Episode 9: Farewell Ceruledge...?
Antonio had challenged Kieran to a battle in a desperate attempt to stand up for Lacey. He had been thoroughly thrashed by the Champion. Now Salma was wanting to pay him back and challenge Kieran to a battle despite having not conquered the League yet. Carmine and Lacey were thrown by Salma's proposal while Antonio smiled with admiration. His sister was always sticking up for him and he loved her for it. Kieran was still for a moment as if he was trying to figure out what had just happened. He eventually came back to reality and scoffed.
"Proposal denied." the Champion dismissed, "You want to fight me, you have to conquer the league first. Rules are rules in this academy."
"Then why did you accept Antonio's challenge? He's not even signed up for the league, but you battled him anyway you hypocrite!" Salma shouted angrily.
"I only accepted his challenge to put him in his place and teach him a lesson." Kieran explained, "That was different. Besides, my Pokémon are tired after that warm-up. I want to fight you at my best."
"Fine, then we battle tomorrow or something!" Salma insisted.
"No. You beat the Elite Four first, then we battle." Kieran said firmly, "You can shout at me until you're blue in the face, I won't battle you until you've conquered the League."
"Does it make a difference if you battle me now or later?" Salma retorted, "I thought you'd love a chance to battle me again."
"I do!" Kieran snapped, "And we'll battle once you've conquered the League! No earlier, no later!"
"Come on sis, let it go." Antonio pleaded, "It doesn't matter when you beat him, you'll get your chance sooner or later."
But Salma wouldn't budge. She wasn't just going to let Kieran upset her brother and have that crime go unpunished. She wanted to pay him back now. She looked to Ceruledge and Palafin. They looked equally as eager to battle. Salma smirked at the two and then turned to Kieran.
"Well…it seems pretty plain to me what's really going on here." the purple-haired teen said smoothly.
"Y'what?" Kieran asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Blueberry Academy's oh-so-powerful Champion is nothing more than a snivelling coward, THAT'S what!" Salma sneered, her tone of voice purposefully obnoxious to get under Kieran's skin.
Carmine, Lacey and Antonio stared at Salma as if she'd signed her own death warrant. Calling Kieran a coward was the equivalent of asking to be killed in this school! The Kitakami teen balled his fists and his yellow eyes narrowed in rage.
"I am NOT a coward!" he snarled.
"Then why are you so scared to face me?" Salma retorted, "If you're this big hot-shot Champion who fears nobody, then why do you care when you fight me? Are you too afraid I'll show you up and make you look weak before I've even had a chance to take on the league?" she jeered, "You worried nobody will take you seriously if I beat you before I beat any of the Elite Four? Is that why you won't accept my challenge?"
Kieran was about to deny everything Salma had said. But he hesitated and thought about it. He knew he was no coward and just wanted Salma to play by the rules. But if he didn't accept Salma's challenge, then she would just go around the school telling everybody he was a coward. He finally had the school respecting him, he didn't want the school to start mocking him all over again. He was trapped. He either rejected Salma's challenge and be branded a coward or he accepted and had the displeasure of doing exactly what she wanted. In the end, Kieran knew he only had once choice. Running a hand over his hair, he sighed loudly.
"Fine, you want me to crush you sooner than planned? Then so be it!" Kieran spat, "Tomorrow morning, Central Plaza, me and you, we'll battle. BUT on one condition!" he added quickly, "We're not fighting six-on-six. I'd rather not reveal all my cards before the main event itself. We battle two-on-two, and that's the end of it. Don't try to twist my arm any further, OK?"
Salma shrugged.
"Don't care how many mons we use just as long as I get to teach you a lesson for hurting Antonio and Lacey." the Paldean teen muttered, "I'll be there Kieran. Try not to get too upset when I beat you."
Kieran scoffed.
"Not going to happen." he said with confidence, "Oh and Antonio, don't tell her what Pokémon I have. I'd rather surprise her with what I have to offer." he warned.
"OK, I won't tell!" Antonio said quickly.
"I agree." Salma concurred, "Don't want this to be too easy now, do we?"
Kieran smirked.
"See you in the morning Salma. Enjoy babysitting your pathetic brother for the rest of the day. He'll need it…" he taunted.
Salma was so enraged by the comment that she nearly ran up to Kieran and punched him. Ceruledge stood in her way and crossed his swords in front of his chest. It was like he was saying "Salma, let's not be too hasty here! Stop right now before you get in trouble!" Salma wanted to deck Kieran for insulting Antonio, but she understood what Ceruledge was doing. If she attacked Kieran, she'd only get expelled from the academy and then she'd never be able to pay him back. Sighing heavily, she stayed her hand and walked away. As she left Costal Plaza with Antonio beside her, Carmine and Lacey followed the siblings.
"Well, you got what you wanted. I only hope it'll be worth it." Carmine said grimly.
"It will be." Salma promised, "If it means I get to take Kieran down a peg, it'll be more than worth it."
"You don't have to do this Salma." Antonio pleaded, "I don't want you to end up hurt too. Don't risk humiliation for my sake."
Salma shook her head.
"Toni, you're ALWAYS worth risking anything for." she insisted, "You're my brother, you know I'd do anything for you no matter the cost."
Antonio couldn't help smiling at his sister's kind words. Lacey clasped her hands together with joy.
"Aww, your sibling love for each other is so adorable!" she simpered, "I see why you're so close."
"Yeah…same." Carmine muttered, a twinge of jealousy edging her words, "I only wish me and Kiki were anywhere near as close as those two…"
"Salma, I know it's not much I can offer…but good luck against Kieran tomorrow." Lacey said encouragingly, "Please, whatever you do, don't get reckless against him."
"I won't." Salma swore, "And thank you Lacey. I assure you, he won't mistreat you or anyone else in the League Club again."
She only hoped that she could keep that promise, not just for her sake or Antonio's sake, but for all of Blueberry Academy. Ceruledge felt his trainer's determination and he glanced back to Kieran. He could see the Champion walking away. The Fire/Ghost Pokémon's eyes narrowed. He would defeat whatever Pokémon Kieran threw his way. He made a solemn vow that he wouldn't let Salma down. He could see Palafin was feeling the same way. Both Pokémon would carry Salma to victory tomorrow and teach Kieran a lesson in humility…
The next day dawned and Salma and Kieran kept true to their word. The two met up again in Central Plaza for their unofficial battle. Carmine was there too. Lacey was back in the Costal Biome to continue her Elite Four duties so she wouldn't be watching the battle. She did see Salma and Antonio during class and wished the Paldea Champion luck against Kieran. Salma just confidently stated she wouldn't need it. As the two combatants took their places in Central Plaza, a few students dropped by to see what was happening. They were very surprised to see their Champion down in the Terarium facing against the exchange student so soon.
"What's going on?"
"It's the Champion!"
"Why's he battling that girl?"
"Did she clear the BB League already?! When did that happen?"
"I don't recall hearing about her facing off against the Elite Four. What's going on here?"
"Might be an unofficial match or something."
Salma took in the voices of the confused students and swallowed nervously. Great, now she had an audience. If she couldn't teach Kieran a lesson, then she'd be getting shown up in front of lots of people! Antonio could sense his sister was anxious and he called supportively to her.
"Don't mind them Salma. Just kick Kieran's butt for everyone!" he cried.
"I intend to." Salma muttered, her eyes narrowed in determination.
She glared at Kieran. The BB Champion glared back at her. She could tell that Kieran was looking forward to this. She couldn't help but wonder if Kieran might be as anxious as she was now. If she beat him, that meant humiliation in front of an audience, which would only make the whole thing worse for him. This might push Kieran further in the battle and make him more determined to win, which might cause additional problems for Salma. She was sure that this Kieran was going to be a whole different beast than the boy she'd faced in Kitakami. Her stomach tightened. Salma had been so anxious about this battle that she'd struggled to eat at breakfast time and now she was suddenly feeling desperate for food. She tried her best to ignore her growling tummy and focus on the battle ahead. She drew out two Pokéballs.
"You two will be all I need for this match." Salma declared.
She looked up to Kieran.
"Hope you're ready for this Kieran, because I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" the purple-haired teen declared.
"Just like how Antonio was gonna teach me a lesson?" Kieran sneered, "I sure hope not. He was a waste of my time and energy and I'd rather you give me a good battle like what I'd expect from you."
"You're gonna regret saying that." Salma taunted, "Ceruledge, Palafin, it's battle time!"
She threw her Pokéballs and brought out her two strongest Pokémon. Ceruledge and Palafin took the field and adopted battle-ready stances. Many of the students stared in wonder at Salma's Pokémon as they'd never seen a Ceruledge or a Palafin before. Neither Pokémon could be found in Unova. Having exchange students always made for interesting battles at the academy since it meant seeing Pokémon that they wouldn't normally see outside of Unova or the Terarium.
"Good. I want to face you at your best." Kieran acknowledged, "Dragonite, Politoed, crush them!"
He brought out his two Pokémon and the moment they took the field, Politoed's Drizzle ability caused it to rain. Salma didn't let it bother her. She'd had battles in the rain before, so this was nothing to worry about. She was impressed with Kieran's new Pokémon. While she'd never seen a Politoed before, she knew full well what a Dragonite was as they lived in Paldea too. One time she'd fought Elite Four member Hassel during an Academy Ace Tournament and he'd used a Dragonite in that battle. She was sure Kieran's was going to be a very powerful opponent. The fact he'd paired it up with Politoed had her curious on what strategy he had in mind.
"Be careful Salma! Kieran used them both against me and they have some really powerful combinations!" Antonio warned.
"That I'm sure of." Salma acknowledged, "It won't stop me from kicking his butt! Palafin, Flip Turn on Politoed! Ceruledge, Will-O-Wisp on Dragonite!" she commanded.
That proved to be a critical error for as Ceruledge launched Will-O-Wisp at Dragonite, the pouring rain merely extinguished the wisps and caused them to fizzle out before they'd even made it halfway towards their target. Palafin was more successful, launching himself straight into Politoed, slapping him with his tail and then returning to Salma's Pokéball. Immediately afterwards, Salma threw the ball back out and Palafin re-emerged onto the field, now in his more powerful Hero Form. Palafin balled his fists and chirped loudly, feeling pumped up and ready for action. Kieran scoffed.
"How predictable." he sneered, "I know you all too well Salma, and that's why I will have my first ever victory over you. Dragonite, Thunder on Palafin! Politoed, Weather Ball on Ceruledge!" he commanded.
Salma recoiled. She saw very quickly what Antonio meant by "powerful combinations". She'd faced trainers that used a Rain/Thunder combination before and as impressed to see Kieran using it now. Dragonite unleashed a terrific jolt of lightning that struck Palafin and brutally electrocuted him. There was no point trying to dodge as Thunder had perfect accuracy when it was raining. At the same time, Politoed blasted Ceruledge with Weather Ball. The blue energy sphere splashed all over the Fire/Ghost Pokémon and sent him reeling backwards. Salma bit her lip in worry. Not a good start. Already her Pokémon had taken some massive damage! She understood straight away why Antonio had been destroyed so effortlessly and how this kid was BB Academy's new Champion. Kieran wasn't messing around anymore, he'd done his homework and it was paying off!
"Looks like I'll have to fight more cautiously." Salma acknowledged, "Ceruledge, Solar Blade on Politoed! Palafin, Ice Spinner on Dragonite!"
Ceruledge stood still and charged up his Solar Blade while Palafin rocketed towards Dragonite as if fired from a gun and spun around whilst covering himself with ice. Dragonite retaliated by using Breaking Swipe to swat Palafin away. His powerful tail walloped Palafin like a scaly club and the dolphin superhero Pokémon ricocheted off of him. But Palafin ricocheted back off the floor and came straight back at Dragonite, scoring a direct hit with Ice Spinner. Salma was sure that this would guarantee a one-hit KO as Dragonite had a double ice weakness. But the Dragon/Flying Pokémon withstood the hit and was able to keep on fighting. Salma quickly understood way. She reckoned he had the Multiscale ability. Whenever Dragonite was at full health, he took less damage from attacks so even an Ice attack wasn't going to guarantee an instant knockout. Dragonite retaliated by zooming into Palafin with Extreme Speed. He slammed into the dolphin Pokémon and knocked him back. Meanwhile, Politoed tried to take advantage of Ceruledge's Solar Blade charge by using Weather Ball. The toad Pokémon blasted at Ceruledge with its rain-boosted attack, but Ceruledge rolled out of the way to avoid the shot. Then he sprinted towards Politoed with his blades glowing green. Politoed fired another Weather Ball but Ceruledge sliced through it with one blade. Then he lashed out and slashed Politoed with the other blade. Politoed wailed in pain as the Grass-type attack cut into him. Solar Blade was Ceruledge's insurance policy against Water types that would normally threaten him and Salma enjoyed getting the drop on them with it.
Now Politoed was down, Ceruledge kept up the pressure by using Phantom Force to disappear into a portal and then reappear so he could slash at Politoed again. Kieran was all too familiar with that tactic and he was able to counter by having Politoed use Earth Power. The toad Pokémon stomped on the ground and Ceruledge was hit by a fissure of energy just as he reappeared from a portal. Ceruledge was knocked down and he grunted in pain. Salma could tell that Ceruledge was in trouble. Any more attacks like that and he was done for! Salma didn't want to use Terastal in this battle, but she could see she had no choice. If she was to win, she needed it now. She whipped out her Tera Orb.
"Ceruledge, haunt your opponent!" Salma announced as she activated her Tera Orb.
The crowd gazed in amazement as Salma Terastallized her Ceruledge. It was just like back on her first day when she'd defeated Lacey this way. Would it help her defeat their Champion? Ceruledge was coated in purple crystals and his typing became pure Ghost, meaning Politoed's attacks were no longer super-effective. Kieran refused to be intimidated.
"This is unusually cowardly for you." he taunted, "Using Terastal so early? So unlike you."
"It's not cowardice, its common sense!" Salma retorted, "Ceruledge is weak to Politoed's attacks, so I'm removing that problem with Terastal! Being tactical is never the same thing as being cowardly!"
"You tell yourself that if it makes you feel better." Kieran sneered, "I'll prove that I'm so strong that I won't need Terastal to beat you. Dragonite, give us your strongest Hurricane!"
Dragonite flapped his small but powerful wings and blew a terrible storm all over the arena. Like with Thunder, Hurricane had perfect accuracy when it was raining too so this attack wouldn't miss. Everyone had to hold on to something to keep themselves from being blown away. Salma shielded her face from the winds and Antonio clung onto the arena wall. Carmine held on to the wall too, her hair flapping around wildly in her face. Dragonite blew furiously, the Hurricane winds sweeping over Ceruledge and Palafin. Ceruledge dug his blades into the ground to keep himself from being blown away and Palafin held onto Ceruledge. The winds blew furiously, threatening to tear Central Plaza itself up from the ground and into the air. Unfortunately, Dragonite's Hurricane had gotten too powerful. Salma screamed in terror as she suddenly found herself being blown off her feet! Kieran saw what was happening and gasped in horror. He wanted to beat Salma, not kill her!
"Dragonite, stop!" he cried frantically.
Dragonite quickly stopped his attack but it was too late. Salma had been blown backwards and she crashed into the wall behind her. The impact had been so heavy that she was knocked out instantly. Salma collapsed onto the floor, her eyes closed and her body laying still against the wall. The crowd gasped and Antonio ran over to Salma in shock. Ceruledge and Palafin stared at their trainer, their eyes wide in horror. Their trainer had been hurt, or even worse! Antonio knelt down by Salma and hugged his sister tightly.
"Salma! Oh god, please be alright! Please be alright!" Antonio shrieked, his eyes filling with tears.
"Stop the fight!" Carmine shrieked frantically, "Someone call the school nurse! We need medical attention and we need it NOW!"
One student quickly whipped out their phone to call for the nurse. All the while, Kieran was standing in his spot in the arena, a flood of emotions whirling over him. He was beginning to hyperventilate, creeping dangerously close to a full on panic attack. He grabbed his hair in worry.
"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no! This isn't what I wanted!" he babbled frantically, "I didn't want this to happen!"
"You see what your grudge has done Kiki?!" Carmine shouted angrily, "Now you've gone and injured Salma! I sure as hell hope you haven't gone and killed her!"
That only made Kieran hyperventilate even more. If Salma was actually dead, then he didn't know what he'd do. He'd be stripped of his title and thrown out of the academy! And what would his grandparents think of him? They'd never speak to him again! How would he be able to live with himself with a dead body on his hands?! But he soon had even worse things to worry about. Ceruledge turned to face Kieran…and his eyes were blazing with anger. Kieran had injured his trainer and now he was out for blood. He raised his swords and sprinted towards Kieran. Dragonite and Politoed tried to stop him but he used Phantom Force to warp out of their way. He reappeared in front of Kieran and aimed with his swords. Antonio saw this and gasped in shock.
"CERULEDGE, NO!" he screamed desperately.
Ceruledge ignored him and lashed out with his sword. Kieran screamed in shock and braced for impact. But it never came. Carmine had jumped in Kieran's way and taken the blow for him. Ceruledge tried to stop at the last minute but couldn't stop his attack completely. He at least stopped himself from brutally injuring Carmine, his sword only leaving a light gash across her chest. If he hadn't tried to stop himself, he would've sliced her clean open. Carmine howled in pain and fell to the floor, clutching her chest. The crowd gasped in shock and they began to run away in terror. They were scared that Ceruledge might attack them next. Kieran gasped and knelt beside Carmine. His sister wasn't too badly hurt, but the gash was pretty nasty. Her uniform was stained with blood. Ceruledge stood where he was, completely horrified at what he'd just done. He was ashamed of himself. He'd vowed never to attack humans like this, and now he'd gone and injured one! What would Salma say if she knew about it? He was sure she'd disown him and never speak to him again. Kieran glared at Ceruledge angrily.
"Get back! You stay away you monster! Look what you did to my sister!" he yelled angrily.
"Kiki…ungh, lay off!" Carmine grunted, "He's clearly mad because of what you did to Salma!"
"That's still no excuse to go and attack us!" Kieran retorted, "I didn't mean for Salma to get hurt, but he clearly meant to hurt us!"
Ceruledge knew that Kieran was right. Salma had gotten hurt, but at least that had been an accident. He'd tried to attack Kieran on purpose. That made him the real monster in this situation. Full of shame and disgust with his actions, Ceruledge turned around and fled the arena. Palafin called out to him, trying to get him to stop and come back. Antonio saw this and called to him as well. But Ceruledge didn't listen. He just kept on running and it looked as if he wasn't going to stop running. As he ran, his Terastal covering broke off and he returned to normal. Antonio watched him disappear into the distance. His eyes streamed with tears, both for his sister's well-being and for Ceruledge running off like that.
"Oh no…what's Salma going to say when she hears about this?" he asked worriedly, looking down to his unconscious sibling.
He would have to worry about that later. Salma and Carmine both needed medical attention and they needed it now. Ceruledge could take care of himself. Antonio was sure that he'd come back once he'd had a moment to calm down and think things over. Palafin came over and scooped up Salma. He and Antonio left Central Plaza together to take her to the First Aid room. Kieran returned Politoed and ordered Dragonite to carry Carmine while he rode on his back. The Kitakami siblings headed in the same direction as Antonio and Palafin. Antonio and Kieran could only hope their sisters weren't too badly hurt…
Later on, Salma and Carmine had been brought to the First Aid room and the school nurse quickly checked on them. Carmine's gash was bad, but nothing too serious, and just needed some antiseptic wipes to prevent the wound from getting infected. She was quickly bandaged up and was told to give it some time to rest. Salma's situation was more serious. She'd taken a big blow to the head and the nurse worried that Salma might've suffered brain damage. But to everyone's relief, the blow hadn't been fatal and she was going to live. She was just unconscious for now. The nurse performed some tests and to her relief, Salma's head hadn't taken as much damage as she'd feared. She just needed to be left to rest for now and to let her naturally come to. It took Salma until the next day to finally wake up. The Paldean teen groaned loudly as she stirred out of unconsciousness and opened her eyes again. Her head had been bandaged up and there were boxes of paracetamol by her bedside. The nurse reckoned she might need them to deal with any possible headaches. Salma sat up in her bed and massaged her temples. Her head throbbed and it made her feel as if she was going to be sick. Antonio was beside her and his face lit up with delight.
"Salma! Gracias al Señor*, you're awake!" the Paldean teen cried happily, "I was so worried! I thought you…might never wake up!" he cried, choking back tears.
"Huh…what? What happened? Where am I?" Salma asked sleepily.
She wasn't fully awake yet. The world around her still come off as a blur to her. She grabbed her head as pain flared through her skull.
"Santa Maria, my head! What happened to me?" she asked.
"Don't you remember?" Antonio asked worriedly, "Kieran's Dragonite accidentally blew you away with Hurricane and you crashed into a wall. The blow knocked you out. You've been unconscious since yesterday."
Salma's eyes widened in shock. She sat up in alarm. Now Antonio explained all that, it was all coming back to her. Yes, now she remembered. That did happen! No wonder her head was throbbing so much.
"Holy Arceus, I've been unconscious for that long?!" she exclaimed, "Thank goodness it wasn't any longer."
"We were worried you might die!" Antonio shrieked, his voice wobbly, "It was a massive relief to us all when the nurse said your injuries weren't as bad as they looked!"
He hugged Salma tightly and cried with relief. Salma hugged him back and gently shushed her brother, patting him softly on the back.
"Don't cry Toni, I'm alive. I'm OK now. There's nothing to worry about." she said gently.
"I know, I know. These tears are those of relief." Antonio insisted, wiping his eyes, "I'm just so glad you're alright!"
"I am, aside from this splitting headache." Salma muttered.
She noticed the paracetamol tablets near her bed and she swallowed a couple down with a cup of water. Hopefully those tablets would bring down the pain and she'd feel better.
"So what did I miss while I was out?" Salma asked curiously.
"The director informed mama and papa about what happened." Antonio explained, "They passed the word on to Nemona, Arven and Penny. They all sent you Get Well cards and wish you a speedy recovery."
He beckoned to the batch of Get Well cards next to Salma's bed. Salma could see she had a few cards wishing her well. Some were from students back at Uva Academy, some were from the teachers, and of course, two were from her parents and three were from Nemona, Arven and Penny. Even the Elite Four and Director Cyrano had left her a card. Salma smiled with awe, touched that so many people were wishing her well.
"We can let them know I'm awake now." Salma said happily, "They'll be thrilled to hear the news."
"I'll pass the message on to mama and papa." Antonio offered, "But first…I need to tell you something else that happened while you were out."
His face fell as if he didn't want to tell his sister the terrible news. Salma put a hand to her mouth in worry.
"Is it anything bad?" she asked anxiously.
"Very." Antonio said grimly.
He sighed heavily and broke the news to Salma.
"Ceruledge is gone. He tried to attack Kieran because of what happened to you and Carmine protected him. He ended up hurting Carmine and…he just ran off. We don't know where he is. He hasn't come back." Antonio said sadly.
Salma gripped her bedsheets in shock. She thought she was going to pass out again. She couldn't believe what she'd heard.
"Ceruledge did WHAT?!" she exclaimed.
"Don't be so hard on your Pokémon. He was just mad at Kiki and he retaliated angrily. It wasn't his fault."
Salma turned and saw that Carmine was in the room with her. She could see the bandages wrapped around her chest and put together that Antonio's story was true. She couldn't believe that Ceruledge had gone and attacked someone like this. But she could see why. He must've been scared for her life and full of anger for what Kieran had done to her. Pokémon were known to be very protective of their trainers, and Ceruledge was no different. He was always protecting her from any kind of danger. But he'd never actually injured a human before. It was a massive shock to Salma and she wasn't sure how to process it.
"I can't believe Ceruledge would do that…" she said in horror.
"Hey, I just told you, don't sweat it!" Carmine snapped, "He was worried about you and he took it out on Kiki. It's not like he attacked him for no reason."
"I get that! But I still can't believe he actually did that!" Salma retorted, "I'm just glad he didn't kill you or Kieran!"
"Yeah, as much as this pain is killing me, he didn't do anything more lethal than just a small gash." Carmine explained, "I just need to give it time to heal. I…I only hope Ceruledge has had time to heal too."
Salma understood what she meant. She began to wonder how Ceruledge was feeling about the whole thing. Was he sad? Angry? Did he feel guilty over what he'd done? Did he hate himself? Salma began to worry for her closest friend and she tried to get out of bed. Antonio shook his head and stopped her from leaving.
"No Salma, you must stay here and rest." Antonio insisted, "Doctor's orders."
"But I have to find Ceruledge!" Salma insisted, "I can't just lie here worrying myself to death about him!"
"Salma, just do as you're told." Carmine said firmly, "Last thing we need is to have you going around and risk making yourself pass out. Doctor says you have to stay in bed, so that's what you're gonna do."
"But…" Salma protested.
"NO buts, bozo!" Carmine snapped.
"Please Salma, listen to reason." Antonio pleaded, "I don't want you hurting yourself."
"But Ceruledge! I'm really worried about him!" Salma said desperately, "I have to find him!"
"Don't sweat it." Carmine said softly, "I've already asked the League Club to search the entire school for him. Even Lacey, Crispin, Amarys and Drayton are looking for Ceruledge. You can rest easy knowing that we're all looking for him."
"I'm going to go look as well." Antonio offered, "Don't worry, we'll find him."
Salma felt more at ease upon hearing that. At least Ceruledge wouldn't be lost forever. The school was on the lookout for him. That would take the weight off her shoulders a little. She lay back in her bed and sighed loudly.
"I really hope they find him soon." Salma murmured anxiously.
Shortly after she'd finished talking, someone walked into the room. Salma, Antonio and Carmine heard the door open and look up, expecting to see the school nurse or even Director Cyrano. But to their surprise, it was actually Kieran who had come in. The BB Academy Champion looked nervous, as if he was walking into the Pyroar's den rather than the school's First Aid room. It was the first time since arriving at the academy that Salma and Antonio had seen him looking more like his old self again. At least for now, his cold-hearted attitude and arrogant, heartless glare had disappeared. He stood awkwardly in the doorway, clearly afraid to venture any further. He saw that Salma was awake and he sighed with relief, clearly happy to see she was alive.
"Salma…y-you're awake." Kieran acknowledged.
"Get out of here!" Antonio snarled viciously, "Haven't you caused enough trouble already? Salma does NOT want to see you right now!"
It sounded very strange hearing Antonio of all people talking in this way. Carmine had never heard this kind of talk from him before, whereas Salma had but only in extreme circumstances. She couldn't blame him of course since he'd been worried sick that his sister was going to die and Kieran had been responsible. She grabbed Antonio's arm and gazed at him softly.
"Toni, please, I can handle this." she said firmly.
"But he's the reason you got hurt and Ceruledge ran off!" Antonio protested, "I don't want him anywhere near you! I don't even want him in the same room as you!"
Salma refused to budge and firmly repeated what she'd said. Antonio was still angry and clearly wanted to deck Kieran for what he'd done, but he wasn't going to argue with his sister. He backed down and left Salma and Kieran to talk, but he insisted Kieran stay where he was. The Champion nodded, finding the request to be reasonable. He looked to Carmine.
"I hope you're feeling better too." he said, sounding like his old kind self again.
"It still stings a little, but I'll live." Carmine said casually, "Luckily for you, Salma's OK as you can see. She woke up not too long ago."
Kieran looked back to Salma. He wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't sure if he should even stay here and attempt to talk to her. How could he dare show his face to her again when he'd gotten her injured like this? He was about to turn and walk away, but Salma stopped him.
"Kieran? You don't have to feel bad about me." the Paldean girl insisted, "I know you didn't mean for this to happen. I know it was an accident. Your Dragonite clearly got carried away there."
"He did, and I gave him a very stern scolding for it." Kieran muttered, "I want to crush you into the dirt, but not like this! I didn't want to kill you! I was so scared that I might have a dead body on my hands that I thought I was gonna drop dead myself!" he shrieked, clutching his hair in worry.
"I'm alive as you can see, so you don't have to worry about that anymore." Salma reassured her former friend, "My head hurts, but other than that, I'm alright. Please don't beat yourself up about it."
"Easier said than done." Kieran said grimly, "I doubt I'm ever gonna hear the end of this. Everyone in the school's practically calling for me to stand down and be booted out for what's happened, though the Director has taken my side in things. He understands that it was an accident and just insists that I train my Pokémon better."
"I'd say he's right on that." Antonio said bitterly.
"Toni, that's enough." Salma said sternly, "Kieran's already feeling guilty enough as it is."
She looked back to Kieran.
"If there's anything you can do to make it up for the whole thing, can you please help the school in searching for Ceruledge?" she asked, "I was told he hasn't come back and I'm worried about him."
Kieran grimaced. He was in no mood to look for a Pokémon that had tried to attack him yesterday. But he did want to fight Salma at her best, and that meant battling her and her strongest Pokémon. He shifted uncomfortably by the door.
"I'll…do something about it." he said tightly, "I'll see to it that everyone in the club searches every nook and cranny of the school and Terarium. Keep in mind that I'm only doing this so you can be at your best when we battle for real. I'm not doing it for him." he said coldly.
"Doesn't matter who you're doing it for as long as he gets found." Salma dismissed, "I know we may not be friends anymore Kieran, but thank you." she said kindly.
Kieran looked away shyly.
"Yeah…well, don't get used to it." he said bitterly, "Once you're better and Ceruledge is back with you, things will be back to how they were before the accident. I'm still going to crush you with my all new team once you conquer the league." the Champion threatened.
"Oh Kieran, would it kill you to at least have a LITTLE tact around here?" Carmine said in exasperation, "And here I'd hoped this whole thing might've changed your attitude for the better!"
Kieran ignored Carmine and just walked away. Salma rolled her eyes. Guess it was too much to hope for that he would go back to how he was when she'd first met him in Kitakami. Once Kieran was gone, Antonio relaxed and was back to his old self again. He looked to Salma and patted her gently on the arm.
"I'm sure Ceruledge will be found." he said optimistically, "And I'm sure we can convince him it wasn't his fault."
"I hope so." Salma said sadly, "I won't be able to beat the BB League if I'm constantly worrying about him…"
As Carmine had said, Blueberry Academy was on the lookout for Ceruledge. The entire Elite Four were searching all over their biomes looking for the Fire/Ghost Pokémon. Crispin roamed all around the Savannah Biome on the back of his Talonflame, Amarys rode on top of her Skarmory and flew over the Canyon Biome to look for Ceruledge, Drayton flew on his Flygon's back to search the Polar Biome and Lacey rode on her Primarina as she swam through the seas of the Costal Biome. Kieran sent the word out to everyone in the League Club to look for Ceruledge, promising to reward them with more BB Points to spend if they found him. Antonio had joined the search just as he said he would, bringing out Meowscarada and five other Pokémon in his roster to look for their friend. It was a search that was bound to end in success sooner or later. Ceruledge couldn't have gone anywhere as the school was underwater and miles away from land. He was either in the classrooms or hiding in the Terarium somewhere. The Terarium was huge, meaning Ceruledge had plenty of hiding places, so it wouldn't be easy to find him.
The Fire/Ghost Pokémon had found a cave in the Costal Biome to hide away in after fleeing Central Plaza yesterday. He'd been lurking in there since the battle and he hadn't come out, not even to look for food. He lay against the wall, his blades sheathed as if he was too afraid to bring them out again. Ceruledge was still shaken over what had happened. He'd actually attacked a human and had narrowly avoided killing said human. He looked to his sheathed blades again and shuddered. How could he ever forgive himself for letting himself lose his temper that badly? Ceruledge grimaced as horrible thoughts came to his head about Salma and how she'd feel about all this. He was sure she'd disown him and abandon him. She wouldn't want a potential murderer on her team. She might even be scared of him. He couldn't bear the thought of Salma being scared of him. The thought made Ceruledge shed a tear. He was a monster and he was going to make sure that he never hurt anyone again! If he wasn't a Ghost-type Pokémon, then he'd let himself rot in this cave. At least the world would be safer without him. But Ghost Pokémon couldn't die, so he would simply have to stay here out of harm's way for all eternity. Salma and her friends would be safer with him here and as far away from them as possible…
Who can blame Ceruledge for running away like that? Poor guy must be feeling very afraid now he's hurt someone and just doesn't want to hurt anyone again. Will his absence affect Salma badly? Will he ever come back? Find out next time...
Trivia: I have none for this chapter.
*Thank the lord in Spanish