone who's much more experienced than you," Red told him merrily.
The brunette smiled at his praise, and I protested lightly as Blue ruffled my hair. "I knew you would win all along!"
"Stop it…" I muttered in embarrassment, pushing her away. She laughed and obediently retracted her hands. Seeing just her and Red, I looked around curiously. "Where's Green and Yellow?"
Red's smile faltered, and Blue tilted her head in puzzlement. "They're doing something right now, but they'll be here later. For now, let's go watch White's musical."
Black nodded in agreement, and Red did the same albeit while watching the entance to the Gym. Blue started ushering us towards the back exit that the crowd had gone out earlier, and I watched Red as he walked along, eyes never leaving those front doors.
Green
I froze and stared at Yellow like she was crazy. "W-What?"
She held the note up to me. "It's from Amber, Green."
I face-palmed. "No, I get that. I'm just…surprised. What does it say?"
"Let's see." Her eyes scanned the text, and it was obvious that there wasn't a lot because she was done a second later. "He…wants me to see him."
My eyes narrowed. "Well, he can want what he wants, but he's not going to get it."
"But Green," she said while refolding the paper, "he's says it's not a trap. He just wants to talk."
I groaned and face-palmed again. "That's exactly what he wants you to think. It's quite obvious that it is a trap just from the fact that he feels the need to say that it isn't."
Yellow sighed. "OR he could actually just want to talk to me."
I scoffed. "Look—"
"Green," she cut me off. "You told me that I don't have feelings for Amber. That I've simply become confused over how I feel about Red. Right?"
I blinked and nodded. "Yes."
Her fists clenched slightly. "Then let me figure that out for myself. Let me go see him. Maybe if I can talk to him, I can finally set my feelings straight."
I stared at her determined eyes and sighed. "Yellow, there's too much at stake with this. One, there's a good possibility that Amber is lying about this. That leads to number two where it's a trap, and he kidnaps you. And three, there's every chance that the rest of us might actually not be able to find you afterwards."
"Then I'll just have to take that risk," she replied with a shrug.
"No, Yellow." I grabbed her shoulders. "Promise me you won't go see him."
She looked away with her eyes shut tight, but I kept watching her.
"Please. For Red."
They shot open and widened as she looked up at me. After a moment, she let out a silent sigh. "Alright."
I nodded and let her go. "Thank you." She only watched the ground, and I sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Yellow. We just don't want anything to happen to you."
She nodded her blond head slightly. "Yeah, I know."
I shut the open windows in front of us. "Why don't we head back and see if we can catch at least the end of the battle?"
"Okay."
I helped her maneuver through the gloom of the Pokemon Mansion, doing my best to avoid anything that might trip her. After a few minutes we were back outside, guarding our eyes against the harsh afternoon sun. I shut the doors behind us and caught up with Yellow who had gone to the end of the walkway and paused to wait for me. She straightened her hat, and we started heading for the Gym.
Yellow made no move to start a conversation nor did I as we became lost in our own thoughts. Her hand clenched Amber's note until she shook her head slightly and put it in her pocket. I watched her sigh and rub her arm before I turned into my own angry mind.
What does Amber think he's doing? Isn't it bad enough that he's already betrayed her once? Does he really not feel bad about lying and tricking her again?!
I didn't realize Yellow had been watching me until she took my hand and tasted my emotions. My eyes widened, and I slowly took my hand back once she released it.
"Please don't be angry with him," she said quietly.
I scoffed and curled up a lip. "That's kind of inevitable at this point, Yellow."
She frowned. "Maybe to you."
I turned to her and sighed heatedly. "It really does amaze me sometimes how you think he has any hope of redeeming himself."
After thinking a moment, she said, "Well, he has yet to tell us why he's really doing anything. So I'm choosing to give him the benefit of the doubt."
I couldn't think of any way to respond to that. She looked up at me with wide eyes. "Instead of jumping to conclusions, why not give him a chance?"
I stared at her a moment before looking away with huff and a smirk. "Come on. We're almost to the Gym."
She frowned again but followed me anyway as we walked up to the Gym's doors and pushed them open. Inside, we could see that the battle stadium was empty and realized that we'd arrived too late. Remembering the musical, I led the way to the back exit and headed outside to find that White was already halfway done with the production. Yellow craned her neck over the crowd sitting on the grass in front of the stage to find our friends. After a minute, she gave up and looked to me. I was already on it, though, and spotted them in the first row nearest the stage. Pointing them out, I began to make a path for them with Yellow right behind me.
A couple of people got nudged along the way, but we were finally able to reach the others. Yellow sat down next to Blue who was sitting on Silver's right while his left was occupied by Red. Next to Red was Black who I decided to sit by.
"Green!" He whispered with excitement. "Where have you been?! You missed the battle!"
I crossed my arms and closed my eyes with a sigh. "Had some business to take care of. Who won?"
His merriment depleted. "Silver…"
I smiled faintly. "Don't worry. You'll get better."
He seemed to cheer up at that, and we looked up at the stage to see that music was coming to an end and the Pokemon were beginning to bow. The crowd started cheering, and we joined in as White walked out.
"Thank you all for coming! I do hope you all consider approaching the BW Agency for all your talent dreams! Have a good night!"
Kitty's butterfly wings popped out behind her, and she bowed with the rest of her bureau's Pokemon. The crowd clapped loudly, and White and the actors straightened up to wave as everyone started arising. Black jumped to his feet and ran up to join her on stage.
"White, that was great!" He exclaimed once reaching her.
The rest of us watched as she gave a thrilled hop and clasped his hands. "Was it? Oh, I'm so excited! I just know we're going to get more Kanto business now!"
A hint of pink arose on Black's face, and he smiled nervously. "N-No doubt!"
I heard Blue giggle and looked over to see her dispatch herself from between Silver and Yellow. Hopping onto the stage, she wrapped an arm around White and smirked. "So. How long are you and Black staying here in Kanto?"
White blinked, calming down and realizing she was holding Black's hands. Gasping lightly, she pulled them back and turned to Blue with rosy cheeks. "W-Well, I talked to my faculty back in Unova, and we all agreed to set up a permanent Kanto branch. So, basically as long as we'd like so long as we keep up the business."
Blue gave out a cry of happiness. "That's great!"
White nodded happily as Red looked up at them from the ground. "So did you guys get the chance to talk to Professor Oak?"
The pony-tailed brunette's smile fell, but she nodded yet again. "Yes, but can we talk about that in a little bit? I'd like to take care of things here before we sit down and discuss it."
Red nodded and joined the trio on stage. "Sure, we can help you."
She smiled gratefully, and everybody else began to gather around her for further instruction. As she began divvying up the work between everyone, I managed to grab Blue's arm and drag her off the stage.
"Ah! Green, what is it?" She asked confused.
"I've got something to tell you," I told her lowly. "Come on."
She raised an eyebrow. "Can't this wait until later?"
I shook my head. "No, it can't."
She held my gaze a second before nodding. "Alright, let's go."
She didn't ask any questions as I took us back into the Gym and the house wing of the building. Her fingers played with the ends of her skirt while she walked, and she looked up as I led the way into the kitchen.
"Hm? Are we discussing…what to make for supper?" She asked in confusion.
I shook my head harshly and leaned against the sink. "No. There's something else."
Blue took a seat at the island and laid her chin on her hands. "I'm all ears."
"Amber wants to see Yellow."
She blinked. "C-Come again?"
I crossed my arms. "We just came back from the Pokemon Mansion. Amber dropped off a note asking Yellow to go talk to him."
"Trap," she said flatly.
I nodded with a huff. "My thoughts exactly. And she even wants to go."
Blue's jaw dropped open. "Doesn't she realize…"
"The risk?" I finished for her. "Yeah, she does. Yet she still wants to." I narrowed my eyes. "She thinks it'll help sort out her emotions."
Blue's eyes filled with empathy. "Oh, Yellow…"
"For some reason," I sighed, "she still believes in him."
Blue didn't move. "Could we come with her to make sure nothing happens?"
I turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Probably not. I'd guess he wants to talk to her alone."
She looked down at her hands. "Oh."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah…why do you ask?"
She shrugged. "Just wondering." Standing up, she stalked past me to the fridge and opened its door. "Let's make some dinner for when everyone finishes cleaning."
Pulling out some vegetables, she walked around me as I only continued watching her move about the kitchen. She set them down on the counter to my right before setting out to look for a cutting board. I noticed she hadn't closed the fridge all the way, and when I went to close it, there was a loud crashing from behind. Whipping around, I found Blue sitting beneath a pile of cookie sheets, her hand slowly tilting the one on her head back.
"Sure wasn't expecting that," she chuckled.
I rolled my eyes and stalked over to put the trays back in the cabinet she had disturbed. She gratefully handed them to me from the floor, and once the last of them were put away, I grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. After she was stable, I ran a light hand over her head to make sure she was okay.
She huffed and swatted it away. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Taking my hand back, I started searching the remaining cabinets for the cutting board. Just as I found it on one of the top shelves, Blue poked me in the side, and I looked down at her as my arms reached for the board. "You're kind of overprotective, you know?"
I paused a moment, my eyes widening a little. I quickly shook my head though and headed back to the counter with the cutting board. "Let's get to work. How does soup sound?"
I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my head but refused to look back at her as I started cutting a carrot. A solid minute later she appeared at my side, silent as she took up the rest of the vegetables and starting running them under the sink faucet. She handed them to me one by one, and one by one they were sliced and deposited into a large pot that we had boiling water in. We started adding in the rest of the ingredients, and it wasn't long before everyone began arriving from the clean-up.
"Ah, what smells good?" Black sighed in content, plopping down in a seat at the island.
White followed in after him and claimed the one on his left. "Yes, it's quite the pleasing aroma."
Blue looked up from where she was stirring at the stove. "Oh, we just made some vegetable soup. It'll be done here in a little bit. You guys can go watch some TV in the living room until it's done."
The two brunettes nodded and passed on the news to the other three who were just about to walk in. Making sure Blue had everything handled, I trailed after them as they migrated into the main living area. Silver was perched on a single recliner, Black and White were on the couch on the far wall, and Yellow rested on the floor at Red's feet as he sat on the single chair above her.
Taking a seat next to Black on the couch, I turned to White on his other side. "No problems cleaning up?"
She shook her head. "None at all. Thanks to everyone, we were able to get it done within the hour!"
I nodded. "Good. So getting back to the previous subject, were you able to meet up with Professor Oak and Juniper?"
She nodded back at me. "We were only in Unova for a few days, but we made sure to go see them after checking in with the agency."
Red leaned against his chair's armrest. "What did he say?"
"He told us he'd be back in Kanto as soon as he can," Black explained with sympathy. "They were in the middle of a research project and had just started restoring an old book Professor Rowan had sent them. He has to finish the page he was working on before he can come back or its data will be lost. He should be here by the end of the week, though."
I nodded. "We'll be fine until then." My eyes slid to Yellow's unfocused ones. "As long as we don't do anything stupid."
Her head snapped up, and her gaze locked with mine as Red's eyebrows scrunched. After a moment, she hesitantly got to her feet and made her ways towards the exit. "I'm going to…go lay down for a bit."
Silver cocked his head as she walked out. "Did something happen?"
I sighed. "Yes, something did happen."
By then everyone was watching me expectantly, and I sighed again. "She got a note from Amber asking to meet up and talk."
The entire room went dead silent. Red and Silver were glaring while Black and White's eyes revealed their shock.
"From…Amber?" White repeated.
I nodded. "We got it during the battle."
Red closed his eyes with a tense frown. "She's not going. I won't allow it."
Silver nodded tersely. "Neither will I."
Black shook his head slowly. "Yeah, I have to agree with them on this one."
White was the only one to remain quiet, a finger to her chin in unsure thought.
"Green and I thought it might be a trap," Blue suddenly said from behind. She came in carrying a tray full of bowls with hot soup. Carefully handing one along with a spoon to everybody, she saved the last for herself and settled down against the couch near my feet.
"It's quite possible," Silver said lowly.
Red nodded in agreement and fumingly ate a bit of soup. Black did the same and swallowed loudly. "So if Amber could deliver a letter, doesn't that mean he knows where we are?"
Blue rested her head in her hand a moment. "You're right." She sighed. "Guess we're going to have to relocate. Again."
Silver suddenly arose and walked out of the room. A second later, he came back with a map of the island and Blaine's Gym. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he shrugged. "They were hanging up in his office."
Blue swatted his arm as he laid them out on the table. "It's not nice to take things without permission, Silvy!"
He narrowed his eyes. "Says the girl who didn't have a problem with 'borrowing' Red's badges. Besides, you and I both know we'd all feel a lot better if we had a plan in case Amber shows up."
Everyone nodded and joined him around the table. The hours slipped by as we plotted and prepared for every possible scenario. When we were done with our extensive planning, it amazed all of us that the sunlight was almost gone. Blue began cleaning up the bowls, and Silver went to help her in the kitchen. As White and Black studied the notes we'd written on some lined paper, I turned to find Red staring at the map of the island.
"Something wrong?" I asked him.
He shook his head. "I just have this nagging feeling that no matter how much we plan beforehand, we won't be able to stop Amber."
I narrowed my eyes and cuffed him over the head, making his cap fall off. "Stop it."
He smirked and reached for his hat as Blue walked in with a bowl. "Red, would you take this to Yellow? She hasn't eaten yet, and I'm sure she's hungry."
The raven-haired boy nodded without protest and took the bowl from her. He went to complete her request, and she walked back to the kitchen to finish cleaning. Turning to Black and White, I saw that the boy was shuffling through the papers while the girl stared at the maps like Red had before. She hugged her arms gently, and I realized she hadn't spoken a word since I mentioned Amber.
She noticed me staring and shook her head quickly. "Oh, I'm sorry! What did you need?"
I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say anything."
She sighed. "Oh, okay. Sorry, I just…did Yellow want to see Amber as well?"
I eyed her warily. "…yes."
Her eyes widened. "We haven't seen her in a couple hours…d-do you think she may have—"
"Green!" Red yelled from the hallway. All three of our heads snapped up as he barged into the room, slightly breathless like he'd been running. His eyes swelled with anxiety, and my own widened as he exclaimed, "She's gone!"
"I knew it," White murmured.
Red ran over and frantically handed me a piece of paper. "This was lying on her bed."
I took the slip and opened it, not at all surprised at what I found.
I'm sorry, Green.
Yellow
A chill was beginning to settle in the air as Kitty landed at the entrance to the Seafoam Islands. I'd gotten him back from White earlier and felt a stab of guilt when I used him to fly here.
"I know I promised you, Green," I whispered. Taking out Amber's note, I solemnly began to unfold it. "But I have to know."
I smoothed out the wrinkles and read the text one more time in the dying light.
Dear Yellow,
I know you have no reason to trust me. That's only natural.
But I'd really appreciate it if you'd hear me out.
I'm tired of doing this to you, and I'm done.
If you want to come and talk to me, I'll be waiting at Articuno's
nest tonight. I'd rather you came alone, but don't worry. I
promise you this isn't a trap.
A.
My fingers had unconsciously clenched the paper, and I released their hold as twilight began to fall. Looking into the darkness of the entry cave, I contemplated whether or not I could remember how to find the right passage. Not wanting to risk getting lost, I grabbed back onto Kitty and decided to just search for the ice castle in the air.
I circled the islands a few times, not seeing the small valley I was hoping to find. On the fifth round, I finally glimpsed a small sparkle and made out the clear building far below. Maneuvering through the rocky hills of the island, I was able to make it to the center of the valley where the castle was. Articuno's nest of blue feathers was right below, and I had Kitty carefully drop me on the roof next to it.
Returning him to his Pokeball, I looked around for any sign of life. Ten minutes went by with nothing, and I was about to head back to Cinnabar when the sound of beating wings came from above. I looked up in time to see Amber drop down from Baga's back and land in front of me.
He stood up slowly and inclined his head toward me. "Hello."
I nodded slowly as he returned Baga. "Hi."
Putting the Pokeball on his belt, he turned back to me and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "So…how have you been?"
I raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh?"
He sighed. "I'm trying to be normal."
I rubbed the back of my head. "Oh. I-It's not exactly working."
He gave a chuckle. "I can see that. To be honest, I'm surprised you actually came."
My head tilted. "Why wouldn't I?"
He looked at me like I was crazy. "Well, I'm not exactly portrayed as a good guy at the moment…"
I bit my lip. "Yes, but, you said you wanted to talk so…I thought I'd give you a chance."
"Oh," he blinked in surprise. "Well, thank you." I nodded in acknowledgement, and he chuckled little. "You know, you trust people way too much."
I frowned as I pictured Green in my head. "So I've been told."
He laughed again and stepped past me to sit down in the nest. After a minute, I hesitantly followed, keeping a safe distance as I sat on the soft blue feathers.
Suddenly holding up a finger, he reached under his shirt and grabbed the notebook that was hidden there. It was the size of a novel so it travelled quite easily in that position. I realized it was the one I'd given him and watched as he opened it to the first sketches of the Gardevoir he'd made.
"I've been practicing," he told me with a small smile. His fingers slowly turned the pages, showing the improvements between each drawing. Finally, they came to rest on the last page, and my jaw dropped a little. The Gardevoir was completely finished, the transformation from the rough sketch all the way to this finished image. I traced the edge of its dress, noticing the smooth curves and limited eraser marks.
"This…is really good," I whispered in awe. Even though he was currently my enemy, I couldn't help but praise him. Moving my gaze up from the skirt, I realized there was a yinyang hanging from the Pokemon's neck. Pointing at it, I scrunched my eyebrows and looked at his. "It's like yours."
He nodded somberly. "It used to be Jade's, but after…after she died, I gave it to her."
My eyes widened. "Her?"
Pulling a pencil out of the notebook's spiral, he wrote the name SAMANTHA in an empty space on the page. "Yeah, I gave it to Sam."
I paused a moment, the pieces finally clicking together after messing with them for a long time. "It's her isn't? She's the one you have to save?"
He turned to me and nodded. "Bingo."
I looked back at the picture. "Why? Does Team Rocket have her?"
Amber frowned and nodded again. "And I have to get her out of there as soon as possible. Before they…" His fist clenched. "Destroy her." I gasped, but he only continued. "They have something planned for her, and the only way I could save her was by bringing you to them. I didn't want to do that, though. I never have from the start. But if I don't' rescue her soon, then it's going to get bad."
I froze. "S-So, you're here to take me?"
He whipped around in shock. "No, no! That's exactly what I'm not doing! I came here to tell you that I plan on getting Sam back and escaping from Team Rocket."
I tilted my head. "Why haven't you done that already?"
He scratched the back of his head. "At first I didn't think it was possible. The place they're holding her in is really high on security, and I couldn't find any way to break through it. However, I've been gradually finding kinks in its armor ever since they first kidnapped Sam and blackmailed me into this job." His eyes shone in the soft moonlight. "I think I can do it now. I've made up a plan, and after we're done talking, I'm going to get her and bring her back here."
I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face. "I knew it! I knew you weren't evil!"
He blinked in surprise as I cheered to myself. "Y…You've believed me this entire time?"
I smiled at him. "Of course! I knew this 'kidnapper' person couldn't possibly be the real you!"
"Yellow, why…" His eyebrows scrunched. "Why would you do that?"
My cheering slowly faded as I took in his serious expression. "What do you mean?"
He only seemed to grow more confused. "I betrayed you; I've been trying to kidnap you; all your friends have chosen to think that I'm not good anymore, and I don't blame them…so why do you still believe in me?"
I blinked at him. "Because you're my friend, too. And I don't give up easily on my friends."
His eyes narrowed a fraction. "Is that what it is?" He leaned his face towards mine. "Yellow, you don't have feelings for me do you?"
I stiffened.
His eyes were unwavering. "Don't you care about Red?"
I gave an unsteady breath and closed my eyes.
Red. The boy who had saved me when I was little. The reason I had journeyed to battle Lance on Cerise Island. The last person to realize that I was actually a girl. The one who carried me, was ready to protect me even until petrification. The one I would protect even to death. The reason that I can smile every day knowing he'll be there. The person I would smile for even if I was dying inside. The boy who I cared about above all else in my life.
The boy that I…loved. That I've loved all along.
My breath caught in my throat, and I looked at Amber to see that secretly, he'd known it all along. "Yes, I do. More than anyone else in the world." I hastily continued as his face fell. "But, you can't feelings for me either, right?" He looked up sharply. "Because you love Jade."
His eyes widened, and I watched as realization dawned in his own mind. "I…I always have."
We stared at each for a moment before both of us busted out laughing. Laughing like two people who had just found out that their entire relationship had been a lie.
"Why?" Amber managed to say. "Why did we think we liked each other?"
I settled down enough to chuckle, "Green told me I'd become a victim of my own mind."
Amber held his arms up. "That's what I was told!" He laughed again and stood up. "Oh, I can't believe this! Okay! I'm going to get Sam right now! Wait for me?"
I smiled, glad that I was finally able to answer his question from the alley. "Yes."
He grinned at me and reached for Baga's Pokeball. "In that case, I'll be on my way—ah!"
The amber-eyed boy suddenly pitched forward as what felt like an earthquake vibrated the floor beneath him. He was about to stand up again when he let out a cry. I gasped as his form was suddenly engulfed in shocking electricity. He didn't appear to be in any pain, but his skin twitched as he fell to his knees.
"Wh-What?" He choked out, his voice coated in static.
Melany suddenly popped out from behind him, her hands clasped behind her back. "Hey all!"
Amber's eyes widened as another tremor shook the entire ice castle. "M-Melany? But how did you—"
"You told me you had something to do, and I was curious," she replied simply.
He couldn't move, paralyzed on his knees, and a strange eel-like Pokemon emerged from behind Melany. "Thank you, Eelektross," she told it warmly. "Thunder Wave worked perfectly."
Amber's eyes widened further, and he looked up at me, the only movement he was capable of. Melany returned her Pokemon and took a step toward me. "It's finally time for us to make our departure, Yellow."
Amber clenched his teeth and braced himself against another earthquake. "No, Melany!"
She turned to him and blinked. "Oh? Have you finally decided to quit Team Rocket?"
He nodded tersely. "You can't take her!"
She smiled sadly. "Don't worry. I won't let them hurt her."
I backed up as she turned towards me again, and Amber fought against his paralysis. "You can't promise me that! They'll do to her what they did to Sam!"
Melany's eyes hardened as she took a step. "Not if I can help it."
I tried to run, but she was older than me and faster. Within a few minutes, I was struggling against a duct tape handcuff and fighting against her as she grabbed my shoulders. Her Venomoth latched onto her shoulders, and I started getting frantic. I would've screamed, but she'd decided to cover my mouth with duct tape as well.
"I'd stop squirming if I were you," she warned. "You don't want to slip from my grasp and fall out of the sky."
That made me freeze a moment, long enough for her Venomoth to lift us off the ground while another quake reverberated through the ground.
By now Amber was crying out in protest, fingers twitching as he fought to regain control of them. "Melany, please! Don't do this!"
She frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, but it's already done."
The girl clicked her tongue at her Venomoth, and it took us higher into the air. Amber's cries got fainter and fainter as we gained altitude. I watched him fade and looked down at the castle to find that Red, Blue, Green, and Silver were fighting with Melany's henchmen in front of its doors, the reason for the earthquakes.
They came for me, I thought with tears in my eyes. Through my blurry vision, I found Red and let out a muffled cry. I'm sorry, Red. I'm sorry for being an idiot.
Melany watched the ocean and wouldn't look at me as we left the Seafoam Islands behind. "It's time to see Master."
And just like that, it was all over.
Blue
"Where are they?!" Red yelled over the wind. He, Green, Silver, and I were currently circling the Seafoam Islands where we assumed Yellow had gone since it was the closest place for her to meet Amber. Blaine had arrived back from Fuchsia City before we left so Black and White stayed behind to explain the situation to him. I had on my Silph Scope on at that moment, only hoping that they were outside so I could spot them. And like a miracle, I actually did.
"Follow me!" I shouted to them, having Wiggly quickly descend towards what appeared to be a castle made of ice. Carefully touching down in front of the massive building, I pulled off my gear and turned to the others as they landed as well. Pointing to the top of the strange structure, I frowned. "They're up there."
Red grimaced and immediately started running for the doors. However, as soon as he got ten feet from them, something erupted from the ground and knocked him aside. I cried out and ran to his side to help him up. I was trying to help him stand, but we both froze at what was looming over us. A gigantic Onix stood glaring, its tail poised to strike again. It was coming down to attack so I shoved Red along and managed to get us out of the way before it crashed into the ground.
"Blasty, go!" I yelled while releasing him. Red did the same with Poli, and I turned to find that there was a second Onix facing off against Green and Silver's Golduck and Feraligatr.
"Poli, Hydro Pump!" Red shouted as our Onix started coming for us again.
The move hit it dead on, and I anxiously turned to Red. "We have to hurry before something happens to Yellow!"
"It's too late for that!" Someone chuckled loudly.
Red and I whipped our heads up to find that one of Melany's henchmen was standing on the other side of the Onix. Quickly looking towards the other enemy Pokemon, I saw the other guy standing there as well.
My teeth gritted as he laughed again. "Melany's taking care of her now as we speak!"
"No!" I yelled in fury. "Blasty, Hydro Cannon!"
He let loose a barrel of water that slammed into the Onix and almost knocked it out in one shot. Turning to Red, I shoved him away. "Go, now! I can take care of this! Go get Yellow!"
He nodded and returned Poli before running amidst the battle for the castle. He got stopped by the other Onix, but Silver and Green managed to get him out of there before it hurt him. Now he was currently stalled from getting to Yellow, but it wouldn't be long before that Onix was taken down.
Getting back to my own battle, I told Blasty to use another Hydro Cannon and hissed in frustration when it missed. The henchmen laughed and had his Pokemon attack. The Onix brought its tail down just mere feet from Blasty and me, knocking us back a few yards. Clenching my fist, I had him use Hydro Cannon one more time and grinned a little when the Rock type finally went crashing to the ground.
I was so busy indulging in my satisfaction and returning Blasty that I didn't see the other Onix heading in my direction. It knocked into the walls of the rocky hills, and my eyes widened in horror as an onslaught of boulders started rolling down the hillside for me. There wasn't enough time to call out one of my Pokemon so all I could do was wait for rockslide to crush me. The rumbling grew louder every second, and I clenched my fists in fear.
"BLUE!"
My eyes shot open, and I watched in shock as the rocks were blasted away with jets of water. Looking up, I saw Green trying to make his way to me with Golduck making sure nothing hit me. As the rockslide continued, Green gradually got closer to the point that I could reach out and touch his arm. However, just at that moment, a huge boulder made it past Golduck and was rolling straight for us. My eyes widened, and I yelped as I was suddenly shoved onto the ground. My face ate the dirt, but I immediately picked myself up in time to watch Green step in front of the rock. Golduck managed to slow it done some, but when it met with Green's braced back, he gave out a cry that echoed through the valley. The impact caused him to bend over, and he bared his teeth as he kept the weight of it from crushing me.
"Green!" I shrieked. "What in Arceus' name are you doing?!"
"What does it look like?!" He practically screamed in pain. "I'm keeping this stupid rock from killing you!"
My jaw dropped open, and I started to stand up. "Let me help you!"
"No!" This time he really did scream, and it stopped me. "You'll get hit by the other rocks! Just wait until the rockslide's over! You're safer where you are!"
I hated to admit it, but with Green holding the boulder, there was a small area that was blocked out by the falling rocks. Still, it killed me to see him in pain like that. "Please, just let me—"
"No, Blue!" He shouted. Biting his lip, he managed to smirk at me. "Now do you see what's it's like to be denied?"
I stopped at that. My pause revealed that the rocks were slowing their descent, and after another minute, they were done entirely. Silence settled down again before the henchmen's Onix screeched in pain. I glanced up to see that Silver had sent Feraligatr to attack it, allowing Red to finally make a path for the ice castle. Turning back to Green's strained form, I anxiously looked to Golduck as he ran up to us. "Can you help him?"
The fatigued Pokemon nodded and braced itself against the boulder, allowing Green the chance to slip out. However, just as the brunette was making his way out from underneath, Golduck collapsed from exhaustion, pinning Green's arm beneath the rock. He let out a shout of anguish, and I wasted no time releasing Blasty and having him lift the boulder. Golduck was completely knocked out, and Green's face was twisted up in pain.
"Oh my Mew! Green!" I rushed over to him and returned Golduck and Blasty to their Pokeballs before gently helping Green sit up. He winced when I touched his shoulder, and I frowned. "Take off your jacket."
He bared his teeth lightly. "I…don't know if I can."
I set my face and slowly undid the zipper on his jacket, making sure I didn't hurt him any further. His white polo soon appeared from beneath the black material, and I lightly shrugged it off his shoulders. Lifting up the sleeve of his shirt, I could see the beginning of a massive bruise trailing from his back shoulder blade to the end of his bicep.
"How bad is it?" He asked lowly.
I bit my lip. "It's going to hurt for a while. Can you hold it up?"
He tried, but that only seemed to hurt him more. Forcing him to stop, I turned his jacket into a makeshift sling over his arm to help support it. He leaned his back on the boulder behind him, and I could feel a seed of anger grow within me. "Why wouldn't you let me help you?"
He narrowed his eyes at me. "I was returning the favor."
I growled a little. "That's no reason, Green!"
He growled back. "Fine! Because I couldn't stand to see you get hurt let alone crushed!" He leaned his face towards mine. "The sight of you in pain makes my blood boil, and you want to know why?! Well, it's because I—!" He voice stuttered. "I—"
I tilted my head in exasperation. "You what, Green?"
He looked up from the ground, his eyes determined. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion but stiffened in shock when he suddenly leaned forward and kissed me. I was so unprepared for it that I could only sit there frozen until he pulled away a second later.
He raised his eyebrows at me in question, and I slowly found my voice. "…Greeny loves me?"
Despite having a wounded arm, he was able to face-palm but not before I saw the blush on his face. "Y-Yes, I…love you."
A grin slowly crept on my face, and I leapt to my feet in a second. "Greeny loves me! Greeny loves me!"
He groaned. "Please don't make this like the virus world. I was lucky there was nobody there to hear you then."
I giggled and helped him to his feet. As he stabilized himself, I leaned over his ear. "Thank you."
He raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
I smiled warmly at him, something I could never remember doing before. "For answering my question."
He stared at me a moment before blushing a little and looking away. "You're welcome."
Helping him walk around the scattered rocks, we went to find Silver and see how he was coping. Near the front of the castle, we found that the other Onix had been defeated, the two henchmen tied up next to them. Silver was at the ice doors, trying to find a way to unlock them.
"They won't open!" He exclaimed in frustration after trying to pry them apart.
Realizing that we had yet to rescue Yellow, I frantically called out Wiggly. "Then see if you can fly to the top!"
He released Honchcrow, and I helped Green onto Wiggly before joining him. We made our way to the roof, and the silence that met us almost killed me. In front of us was a semicircle with a nest of blue feathers next to a staircase that led down into the ice castle. On his knees in the nest was Amber, static dripping off his night black hair.
The same hair that matched the boy in front of him. Red stood motionless before him, his entire being obviously tense. Silver, Green, and I quickly dismounted and ran over to the twins who were silently staring at each other. The three of us stopped at Red's side, and said boy's frown only deepened.
"They took her," he murmured lowly, the rage unconcealed in his voice, "and left him.
My heart fell at that; it really did. I almost collapsed there on the spot.
Silver crossed his arms. "So where did they take her, Amber?"
The paralyzed boy glanced down. "I don't know to be honest. They're probably going to move headquarters now that they have her."
Green raised his eyebrows. "And how do we know you're telling the truth?"
Amber lifted his head to look him in the eye. "I wouldn't lie to you about Yellow." He shifted his gaze to Red. "Not when she means so much to you all."
Red's eyes widened, and Green scoffed. "I don't want to listen to your lies."
Amber's jaw clenched. "I swear I'm not lying."
Green's eyes hardened. "I don't want to hear it—!"
"Wait a second, Green," I said softly. Taking a step towards Amber, I looked deep into his golden-orange eyes. I remembered our meeting at the Celadon library and my "assignment" to figure out his past. "I say we listen to what he was to say."
The three other boys widened their eyes at me. "Why do you think we should we do that?" Green asked carefully.
I looked at each of them with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you know? There are two sides to every story."
Turning back to Amber, I smirked.
"And I think it's about time we heard yours."
To Be Continued...
Watch out for the Third Chapter of the Old Grudge Series:
Strike Three
Approximate Story Timeline:
June 24-July 7
Current Location and Ages:
Red
Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)
Age: 16
Yellow
Location: Kanto Town: Unknown
Age: 15
Green
Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)
Age: 16
Blue
Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)
Age: 17
Silver
Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island (Seafoam Islands)
Age: 15
Gold
Location: Johto Town: New Bark
Age: 14
Crystal
Location: Johto Town: New Bark
Age: 15
Emerald
Location: Johto Town: New Bark
Age: 13
Ruby
Location: Sinnoh Town: Most likely Snowpoint as that is where the long travel boats dock.
Age: 14
Sapphire
Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.
Age: 13
Diamond
Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.
Age: 12
Pearl
Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.
Age: 12
Platinum
Location: Sinnoh Town: Look to Ruby.
Age: 12
Black
Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island
Age: 14
White
Location: Kanto Town: Cinnabar Island
Age: 14
Cheren
Location: Unova Town: Unknown
Age: 13
Bianca
Location: Unova Town: Unknown
Age: 14