To this day, those words still haunted John. He never meant to hurt Pete. He never meant to turn his back on everyone he vowed to help - to protect. Pete, by this time, snapped his fingers in front of John's face.
John looked at Pete and asked, "Y-yeah?"
"Are you okay," Pete questioned.
John shook his head and answered, "No."
"Wanna talk about it," Pete asked.
John nodded and answered, "Sure, I'd like that."
Pete smiled. Even though the oldest Pichu brother didn't like admitting his feelings, Pete did. John was the one to snap his fingers in front of Pete's face.
Pete looked at John and asked, "What?"
"You are just as bad as me," John joked.
Pete asked John, "So what's up?"
"Had a bad memory come back to me again when we had that argument of ours," John answered, frowning.
Pete looked surprised as he pointed out, "But that was a few years ago!"
John sighed as he stated, "I know Pete but those words still haunt me because you were totally right about everything. About Laura, Blazey, Trap...me..."
Pete looked at his older brother, who was looking down at his feet. Pete was surprised because usually John very rarely showed his emotions.
Pete hugged John as he said, "I only said those things to bring you back to your senses. I didn't mean to hurt you in any way."
John replied, "I know but it still haunts me. What haunts me even more is what happened after our fight..."
Pete looked at John and asked, "You wanna talk about it?"
"I would like that," the oldest Pichu brother answered, nodding.
Pete asked, "Where do you wanna start?"
John took a deep breath as told the story to his younger brother of what had happened.
…
-Flashback: 'Goodbye, John and Pete'-
The very next morning, John woke up. John yawned as he stretched. John got out of the bed and started to head downstairs. John saw Laura and Blazey but before the oldest Pichu brother could greet them, Laura spoke.
She said, "We've got John but I no longer think we need Pete."
Blazey responded, "You're right. John has enough fire power to help us rule over the streets and terrorize the Pokémon easily. He doesn't suspect a thing."
John, upon hearing this, quietly and quickly ran back upstairs. John went into the guest room and closed the door. John started to cry at this. He couldn't believe that Laura and Blazey were two of the bad guys. John collapsed into his pillow and started to cry. He couldn't believe that he had betrayed his brother to find out this... He had to get out of there somehow. He went back downstairs again, after collecting his emotions.
Laura smiled and said, "Good morning John."
"Morning," John stated, with a fake smile.
"What are gonna do after breakfast," Laura asked.
John answered, "I thought I go to the park for a bit."
Laura merely nodded. Later on that afternoon, John went to the park. John was walking alone and he looked up. He saw twin human brothers playing together. A tear rolls down John's face. John stopped in front of a bench, sat down, and started to cry.
"Pete," John cried, "What have I done?"
While John was crying, a Pokémon approached him. It looked like a painter and some blue paint was dripping from its tail. It was a Smeargle.
Smeargle asked, "John?"
John looked up and smiled at Smeargle.
John wiped the tear from his eye and responded, sadly, "Hi, Smeargle."
Smeargle saw that John had cried. Smeargle asked, "Dear me, what's wrong? Did you and Pete have a fight?"
"I'm afraid so," John answered, "Pete wanted to go home but I told him I wanted to stay. But, I realize that I was horribly wrong. I'm going to go talk to him."
Before Smeargle could say anything, John was already gone and headed to Trap's house.
-End of Flashback-
…
"I slightly remember you telling me that," Pete stated.
John replied, "I know it was a while but I still couldn't believe it, you know? If they really were our friends, they would know that we would never betray our friends - in Chicago or on the island."
"Anywhere for that matter," Pete responded, with a shrug.
John nodded and said, "Well, yeah. We aren't the type of Pokémon - or people - to do that. And when I heard that, I knew that what you were trying to do and say was one hundred percent right."
"You learn from your mistakes," Pete pointed out, wisely.
John looked at Pete and asked, "When did you get so wise?"
"I didn't really," Pete answered, with another shrug, "I just follow my heart."
John stated, "And get hurt in the process."
The younger Pichu brother looked at him and questioned, "What do you mean?"
"When you wear your heart on your sleeve, you usually wind up hurt like Timmy does," replied the older Pichu brother.
Pete sighed sadly, looking down at his feet. He didn't want to say this. But he knew that he had to.
Pete responded, "John, a lot of things hurt me. Like you are haunted by what happened between us in Chicago, I am also haunted by it. I thought I knew you better. I thought you would always be by my side. I thought that we would always stand shoulder-to-shoulder, through thick and thin. I thought our blood - our connection - was stronger than that. I never wanted to say all of that. I never wanted to have that fight. I never wanted...to almost lose my only brother..."
By this time, Pete was choking back tears. John came over to Pete and wiped away his tears, holding his brother in a hug.
"I am so sorry," John said, his voice almost a whisper, "I didn't mean any of it at all."
Pete whimpered as he replied, his voice almost a whisper too, "M-me e-either, b-big b-brother."
The older Pichu brother held his younger brother close as he cried, not holding back any emotion or tears. John didn't want to cry but felt like it. He couldn't believe that it almost happened.
And it seemed like he was being controlled. Wait...controlled...
John whispered, "Controlled...?"
Pete looked up through his teary eyes and asked, "W-what?"
John explained, "Well, I remember once that Wanda said that anti-fairy - aka black magic - can let us do some pretty mean things to those we truly care about."
Pete asked, sniffling, "S-so you think that what happened was all black magic?"
John nodded and answered, "Yeah and it was all caused by Anti-Timothy to separate us, probably."
Things finally clicked for Pete when he realized what John was trying to tell him.
The younger brother asked, "S-so he was trying to get one of us to return and stand alone against him in the war. But why?"
"He knew that if he separated us, he would have a better and quicker chance to get our key quicker or conquer our part of the world faster," John answered, the best he could.
Pete was surprised about this but accepted what John was trying to say. Anti-Timothy wanted them apart...forever.
…
Wishmaker1028: Chapter 28 is finished! Please read and review! And always think outside of the box!