RE: Pokemon Journey Through Life: We Must Fight for What We Love! Chapter 6 now up!
Chapter 8 – The Road Less Traveled
Max walked up the stairs and in to the living quarters. He noticed Crystal and Emily sitting at the kitchen table chatting.
“Hey,” Max said as he walked up to them, “have you guys seen Ellen?”
“No, but she might still be asleep. I mean it’s only eleven,” replied Crystal
“She’s not asleep, I went into her room earlier and no one was in there. I
can’t find her.”
“Why do you need to find Ellen?” inquired Emily,
“She was just up late last night upset, I wanted to make sure she’s okay. I’m kind of worried about her.”
“What was she upset about?” Emily’s face suddenly became much more serious.
“Just all the things that have been going on recently I guess. I was half asleep when she was talking about it, I can’t really remember any specifics. I think she was upset because Matt’s unconscious and I almost died the other day and she was beaten, stuff like that.”
“Well she has a right to be upset,” Crystal chuckled.
“I know, she was just wondering what a normal life would be like. I wasn’t very reassuring. I just thought I could make up for that this morning.”
“What a normal life would be like? What do you mean?” Crystal was now also becoming a bit more concerned.
“I don’t know, to not have to deal with war, death, and the pressure of trying to save people every day I suppose.” Max rambled, not thinking about the obvious occurrence.
“What time did you say you noticed she was gone?” asked Crystal.
“Around ten I guess, so an hour ago.”
“Maybe she went out training early or something?” Emily thought hoping for the best.
“Did you look in the infirmary, maybe she’s with Matt?” Crystal thought.
“No, I just came from there,” Emily threw out the idea.
Crystal could sense Max was becoming more worried; she also knew that Max was not often somebody to panic. Without a word, Crystal quickly stood up and walked ferociously to Ellen’s room. She didn’t look back, but she could hear Max’s footsteps right behind her. The room was somber and it consumed Crystal with a feeling of emptiness. She threw open Ellen’s door and randomly grabbed for a drawer in her dresser. She pulled it open, nothing. She pulled open another drawer, empty. Oh God, this isn't good, she thought as Max suddenly walked in and saw the empty drawers.
“She’s gone?” Max stuttered,
“It’s okay Max, she couldn’t have gotten far.”
Emily had caught up and walked in to Ellen's room. “What’s going on?”
She asked, she then immediately saw the empty drawers Crystal had
pulled open and the single tear trickling down Max’s cheek.
“She left us,” Max blurted out, fighting back more tears. He walked over
to her bed and sat down. He wasn’t able to take what was happening.
Max was strong, but was never a fan of surprises.
“Emily, would you go tell Bing please. If Matt is awake let him know to,” Crystal was attempting to take control of the situation so Max wouldn’t have to.
Emily nodded and walked out of the room. She went downstairs and saw Bing in the conference room alone with papers spread out around him. Her heart was pacing as she opened the large, glass-screened door and saw Mr. Bing look up from his work.
“Are you okay?” Bing asked, Emily was out of breath, she had just sprinted down the halls without even intending to.
“It’s Ellen,” she panted as she sat down, “she’s gone.”
“Gone? What do you mean?”
“She left, her stuff is gone. We don’t know where she went. Is this like her?”
“No, I would never imagine her doing something like this.”
“Should we tell Matt?”
“This isn’t something we should hide from him. However, I don’t want to tell him immediately. You’re absolutely sure she’s gone?”
“Yes, Max said last night she was up late wondering what it would be like
to leave all this behind, but he didn’t think to do anything.”
“Does Max have any idea where she would be?”
“No I don’t,” Max flung open the door and sat down in between Emily and Bing. Crystal, Brett, Ashton, and Calum followed and took their respective seats at the elongated table.
“I assume she was smart enough to leave her Pokedex here?” Bing asked
“Yes she was,” Max nodded.
“How far could she have honestly gotten? I mean it’s only been like…” Brett calculated the numbers in his head, “10 hours, okay maybe she has gotten far.”
“She could be anywhere with her Salamence flying,” Calum said.
“Well she wanted to leave it all behind,” Crystal began to point out;
“maybe she did and is back in the U.S?”
“I’d be surprised,” doubted Max. “I’m not sure she had a great home life. I think she’d more likely be somewhere she finds serenity; somewhere in the world of Pokémon where she can escape from the pressure.”
“But where?” Bing questioned.
Max let out a sigh of disdain, “I have no idea.”
“Wait a minute,” a light bulb went off in Brett’s head. “Her Butterfree was infected with that dark serum and is in the infirmary; would she really
leave her behind?”
“It’s possible,” Max said. “I mean, she knows she’s in good hands and will be taken care of.”
“So what are we supposed to do?” Brett became frustrated.
“We wait,” Calum said bluntly. “Wait for her to come to us one way or another. She’s a strong and capable trainer; she’ll be able to make it on her own.”
“I just don’t like the idea of her being alone, especially in our current situation. She could be used as a hostage.” Max’s emotions were bubbling to the surface again.
“There’s nothing we can do right now unless we have any leads as to where she could be,” said Bing.
“She could be anywhere, I guess you’re right.” Max gave in.
“Okay then,” Bing was now changing the subject. “Dr. Finch and I have to finish testing the serum that the Dark Brotherhood is using. Brett, since Ellen is gone I need you to finish up research on the Dark Brotherhood. Obtain information anyway necessary, just try and be discreet. Everyone else, we have no emergencies right now so take this time to train and collect yourselves. This is war; we don’t have time for breaks.”
The group left the solemn meeting and headed to do their own things. As Emily walked through the massive glass paneled door she noticed Max rush down the slender hall that led to the infirmary. She knew that he was going to seek Matt’s help, and that there was nothing she could do to stop him. Instead, Emily decided to follow Max, attempting to be as nonchalant as possible.
Max was walking quickly, however he slowed down as he approached Matt’s infirmary door. He gracefully slipped through as he held back tears with a stern face. Emily didn’t dare go in. She decided she would simply try and listen through the wall.
“What’s wrong?” Matt’s voice was muffled.
“Ellen left; she ran away. She packed her stuff; we have no idea where she could be. I was hoping you might have some ideas, and then we could find her and bring her back.”
Emily could feel Matt’s heart drop.
“I…I don’t know.” Matt’s voice got softer; Emily could hardly make it out.
“I should have done more, I could have done more. I wasn’t good enough. I should have prevented all of this. I was too slow and too weak.”
“What are you talking about?” Max’s voice was louder, he was clearly confused.
“The file! They know where her file is!” Matt was yelling. Emily sensed immediately she had just learned something she wasn’t supposed to.
“I didn’t know. So when you guys were kidnapped that’s what you were interrogated about.”
“Yeah, I didn’t act quickly enough. I could have helped her. They tortured her, and I was too weak to stop them.”
“Don’t blame yourself,”
“It’s not blame, its fact!”
“Matt, let’s just find her, okay? Now where could she be?”
“I don’t know, I just…what cities did she spend the most time in when she was alone?”
“Umm...wait a minute,” Max saw everything clearly now. “She gave away
her file location, she was upset about the pressure and wanted to leave it all behind. Now we have two possibilities. She could have fled somewhere, or she could have gone to stand up for herself and protect her file.”
“Either way we’re at a dead end.”
“Unless you know where her file is? Did you hear her tell them?”
“No…I should have thought about that.” Matt let out a sigh, “I can’t take this bed anymore.”
Emily heard Matt begin to shuffle to the door and she quickly jumped off the wall and sprinted down the hallway. She knew Max and Matt didn’t have anywhere to go; even though it was the perfect storm for them both to make rash decisions. She knew that private matters were at hand for the two and decided to go upstairs and fix up her room.
Matt and Max stepped out of the infirmary and began to walk down the hall. They walked with purpose; their heavy feet sped across the hard wood floor. They shared a quick glance as they began to fill with intensity and headed for the outside. They opened the heavy door as sunlight bled through into the headquarters. As they stepped outside they both reached for their belts.
“I told you they were going to leave,” Crystal said looking down onto the scene from the roof of the headquarters. Emily, Calum, Brett, and Ashton stood next to her.
“I didn’t think Matt would be this stubborn,” Calum let out a sigh. “Fine, Brett and I will stay here; we both have work to do.” Everyone nodded as Matt mounted his Flygon and Max jumped on his Altaria, which had been sent over from Canalave’s Pokémon Center.
“Let’s go then.” Crystal rallied the two other girls as they released their flyers. Crystal hopped on her Pidgeot, Ashton got on her Fearow’s back, and Emily was on her Charizard. With a single motion they all took to the air and had been instructed to follow Matt and Max, wherever they chose to go. It was only a matter of time before Matt and Max would notice their protectors gliding on the air behind them. However the girls continued to pursue them.
Matt and Max atop their mighty companions zoomed through the air, just above the tree tops of the thick forest. They were quickly scanning the slightly visible ground for Ellen, or anyone that may have any idea where she might be. Their faces were fierce as they clung to the belief that they could resolve Ellen’s strife by themselves. Max’s heart was heavy; he was full of guilt and shame. He could have stopped this before it started. His mind raced with images of Ellen alone, in tears, in danger. He knew he had to have faith; faith in her abilities as well as her instincts. He had let his heart make the decision of coming to look for her, his mind had lost control, but he didn’t care. Right now the only thing he cared about was Ellen.
Matt’s mind was far from silent. He followed Max and let his eyes glance the ground, yet he wasn’t really paying attention. His mind was filled with the thoughts of the world, how it was crumbling around him. Although he himself was deteriorating, he wasn’t conscious of it. As his thoughts drifted from one seemingly pointless thing to the next, he began to notice Max’s emotions more and more. He wasn’t letting himself show any worry, however his expression teemed with pure angst. He knew Max and Ellen weren’t exactly dating, but he had also known that there was a mutual infatuation and affection between the two. He was unaware what that had manifested into now, whatever it was it was bubbling to the surface. Matt craved that, craved pure companionship with another person; the relationships he had in the past were hollow. Especially with Ashton, ”Maybe that’s why it was such a clean break and they could still be friends, because there was really nothing there,” he thought. But Max and Ellen, breaking down barriers for each other, that was something new to him. Pshh, it’s not worth it, Matt thought. My role is watching from the sidelines, it always will be.
Ashton and Crystal had relaxed themselves. They hugged their Pokémon comfortably as they zipped through the crisp air. Emily wasn’t as comfortable. It wasn’t too cold of a day, but the cool wind bashing into her face had made her simply irritated. Part of the problem may have been that she wasn’t very bundled up either. She had a thin jacket on, as well as a light green scarf wrapped around her as tightly as possible. She was however rather proud of her Charizard, he was not used to flying with a passenger very long, but was doing just fine. Emily generally traveled by sea, using her Lapras or Dewgong as a transport. Charizard didn’t do particularly well in the cold either, but his flame was burning strong. Perhaps that’s why they are so worried, she thought. Because it is so cold outside and Ellen may not have shelter. She chuckled at herself and realized that Max and Matt were not that sensible right now. Emily began to relax as she realized that her only job right now was to follow Matt and Max, which was rather easy. She let her mind wander a bit. She came to realize that although she didn’t really know anyone here, and had only really talked with Matt and Crystal, she felt like she knew everyone. She wasn’t as skilled as everyone, and wasn’t chosen by a war panel to help the cause. Perhaps it was just coincidence that she wound up here, and that she felt like she fit in so much. I do like everyone here, she pondered. I’m sure I could be of some assistance; maybe I should stay for longer than I…
Her attention was quickly shifted as a loud, muffled “STOP!” was heard up ahead. She was unsure if it came from Matt or Max, but they had both stopped and were now hovering in the air. They were turned to where they could see the girls, but that’s not where they were looking. Crystal’s and Ashton’s large birds stopped right in front of Matt and Max. Charizard instinctively stopped in front of the pair as well. Looks like Charizard is getting the hang of things, she thought.
Emily turned to see what it was everyone was looking at, as her eyes brushed the ground she spotted Ellen. Ellen appeared emotionless. Emily followed her blank stare up to Max, who also appeared emotionless. Their eye contact was nothing but intense. Max nudged his Altaria and it began to descend into the clearing in where Ellen was. She stood in front of a large pond that glistened in the afternoon sunlight. Her hair was wet and her clothes were damp as if she has just climbed out of the water. She began to look around as Max’s Altaria landed on the ground. She was debating whether she should run, or if she should stop thinking. Max gracefully stepped off Altaria and walked towards her. She stepped closer to Max as her heart began to beat faster and faster. They stopped only a few feet away from each other.
“Ellen,” he whispered.
“Wait,” Ellen stopped thinking. She paced quicker towards Max and stood right in front of him. Max caught the hint and slowly brushed his hand through her sopping wet hair as his nose came down and brushed against hers. She slowly brought her lips up to his and pushed them together. Max moved his hands down her back and held her close as he continued to kiss her. Ellen’s heart was exploding and she was torn. A soft, small tear rolled down her face and she pulled away from Max.
“I know why you’re here,” she mumbled fighting back tears. “I can’t come back, not after what I did.”
“No one blames you,” Max was slowly becoming angry, he was full of mixed emotions. “How can you just throw everything away? All the gifts you’ve been given, the talent placed in you, the skill. You play an important role, and you’re turning your back on us.”
“No, no,” Ellen let the tears flow down her face. “That’s what you think I’m doing, no!” She pushed him away and stood right in front of the pond. “I have to stay here, I’m weak and feeble. I need to strengthen myself. Do you remember when we use to be alive? When we really knew each other, before so much had changed. Now everyone just pushes it aside, and I can’t do that.” She was still dripping as the cold tears rolled off her face and fell to the ground. “I’m stopping all of this, this fake, cheap, disguises we’ve all put on. You and Matt, you just go through the day acting all tough and perfect. Maybe you both are tough and perfect, but I’m not. I’m staying here to find myself, find my strength. And I’ll die searching for it; I can’t live in regret anymore.”
“You’re going to throw it all away just to feel new again? You’re running, and I put my faith in you, so much faith in you and you just threw it away.”
“Max, stop it.” Matt had already descended from his Flygon and now stood next to Max. “She’s right about us. We shouldn’t get angry. We’re dwelling in the future, and in the past, when we should be in the present.”
“What are you saying?” Max was still angry.
“We shouldn’t be angry at her. She acted out of fear, we mustn’t do the same.”
“I’m not coming back if that’s what you’re getting at,” Ellen said through her tears. “I couldn’t go back without feeling useless.”
“You have to come back, we’ve already lost Ryan, and we can’t afford to lose you. I can’t afford to lose you.” Max had let go of his anger and had degenerated into fear.
“I’m not sure if that’s smart when it comes to the war effort.” Crystal had now thrown herself into the mix, feeling as though she could set things straight. Ashton and Emily were also descending into the small clearing, following in Crystal’s footsteps. “The thing is, if Ellen feels useless, she’s going to be useless. It’ll be better if she takes some time off so she can come back stronger. We’ll be better off that way, as long as you take this.” Crystal grabbed Ellen’s Pokedex out of her pocket and tossed it at her. She had stopped crying and showed a smile of gratitude towards Crystal.
“What? No, that’s…no. Matt, say something,” Max was unnerved.
“I agree with Crystal, she’s the voice of reason here.”
“Matt,” Ellen’s smile grew bigger. “Thank you. This is the best thing that could have happened, any longer and I wouldn’t have made it. I was a few cheap shots away from the end.”
“I just, I don’t like the thought of her being alone.” Max was still on edge, and was becoming condescending.
“May I say something?” Emily walked closer to Ellen and stood next to Matt. “I know I’m not as strong of a trainer as, well any of you. This whole war thing has gotten me thinking, I need to be stronger because I do support your cause. I was thinking maybe I could go with Ellen, train with her. She wouldn’t be alone, and we could both become stronger. Of course that’s only if it’s okay with Ellen, I would never want to impose.”
“It’ll be nice to have someone to train with, to get through the day with.”
Ellen wiped the tears from her face and chuckled. She didn’t know why, but now she was smiling. “Thank you,” she said as her final tear drizzled down her face.
Max walked up to her and grabbed her tightly in a meaningful hug. He knew it might be a while before he saw her again. He didn’t want her to leave but she had to and he understood that. Ellen felt safe in Max’s arms, that was one of the few places she felt safe recently. Max released Ellen and grabbed her hand, “I’ll miss you,” he passionately whispered in her ear.
“I’ll miss you to,” she said as their eyes locked and shared one last kiss.
“Emily, do you need to go back to headquarters to get your things?” Matt asked.
“Actually, I was about to unpack my things when Crystal rushed into my room and said we needed to follow you, so I just grabbed my back pack and threw it on. It has everything in there, I’m all set.”
“Good luck Emily,” Matt said as he walked over to her. “I can’t thank you enough, you did save my life, and I will forever be in your debt.”
Emily smiled and gave Matt a warm hug, “stay safe Matt.”
“You too,” Matt smiled softly.
Everyone shared their fond farewells and their meaningful hugs. Crystal, Ashton, Max, and Matt boarded their flyers and set off towards headquarters. Max was better; he had felt closure as the situation ended. However Matt was left with Emily’s words ringing in his head; ”Stay safe Matt.” Her voice was warm and hopeful. She was happy, that made him happy. As he flew away above the pointy treetops he began to feel a loss, he missed her. Sure he was sad that she wouldn’t be with him, but it was a deeper feeling than that. Matt let out a sigh, today had been a lot to take and he didn’t feel like becoming too emotional.
As headquarters came into view so did a large, military-class helicopter that had landed on the roof. “Oh, this can’t be good,” Matt said as he filled with great fear. Brett and Calum we’re on the roof next to the chopper and they waved the group down. As the four descended and quickly returned their Pokémon they were approached by Calum and Brett.
“What’s going on?” questioned Crystal,
“One of Ellen’s contacts that she asked to help locate the Dark Brotherhood called. Apparently there’s been some activity in Snowpoint City. On multiple occasions suspected members have been seen going in to what is thought to be an underground base.” Brett thoroughly answered.
“Brett and I did some research, underneath Snowpoint city are old catacombs filled with an electromagnetic type of crystal. Any electrical scans that would be conducted for activity wouldn’t be accurate. Everything would be screwed up by the crystals.” Calum explained.
“So why is this so urgent?” Ashton questioned, “Can it wait until tomorrow so we can get some sleep?” The sun was setting and everyone was exhausted from an emotional day.
“Sadly no, we have to leave now,” Calum was upset himself. “If they’re not being this thorough at covering their tracks, they are obviously going to become aggressive soon. We just don’t know when. It’s around six o’clock now, by chopper it’s a five hour flight to the outskirts of Snowpoint. Once there, we’ll cut an opening in to the catacombs and see what information we can learn. Although information is the main goal of this mission, if it is possible it would be beneficial to fully take out this base location. One less branch of the Dark Brotherhood out of the way,” Calum was very enthusiastic.
“Branch? You think there are more.” Matt inquired,
“We don’t believe this to be the central command, no. The catacombs aren’t big enough to house an entire operation,” Calum noted. “By the way, where’s Emily, and did you find Ellen?”
Matt let out a sigh, “I’ll tell you on the flight.” The group boarded the helicopter and as it lifted Matt felt a feeling of dread, a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. He was unsure of what was to come, and that unknown factor scared him more than anything else could now.
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