I don't know how I can manage to write a chapter when I have mid-term exams this week, but here it is. It's pretty long, but I guess I went a little overboard on some descriptions. But hey, I kind of like describing things, from the most vital to random. It's kind of like eye candy.

This chapter also has absolutely no Marina in it, which is a first I think.

Chapter 33
Discussion & Deliberation

The next morning, the city of Ecruteak was drowsily waking from its slumber. Of course, only early-risers wandered at this time of premature twilight. The sky was shrouded in a dreary light gray, waiting in anticipation for the moment the cultural center of Johto was to be submerged in the welcoming light.

A pebble, smooth, round and ordinary, was thrown into a small pond with a soft clunk. Ripples ringed around the impact, disturbing the glass-like appearance in its own beautifully perfect way.

Cilice stared deeply at the water. Her figure, covered in her usual attire of an eloquent dress concealed under a long cloak, rested on a large stone at the bank of the pond. Her soft, pale face was burdened by a frown. Her reflection in the lake's mirror distorted as she gently threw another pebble in. She sighed, running her thin fingers through her delicate hair. Her gaze shifted to the sun, whose face was gradually peeking between the violet-stained clouds. A freezing wind breezed by, but she didn't give as much as a shudder in response. It had not always been that way, but the chilly weather did not affect her now. In fact, she embraced it.

"How can it be?" she asked to the heavens above. "Both Aura and Æmber already reunited? Their names have changed, years have passed, their locations far apart, and yet still they have met unintentionally."

Another soft splash reached her ears; another stone thrown in.

"Even I had no kind of luck like that." Cilice shook her head. Her eyes glittered like glass quivering under pressure.

"My companions…" She paused and looked into the pond. The pond's mirror image stared back. "They are no more."

Her mind drifted. Memories from her long life filled her thoughts. Many were of her reflecting once again, alone once again, but in a more grieving or angry manner—hostility directed at the tragedy that had happened early in her life. It was something that encouraged her to live on for the sake of revenge the moment she had the chance to.

"The Traitor will surely be punished, one way or another," she said to herself. "I don't care if it takes another hundred years."

Light's kindness touched its fingertips on the city, withering the shadows that hid outside its reach. The brilliant Tin Tower stood tall; its blue shingles seeming to sparkle upon morning's arrival.

Cilice stood, a single rock left in her hand.

"But if it has returned… No doubt it will go on a spree once again. I cannot allow that to happen….to anyone. This is fate; it simply must be."

She hurled the jagged pebble on impulse, and the water splashed louder than before. Though her ancient scarlet irises were filled with many emotions, they were cold and hard like red ice. Dusting herself off, Cilice turned neatly.

"Then I'll just have to inform them," She said, "That's quite ironic. Usually they're the ones that have to search after me."

"Hey, uh... Kenta."

"Huh?" Kenta opened his eyes to a dim light. Bugsy's figure stood across from him. "What?" he asked groggily.

"Were you asleep here the whole time? Sheesh," the Gym Leader commented, crossing his arms in a friendly sort of way. His crimson eyes stared down at him, alert and fully awake.

"Off and on, but yeah…"

Kenta sat up. He found himself again sitting at the large empty oak table. At least, it had been empty when he had fallen asleep, as the table's surface was now cluttered with papers and books. He grabbed a book, which had the thickness of an encyclopedia. "Myths and Ruins of Johto and Kanto," was printed in gold on the cover.

"Where did all this come from?" he asked.

Bugsy laughed.

"What?" Kenta asked again. He looked amongst the books, clipboards, papers, files, and who-knows-what-else spread out around him. "I thought I heard you guys doing research, but not this much. What happened?"

Bugsy took the book from his hands. "It's just as you said. Too bad most of these have nothing to do with the subject at hand. This one is probably the most helpful, but not by much." He turned and headed toward the large bookshelf that touched the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" Kenta yawned and placed his head on the table lazily. "Did you find something in the ruins?"

"Yes, actually." The purple-haired boy looked around at the missing slots on the bookcase. He counted them, calculating where he last remembered seeing the book on the shelf. Finding the correct spot, he gently shoved the book in place. "What we've discovered is an… interesting find. It's quite astounding."

He returned to where Kenta sat, laughing to himself at how Kenta had fallen asleep once again. Amused, Bugsy supported his weight with the back of a chair and dropped one of the thick books on the table, causing the boy to sit back up at once.

"But it's all thanks to your friend, Marina."

Kenta looked up at him, most of his sleepiness gone. "Marina?"

Bugsy stood up straight and turned, pacing away. "You've already heard of her mishap with the trap door. Without meaning to, she encouraged us to be a little more daring with the ruins. We discovered many different puzzles, and when we solved them, they opened up hidden entrances containing more code and even a couple valuable relics. There are probably other secret rooms, too. There's one that is baffling the others, which is why all of these papers and books are scattered around you like a tornado had been through here.

"Of course, I actually already know what it's about, but my colleagues are too headstrong to believe it for now." He shrugged. He shifted his gaze to the Pokémon Trainer to check if he was asleep again. But as he did, he paused as he sensed a pang of an emotion.

Uh-oh. It's that feeling again. Man, I hate that feeling, he complained mentally, but nonetheless turned to face the boy.

Kenta was watching him, but he only took in about half of what Bugsy was saying. The moment of silence afterward merely made it more obvious and undeniable.

"What?" he questioned, utterly oblivious.

He isn't paying attention. Yup, definitely that feeling. The Azalea Gym Leader sighed and looked away, so as Kenta wouldn't see.

"You know, Kenta… There are many things that can make people feel a certain way. Mostly, they are affected by other's reactions to your own, which affects your emotions, heart, and outlook."

Kenta shook his head and raised an eyebrow, unable to tell if he was either still dreaming or he missed out on more of Bugsy's rambling than he thought.

"But, sometimes, it can be within yourself. Desires, dreams, hopes… your own feelings can change the very root and nature of your character. Sometimes you can't even control it."

"Well…yeah. I guess. But why are you—?"

"The change can always be unwanted, too," Bugsy continued. He was definitely going on an out-of-character tangent this time. But at the moment, he did not care.

He can tell I'm a little off, just like that Silver guy. Chris should've known I'd give in after too long. I have to say something. Sheesh, I just want to go back to Hoenn with Latias before it gets any colder. There's nothing else here left to look into. We've run into a dead end.

"Change sets off a chain reaction. Dealing with it can be frustrating, especially when you're keeping a secret, when you're dealing with something particularly supernatural—unbelievable. In these cases, one cannot help but become worried about one's closest friend," he turned his head toward the boy, "Right?"

Kenta stared back, his navy eyes wide as he began to catch on. "Did…" He paused, but caught the curiously expectant stare of Bugsy. "Did you see—?"

"Bugsy!" The front door slammed open, and both boys whirled toward the door. One messy-haired archeologist stood in the doorway. Behind him the light of morning could clearly be seen, and a rush of cold wind entered the room.

"Yeah?" Bugsy asked.

"The more we look into the chamber, the more your assumptions seem right," the man gulped for air; he had been running. "We haven't found anything we don't know yet, but so far it's about Aura."

Bugsy eyed him silently for a moment. "Nothing else new?"

"No idea yet, but the rest of the team could use your guidance."

Almost too suddenly, he pulled on a smile and walked over to the middle-aged man. "Alright, then, show me the way," he said. "I want to gloat about being right."

"Haha! That's abnormal of you." The man hurried ahead, and the young Gym Leader followed.

Kenta watched after them, speechless. Abruptly, he stood and left the Alph Research Center to follow them. The pain in his leg had subsided immensely since Friday, so he was well enough to sprint to catch up with Bugsy.

"Hey, what the heck were you saying earlier?" he asked.

Bugsy shrugged. "That growing up means things change."

—And that goes for friendships, mysterious powers, and an 'old hag of a spirit' whose history we know almost nothing about.

"Uh…really?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Sorry if I confused you. I went on a real tangent."

This seemed to convince the boy for now. Kenta quickly continued to walk along with them across the deserted street. "What was the prediction you made?"

Eh…I guess I can get away with telling him this. An uncharacteristic, small smirk found its way on Bugsy's face.

"Well, I wouldn't know much more than what the books say, but it's a legend about two girls," he explained, "Named Aura and Maya, who were obviously not from Johto but lived in this area centuries ago."

"Aura and Maya?" Kenta pondered for a moment. "It doesn't ring a bell."

"It was never really given much publicity, mostly because it's so difficult digging up the information in the first place," Bugsy replied.

"Who were they?"

"The older girl was Aura. Beautiful and strong, she was described as independent and very enigmatic. Once in a blue moon would she show up in Ecruteak City to talk with the monks and watch plays at the theater—a lover of drama and stories. She was said to have holy powers, like purifying water, so some regarded her as a saint or messenger of legendary Pokémon such as Suicune and Ho-oh.

"The other girl was named Maya. Not much is known about her except that Aura cherished her. She was crippled by some spell or something—it was never explained clearly. She had also befriended a frightening Pokémon, which everyone feared. But Aura took responsibility to care for Maya and the creature discreetly, so they were always out of sight—never seen."

He turned to the silent black-haired Trainer. "This is a lot to take in. Are you following me so far?"

Kenta glanced at the ruins around him, his eyes taking in the scenery as his mind processed the information. "I think so. Did they live in the Ruins of Alph?"

"Hmm…Most likely not, yet it's apparent that Aura had secretly built the chamber we are looking into. It's far more recent than any other place in the ruins, which is really mysterious as to how she did it so secretly."

Kenta stuffed his hands in his jacket to keep them warm. "Huh… So what happened after that?"

The other boy nodded. "There was an accident."

"An accident?" Kenta was already pulled into the story. It was only a few yards from one of the ruins, which had a couple of scientists jotting down notes outside. Noticing this, Bugsy continued.

"One day, the creature Maya had befriended went berserk and injured many people in Ecruteak City. It was also the same day the Brass Tower burned down the first time. Aura was said to have confronted it. After that…" He trailed off.

The boy grimly kept his intent ears listening, his silence urging Bugsy to finish. They had reached the entrance, but Bugsy lingered to end the tale while the escorting archeologist retreated into the chamber.

"…From how the story goes from there, whatever happened to Aura, Maya, and the traitorous Pokémon is a mystery. It's assumed the girls both died at the hands of the creature. Regardless, myths claim the creature was exiled to the stars, and was never seen again."

"That's…a pretty depressing story." Kenta's gaze still wandered amongst the ruins, wistful. "I've never heard of it before."

"And that's probably why it was hardly ever retold. The monks at the Tin Tower pass down much of the story amongst themselves, but there's no certainty of how much was true. Some people say that the creature was evil, a Pokémon that was dark at heart. Some even say that Aura was secretly a legendary Pokémon that had been living for centuries to watch over humans. It's all open to interpretation."

A long minute of undisturbed quiet slowly dragged past, as if a moment of mourning for the losses of long ago.

"They must've been through a lot."

Bugsy revealed a curious interest on his face. "You've got interpretations of your own?"

For another moment, Kenta closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. "Sort of. You said that they weren't born here in Johto, so they both left their birthplaces, right? They might've been unhappy somehow, to the point where they were willing to run away from everything they knew.

"And I don't believe the Pokémon was evil. I don't believe that any Pokémon is evil in the first place; it doesn't matter what they look like or what kind of powers they have. They can be just like people; they make mistakes like we do, but I believe that Pokémon always mean well. Something must have caused it to just go berserk like that."

Kenta adjusted his cap, smiling sheepishly. "At least, that's what I got out of it. I'm not the expert or anything."

Bugsy gazed at him for a few seconds. He turned away and let out a small laugh. "That's interesting. I never thought if the Pokémon that way. But I guess we'll never know."

"Maybe…"

With the absence of talking in their conversation, Bugsy began making his way into the crumbling relic of a building. He still wore a thoughtful grin. "You shouldn't feel like you have to be here anymore. Marina's already left. She might be in Ecruteak City, for all I know.

"Well, see you."

Kenta watched Bugsy vanish into the ruins as his long bangs were teased by the morning breeze.

Meanwhile, three ancient beasts ran and rested with keen precision, keeping out of sight, especially the keen eye of humans with Pokémon partners. By one evening, though, they were able to meet, in an area south of Ecruteak. To keep their discussions a secret, the trio would use the telekinesis that only they could use to understand one another. In more casual cases, they would communicate verbally to reserve their strength. But this conversation was far from the ordinary.

All was silent in the area until a thunderous roar tore through it. Wild Pokémon fled from the sound in terror. The Guardian of Thunder, Raikou, was the cause of this sudden outburst. It hissed and glared at its companions, aggravated and unafraid to reveal more fangs than the sabers that were always visible.

"Raikou! Quiet down!" The fire lion, Entei, chided Raikou urgently.

"I can't believe you two still have faith in them!" Raikou telepathically continued, not paying any mind to Entei's warning. "Why should we even keep bothering to help humans? They nearly killed us when they burned down the Brass Tower three years ago, and they stalk us at every chance they have! It is ludicrous!"

"Raikou, you must rethink this," the calm growl of Suicune's voice advised. "Do not let your anger gain control of you. Think this through."

"I have!" exclaimed Raikou.

"Oh, how so?" inquired Entei.

The tiger immediately hissed in disgust at Entei's attempt at mocking it. Raikou was far from the mood to tolerate that. "Humans are nothing but power-hungry, selfish beings!"

"Not all humans are like that," Suicune protested.

"You couldn't possibly understand how it feels to be betrayed and used by people! You and Entei always get the most respect while I am left to be treated like a simple tool!"

"Raikou!" Entei barked. "That is not true."

"No. It may be true to some extent," reasoned Suicune, "However, there are many humans that are good-hearted and respect us all equally. Those certain humans, Ho-Oh bless their hearts, are who we live for. Without them, Lord Ho-Oh would've destroyed all of Johto. You should know these humans by now, Raikou."

"I quite agree," Entei nodded, "They can be both good and bad. Like we can."

"Yeah, you both should know alright." Raikou's growl, however, was directed at Suicune. "Both of you should know how it is like. After all, you took care of them. Remember how that turned out because of your good deed? And Entei jumped the bandwagon by taking in that Æmber kid, too. And look at him now; he turned out to be the worst of them all! It's a good thing you removed your connection with him, else he'd be abusing his power left and right!

"And Suicune: why did you take my stupid joke seriously and name that girl Aura? She already had a name, and she's far from the real Aura!"

Suicune refused to look at Raikou.

"That's right. I am right, aren't I? You named her out of your own self-pity for not being able to protect Aura… And, of course, you completely forget about Maya!" Trembling, Raikou turned away at its last sentence. Grief and rage seared in its deep red eyes, the feelings swallowing up the entirety of its soul at the moment.

Suicune sat quietly. Though its expression gave away nothing, its white ribbons and violet mane seemed to lose their vigorous waving.

Entei watched both of them intensely, unable to decide what to say. In the end, Raikou was truthful.

Raikou clawed up a chunk of grass in frustration. "See…? Why do we have to suffer like this? Why does Ho-Oh bother? It's completely unreasonable…"

"Do not question Lord Ho-Oh's decisions, Raikou," Entei's strong and serious voice growled. "You are being too brash."

The yellow tiger hissed back. "Obviously, you can't see my reasoning! Forget the past, it all ends up the same anyhow! If you want to waste your time helping these back-stabbing mortals, then fine!"

"Don't forget that you, too, are a mortal."

"Geez, I don't really care anymore. Screw this fancy talk, I'm out of here," Raikou muttered. It turned its back and leaped away, far off in the distance within two bounds.

"Raikou!" Entei's snarling roar faded into awkward quiet. Another low growl rumbled in its throat, but it snorted. "Let him go. He has already made up his mind." It slowly turned its head, its bright orange irises gazing at the blue leopard, who had not spoken for some time.

Frustration receded from Entei's mind. "Are you okay?"

Suicune pawed lightly at the fresh grass. Its voice, though telekinetic, had grown softer. "Raikou is correct. I could not save them in the end. I was not careful enough."

"You are not responsible for their deaths, for it remains at the fault of the Traitor," Entei paused, "But that is all in the past."

"The past is important. It crafts the present. Besides, the Traitor may still be here."

Entei nodded. "That is true." The elemental beasts sat, listening to the peaceful chirping and rustling that had disappeared during Raikou's outrage.

"Entei."

"Yes?"

"What, do you think, will become of this?" Regret hung heavy in Suicune's potent gaze. "Will our mercy again turn into nothing but chaos?"

Entei stared into the darkening sky, the sunset greatly resembling the dawn of that morning. It lowered its head in profound thought.

"Aura was wonderful and strong to her last living breaths. On the other hand, Maya was good-hearted, sweet in nature, but she was… corrupted. Even today, we do not know of Maya's fate.

"But as long as we keep a good watch, then there is no doubt that Marina will be safe from the Traitor."

"Things were out of our control when we took into slumber three years ago," Suicune pondered aloud. "Yet if the Traitor has still lingered since then, I am surprised it had not gotten to her yet."

"The Traitor is difficult to predict. It slaughters on impulse."

"I know."

The pair released a sigh. In the quickly-approaching night sky, the first hasty stars twinkled. A curious group of Rattata peeked from the bushes nearby, only to skittishly flee back into hiding the moment they caught the eye of the beasts. The shrubs and trees whispered in the winds, as if hiding the Pokémon's conversation from eavesdroppers.

"What should we do about Raikou?" Suicune asked at last.

"Raikou has misled himself," Entei shut its eyes, "He will need to find the truth and accept it by himself."

"In that case, it will take a while; Raikou has always been stubborn. Perhaps, one day, a human will teach him to place trust in people again."

"…It is odd how news of the Traitor brought even Cilice coming to us with information," Entei muttered all of a sudden.

Suicune took a few moments to analyze the sudden new topic. "She is a good ally. It is wonderful to know she is still alive," it replied, "With the exception of Marina, I'm certain Cilice is the last one left."

"She is her senior, so it is good to know that she developed a desire to protect her."

"What did she found out? She did talk to you."

"Only because I was the first one she happened to see. Cilice knew a lot, of course. She had met the girl's older brother, who seems to be a well-known Pokémon Trainer."

"Cilice always has a knack for obtaining information," Suicune remarked.

"It is obvious that she knows more than she is letting on," Entei grumbled. Its flaring orange eyes opened at last to look at Suicune. "But here is the most interesting thing… It seems as though Marina has met the boy once called Æmber."

The water-type feline jumped to full attention. "Æmber? Is...Was she joking? How can they meet over such a long time? They do not even live in the same region."

"Æmber is here in Johto now, as we—all three of us—have seen." Entei snorted in discontentment. "It is disappointing how he turned out. Just look at him…Lord Ho-Oh would be enraged."

"Raikou has a point; it was a good thing you had severed the connection before we were forced into sleeping," Suicune immediately reassured. "As for Marina…Well it is fortunate that Marina is alive, if the Traitor is still lurking."

"Indeed."

They continued their discussion for another hour, of less somber matters. Once the sun had sunk fully into the horizon, they stood in preparation for a farewell.

"I will see how the girl is doing, if fate permits the chance," said Suicune, "I wish to see what kind of person she has become. She has grown very much since we last saw her."

"Don't make a scene, now," Entei warned.

"I am not Raikou," Suicune jested.

Both concentrated toward one empty patch of grass. With the weakest of flames as it could use, Entei scorched the small bit of land. Beside it, Suicune materialized a block of crystal-like ice from its breath. Then they formally bowed to complete the little-known ritual that proved their meeting.

"Farewell Suicune, Monarch of Water."

"Farewell Entei, Emperor of Fire."

The legendary beasts shifted away from one another. Without another word, they sprinted and instantly departed. Suicune headed west as Entei made its way south, avoiding the chance of meeting the eastbound Raikou.