Chapter Thirteen - Next Destinations!

August 11th, 2022

Pokémon Centre, Sparrow Town, Asture Region

Raine was a grumpy mess when he finally roused from a fretful slumber. Nightmares had wracked his sleep and he had been forced to witness death and destruction on a continuous loop. He had been given the gift of Professor Sakura being alive many times, only for him to be snatched away again and again. Trauma was an evil accompaniment to life that he wished would just leave him alone.

"Good morning," Constance said when he wandered out into the Pokémon Centre with his bag packed and ready to go. They didn't have their next destination in mind, but he couldn't stay still. "Mirella was up and gone before I woke. The last thing she said before we went to sleep was that she was going home to recover."

"Good," Raine mumbled.

"Are you doing okay?" Constance asked, leading him to the waiting area. "You don't look so good."

"Should I be okay?" Raine dropped his backpack on the ground and collapsed onto the lounge. "We have no idea where Team Omni is. Let alone Miles. And they've already defeated one of our number. If this keeps up we'll all be dead or injured so badly that we can't fight them."

"Did something happen last night?"

"Nothing bad. I spoke to Professor Oak from the Kanto region and he promised to gather as many allies as he could and send them our way."

"That's great," Constance beamed. "Why are you so worried then?"

Raine rubbed his face and sighed deeply. It developed into uncontrolled sobbing. "Nothing is going to bring Professor Sakura back. I'm going to see him being burnt alive for the rest of my life. We can defeat Team Omni and protect the world, but how do we make that right? Tell me, Constance. I need to know how to handle this. I'm a mess right now and I know that I'm useless to stop them. I should just go home with Mirella and hide from this. Hide from my feelings. Will that help me? Please, tell me. Please."

Constance practically dove onto the couch beside him to throw her arms around him in a warm embrace. "Oh, Raine, I'm so sorry," she said, hugging him as hard as she could. "I wish that I had the answers you need."

"It's just not fair," Raine cried into her shoulder. "He didn't deserve to die."

"I know." She rubbed his back and patted him as she made cooing noises. "Defeating Team Omni won't make this any easier, or bring Professor Sakura back. But we can save others from suffering. You need to focus on that."

"I'm trying. It's just so hard. I'm not made for this."

"None of us are. We have resided in a peaceful society our whole lives. This kind of upheaval shouldn't happen."

They were quiet for a long moment, just holding onto each other reassuringly. "Do you think that we can stop them after seeing what power they wield?" he asked. "Is August even the strongest amongst them? Or is he just a foot soldier?"

"We can stop them," Constance said, sounding the most confident that Raine had ever heard her. He pulled out of their embrace and stared into her stern eyed stare. "Whether or not August has their strongest Pokémon or not, they can't defeat the combined might of this World."

"I believe you," Raine said, surveying her gaze. "Or at least I believe that you believe."

Constance smiled and pulled him into another quick and tight hug. They locked eyes again as they released and the corners of her mouth twitched up and she blushed. "Where do you think was the most likely town that we would find them?"

"Well without Miles to provide a clue I would say we head East to Robin City," Raine said. "If they are there, they will have nowhere else to run. We either find all of Team Omni and put an end to them, or we find someone who can clue us in to their actual hideout."

"That sounds smart. Claire and the other two should be arriving shortly. I'm sure that they were up with the sun so that they could get here as quickly as possible."

"I'll be glad for their help. I don't know how we're supposed to face them otherwise. If you hadn't noticed, I've already reached the limits of my Pokémon's fighting ability."

"Me too," Constance said shyly, "those legendary Pokémon were a frightening prospect."

"I wonder how they got a hold of them, and what else their other members have in store for us when they are finally dragged into the fight."

"I can't imagine that it is only August who has them in his team. If they've been operating in secret for twenty years there might be no legendary Pokémon that they haven't claimed."

"That's a terrifying thought," Raine acknowledged. "Do you think that they have located and captured the legendary Pokémon from the Asture Region as well?"

"I didn't even know that we had any. But maybe that is why they are here and out in the open now. To capture them all."

"Maybe that's another avenue that we need to explore instead of facing them head on. If they're looking for Gaia, we could beat them to the punch. There is a ton of research back at the lab that I could use to track Gaia. I know that no one has been able to locate it, but this could be my actual calling in all of this." Raine practically beamed at finding what might be his true purpose. He wouldn't be needed to fight Team Omni head on, so he could at least try and outsmart them and steal the legendary Pokémon out from under their eyes.

"I think that could be for the best," Constance said. "I don't want to face them again, but I know that I must accompany the others and see this through. I wouldn't be a very good role model or Gym leader if I let others fight my battles for me."

Raine rested a hand on Constance's arm. "I'm sorry that I won't be with you until the end."

"I understand, Raine," she said warmly. "This feels like a much better use of your expertise. I'll stick to fighting and you stick to your research."

Raine got to his feet and put on his backpack, not wanting to waste any more time than was absolutely necessary. "Goodbye, I guess," he said awkwardly and they both went in for a final hug.

"For now. We'll all get together again once this is over."