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DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokémon.

Chapter 16: Transient Wishes

After the performance of the Kimono girls on stage, the dexholders headed to the Haunted House to meet up with Sapphire and Lapis as well as a couple more individuals that Red and Blue said everyone else should meet. Yellow and the younger dexholders were puzzled as to who they were going to meet, but the Kanto seniors weren't giving any hints. They just had to wait and see for themselves.

At the Burned tower, Ecruteak's gym leader Morty was overseeing the haunted house. His duty was to make sure that the wild ghost pokemons weren't going out of control and attack; instead he hoped that they would make use of the opportunity to have a little fun with the visitors. So far, everything was going really well.

The historical tower wasn't decorated by any flashy streamers or colorful lanterns; instead Morty sought the assistance of a couple of Litwicks to help light the stone pathway. He made sure that they were harmless enough beforehand. The candle pokemons stood by some old run-down lampposts and greeted the visitors with an innocent smile that just gave the people a cold chill running down their backs rather than a friendly welcome. They were a cute duo at first sight but the spectral-like flames on their heads continued giving an eerie vibe as they lead the people to the front of the haunted house.

The rickety tower smelled of burnt wood mixed with other indistinguishable stenches. Harmless enough. Screams and strange various noises came from the inside. There was clanging of chains, deep maniacal laughter, and the worst of it was the sound of floors and walls collapsing. The whole atmosphere was the exact opposite of the lively festival. It was like a dark gloomy cloud was hovering above it. When the people looked closer, they saw that there was literally a deep violet-shaded shroud enveloping the place. Dark looming shadows seemed to move in every direction. Some guests suddenly had second thought about entering. But before they could turn around and leave, the Litwick duo blocked their path and insisted that they should keep going. There was very little option.

Red and the others arrived but Sapphire and Lapis were nowhere in sight. They decided to wait for a while longer, but Gold was growing really impatient. He was hyped and raring to go check the inside of the Burned tower. Crystal tried to calm him down, but as soon as Red gave him permission to go on ahead, Gold didn't think twice and rushed in.

The dexholder leader also told the rest that it was okay to go on ahead, but Crystal decided to wait. The Sinnoh trio looked at each other. Pearl and Diamond started pointing at each other and squabbling as to who would be in first among them. Platina suggested that she would go but the manzai duo wouldn't agree to that. Blue tried to convince Silver but the redhead didn't want to go in, knowing that Gold might be inside plotting his vengeance for the Extreme Fish Scooping incident. Yellow was contented with waiting beside Red, but deep inside she was feeling a little uncomfortable by the creepy presence lingering in the air. Luckily, Pika and Chuchu were there to lighten her mood.

A few minutes later, a sight of two incoming people dressed in yukatas came into view. It wasn't Sapphire and Lapis, but Blue and Red waved at them with a pleasing smile. One was a girl with wavy brown hair, wearing a pinkish white grab with blue accents and bows. The other was a boy with chocolate hair, wearing a black robe with white patterns. The Kanto seniors introduced them as the dexholders from Unova, White and Black.

Blue pointed out that one of them, particularly the girl was one of the performers on stage. White immediately flushed at the memory as the female dexholders fawned around her. Crystal giggled at the fact that Gold was going to be late in meeting her. The raven-haired breeder was a huge fan of the Kimono girls and if he found out that he had a junior who was one of them, he would have absolutely freaked. On second thought, Crystal's mild jealousy would have surfaced.

They all quickly got acquainted just as Sapphire and Lapis arrived. The blue-eyed boy with the Celebi mask, walked ahead with his Kirlia following closely at his side. Sapphire, on the other hand, was lagging behind while carrying Momo in her arms. Her head was still filled with thoughts and questions that left her completely dazed. It was Platina and Blue who snapped her out of it.

"Is there something the matter, Sapphire?" Platina inquired worriedly.

The Hoenn lass was about to speak up when she caught a glimpse of Lapis raising a finger in front of his lips, reminding her to keep the events that transpired earlier, a secret. Sapphire looked down and shook her head. "N-nothing…"

Platina and Blue didn't believe it. They turned their heads towards Lapis and wondered if he had anything to do with it. The blue-eyed boy knew they were staring but he kept his composure while he adjusted the ribbons on Azura's hair.

"Well? Shall we go in now?" Black chimed, placing his hands behind his head and flashing an eager grin.

"Black, we still haven't introduced ourselves to those two. Show some manners," White whispered.

The Unova dexholders gave another quick introduction to Lapis and Sapphire. Afterwards, Azura and the others were sent back to their pokeballs. The group returned to their agreed-upon pairings and entered the haunted house. Since Gold was already inside, Crystal decided to go with White and Black. They were the first three to enter followed by Silver and Blue, the Sinnoh trio, Lapis and Sapphire and finally Red and Yellow.

*slam*

Just as they stepped foot into the tower, the broken door suddenly shut close, jolting the majority of the dexholders. It was now pitch-black but the thin rays of moonlight seeping through the cracks made things more visible. All was silent. Only the squeaky floorboards beneath their feet and the sound of their own breathing in the cold dry air made any audible noises.

Just then each of them felt a claw with a cold air-like feel hold on to them.

"Kyaaa!"

Various screams reverberated in the tower. It was soon followed by the playing of a pipe organ which engulfed the air with a gloomy symphony that lead many of them to question as to why there was such an instrument in a broken-down old building. They didn't want to dwell too much on it. They had bigger things on their mind. Seeing only the shadows, none of them knew which direction to take.

Yellow and Blue clutched tightly their respective partners. Though in Blue's case, it was feigning fear. When the Sinnoh trio screamed, it was Dia who was caught in the middle of it, being clutched either side by Platina and Pearl. White just held on to Black's sleeve, feeling petrified on the spot. The rest, including Lapis and Sapphire were the calmer people in the group. Though, Sapphire did feel somewhat scared but that was a good thing because it managed to shift her attention elsewhere other than the event concerning Ruby and Lapis.

"…W-where's senior Crystal?" White whispered, having felt that they were a person short.

Black waved his free arm around to find her but all he got was air. A moment later, he felt a cold mass of …something. "Senior?"

"…Gennn…ggarrr." A pair of hands held on to Black's arm and hoisted him off the ground. The boy struggled but making the ghost pokemon release him was gradually becoming a bad idea. White yelled and tried to pull him down but was dragged upwards into the shadows as well.

"Black?!White?!" Blue called out to them but all she got was the sound of wood breaking from above. Strangely, there was no noise of anything crashing in front of them. Normally, if anything broke from above something would have fell down. There was nothing.

"W-will they be alright?" Yellow asked in a hush tone.

"I'm sure they're safe. After all, this is just for fun," Red assured her.

The next moment after they caught their breath, the music stopped and was replaced by a heavy silence that made everyone uneasy. None of them made a peep, fearing of what was coming if they did. No one knew how long they had to stay like that or what they needed to do at that point. Then Dia got a whiff of something tasty, like one of the treats that they were selling at the festival booths.

*grumble*

The noise of a stomach grumbling broke the eerie silence and consequently, several pairs of glowing eyes shot open the shadows. Some had dark cunning smirks below them while others just let out a mischievous giggle.

*screech*

A piercing shriek from behind jumped the group. Then a number Gastly hovered around them before fading back into the dark. Everyone didn't dare move from their spot. There were either petrified or just taken back by the rush of events. But by doing that, made the ghost pokemon more determined to make the group venture deeper into their playhouse. Since the subtle approach didn't work, they decided on a more hands-on and up-close plan like one of the Gengar did, but with a few twists.

Everything returned again to some kind of uneasy calmness. Red and the others decided to stay together, feeling something bad was about to happen. The girls were in the middle while the boys faced outwards, forming a circle around them.

"What now?" Yellow asked, keeping a good hold of the back of Red's yukata.

Silence.

"Uhm…Red?" Yellow tapped the dexholder leader's shoulder.

"Yeah?" The dexholder leader turned his head to a surprising full 180 degrees without moving his body. The girls grew pale at the sight and soon felt the complete drain of blood from their faces as the rest of the boys did the same.

"…Is there something wrong?" Pearl questioned, seeing a petrified look on their female companions. For some reason, his expression had a creepy grin as wide as a Gengar's smirk and hair color like that of the shadow pokemon itself, though it was somehow left unnoticed by the male trainers.

It must be the fact that he wasn't the only one. Each of the boys had a weird ghostly feature as well. Diamond's lazy eyes were now literally diamonds with a dark crescent grin forming across his mouth. Silver had hair as pale as his eyes but his face was black as the shadows. Lapis' mask was now shaped like a Duskull's face with glowing red eyes to match. Red's face was pale as snow and his eyes were soulless as void. The only color that set him off was the blood red locks that dyed his hair.

The girls felt their hearts panic in thunderous beats as if they were going burst out of their chest at any given second. And that second came. They pushed away the boys and desperately made their escape, splitting in various directions.

All the males other than Lapis remained standing. Sapphire's strength was enough to push the blue-eyed teen to the dust-covered floor where he grumbled at his predicament. The guys were taken back for a moment but they soon got to their senses and went after the runaways.

It was dim but a satisfied ghost pokemon appeared before each of them and offered to guide their way. Each of them followed a Gastly, Misdreavus or Haunter.

Meanwhile up in the open second floor of the Burned Tower, Gold was laughing his ass off as he watched the scenes unfold from a mirror enchanted by the various ghost pokemon that inhabited the place.

"Gold that was mean!" Crystal scolded him.

"Hey, I told them that they should only target Silver. It's not my fault that they went all out on Senior Yellow and the others." Gold feigned his guilt. "Be grateful that I didn't include you,though it would have been fun to see the look on your face." He smirked at the end.

*smack*

"When will you grow up?!" The twin-tailed blunette exclaimed after she struck the mischievous breeder on the head.

"Lighten up, senior Crystal." Black intervened. "It was fun getting kidnapped like that and taken up here."

"Easy for you to say… I almost had a heart-attack." White was still catching her breath.

"Chill out guys, I have everything planned out." Gold egotistically declared. "You'll all be thanking me for this."

"If they finished beating you up, that is…" Crystal remarked.

The golden-eyed trainer checked his poketch and grinned. "It's almost time."

"Hauuunt...?" A Haunter appeared from thin air and peered at the clock on the boy's wrist.

"Well Hauntaro, better tell your friends to bring our friends here now," Gold instructed his newly caught ghost pokemon who nodded eagerly and faded away.

Shortly, Pearl and Diamond managed to find Platina with the help of the Misdreavus and the light from the Berlitz heiress' Pachirisu. The white squirrel sparked a light from its tail and served as a calming glow, shedding the gloomy shadows with a vivid luminance. It huddled close to its trainer as the two boys approached.

When Platina confirmed that Diamond and Pearl were normal, she exhaled in relief and wondered where the others were or where they were for that matter. But before they could ask each other, a Haunter appeared and whispered something to its fellow ghost-type. The Misdreavus nodded with a cunning grin and bid the Haunter goodbye as the shadow pokemon disappeared once again.

"What was that about?" Pearl asked himself and his companions.

Platina and Diamond shrugged their shoulders in reply while staring at their Misdreavus guide. The giggling screech pokemon flew eerily around the Sinnoh trio and let out a wailing shriek, calling more Misdreavus to its side as well as an evolved one, a Mismagius.

Pearl gulped at the sudden increase of ghost pokemon. "A-are we going to be alright?"

There was no answer.

"…Guys?"The blonde lad turned about and saw that Diamond and Platina were gone. A cold chill trailed down his spine as several Midreavus clung unto him from behind and a Mismagius drew closer to him with a sly crooked grin.

At another location, Silver found Blue. But it was more like the cheeky brunette pounced on the redhead from behind when she saw him pass by, looking for her. After their little reunion, they decided to find the others but the pathway where they came appeared different. The ghost pokemon were still up to their tricks. Even their Gastly chaperon was not helping.

Silver sighed and shifted his eyes all around, carefully studying his surroundings. "I have this feeling that Gold is behind this…"

"If he is, then I should thank him later on." Blue chimed with short giggle, drawing Silver's attention to her. The Kanto lass faced him in return with a sweet smile. "Because of the circumstances, we're alone now."

"I guess…" Silver averted eye contact with her as he hid a reddish hue forming across his face. Blue hummed and nestled close to his side. Silver jolted but he returned the favor by taking her hand and interlocking their fingers. "Just for a little while..."

Amidst their cozy moment, they failed to notice a Haunter conversing with their Gastly companion.

Red and Yellow were reunited in somewhat the same time as the others with some help from a Misdreavus. The blonde dexholder was still catching her breath from the scare earlier. She was gradually calming down but her heart continued to beat rapidly, especially when it was just her and Red in a dark spooky hall.

"Stay close, it'll bad if we got separated again." Red offered to hold her hand.

Yellow shyly accepted and walked closely at his side. "This is just like when we were walking through the festival grounds, huh?"

"You're right." Red smiled. "It is quite similar. Well, other than the ghost pokemon around."

Several Gastlys and shadowy figures floated overhead, filling the atmosphere with a cold creepy vibe. Yellow tightened her grip unconsciously while increasing her walking pace while Red stood by her and matched up her speed.

A shadow pokemon emerged from the darkness and placed a claw on the blonde's shoulder. "Haunter…"

"EEeep!" Yellow flinched and hugged Red out of impulse. When she realized what she did, she wanted to jerk away from him, but the dexholder leader wrapped his arms around her protectively and eyed the unexpected arrival of another ghost pokemon.

"Haunt-haunt." The Haunter waved its claws while grinning widely.

"I don't think it means us any harm," Red reassured. "Perhaps, it has something to say."

Yellow shifted her attention back to the Haunter, but remained in the warmth and safety of the boy's arms. It was fine given that Red didn't seem to want to let go off her in the first place. The blonde lass reached out her hand and closed her eyes to read the memories of the Haunter. After a little while, she opened them and smiled.

"Gold and the others are up on the second floor, waiting for us." Yellow said.

"See? Everything's fine so let's head there too," Red suggested.

"Uhm, how do we do that?" Yellow wondered. She didn't spot any stairs. All she could recall was the Unova duo being lifted up into the air. She feared that they would also go through something like that. She hoped she was wrong, but unfortunately...

"Haunter!"

"Miiiisss..."

The two ghost pokemon flew around them in a circle and the dexholders began to levitate of the ground. Yellow squealed and flailed around, but Red held on to her securely. "Don't worry. I'm here..."

Yellow calmed down and hid her peach-flushed face while keeping her arms close to Red's.

"You've always been there for me. At least, let me be there for you when you need me."

"You always are..." Yellow whispered.

The last pair to find each other was Lapis and Sapphire. Unlike the rest, their meeting was more unpleasant. The moment they saw each other, flashbacks of the event with Ruby and the follow up confrontation with Lapis surged through Sapphire's mind. She turned away from him while keeping her head down. She no longer knew how she should treat him from that point on. There was a heavy tension between them that even the spooky atmosphere couldn't penetrate. Their Haunter companion trailed behind, not wanting to sink deeper into whatever issue they had.

"You aren't going to say something?" Lapis asked.

"What's the point? Ya ain't gonna speak up, right?" Sapphire remarked with a hint of contempt.

"Are you mad at me for not saying anything?"

Sapphire bit her lip and remained quiet for several moments until she finally got some words out. "...I don't know."

Lapis let out a short sigh as he walked closer to her. "It's not like I intended for things to be this way. It's just that... It can't be helped."

Sapphire stopped on her tracks to face him. "Could ya tell me where Ruby is now?"

The raven-haired boy shook his head. "Sorry, I can't even give an answer to a simple question such as that."

"-But ya can talk ta him, right?" Sapphire questioned with high expectations.

"Yeah. I have a way to communicate with him. That's how I arranged your meeting in the first place," Lapis replied.

"So if anything turns up, if he ever needs my help, tell me right away." Sapphire's tone was filled with worry and dread but she managed to keep herself composed.

Lapis nodded with resolve flickering in his sky-blue eyes. "You can count on it."

That was all Sapphire could do. Ruby didn't say anything else and neither would Lapis add anything important.

"Haunt-Haunt!" a pair of Haunters chimed in unison as they appeared in front of them.

"What's with them? And why are they now two?" Lapis questioned out loud.

"Beats me." Sapphire shrugged.

"Haunter!" The shadow pokemons clutched the wrist of each of them and swiftly dragged them upwards.

"Glad you all made it!" Gold grinned and welcomed all of his friends who phased by pairs through the floor.

"I knew you were behind this." Silver glared at him.

Gold smirked. "Sorry if I disturbed you and senior Blue during your intimate moment."

Silver flushed and threatened to to throw off the meddling breeder off the tower. Gold stuck his tongue out and taunted the redhead, leading to a childish chase around the area.

"Would you both behave. The floor might collapse for real this time!" Crystal scolded, but she was stopped by Gold's Haunter to gestured her not to worry. Though it was hard to believe a ghost pokemon who can levitate off the ground.

"That aside, why did you guys want us to come up here anyway?" Pearl interrupted.

Looking around, the second floor was nothing special. Piles of broken wood and chipped bricks were scattered all around. The floor was filled with holes and cracks, and the roof was gone, letting the beautiful starry sky to be in clear view for everyone to see.

"It's a lovely night" Platina complimented as she awed at the glittering heavens.

The dexholders turned their attention upwards and admired the scenery. Gold took the opportunity to finally reveal his intentions. With a quick whistle, he signaled his two other pokemon, Ataro and Utaro to come over. The Ambipom and Sudowoodo came out of their hiding places, carrying several unlit sky lanterns with them. And one by one, they handed each and everyone a differently colored paper lamp.

"We're right on schedule! Three minutes left till they launch the sky lanterns," Gold declared as he checked his poketch.

"So this is why you gathered us here?" Crystal was a little surprise to hear that Gold had such a plan in mind.

"Yup! Awesome isn't it?" The raven-haired breeder placed his hands on his waist as he stuck his nose up in the air.

"It would have been better if these were released closer to the main square." Silver pointed out. "Otherwise, they'd be floating out of place."

"You just have to rain on my parade, eh Silver?" Gold narrowed his eyes and grumbled.

"I don't think there's a problem. The wind's blowing in this direction," Platina indicated.

"That means we can release them when the others pass here," Blue added.

Gold smirked as his mood drastically changed back to his egotistic persona. "All part of my plan!"

"You wish!" Silver mumbled, but making it audible enough for Gold to hear.

"Shut it!"

"So I guess we should start writing wishes on our lanterns, huh?" Lapis suggested as he held out his green lantern.

"Sounds good!"

"Great idea."

A chorus of agreements cheered from the dexholders and they soon began to scribble some writing on the paper balloon. Some had already their wishes in their mind while others took their time and thought it over.

•••

Platina wrote down on her pink lantern, "I wish we could do this again in the years to come." Diamond's was "To eat more delicious food in the future." which he was consequently scolded for by his manzai partner who whacked him with a paper fan.

"So what did you write, Pearl?" Platina asked curiously as she looked over at the blonde boy's orange lantern.

Pearl chuckled and showed it to his fellow Sinnoh dexholders. "I wish our manzai acts will bring more happiness to people."

Diamond and Platina smiled and thought that it was a great one. Dia looked back at his red lantern and added some more words. "...together with great friends."

•••

The Unova dexholders both had white lanterns since there was no black colored ones. Black easily wrote on his without hesitation, "To be a Pokemon champion!" while White was still deciding on hers. The male Unova dexholder came over and glanced at the girl. "So Prez, thought of anything?"

"I guess I should wish for BW Agency's success in the future or something like that, right?" White wondered.

"If that's what you want, then go for it!" Though, I think that is kind of pointless because as long as we both work hard on it with the rest of the pokemon, I'm sure it'll be great!" Black said earnestly.

"Well then, I think I should write this..." White giggled.

"I wish for Black to continue working with me."

"Eh? That's a little unfair. I'm steadily paying off my debt." Black pouted.

"But you still owe the agency a lot." White indicated. "Besides, d-don't you like working with me?"

"I do!" Black exclaimed, louder than needed, resulting in some suggestive smiles and laughter from the other dexholders.

"Then, it's settled. I look forward to working with you." White said with a radiant smile, calmly concealing the bashfulness on her face and voice.

•••

Blue had a lantern with the same shade as the clear morning sky. Written on it was, "For friends and family to always cherish each other with a smile."

Silver reflected on his life and the person he became because of the people he met. He held a deep violet lantern and wrote the words, "To continue being together with the people who are important to me." He did his best to hide it from the curious eyes of Gold and Blue. With luck and persistence, he succeeded.

Crystal's blue lantern had a wish, "For Gold to grow up." while Gold wrote down, "For Crys to loosen up."

•••

Red was looking around at his fellow dexholders as he thought over his wish. Yellow glanced at Red's crimson lantern while she was still thinking on what to write on her saffron one. Unexpectedly, their eyes met but they quickly turned away their gaze.

"I'm going to wish for everyone's good health, how about you?" Yellow started a conversation to lessen the awkward presence filling the air between them.

"I think I'll wish for everyone to reach their dreams," Red replied.

"That's almost the same as wishing for everyone's wish to come true," Yellow said with hint of irony.

Red chuckled. "I guess you're right. So I'll write this instead."

"For everyone to work hard and never give up."

Yellow recalled what she wrote on the wristbands she gave to Red. Part of his wish was similar that it made her face flush slightly. She turned her attention to her own lantern and started scribbling. "I wish that everyone will keep smiling."

•••

Sapphire stared at her cerulean lantern as she wrote down her wish. There was only one thing on her mind and she didn't hesitate or think of a different one. "For Ruby to do what he has to, and come home safe and sound."

Lapis shifted his eyes towards Sapphire's direction. He couldn't see what she wrote, but he predicted that it was something concerning Ruby. With a short sigh, he also placed his wish on the green lantern.

•••

The dexholders, excluding White and Black noticed the sorrowful aura surrounding one of their companion. Other than their own personal wish, they also added something for Ruby and Sapphire.

"For Sapphire to be with Ruby again."

"For Ruby to come back."

"For Sapphire to stay strong."

"For Prissy boy to get his ass back to Hoenn."

"For Ruby to be safe wherever he is."

•••

A loud beep from Gold's poketch indicated that it was now time. They lit up their lanterns with the help of their Fire-type pokemon and waited. In the distance, the bright lights from the main square began to dim down as a spectrum of glowing balls began to ascend towards the dark heavens above. All of them awed at the breathtaking scene of stars radiating from the earth.

Little by little, like Platina said, the prism stream of lanterns began to head their way. It was like a silhouette of Ho-oh flying towards them, truly marking the highlight of the prestigious festival. As soon as it was passing overhead, they released their own lanterns and watched as they slowly blended with the rest of the group. The dark sky was alight with a vibrant blanket of colors, completely enveloping the cold evening with a heart-warming brilliance.

Some lanterns were already high up, appearing only as small shiny dots in the sky that could easily be mistaken as stars if not for their unusually large numbers. Others were still within reach as they bobbed up and down during their gradual ascend.

Everyone stood there speechless at the indescribable spectacle, but little gestures like holding each other's hand was not forgotten. While they were lost in the surreality of the sky lanterns' display, Sapphire had another wish on her mind. "For Ruby to see this with me."

*click*

The sound of a shutter drew the Hoenn girl's gaze. Lapis was holding his camera and readjusting it to fit the lighting. "How about we all take a group picture to commemorate the occasion?"

The dexholders eyes and ears perked up at the suggestion. Blue, Pearl and Gold were the first to cheer their immediate approval, followed by the rest. Then they hurriedly took their positions, making sure that the dazzling scenery was visible in the background. Red and Yellow were in the middle with Blue and Silver at their left, and Crystal and Gold at their right. Next to them were the Sinnoh trio and the pair from Unova, standing at either sides to even out the arrangement. Sapphire was near White and Black.

Lapis placed the camera with a timer as he hung it securely on a broken pillar. He did a double-check to make sure it was perfect before he took his spot beside Sapphire. As the blinking red light began to count down, He hurriedly removed his contacts and put them away and placed his mask at the side of his head. Only Sapphire was able to notice, the rest were busy facing the camera.

"Don't forget to smile, okay?" Lapis shot a sincere grin as he turned his head towards his gadget as well.

Sapphire took a moment to look at his dark blue eyes and the mask that was now positioned on the upper left side of his head before she also faced the camera.

*click*

"Alright, how about another go?" Gold eagerly shot up as he looked over at Lapis' direction.

"Sure... Keep smiling."

"eh?"

*click*

"Hey, I wasn't ready!"

"Gold, stop pushing." Crystal scolded.

*click*

"Damn it, Flower boy! A little warning, please." Gold grew irritated.

"Is it over?" Pearl wondered.

*click*

"Gah!"

"I did say smile," Lapis retorted. "So... smile."

*click*

"Last shot," Lapis declared and quickly whispered to Sapphire, "Make it count."

Thinking of Ruby, Sapphire managed a gentle smile as she faced the camera.

*click*

As soon as the sky lanterns became one with the starry night, Lapis and the dexholders made their way out of the Burned Tower and headed for the inn to get some rest. Everyone was feeling exhausted from the serious of events, but Blue had other plans in mind. There was one agenda left in her list of things to do.

After everyone washed up and changed into less elaborate yukatas, they settled in the large room. Many of them were raining Lapis with questions when they saw his resemblance with Ruby. Other than the blue eyes and the returned appearance of his green headband, he was the exact image of their missing companion.

Lapis was busily explaining himself when Blue decided to cut in. Armed with thirteen straws, she stood in the middle of the room and exclaimed. "It's time for the Slowking's Game!"

End of Chapter 16

*phew* done. Sorry for if I made you guys wait long. This chapter was really complicated to write. I was also in a procrastinating mood.
Some may be rushed. I'm not good with creepy parts and more fluff especially with Silver and Blue.

Thanks again Vikeila for your help! :D

The criteria is on chapter 14. Still need a few more. Please keep it in the confines of the inn as much as possible.

Review! ;)