Visions Of Fate

[Golden Riolu]

Hey, everyone! This might be the last chapter for a while, because seventeen is still unfinished. Which is the reason for the infodump later on; I sincerely apologize for that. But, right now I'm typing this on my new laptop!

Song lyrics in this chapter are from 'We're Coming Home' by the Rogue Traders.

Chapter Sixteen​

Blood​

Aurikara​

"Aura! Aura, wake up!"

I rolled onto my back and swatted the hands away. "Mmf… no…"

"Aurikara, get your lazy tail out of bed now!"

My eyes snapped open and I sat bolt upright, gazing around in a panic. Gradually the events of the previous night returned to me and began to relax. I focused and managed to make out the dark shapes of a human and an Eevee before me, obviously the ones who had woken me up.

"What?" I murmured sleepily, rubbing my eyes with one paw.

"It's time to go," Emerald whispered. "I promised that I'd take you to see Will today, remember?"

"I don't…"

"You were already asleep when she promised," Lynn hissed. "You fell asleep in Shadow's arms and Emerald stopped talking to make beds for us all."

I blinked and looked down, realizing for the first time that I was sitting in a woven wicker basket lined with something soft. Another empty basket stood nearby, presumably Lynn's bed, and beside that lay a thin blanket which Bane could have bounced on as he slept.

"It's early enough that we can see what we're doing but not be seen by anyone else," Emerald whispered. "I've got a job at the pound and I sometimes help out at the police station by taking food to the prisoners on my days off, so I'm allowed to be there, but you aren't."

I paused, uncertain; everything seemed too planned. Seeing my expression, Emerald gave a faint smile. "I see you're smart for your age. Well, if you're thinking that it's all too planned, you're right. After Will left home, I came here and took my job so I could save you when he was caught, which was bound to happen eventually. And yes, I knew he would have at least one Pokémon with him," she added as I began to interrupt. "And then I started helping at the police station so I could be ready for his capture. And as for Shadow… well, I saved him for a reason. But we've talked for long enough; let's go!"


I quickly scrambled out of my bed and followed Lynn to the door, where Bane was already waiting. Emerald vanished through a doorway and reappeared seconds later, Shadow trailing behind her with Miracle in a towel in his arms.

"Everyone, I need you to keep as quiet as you can," Emerald whispered. "Watch where you're going so you don't trip, and keep to the shadows if possible. All right, let's go." Her hand closed around the doorknob and she pushed the door open, letting us out into the darkened hallway.

*~*~*​

With Emerald in the lead, we all crept through the city at a run. The journey seemed to go on forever, and at the same time took no time at all. Finally the human slowed to a halt and beckoned Bane forward. I watched as he bounded apprehensively toward the door in front of Emerald.

"Can you unlock this?" she asked in a whisper, motioning toward the lock.

Bane's pearl began to glow with a faint light as he concentrated. Almost instantly there was a quiet click and the door creaked open. Lynn took the lead instantly, creeping through the entrance and returning a second later to say that no one was there.

"Inside, and quickly," the girl breathed, motioning for us to pass her. I padded after Lynn and found myself in a plain room containing only a potted plant and an enormous wooden desk.

"Through here." We hurried toward the door Emerald opened for us, finding ourselves in a long hallway. I glanced around and realized that the walls on either side of us consisted entirely of thick steel bars. Behind the bars were countless cells side by side, each ten feet in every direction and separated by a stone wall. Gazing into the nearest cell, I saw only a metal bed frame holding a thin mattress and, blocking one corner from view, a roughly built wickerwork screen. The floor was hard stone and the temperature seemed much lower than outside.

I shivered and stopped abruptly, catching a hint of a familiar scent. I backed away from the cell and sniffed the air. Suddenly I gave a squeal of delight and bounded down the hallway, ignoring Lynn's growl of warning.

"Master!" I cried, skidding to a halt before a cell identical to the others. The dark shape on the bed stirred and rolled over, his eyes barely open. Suddenly he snapped awake and dived from the bed, rushing to crouch before me.

"Aura!" Will exclaimed, barely managing to keep his voice to a whisper. "I'm so glad to see you! I thought Emerald didn't manage to get you out in time. I was really worried about you."

Bane and Lynn hesitantly approached the cell, Bane increasing his speed when he realized that Will really was inside. Lynn hung back, her expression disdainful.

"I missed you all so much," Will breathed, gazing around at the three of us. "How are you? Is Emerald looking after you well? Have you met Miracle? What about Shadow? Are they being nice to you? Aura, are your ribs all right?"

"Slow down," Emerald whispered, smiling as she came up behind us. "They can't answer all your questions at once."

Eventually we managed to assure Will that we were all fine and had met everyone of importance. He gripped the bars as he gazed at us all, his eyes overbright. "I wish I could hug you all," he murmured. "If only I wasn't locked in here…"

He slipped his hands through the bars and Bane and I crowded forward, letting him stroke us. Lynn reluctantly allowed him to touch her thick fur, but as he began to withdraw his hand I clung to it. I blinked up at him sadly, clutching his hand with both of my paws.

"When are you coming out?" I asked.

"I don't know, Aura," he said quietly. "Maybe never. They might let me out after a few years because I'm young, but it's also possible that I might be locked away in different prisons for the rest of my life."

"But you didn't do anything!" I cried. "How can they do this when you didn't do anything?"

Will heaved a deep sigh, suddenly looking much older than he really was. "I did something very bad. If I never get out, I'll deserve it."

I stared up at him pleadingly. "You don't deserve it! You're a good master and you never hurt me like your brother hurt Selena-"

A sudden gasp from behind me made me stop. Emerald was gazing at Will in horror. "You told them what Kevin did?" she said incredulously. "You told them about that and not about what you did?"

"I'm sorry," Will said heavily. "I needed to tell someone about her. Emerald… we met her in Pastoria City. She was with her new trainer. And she looked at me like I was the Messiah."

"She wasn't scared?" Emerald asked.

"No. She wanted to come with me rather than her new trainer. But I think what she saw might have scarred her for life; she hasn't spoken a single word since she arrived at the orphanage."

An expression of sadness flickered through Emerald's eyes. "I think she was hurt more by what Kevin did to her than what she saw. She trusted him, and he…"

"You should go," Will interjected. "The sun will be up soon and someone might see you. I'm guessing you didn't pay to free any of the Pokémon?"

"No, they're all stolen or illegally hatched," Emerald admitted with a hint of pride. "I'm joining the family business of crime."

"Go," Will repeated, tugging his hand out of my grip. I continued to gape at him in confusion, wondering what the heck he and his sister had been talking about. Before I could say anything Shadow had caught me up in his arms and we were hurrying away from Will. I watched despairingly as the distance between us grew, wondering when or if I would ever see him again.

*​

Selena​

"You know we're falling to zero, hurting much more than it did before!"

What in the…?

"I'm always playing the hero, cleaning your mess as you walk out the door!"

I forced my eyes open to see clouds of steam pouring under a nearby door. It took me a moment to register that I was lying on threadbare carpet with a dirty T-shirt spread over me to keep me warm. Before I could think about anything else, another barrage of sound hit me like a bomb.

"We're coming home, we're coming home, you know it's now or never!"

"I think that's meant to be singing," Rarutos said dryly. It took me a moment to realize that she was sitting on the edge of a bed behind me, dragging a brush through her damp hair.

"No afterglow, this time I know, but I'm feeling kind of better!"

That's singing? I'm glad I never learned.

The door exploded open, bounced off the wall and swung closed again. After a moment of silence, Marisa pushed the door open more slowly, wincing and rubbing her nose. "Stupid door… good morning, everyone!"

"It was until you started singing," Rarutos commented dryly.

"But didn't you notice the sun?" Marisa rushed to the single window and wrenched back the plain white curtains, allowing light to pour into the room. I stretched my arms and drew a deep breath of the dusty air.

"Aren't Kirlia meant to dance on sunny mornings?" Marisa asked, her hands planted on her hips as she glared at Rarutos. "But you're just as cynical as ever!"

"I didn't know she knew that word," Rarutos said uninterestedly, curling a lock of hair around her finger. "Hey, Selena, how do you think I'd look with ringlets?"

I'm staying out of this.

I clutched the T-shirt more tightly and drew it over my head, hiding my face from them. After a moment it was tugged out of my grip and I found Marisa looking down at me with a concerned expression.

"I know there's a reason you act so scared all the time," she said. "You've obviously told Raru, and I'm going to find out eventually, so why don't you just tell me now?"

"Her trainer raped her," Rarutos blurted out before I could stop her. Marisa spun to stare at her and I pushed my hair back from my face, giving her a look of pure venom.

I told her not to say anything!

"Tyler raped her?!" Marisa yelped, horrified. "Holy Arceus… and I thought him beating her was bad…" She scooped me up in her arms, squashing me against her chest in a suffocating hug.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through all that," she squeaked.

I attempted to squirm free of her grip until she finally placed me back on the floor. Marisa brushed a tear away from her eye and gazed sadly at me. "How could someone do something so terrible?"

How many times have I heard that? At the orphanage, and then with Tyler…

"But that's not all, is it?" Rarutos piped up. She tossed her hairbrush aside and slid lightly to the floor, spinning in a graceful pirouette leap before coming to a halt before me. "I can sense something else troubling you," she informed me. "It's something to do with Will, but the way you think about him makes me think that it isn't something bad he did. And yet… if he's on the run, he must've done something bad."

Marisa glanced between the two of us suspiciously. "What are you talking about? Raru, what's going on?"

Rarutos completely ignored her trainer, stretching out one hand to touch my forehead. "Will you let me look at your memories?"

I hesitated, trying to form barriers around my mind with my telekinesis. I was much older, stronger and more experienced than Rarutos, so I knew she would not be able to break through. I felt her warm hand press against my forehead and sensed her trying to read my memories.

"Come on, let me in," she murmured, her eyes closed tightly as she tried to focus.

I grabbed her wrist and pushed her away. Her eyes flew open and she looked at me questioningly, but I simply shook my head firmly.

The younger Kirlia reluctantly stepped back from me. "There's something Selena isn't telling us," she informed Marisa. "I think it's something to do with Will."

"Will?" Suddenly Marisa looked troubled. "Do you… do you know Will?"

I nodded reluctantly, deciding that I didn't want Rarutos to blurt out my other secret. Rarutos, however, had something else on her mind.

"Why are you so suspicious of Will?" she demanded. "Ever since you saw that poster, you've been acting strangely when you hear his name. What did the poster say?"

Marisa paused, then quickly wiped the concern off her face. "It could be a different Will," she said casually, but I shook my head. I already knew that the boy on the posters was the same one who had treated me like his sister.

The fear returned to the human's eyes. I watched as she drew a deep, shaky breath and said, "All right. The poster… it said that Will was wanted… for murder. He killed someone."

Rarutos's eyes widened in shock and terror. She glanced quickly between Marisa and myself as though waiting for someone to yell, "Psych!" Marisa was looking solemn and I simply bowed my head, silently admitting that I already knew.

"He killed someone?" Rarutos asked shakily. "Are you serious?"

I nodded mutely. I could clearly remember that day. This time I reluctantly allowed Rarutos to place her hand against my forehead and I closed my eyes, drawing on the memory.

Don't hate him for what you see…

*~*~*​

I lay sprawled on the floor of my cage, silent tears trickling down my cheeks, feeling the cold metal searing my back. Kevin had simply pulled his pants back on, thrown me back into my cage and walked out. My entire body was aching and I had an overwhelming desire to scrub myself clean, but I had no water.

The sound of footsteps intruded on my thoughts. Within seconds the door was thrown open once more, flooding the room with light. Kevin approached my cage, a steel jug clutched in one fist, and knelt to unlock my cage again.

I summoned enough strength to crawl feebly into the nearest corner. Kevin caught me by the ankles and stretched my legs out until I lay sprawled across the cage floor again. He held the jug over me, tilting it to pour a steady stream of ice-cold water over my entire body.

"Clean yourself up," he said shortly, using the last of the water to fill my bowl. The cage door clanged shut again and I listened to his receding footsteps, then used the bars of my cage to drag myself to my knees. Immediately I fell upon my bowl, thirstily gulping down as much as I could hold. The water was fresh and clean rather than the mud I was used to.

Eventually I straightened up, licking the last droplets from my lips. At least half of the water remained in the bowl, and I cast a furtive glance toward the door to make sure I was not being watched. Hesitantly I scooped up some of the water in my cupped hands and began to scrub myself clean.

Savouring the feeling of being able to bathe again, I threw caution to the winds and dipped my filthy, matted hair into the bowl. Clumps of it came loose in my hands as I washed as much dirt out of it as I could.

My bath over, I crawled back to my corner and curled up in a tight ball. It had not been a smart idea to wash my hair in my bowl; the next time I tried to drink, I would taste oil and dirt in the water. It was too late though; I would have to deal with that when it happened. I hunched myself against the cold bars, closed my heavy eyes and drifted to sleep.

The sound of quick, hurried footsteps brought me back to consciousness before long. I sat bolt upright, clinging to the bars as I listened. These footsteps sounded different to Kevin's, as though the person was lighter and trying to keep quiet.

There was a pause, then suddenly the door creaked open. A slight, familiar figure slipped inside, closing the door quickly after themselves. I squinted at them, trying to identify them.

The figure froze, sensing another living creature in the same room. "Who's there?" a voice whispered hoarsely. Their voice sounded male but not very deep, as though it was a prepubescent boy. My eyes widened as I recognized the voice.

"Will!" I cried, my voice sounding feeble in the darkness. My throat seared with agony; speaking caused me pain after the screaming I had done earlier. A single call was enough, though; the figure paused, then a burst of light illuminated the storeroom. Will had dared to turn on the light and he now hurried toward my cage, his footsteps echoing around the room.

"Selena?" Will breathed, crouching before me. I pressed myself against the bars to be closer to him, feeling tears spill from my eyes again. He reached for my hand and I stretched out my unhurt arm toward him.

"Selena… you look terrible…" Will whispered, gazing at me in concern. His eyes travelled past me and he wrinkled his nose in disgust at the state of my cage. "He's been treating you horribly…"

I nodded silently, simply glad to be with him again. He squeezed my hand gently, then released it and drew a hairpin from his pocket, inserting it into the padlock on my cage.

"I heard you screaming before," he told me as he worked. "I was waiting for a chance to get in here when my brother left. I snuck in the moment I got a chance and I've been checking room after room to find you."

Suddenly a thud behind him made both of us freeze. Will slowly turned his head, finally realizing what had happened. Kevin had slipped into the room while Will was talking, making no sound at all until he had closed the door firmly behind him.

Kevin gave a humourless smile. "Well, well, if it isn't my dear little brother."

Will rose to his feet, fury in his eyes. "You can't do this to Selena," he spat. "You've been keeping her in this tiny cage, not bothering to clean it, letting her starve and freeze to death… I can get you arrested for this!"

Kevin's expression didn't change. "I can do what I want to her," he said calmly, his eyes flickering briefly toward the floor before returning to Will's face.

"You…" Will hesitated as he noticed his brother's attention waver. He turned to look at me and I lowered my gaze, too scared to admit what had happened. I watched Will turn his gaze on the stone floor before his feet, which was peppered with drops of blood and…

"You monster!" Will snarled, taking a step back as he realized what had happened. "You animal! I knew you were cruel, beating her and locking her up like this, but actually forcing her to… that's just sick and wrong. You're despicable!" he screamed, throwing each word like a rock at his brother.

Kevin didn't flinch as Will spoke. Finally he moved forward, bringing his hands out from behind his back to reveal the metal pipe he held. "She's mine," he said calmly. "I can do what I like with her."

"You sick-"

Will never finished his sentence; Kevin abruptly launched himself forward and Will barely dived out of the way as the pipe came down on top of my cage. I recoiled, the shock travelling through my body like an electric attack. Will stumbled to a halt near a stack of empty cages, his eyes scanning for something he could use to defend himself.

"You don't seem to realize that all of this has a purpose," Kevin said conversationally. "You see, it's a little-known fact that certain people in Veilstone City like to have Shadow Pokémon imported. Of course, there has to be somewhere to import them from, and it has to be beside the sea. And what better place to store them than this old, rickety warehouse?"

"Shadow Pokémon?" Will demanded. "What are Shadow Pokémon?"

"Pokémon with their hearts closed," Kevin replied, approaching Will with his pipe ready. "They are the ultimate fighting machines."

"But what does that have to do with-" Will ducked as the older boy swung the pipe down, then quickly threw his weight into Kevin's stomach. The older boy doubled over and Will kicked his feet out from beneath him, taking the chance to rush to the opposite side of the room.

Kevin climbed to his feet as Will vaulted over a heap of steel boxes. "Selena is important too," Kevin said, watching with faint amusement as Will resumed his search for a weapon. "There aren't enough Shadow Pokémon being shipped over to deal with the growing demand. So a team of scientists in Veilstone City developed their own way of making normal Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon. It takes the most horrible treatment to make a Pokémon close its heart."

"So she was your guinea pig?" Will demanded. "You were testing out your own method on Selena?"

"Well, she was going to be the first made here," Kevin agreed, once again approaching his brother. "But for some annoying reason, I've managed to break her but not close her heart. There's too much hope there for me to wipe it out. I tried everything I could think of, but nothing worked. And then," he said, stopping just feet from Will, "I realized why. She only responds to you. She only cares about you. She only loves you. And it seems like you feel the same about her."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, I couldn't stop a blush from rising to my cheeks. Kevin had figured out my secret, and now Will himself knew…

"She's my sister," Will said fiercely, crouching behind the boxes where Kevin could not reach. "Of course I love her."

Kevin chuckled lightly; an oddly chilling sound. "If you want to take it that way…"

I clung to the bars of my cage, watching anxiously as Kevin raised his pipe to strike. Will was completely out of my range of vision, so there was no way of telling if he knew there was an attack coming. Silently I prayed that he had found a weapon of his own.

A deafening clang reverberated around the storeroom and Kevin reeled back. Will had appeared behind the boxes, gripping what looked like a steel chair leg. He swung it at his brother; his weapon swished dangerously through the air, sounding much more lethal than the unwieldy pipe.

Kevin took a step back. "So, the innocent little kid isn't afraid to fight back," he taunted.

Will's face was alive with fury. "I would do anything to save Selena," he snapped. "I would kill for her."

Suddenly he struck again, aiming the metal bar directly for Kevin's head. The older boy barely managed to step out of range. He stopped a few feet away, clearly waiting to attack when Will tried to climb over the boxes.

Guessing Kevin's plan, Will briefly took his attention away from his brother and vaulted clean over the boxes. He landed just as Kevin prepared to strike and raised his bar to block the attack. The two pieces of metal collided with a deafening clang.

"Should I kill you or just knock you out?" Kevin jeered, but the strain was showing in his face. Will was as light as a kitten and fast as a rattlesnake, his eyes alertly fixed on Kevin's shoulders to see when he would attack. I watched in awe as he avoided most of Kevin's attacks, blocking those that he was unable to dodge, never letting his brother inflict even a scratch upon him.

As Kevin began to tire, Will used his bar more and more offensively. At every pause in the fight, he swung it in a sharp arc so that Kevin was forced to dodge. He began to move backward, slowly moving closer and closer to my cage.


Finally Kevin's legs hit my cage. Sensing defeat, he suddenly thrust his pipe at Will, who instantly blocked the blow. They seemed to freeze in place, both brothers pushing against the other's weapon in an attempt to break his grip. Kevin leaned forward, the fight turning in his favour; Will's youth and lightness may have been an advantage earlier, but he could not outmuscle his brother.

Suddenly Will twisted aside, swinging his foot at the same time and kicking Kevin's feet from beneath him. His bar fell to the floor with a clang; he had broken his own grip to perform the manoeuvre. Kevin stumbled and began to fall, the pipe sliding from his hands as he grabbed for anything to hold him up. There was a sickening thud as the back of his head slammed into the corner of my cage.

All of the strength immediately left Kevin's body and he slumped to the floor, motionless and lifeless. A pool of blood began to spread steadily from his head. Will stood motionless for a moment, panting and sweaty, waiting for Kevin to rise.

Nothing happened. I listened intently; I could not hear Kevin's breathing. Suddenly a thought occurred to me; I was not sure if it was wonderful or horrible, but maybe…

Will took a slow step forward, as though expecting his brother to suddenly grab his foot and leap up. He lowered himself to his knees, hesitated and stretched out one shaking hand, pressing two fingers against the side of Kevin's neck. After a moment of silence, he swallowed hard and lifted his gaze to me.

"He… he's dead," he said shakily, looking as though he was about to throw up. "I just… killed my own brother."

 

[Golden Riolu]

Sorry for the unusually long delay. My word processing program sort of, er, 'went to meet its maker'. In other words, it dropped dead. So I needed to get a new one, which didn't happen, and here I am stuck with Wordpad. No spell-checker, so my obsessive spelling seems to have a purpose after all, but please point out any typos you see so I can brutally murder them.

Also, the next chapter may not be entirely my own work. I will, however, be giving credit to the person who has already agreed to help me plan out a scene I'm having a lot of difficulty with. To that person... well, you know the words. <3

Chapter Seventeen


The Challenge


Rarutos​

I broke my contact with Selena, struck dumb with horror. After a moment I became aware that Marisa was gripping my other hand, her eyes wide with shock. She had seen the memory at the same time as I had.

Slowly she released my hand, still gaping at Selena. The Kirlia lowered her head silently.

"Did… I just see… what I thought I saw?" Marisa asked haltingly.

Selena nodded, still refusing to speak. I glanced between her and Marisa, wondering if it had been my imagination. I cleared my throat, then remembered that Marisa couldn't understand my language and switched to telepathy.

"Was it my imagination… or did she think of that boy as Kevin?" I asked.

Marisa glanced down at me. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because… that means that Tyler didn't rape Selena. That Kevin guy did. And Will killed him… but he did it by accident, and he did it to save Selena."

Selena nodded eagerly, looking relieved that I had figured it out. Realization dawned in Marisa's eyes at the same moment as I came to a sudden conclusion.

"Will is innocent," I announced. "He did kill someone, but it wasn't murder. Kevin was the guilty one. What he was doing couldn't possibly have been legal… could it?" I turned to Marisa, still uncertain about human law.

Marisa slowly shook her head. "Murder means killing someone on purpose, but Will did it by accident. And Kevin could be arrested for mistreating Pokémon at the least - if he was still alive, I mean."

"We could clear Will's name," I said slowly. "He wouldn't have to run any more."
"But he can still be arrested for manslaughter," Marisa sighed. "And I doubt anyone would listen to us, Raru. We're both still children, and we don't really know the whole story. If only Selena would talk… they'd probably listen to a witness."

"I'm not a child!" I said indignantly. "I may only be a few months old, but I'm more mature physically than you!"

"You're a Pokémon, and you're not a witness," Marisa pointed out. "They won't listen to you even if you're fully grown."

I crossed my arms, fuming silently. Marisa picked up on my mood and said quickly, "Let's just go and meet Mark and the others for breakfast."

Before I electrocute her. I wonder if I can still do that now that I've evolved?

I raised my hand and focused, feeling a faint crackle of electricity around it. I could definitely still use Shock Wave after evolving. With an evil smile on my face, I followed Marisa and Selena out of the room.

*~*~*​

Mark picked up on our mood the moment Marisa sat down beside him. She and I were both shaken by what we had just seen and Selena looked more subdued than ever before. I glanced around the café in an attempt to distract myself, but I shouldn't have bothered. The walls were bare and painted a dull khaki colour and most of the tables were empty, giving me absolutely nothing interesting to look at.

Mark leaned forward in his seat, gazing at Marisa's face. "Hey, are you all right?"

"Huh?" Marisa said blankly, staring at him as though she had just noticed him.

I kicked her from my seat beside hers, sending her a silent telepathic message. "Smooth move. Now he's going to ask what happened."

"What happened?" Mark asked almost instantly.

Marisa glanced at me and I rolled my eyes. "I didn't have to read his mind to know he was going to say that."

"Nothing happened," Marisa lied unconvincingly. "I, uh… I just… Raru doesn't like my singing."

Mark raised one eyebrow at her. "And that is what's making you so unresponsive? I may have only known you a week but I've never seen you so silent."

Eruri stared hard at me around the menu. He was once again wearing his headband, although I couldn't remember seeing Mark pick it up from beside the pool. I sensed him attempting to read my mind and quickly threw a barrier around my thoughts.
"You can tell me the truth," Eruri said. "I won't tell Mark if you don't want me to."

I knew that he could easily break through my barriers if he wanted to, but I didn't feel him trying. He wanted me to tell him myself. I glanced briefly at Marisa and when she didn't reply I slid from my seat to the floor. Eruri followed as I motioned to him, and Selena and Ruka silently watched us leave.

Once outside the café, I sank down on the kerb at the edge of the road. "First I want to ask you something," I said as Eruri imitated me. He pushed his hair back and watched me intently.

"What happened in the Gym?" I asked, finally voicing the question that had been annoying me for a week. "Why were you shaking like that? Why did Mark have to take you to the hospital?"

Eruri bowed his head and lifted one hand to his chest, using one finger to gently trace a long scar I had never noticed before. "[/I]This is why,[/I]" he said quietly. "It happened just over a year ago. I was in a rough fight and my opponent nearly killed me. I can't get overemotional or exert too much energy, because when my heart starts to beat faster for too long I get sick. Is that what you wanted to know?"
I nodded silently, amazed. He hasn't had an easy life…

Eruri leaned back casually, leaning on his elbows to stay up. "So why are you and Marisa so quiet?"

I paused. "Promise me you won't tell Mark."

"I promise," Eruri said solemnly. "I won't breathe a word to him or Ruka. And I won't tell them telepathically either," he added as an afterthought.

I drew a deep breath and began to describe Selena's memory.

*~*~*​

Eruri straightened up as I finished talking. He had listened intently to my every word and had not interrupted once. "Wow," he finally murmured. "I knew Selena had been beaten, but I never would have thought… that explains how different she seems to the young Ralts she used to be. And… you said she loves her old trainer's brother?"

I nodded eagerly. "Imagine! A human! She's in love with a human!"

"Imagine that," he repeated quietly, but I could tell that he wasn't as stunned by the fact that his half-sister loved a human than by the rest of the memory. He leaned his head on one fist and stared into the distance, his eyes empty of expression.

"You don't seem surprised," I pointed out.

Eruri shook his head, snapping back to awareness. "No, not really," he said. "It's more common than you'd think. But humans disapprove of that sort of love and try to stop it. I've seen some horrible things on television…"

Amazed, I shook my head. "I don't get it. How could a Pokémon love a human? I mean, Marisa is like my sister… like an annoying, clumsy sister, but still a sister. But I could never imagine loving her romantically. It's just… sick!"

"It's not that different to a Pokémon loving another Pokémon," Eruri said mildly. "Charmeleon and Monferno are different species, but they can still fall in love with each other. And we're both similar to humans; would it be so disgusting if we fell in love?"

"If we fell…?" I stopped, my eyes widening in shock as Eruri leaned closer. An involuntary gasp escaped me as his lips gently touched mine, sending an electric thrill throughout my entire body. I felt like I must be glowing like a light bulb. All too soon I felt him draw away and, realizing that my eyes were closed, I opened them again. His face was barely two inches from mine; he gave a mischievous smile and returned to the café.

My breath was coming in short, sharp gasps and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, causing them to burn bright red. My lips were throbbing as though someone had just punched me in the mouth, but I savoured the feeling. I was still thinking about the kiss as I stood up and slowly returned to the café.

"Where've you been?" Marisa demanded the moment I stepped inside. Eruri was already back in his seat; he smiled at me as I approached the table. I licked my lips absently and climbed back onto the empty chair, wishing I could sit on the opposite side of the table.

Mark glanced between Eruri and myself as I tucked my hair nervously behind my ear. Gradually a smile appeared on his face and he elbowed Eruri. The male Kirlia grinned guiltily up at his trainer in return.

"What's going on?" Marisa asked, gazing suspiciously at me.

I quickly pasted a smile on my face, hoping that my lips were back to normal. "Nothing," I said innocently.

"Don't nothing me," Marisa said sternly. "Raru! What did he say to you?"

"I don't think it's what they talked about that matters," Mark said mildly.

My trainer stared blankly at him. "Huh?"

Before he could explain what he meant, Selena caused a distraction by scrambling into Marisa's lap and hiding her face in the human's shirt. Only seconds later a shadow fell over the table and I looked up to see a teenage boy standing over us, a puzzled expression on his dirty face. He looked a few years older than Marisa but not as old as Mark, his dark hair untidy and his torn and faded clothes a similar shade of blue to that of his eyes.

"Excuse me," he said to Marisa, "but I thought I recognized that Kirlia you're holding. Do you mind if I have a look?"

Marisa glanced uncertainly down at Selena, who was still hiding her face from the humans. Eventually she gave a reluctant nod. The boy bent down and lifted Selena's hair off her back, exposing the livid scars.

"I thought so," he said triumphantly. "This is my Kirlia. I adopted her months ago and I've got the papers to prove it."

I felt as though an icy hand had closed around my heart. No… it's Tyler and he's come to take my sister away…

"And you are…?" Marisa prompted.

"Tyler," the boy announced, confirming my fears. The hand around my heart clenched tighter, squeezing away all of the happiness I had felt only moments before. At the same moment, I watched Marisa's grip tighten on Selena, drawing her closer protectively.

"She's mine," Tyler repeated. "Give her to me."

"She doesn't belong to you," Marisa snapped. "You abandoned her! You ran off and left her in Pastoria City! You don't deserve her!"

Tyler's eyebrows furrowed slightly at Marisa's words. "Wait a minute… how did you know that?"

"She told me," Marisa lied. "She also told me she's never spoken to you. You don't know anything about her because she never trusted you!"

I wouldn't have been surprised to see steam shoot from Tyler's ears. "I challenge you to a battle!" he roared. "If I win, you have to give Selena back to me!"

Marisa glanced down at the Kirlia in her arms. "No," she said defiantly. "I accept your challenge, but whoever wins has to give Selena the chance to choose who she wants to stay with. Do you agree with that?" she asked Selena gently.

The Kirlia lifted her head, glanced nervously at Tyler and nodded. Under Marisa's glare and Mark's solemn gaze, Tyler seemed to deflate slightly.

"What's the point of battling, then?" he murmured, then drew himself up to his full height. "Fine. You'll referee?" he shot at Mark.

"Sure," Mark said, shrugging.

"Meet me by the fountains in half an hour," Tyler said, turning to walk away.

*~*~*​

A cool breeze ruffled my long hair, causing me to shiver slightly. I began to rub my arms to keep myself warm as I glanced around, waiting for Tyler to arrive. Selena had refused to leave Marisa; she was curled up in my trainer's arms, her alert scarlet eyes staring fixedly down the road.

"Maybe he chickened out?" Marisa suggested.

Mark shielded his eyes from the sun and squinted at an enormous clock atop an ancient building. "No, we're early."

Marisa began to pace back and forth; she would have wrung her hands if she hadn't been holding Selena. "He's probably out training his Pokémon," she said anxiously, "and when he gets here he'll be so strong that my team will faint right away, and then Selena will want to go with him because we're too weak to protect her… who are you going to choose, anyway?" she demanded of Selena.

"Don't pressure her," Mark said. "She'll decide when she's ready to decide."

Selena pushed aside her emerald hair and met my gaze, panic in her blood-red eyes. Instantly I knew her dilemma; she was afraid to refuse Tyler, and at the same time she didn't want to upset Marisa. With each second, the moment when she would have to make her decision was drawing closer.

Marisa thought she was doing the right thing by Selena, but in reality she was putting her in an extremely difficult position. Refuse to go with Tyler and stay with her family and friends, and maybe receive a terrible punishment from Tyler… or go with Tyler out of fear and avoid the punishment, only to spend the rest of her life with someone she is terrified of?

"This was a bad idea," I piped up, drawing Marisa's attention away from the fearful green lump in her arms.

"How so?" the human asked.

"If Selena chooses you, she'll be with her family and the ones she trusts, but she's afraid of repercussions from Tyler. If she chooses him, she'll disappoint you, and although she'll avoid being punished by Tyler, she'll have to live with someone she's afraid of. I know you thought you were doing the best thing, but you actually put her in a really difficult situation."

Horrified, Marisa's chestnut eyes flashed down to Selena. "I'm so sorry! I didn't realize… I thought this was best for you, so you got to choose instead of being forced to go with anyone. I made a huge mistake, didn't I? I should have refused the battle."

"You did the only thing you could," Mark said reasonably. "It's true that she's in a bad position. It's also true that she's not being forced into anything. You couldn't have refused the battle. By the rules laid down by the Pokémon League, if one trainer challenges another, they have no choice but to accept."

"Yeah…" Marisa said, calming down slightly. "I did the only thing I could. Maybe I can draw out the battle to prolong the moment… if Tyler has more than two Pokémon, will you help me?" she asked Mark.

"I can't, I'm the referee. But I can do this…" Glancing around discreetly, he unclipped the two spheres from his belt and pushed them into the girl's hand. "If you want to know who's in which ball, just squeeze it in your fist. Ruka's ball lets off a faint aura that you can sense if you really try."

"Thank you," Marisa whispered. She tipped the orbs into her pocket with Sutanu's and dragged Mark into a one-armed hug, trying not to squash Selena between them.
"He's coming," Mark said quietly, gazing over my trainer's shoulder. She released him at once and spun around, her cheeks drained of all colour. I stared down the road at the dark figure, watching it grow larger as it approached.

Tyler held his head high as he walked, his eyes burning with the passion that the thought of battle ignites in every trainer. He came to a halt before Marisa and Mark. Selena shivered and huddled into Marisa's arms, trying to escape her trainer's eyes.

"How many Pokémon do you have?" Tyler demanded of Marisa.

She drew herself up to her full height and glared at the boy. "How many do you have?" she retorted.

"Four, not including Selena," Tyler said. "And any of them can beat your entire team in one hit."

If it was even possible, my trainer's face became paler at these words. "I doubt that," she said, trying to sound confident even though her voice was shaking. "I have four as well, and we've beaten everyone who challenged us without even breaking a sweat."

Tyler seemed completely untroubled by her claims. "If you weren't lying, you wouldn't be so nervous," he said simply.

Abruptly he spun to face Mark. "Conditions?"

Mark hesitated for a moment. "Double battle, no items used," he said, thinking as he spoke. I knew he was trying to tip the battle in our favour without being obvious about it. "If you recall a Pokémon during the battle, it counts as being defeated. Is that all right?"

Marisa nodded silently and Tyler said, "Agreed." He turned and strode away.

Marisa glanced anxiously at Mark. "I've never been in a double battle before!" she whispered desperately.

"Don't worry, it's easy," he said distractedly. "Get both of your Pokémon to target only one of Tyler's, so you can knock it out as quickly as possible. Ruka and Eruri work well together in double battles."

Tyler had come to a halt a short distance away. Mark gave Marisa a brief hug and murmured something in her ear before hurrying away to stand halfway between the two trainers, out of the way of the battle.

Marisa let out a slow, shuddering breath. "I really don't want to do this," she whispered.

Tyler had paused for a moment and was now reaching for something on his belt. He raised both arms and flung two spheres into the space between us. Both objects burst open and expelled a flood of dazzling light, which arced toward the ground and twisted itself into the shape of two creatures.

As the light faded, one of the creatures rose up and hovered two feet off the ground. Its metallic blue body resembled a UFO, with a single bone-like horn between its narrow crimson eyes. It flexed its thick and powerful arms threateningly.

From the second burst of light, a rather thickset feline took form. The white glow gave way to dark fur; short and a shade of aqua over some of the body, but longer and black over the head, shoulders, legs and rear. Slowly the lion-like creature stretched its thick legs and yawned, flicking its long star-tipped tail.

"Tyler has chosen Metang and Luxio," Mark called. "Marisa, your turn."

Trembling, Marisa reached into her pocket and withdrew a single sphere. "All right… Sutanu, Rarutos, you're up!"

She tossed the ball lightly into the air and a third jet of light exploded from within it, landing a few feet away and shaping itself into the familiar skunk-like form.

I drew a sudden gasp of shock, remembering a conversation with Ruka on our last night in Pastoria City. Look at him and concentrate. Concentrate…

His aura…

A Dark type would naturally have a dark aura; it was what prevented me from being able to use my powers on him. But I had been able to sense his dark aura before evolving, and it had simply been a stifling force. Now a definite sense of hatred and cruelty radiated from him, and I realized that I could actually see his aura, just as Ruka had said I would.

A black haze hovered around the Pokémon's body, distorting his features and blurring his outline. It was much darker and heavier than any normal Dark Pokémon could possibly have. It was anything but natural; only humans could cause something like this.

 

[DarkGrowlithe]

This is very well written. I haven't noticed very many spelling errors, only one or two. There are quite alot of details in it, maybe a bit too many in the nightmares/visions. In my opinion, you should make Will and Marisa meet each other again. Other then those few little things, this is a great fanfic! I hope you post soon, I can't wait to read it.

 

[Astinus]

Don't bump threads over a month old unless you are the author. I would suggest reviewing the rules of this section.

Golden, you can PM/VM me when you are ready to post the next chapter.

Thread is now closed.