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Destined Flames

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Hey, I just joined the other day, and have been working on this one for a while now. I hope it gets a better reception here than it's previous home.

It's got nothing real bad so far, but an assasination of a character is in there, so I say about PG.


Prologue

The white sparkles slowly drifted towards the ground, a mix of snow and ash from the nearby Mount Chimney. The wind swirled, producing a shimmering foreground for the beautiful picture that was Lavaridge Town in winter. But with this cold weather and the holiday spirit brightening the homes, was also a heavy blanket of tyranny. Over the last five years, the hearts of many had not felt the same warmness the holidays usually brought, because of the ominous rule of evil organizations.

After years of attempts, a mysterious force named Team Rocket had finally taken the territories of Kanto and Johto, and a similar group, Team Magma had acquired the nation of Hoenn. The Magma forces had pushed the opposition, Team Aqua, out of their own hideout, and they then set a temporary one in the Sevii Islands. But, as many know, terrors like this were almost always quelled by a valiant trainer. No such person had arrived in five years. Thus began one of the most unfortunate times in Pokemon history… or so it looked.

Chapter One: A Question of Bravery

The houses of Lavaridge outdid themselves every year with the holiday decorations, and this year was no different. Flakes of snow and ash adorned the rooftops, joined by inflatable Santas or Frostys or reindeer, all swaying in the winter breeze. Inside the houses were the usual suspects; trees, stockings, and mistletoe, hung in the most obvious places. Though the weather outside was pretty normal compared to an average Hoenn December, not a single soul laid their feet past their doorway. Urban myths like “The Magma’s will get ya!” or “They’ll send their Poochyena at you!” kept everyone locked tight in their house.

One house, however, was not adorned in lights or inflatable characters, but instead was bare except for a small wreath on the front door. Inside, it was just as barren, and the only light on was the flickering of a large television screen. Sprawled out on the green couch was a young woman with red-orange hair, dripping wet as if she had just taken a shower. She was dressed in blue and white striped pajamas and was slowly pressing a button on the remote control over and over again. Her eyes drooped, and soon enough, the control dropped and she was fast asleep, with the television news still blaring.

“Flannery! You’re never gonna believe this!” A young boy had burst down the stairs, jarring the woman’s slumber. She fell sideways, off the couch and on her back. “Next time Mark, have better timing!” Flannery stood up slowly, brushing herself off.

“Better timing?” the boy exclaimed. “This is important! And plus, you shouldn’t be falling asleep on the couch!” Flannery knew she had been bested. “What is the rush, bro?”

“There are people at the gym! I saw them from my window!” The two of them exchanged glances, Flannery’s of an icy kind and Mark’s full of anticipation. Suddenly, his face burst at the seams and erupted with bottled in laughter. Flannery sighed. “Every time you try that one on me, it gets more pathetic. You expect me to believe that for the first time in five years there was actually a trainer willing to come here for a battle? Ha!”

Flannery sat back down in the couch, and was quickly joined by her brother. The Lavaridge Evening news was still airing; complete with the constantly incorrect anchors and terribly inaccurate weather Xatu. It was almost torture watching the same people botch the news every day, followed up with an apology to the viewers the day after. Today it was an apology for a story on the health benefits of Poke Chow to humans, and how they stated that it was safe. Many a lawsuit later, they came to their fault.

“This just in,” the anchor exclaimed in false seriousness, “There has been a reported sixteen new Pokemon thefts today, a new record for the Magmas.” Mark’s happy expression melted.

“Flannery, I know how we tend to joke about it a lot, but I think that we should be serious about this for once. Someone needs to stop this!” Flannery stared at the television screen for a minute, looking at the pictures of the missing Pokemon. Things had really gotten worse, and she knew it.

“Mark, as much as I’d like to be the great hero, I just can’t leave you here. Plus, I can’t topple an entire organization on my own.”

“You wouldn’t have to worry,” Mark said, sitting straight in his seat, “’Cause I’ll be there to help!” Flannery rolled her eyes.

“You just got your trainer’s license a month ago, you expect me to let you go on a journey already?”

“Fine,” he said. “I may not be able to help, but you still could. What would grandpa have done? Sure wouldn’t be sitting on the couch dozing off!”

Flannery thought for a while. Her grandfather had been one of the most prominent people in her life, being both a father figure to her and the previous Gym Leader. He had taught her the secret to success as a trainer, and especially how to control her temper. One thing about him that Flannery knew all too well was his tendency to act against every wrongdoing he observed, often overlooking his family and friends. She didn’t want to end up like that. He had passed away a month ago, and still left a sore in Flannery’s heart.

“Mark, you have a point,” she said somberly, “but while he was a great man himself, he had some… flaws.” She grabbed the fallen remote control and turned the television off. Mark sat staring at it nonetheless.

“Sure he was a tad bit… disrespectful, but look at all the lives he saved. It kinda weighs out positive, don’t ya think?” Flannery started recapping her life in her head. As a Gym Leader, it was her job not only to give out badges, but to also promote friendship between trainer and Pokemon. In this case, promoting friendship between trainers was about equal. She realized that what she would gain from the experience may just “weigh out” the losses.

“Fine, I’ll try. But you can’t come. Think what’d become of the gym?”
The two of them exchanged smiles.
 
Last edited:

indigestible_wad

Well-Known Member
Not a bad first chapter. It certainly grabbed my attention. Just by reading it I can tell what kind of things are stored up in your brain. You also own ruby and are male, without looking at your profile. I do wonder why you chose magma instead of aqua.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
indigestable_wad said:
Not a bad first chapter. It certainly grabbed my attention. Just by reading it I can tell what kind of things are stored up in your brain. You also own ruby and are male, without looking at your profile. I do wonder why you chose magma instead of aqua.
Thanks a bunch, and yes, you are right! I chose Magma because I noticed in the anime that they seemed to be more fierce than Aqua. Not that Aqua's not great, of course. Actually, they have a pretty large role in this too. Just wait...
 
S

Senator Kiwi

Guest
Very nice for a first fanfic. The Prologue could've been longer, but the First Chapter's length is excellent. Keep it up!
 
D

duncan

Guest
Okay, not bad, but it seems pretty good. I really can't
say anything except I'll give you a real review whan the
next chap is up.
;257;
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Hey, I know it's soon, but I just need to put the next chapter up. Now this may seem to have nothing to do with Chapter One, but it actually is a side story that will fill in some blanks in the main part.

I'm sure this technique isn't new to all you guys! Well, without further ado:


Chapter 2: The Plan
The lights were dim and people crowded the hallway, seemingly to all reach the same location. Every person had a dark grey outfit with a red letter “R” embossed in the front. Except one.

“Audrey! What did I tell you about the Rocket uniform?” said a stern looking woman nearby. Audrey was a tall teenage girl, wearing a blue jacket and a pair of jeans, radically outshone by bright purple-dyed short hair. “What are you trying to prove? Why if I told your mother about this, Jessie would be so ashamed…”Audrey smirked.

“The only thing she should be ashamed about is her Rocket track record…” she murmured.
“Excuse me, absolutely no conversing!” said a voice from a nearby loudspeaker. “Every grunt must report to the ground floor immediately!”

“What’s Giovanni so mad about, anyways?” whispered a uniformed man. “Well, I mean, more than his usual anger…” A nearby woman grinned.

The group of people finally found the end and entered a grand area where a solitary man stood on stage. He was short, at least compared to over half of the audience. His hair was a brownish- grey, and his stature appeared aging as well. The man grabbed the microphone on his pedestal and cleared his throat.

“Quiet, quiet, yes this is a grand event, but can you all just- SHUT UP?”

The crowd was instantly silenced.

“There. Much better. Now we have the Rocket VP Sandra Williams to explain why this is a history making day. Sandra?” The man stood down from his place and invited up a tall woman dressed in a black gown. Her hair was long and red, and she had a bit of a sarcastic looking smile. Much of the crowd began whispering to each other.

“Hello, and as Giovanni said, today is one for the record books, folks! We got an e-mail this morning from a certain Leader of a certain team, and- well, why don’t I just read it to you?” She grabbed a nearby paper and unfolded it. She stared at it quizzically for a moment, and then reverted back to her “smile”.

“Dear Team Rocket, as you know, we here at Team Magma have a deep respect for your people and accomplishments, and have delighted in your success, as we know you have ours.” Some people in the back row coughed loudly. “So, in order to form a word of respect and honor, we propose a merger, that sees Giovanni and me standing ahead of a large empire of perfection, stretching worldwide. Every trainer will have no other option than to surrender their Pokemon, and all of us team members, grunts and administrators alike will be enjoying bigger paychecks and overall better lives! So, drop us a line! Signed, Magma Leader Maxie.” The audience had mixed reactions, some with faces lit up from the word “paychecks”, and others confused on the legal aspects of the deal.

“Thank you, Sandra,” Giovanni said as he approached the stand once again. As Sandra passed him by her “smile” became a look of pure disgust. Giovanni grabbed the mic and took out a small remote device. “Now, of course, I agreed to the deal! So here’s our new logo as Team R-M!” He quickly pressed the device’s button and a projection screen rolled down, revealing a circular red and black icon inscribed with the letters “R” and “M”. “Your new uniforms will arrive in a week! Now return to your meaningless lives!”

The same people began rushing together to file out the hall, back to whatever they were doing. The excessive talk started up again, but with the subject dramatically changed. Meanwhile on the stage, all were deserted but Sandra and a young girl.

“This is just one step closer,” Sandra said excitedly. “One step plus four more equals true, fast success!”

“I can’t believe you, Mom, all you seem to care about is your dreams. No time for me at all. It’s not like through some crazy miracle Giovanni is going to step down and give you his job!” The young girl’s blue eyes stared innocently at Sandra. It had always been a goal for her to become the leader of Team Rocket, but now it was even more of a desirable position because of all the people she would have power over. But, as her daughter constantly pointed out, it took away from her family, friends, and personal well being that she spent every waking hour trying to appease Giovanni. They knew it had to stop sometime.

“No, wait; I have a foolproof plan this time, Erin…” Sandra said, proudly. Erin sighed.

“No plan is necessarily ‘foolproof’, and I just hope it doesn’t involve me.”

“No, I’m going to finish him off. For good.” Erin’s thoughts went from depressed to about one hundred times worse.

“What? I hope you’re talking about some kind of race…”
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Hey again, Chapter 3 is here, and it's back to the main storyline.

By the way, I'm very impressed by the number of views! Thanks, guys!


Chapter 3: The Warm Stranger

Flannery had donned her warmer clothing and grabbed a purse. She was wearing a dark brown jacket, with a green shirt underneath. Her blue jeans, fitted with a bright orange belt, were baggy and ended at her shoes. She didn’t know where she was going, but it was for a good cause.

“Well, I’m off,” she yelled to Mark upstairs. “To… somewhere. Well, I guess the place isn’t important!” Flannery thought of Mark, then of her grandfather, then of the possibility of what lies ahead. The “weighing factor” was pretty large. She slowly opened and shut the door, and began trudging through the snow.

The snow was tough, mostly because there were few people who ever walked upon it these days. The only reason that these people had were their jobs. Most, however, used cars. “A Tailgating Magma’s Better than a Pick Pocketing One” said many a billboard by the highways. But for Flannery, walking was just fine. By the time she arrived at the Pokemon Center, as she needed to receive her Pokemon from the PC, she halted about two feet in front of the boarded up door. Of course there’s no one here, she thought.

Flannery’s mind sank like her feet in the snow. Without her Pokemon, the reality of her predicament became prevalent in her head.

“Why did I even leave?” she said aloud, as she was aware that no one else was present. “I should have been realistic. I can’t do anything right!” She kicked some snow into the door and watched it helplessly drip down. Eyes tearing, she sat down on the doorstep, without a clue of what was to become of her.

“Watch it there, Bagon!” called a voice from out of nowhere. Flannery stood up. On the horizon was a cape wearing figure, running fast after a small Pokemon, which was clearly coming her way. “Huh? Is that a…an actual person? Wait, Bagon, No!”

The Pokemon was heading straight towards Flannery and the doorway. She jumped left, rolling into the snow. The creature quickly tripped on the doorstep and shot right into the door. The door shattered into fragments of wood, boards and all. Flannery lied there dumbfounded.

“Are you okay? Sorry about my Bagon, I just caught it. It’s a crazy one…” The figure was revealed to be a young man, with striking red hair. His warm demeanor seemed to calm Flannery’s internal rage. She smiled as the man took her hand and gently helped her up, dusting off the snow. “Wait, you look familiar. Are you a… uh, were you a gym leader?” Flannery stood silent for a moment.

“Yes… I was. Flannery, Lavaridge Gym Leader.” She shook his hand, while she examined him. “Wait, you’re Lance! You were Champion at one time in Indigo, weren’t you?”

“In the flesh! I’m surprised anyone’s out here. In fact, why are you freezing out here in front of the Pokemon Center?”

“Well…” Once again, Flannery hesitated. The fact that this person had come out of nowhere and was so kind took her heart on a roller coaster. She wondered the same question about him. “I kinda made a deal with my younger brother. I vowed to do what I could to help the cause against the Magmas. Now, however, I realize that it may have been a horrible decision…” Her rage was entering back in.

“Wow, really?” Lance said, gathering the wood from the shattered door. “You know, we pretty much share the same goal. I’m trying to scout out for Magmas to keep them from ransacking houses and stealing Pokemon. There’s just too many bad things happening, and the people doing nothing are just as bad.” Flannery remembered the news program she saw, with the list of the stolen Pokemon. The poor helpless faces and the even more unfortunate trainers. “We share goals. And two people can have more progress than one, ya know.”

Flannery knew he was right. She thought of all the times there were things that she believed she couldn’t do. There was a time when she was so confident that it would get in the way of her battling, but her fiery passion disappeared after the loss of her grandfather. She became a selfless, shy recluse and never trusted her own abilities.

Then again, Flannery saw a different kind of contempt in Lance’s eyes. Not only was he trying to send her a message of kindness and willingness to help, but there also were signals of a desire for real companionship. Flannery was not new to the field of relationships, as she had had a small fling with Brawly, the Dewford Island Gym Leader. Small, because they actually only saw each other once. They conversed through a series of letters delivered by messenger Wingull. Brawly would always send letters of how his life was, how beautiful Flannery was, and how some great day, they would see each other again. Her letters, however, were simple explanations of everyday life, tribulations, and gym battles. In other words, her feelings did not meet Brawly’s expectations. In fact, there was only one occasion when he was mentioned in her letters.

Nonetheless, she looked back on this with suppressed anger. The fact that revealing her true feelings would devastate the gym leader led to many depressed days. Piled on top was her grandfather’s passing.

“Um, Flannery?” Lance asked, as Flannery had been silent for a long period of time. “You okay? You know, the Center door’s open… didn’t you say you needed your Pokemon?” Flannery snapped up, her eyes widening.

“Oh, sorry… I was thinking.” She finally said.

“Sometimes Bagon can be a little rowdy, but it came in handy this time!”

The two walked into the Pokemon Center.
 

indigestible_wad

Well-Known Member
Man, this story makes it seem obvious what your thinking. I thiought her brother was going with her. Also magma isn't a steal pokemon type team, their goals are to coverthe aerth in land. But I guess you have your reasons. Anyways I am interested in seeing more.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Okay, here's more for those of you wanted it! This is one of my favorite chapters, and I'm sure you'll see why writing this was fun for me...


Chapter Four: The Edge of Brilliance

The building was quiet, for once. What was usually a bustling hallway was a serene picture, as every door along it was shut. Inside, there were people conversing in soft tones. The occasional passerby would be either a uniformed grunt on his way or a small Pokemon that lost its sense of direction. Nevertheless, it was rarely this quiet. Something was going on.

Inside the second door was a wonderfully decorated room, adorned with classic-style furniture and at least fifteen mirrors. A grand, king-size bed was right in the middle of this perfection; on top of it was Sandra.

“Well, I wanted you to come in here for a special surprise,” she said to another similarly uniformed woman sitting in a nearby red chair. “But you have to promise to not let this leak under the door, if you know what I’m talking about.” The woman gave a quizzical look. She brushed her oddly-shaped red hair with her hand.

“What the heck is it? I’m supposed to meet James at the restaurant. This better not take long.”

“Don’t worry about it, Jess, it will be over soon. Anyways,” said Sandra with an expression fit for a thief. “I have the perfect plan to become boss.” Jessie stood agape.

“Not this again. What is it this time? Digging a hole, and letting him fall in? Ooh, that’s a good one…” Jessie meant to say this in her head.

“No, this would involve a much more severe punishment. Picture this: A quiet night. Just like this. Giovanni’s door opens, and the last thing he sees is me, approaching his bed.”

The room was silent for an entire five minutes. Jessie’s mouth showed no signs of closing, and Sandra’s eyes remained full of inspiration. The dust settled on the bed, as did their hopes when they heard a knock on the door.

“Uh, Sandra?” said the voice from the other side. “I left my jacket in there.” Jessie scrambled at the voice, as it was extremely familiar to her. She ran left into the giant walk-in closet and shut the door silently. Sandra straightened up and adjusted the pillows as if she had just entered the room. She got up and opened the door, and revealed the visitor.

“Ohh, hey Audrey, W- I mean I was n-not expecting you…” Sandra muttered. Audrey’s expression was unchanged. She walked in at will, and strode around the perimeter of the room for a while.

“You know what?” said Sandra, desperately trying to save Jessie’s skin, “I’m pretty darn sure that your jacket isn’t in here, especially not in the closet.” Her voice hardened for the last words. By instinct, Audrey swung open the closet door and saw her mother, cowering on her knees. She sighed.

“Mom. I saw this one coming…” She said as Jessie got up and sat down on the bed. Audrey’s face remained unchanged still.

If there was one thing to rely on in the Team Rocket headquarters, it was that Audrey was as stubborn as a wild Ponyta. She seemed to break every hard shell on the team, but mostly focused on her mother. Dealing with her tiring escapades over daily events described as “a series of blast-offs” and trying to make sense of crazy plans was an embarrassment like no other. Having a father just about as crazy just added more logs to the bonfire. This caused Audrey to be what she was, a stubborn, self-reliant, and completely opinionated girl.

“You know, I think that this team would be great if it had a hole in it. A big gaping hole where an unimportant girl once stood. Stood in line, and waited for the obvious disrespect. Jessie, you are pathetic. Crouching, hiding from your own offspring. It’s like something Dad would do. Here you are, spilling your guts to Sandra, who most likely has been unable to speak from constant jabbering!”

Jessie and Sandra stared at each other dumbfounded. Jessie walked slowly towards the closet again and pulled a pink and black windbreaker out of it. Audrey took it and left through the open door. The wind from her escape slammed the door shut.

“Well, that was… grand.” Sandra satirically responded. Jessie stood against the wall and slowly knocked her head upon it.

“You’re idea? On the edge of brilliance. Anything to get my mind off that brat.” She said in mid whack.

“Sometimes I wonder how you put up with her.” Sandra said, lying flat down on her bed, staring at the ceiling. “My Erin is the best behaved-“

“Yeah, yeah, like she’s never done anything wrong.” Jessie began to make speaking motions with her hand. “She’s been plotting to leave this dump forever. She has this crazy idea that Pokemon belong to their trainers and must remain that. You better stop that girl before the team’s talking about her instead of Giovanni’s will…”
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Chapter 5: That True Connection

The Center was covered with a layer of dust almost as thick as the snow outside.

“Five years can really kill a place,” Lance said, looking around for Bagon. “Oh, there you are!”

The creature was flat on its back, seemingly unconscious from the nasty impact. His grey, plate like headpiece was strangely left unscathed. Flannery knelt down and picked it up slowly, then held it out in front of her. Its eyes opened.

“Wow, it’s so cute!” Flannery exclaimed, while Bagon started playing with her hair. “Hey, now that’s not funny!”

“I could beg to differ!” said Lance, laughing. “Don’t you have your own Pokemon to play with?” She nodded and approached the ancient looking PC. She thought about how sad it was that computers five years old can seem so low-tech. She grabbed the mouse and it wearily started loading, icon after icon. She moved the cursor to “Lanette’s PC”.

After a bit more computing, a bright sphere of light appeared on the contraption to the left of the computer, followed by two more. One after the other, they hardened into red and white balls. Flannery logged off and attached all three to her belt. She soon regretted this, as Lance then asked to see her Pokemon.

With a sigh, she grabbed all three and tossed them forward.

“Come on out, Typhlosion, Macargo, Torkoal!” she called. The spheres dissolved, revealing three diversely shaped figures. The first was a tall, arrow-shaped creature with a neck of flames. The second was a short shell-bearing red mass. A flame was flickering out from its casing. The final creature was a wide, four-legged turtle with a plume of smoke releasing from its shell. Lance noticed a theme.

“A fire trainer, I see.” He said, stating the perfectly obvious.

“The Typhlosion actually isn’t mine, though,” Flannery noted, “but belonged to my grandfather. It just seemed so helpless and lonely that I took it under my wing. Besides, it completes a great team!” She gently petted the creature on its head. It growled in approval.

Her Torkoal, however, began walking around the room, and soon met up with Bagon. The plated Pokemon started making annoyed sounds towards the approaching behemoth, as to intimidate it. Torkoal was unmoved, however, and continued its attempt at making friends. The creature shifted its balance on its two right legs, and balanced for a short time, until they gave way and was thrown flat on his shell. Lance and Flannery giggled, while Bagon climbed on top and gestured like it had just conquered a nation. Lance grasped a Pokeball and returned Bagon.

“I think that we’re ready now, right?” He said, re-attaching his Pokeball to his belt.

“For what?” Flannery inquired. They had not discussed their destination, or had even finalized their partnership. But she guessed that as the professional at this type of thing, Lance had to be trusted.

“We don’t need to know where, I have a consultant!” He said confidently. Flannery recalled her trust.

After a quick return of all Flannery’s Pokemon, the two walked out of the Pokemon Center. Lance led the way out back into the cold, where he then released another Pokemon. This time, it was a majestic blue creature, with elegant features, including a pair of beautiful wispy wings. Flannery was breathless.

“I can just tell from Dragonair’s eyes that she knows where she’s taking us.” He said. Flannery knew that he must be a great trainer because of his connection to his Pokemon. The Dragonair then lowered its body to the ground a little, and hovered there to allow Lance to climb upon it. He beckoned Flannery with a small wave. She had never seen anyone fly on a Dragonair before.

At first she hesitated, staying put until a motion made by Lance caused Dragonair to glare at her. Her temper gave way to her contempt for him and she slowly boarded the Pokemon. The feeling was strange at first, having your seat constantly moving was a required nuance to accept for all Pokemon flight. But once she got accustomed to it, the dragon had lifted off, and the strange feeling escalated.

The three raced through clouds at an indescribable rate, and the fields of Hoenn blurred beneath them. Flying on a Pokemon appeared to be no thrill for Lance, as it had become second nature to him. The wind blew his cape back at an alarming rate, fascinating Flannery for some crazy reason. She stared endlessly at it, hypnotized by its flickering and swaying. When she realized her actions, she quickly stopped out of common sense’s sake.

The land beneath them had changed from the previous green to a stark orange, and Flannery interpreted this as a desert area. Suddenly, Dragonair made a slight maneuver downward, and began a descent. Although this was not as jarring as Flannery expected it to be, it still worried her. The sand was getting closer and closer, enough so that she closed her eyes and braced for a deadly impact. The Dragonair landed, and Lance dismounted. He looked at Flannery. She was still in the same position, with her eyes tight and her legs squeezing Dragonair’s sides.

“Um, Flannery? We’re down…” he said wearily. She looked up, and did a quick examination of her surroundings.

“Ohhhh…” Flannery muttered.

Upon her dismount, Lance returned Dragonair and the two walked forward in the sand, only to be surprised by an approaching sandstorm. The yellow-orange cloud swirled with terrible speed, impacting the barren surface with a continuous dent. The two were stopped in their tracks.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Chapter 6: Wisdom Beyond Years

There was one time when the Rocket hideout was about as pristine as a chapel, and that was at lunchtime. Every member was either out or was stuffing his or her face so much that they were unable to talk. If there was one thing that Rockets loved more than power, that was food. Most of them were unable to afford it, or simply got sidetracked enough that it was of no meaning to them.

But for those who cared, it was an enjoyable time. If one was to go out to a nearby restaurant, though, they had to be disguised. Giovanni always told of the horrors of being revealed as a Rocket in public, and went so far to even make a rule out of it, after a certain duo had caused too much publicized chatter.

As the Rocket’s had had the large building once owned by the Silph Company, their convenient location in Saffron made the city’s areas very accessible. In a nearby restaurant, two relatively unnoticeable Rockets were taking perfect advantage of this.

“You know, I’m not sure which one of our parents takes the crazy cake,” said Erin as she awaited her order. Across the table was Audrey, whose casual wear did not have to be changed from her usual garb. “I mean, one who’s plotting against the team’s boss and another who seems to be allergic to success… we really hit the jackpot when we were born, huh?”

The waiter had arrived, and dropped off a chicken sandwich and a baked potato. Audrey quickly dug in, but Erin hesitated, continuing her meditation.

“You ever think of leaving? I mean, ditching the team… have you?” she said, unaware that Audrey had half a sandwich stuffed in her mouth. She waited.

“Yeah, sometimes… why?”

“I don’t know, but the concept just seemed appealing all of the sudden.”

“Hey, you know if you’re serious I bet I have the perfect time to do it.” Erin looked interested, so she continued. “Giovanni’s shipping off one third of the team to Hoenn to increase Magma’s numbers. If we were a part of this, we could escape halfway through the desert!” Erin was perplexed. She examined her drink for any foreign substances.

“How do you know the schedule of the trip?” she asked. “And why the heck the desert?”

“Hey, you’re right… why’d I think of the desert so quickly? Well, besides that, I know the schedule because I read the newsletter!” Erin sighed.

“Can we eat now?” she said in pure sincerity. Audrey nodded, and they both scarfed down their food effortlessly. Once a Rocket, always a Rocket.

* * *

About two weeks later, the call went out from Giovanni to gather all members who were interested in going to Hoenn. That day, Erin had broke it to her mother that she had decided to join the Hoenn ranks, and was met with the kind of demise that only a mother could have. Audrey, however, left it to her parents to figure out where she went off to. She thought she’d give them about 6 months to give up.

The finalized method of travel to the Hoenn region was by train, and through the newly built “Kanho Tunnel” that connected the two regions through an underground passageway beneath the Kanto Channel. Audrey and Erin decided, as unexpectedly planned, to literally jump off the train as it passed through the Hoenn Route 111, in the desert. Erin’s first impression with this plan of escape was not exactly embraced with open arms, but as Audrey said, no pain, no gain. Erin saw the immense gain.

The train boarded north of the city around four o’clock, but remained still for about thirty minutes for a people count. If Giovanni hadn’t been late for this, the train would have been underground already.

“Okay, so the only question I have is about two girls who seem to be lacking parents,’ he said after examining the people down the aisle, “Why isn’t Sandra with you? I’m not even going to ask about your parents…” he snidely commented towards the two girls. His gaze frightened Erin, but Audrey was expectedly unmoved.

“As far as I know,” Audrey began, “those who are eighteen with verified passports are given complete access to overseas transportation.” Giovanni stood flabbergasted, along with the hushed remainder of the train. Erin gave a piercing look towards her, but was replied with a wink. It appeared to signify her control of the situation. Giovanni then turned around with no comment, walked to the front of the train, and sat. The engine was quickly activated, and the trip began.

Audrey sat up straight in her chair and proudly flipped her short hair.

“How do you do it?” Erin asked quietly.

“With about fourteen years of practice!” Audrey replied. The two laughed uproariously, utterly annoying every Rocket around.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Chapter 7: The Mysterious Tracks

“Do you have any Pokemon that could help?” Lance asked desperately as the sandstorm drifted towards them.

“What do you think? They’re all Fire type; they’d all be creamed out here!” Flannery yelled over the noise. Then, Lance’s expression went from depressed to inspired. He reached to his side and grasped a Pokeball, released it and it revealed Bagon.

“Bagon, run straight through, headfirst!” Flannery thought Lance had gone insane. But nonetheless, the small creature began to take out this request, sprinting right towards the cloud. As it entered, the plate on its head deflected the particles of sand, causing a visible part in the cloud. Soon, the sand dispersed, and all that was left was Bagon, again flat on its back, and a yellow patterned creature.

“Hey Bagon, looks like we solved this one. Look, it’s a Sandshrew!” Lance crouched down near the yellow one and brushed sand off of it. The Sandshrew quickly became alert and got to his feet. One look at him and it stood in a defensive stance. Flannery looked on in amazement.

“Wow, it seems to think of you as a threat… Talk about your first impressions!” The Sandshrew slowly began to back up, appearing to ready an attack. “Are you sure it won’t try to hurt us again, Lance?”

“I think it has learned its lesson. Besides, it didn’t really hurt us in the first place, did it?” Flannery thought deeply about these words. Deciding that it was a waste of time, she joined Lance who was already two feet ahead.

“Hey, why do you think Dragonair took us… here?” She asked as he returned Bagon.

“Who knows? Dragonair’s been kinda weird lately, since…” He paused. He began to stare at his feet.

“Since what? Or should I ask…”

“No, it’s okay. No, she’s been slightly off since my other Dragonair went missing. He was right by my side at one time, then just disappeared. Maybe it wanted more freedom, or maybe it was some disrespectful trainer. Whatever it was, it took away Dragonair’s best friend. My own personal opinion was that a Magma took it, but people keep telling me that they don’t steal Pokemon. But, who else would do something like that? That’s the main reason I’m out here, to keep something like that from happening to somebody else.” Lance’s step quickened noticeably during his explanation, and thus Flannery was having a hard time keeping up. She began to huff and puff loudly as to drop a hint, but went unnoticed. Finally she gave up.

“Uh, can we… sit down for a bit? Please?” Lance agreed and they both sat cross-legged on the sand. To the right of them, about ten feet away was train tracks.

“Hey, do you think a train actually travels through here?” asked Flannery, noticing this landmark. Lance shrugged and started drawing in the sand. His finger traced a long, wavy line, accented by an eye and a wing at the head. It was Dragonair. He displayed it to Flannery, and then stood up to admire it. Then suddenly, a rumbling interrupted his silence, causing the particles of sand to migrate away from his work. He quickly spun around and saw a train shooting down the tracks. Flannery grinned.

“Whatdaya know, there is a train!” she said (before it dawned on her that Lance wouldn’t be able to hear). The fact that there was a train soon became the least of her wonders, as the next thing they both saw was two figures leaping out of one of the cars.

Lance, apparently noticing first, ran towards the train cautiously, making sure he would meet the car as it was passing. But that thought became a memory as a familiar “friend” dug out from underground with a toss of dirt and gravel. It was the Sandshrew. He glanced between the creature and the train, trying to see which one he could get to- or get past- first. He came to the unfortunate conclusion that he needed help.

“Flannery! Go help those people while I deal with this!” At the barely audible sound of his voice, Flannery rose from her seat and began sprinting through the sand. Along the way, she removed her jacket and tossed it to the ground. It was unnecessary and it weighed her down.

Lance threw a Pokeball, revealing a tall, orange Pokemon, whose grand wings flapped as it gently took to the skies. It sported a grin, but looked much more powerful than its demeanor could explain.

“Okay, Dragonite,” called Lance, “I need you to keep it busy. Don’t hurt it; just… scare it a little.” The creature looked confused by this order, but continued anyways.

Meanwhile, Flannery arrived too late.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Chapter 8: Unavoidable Circumstance

It happened. Few people knew how or why, but it didn’t seem to matter; it affected everyone on the team. Weather it meant a raise, a promotion, or days of silence, Giovanni’s sudden absence rocked the team. When he was announced dead, it just got worse. The newly christened Team R-M had already had a fallout.

Those who remained in Kanto for the duration of this period saw a different kind of side of the Rocket aesthetic, as the new leader was already taking full advantage of her power. It was Sandra, and she was finally experiencing her most glorious of dreams. She began her reign by sending grunts on pure meaningless tasks, just to humor her, and making the deal bitterer by lowering their pay. The members acknowledged the usefulness of a complete revolution, but instead fell on the fact that the ex-Magma leader in Hoenn would hear of their plight and lend a helping hand.

Jessie had to keep an awfully tight mouth around other members, which was not something she enjoyed. Sandra knew of her sub-par secret- keeping, but never expected the response to be so dramatic. Of course, it was decidedly obvious that she’d let it slip to her husband, then even to a certain Pokemon, and eventually let it leak into every house in Kanto, but strangely did not give in. Sandra kept telling herself that maybe she did know what she was doing after all.

The team soon felt a yearning for Giovanni’s leadership, something many of them thought would only happen when Piloswine flew. This happened the moment when Sandra muttered two words through her tart mouth:

“Kill them.” She said, addressing the bulk of the team at a meeting. “I see no need as of this time for Pokemon. I will see to it that Team R-M will have the world in our firm grip without use of those creatures. Don’t ask how, why, when, or where, just accept it. Now is a new era for us. We will prosper. And if you don’t like it, if I hear one word out of your puny mouths of revolution, every last one of you will join the Pokemon.”

Some people were a fan of Sandra’s approach, but most thought her to be perfect asylum material. Whatever the opinion, though, it was as it was, and there would be no stopping this tyrannical reign. For many, the disrespect for Pokemon was the last straw.

“I don’t care what she thinks, there’s gonna be a stand against this.” A grunt was before a small crowd in a dusty meeting room. “All these years, we’ve stolen Pokemon, we’ve built our lives around these creatures and for many of us, we’ve loved them with all of our hearts. They are tools, but also friends. Completely eliminating them will simply make us monsters.” The grunt did not realize the irony. “We need to do something, because doing nothing will make us as bad as her.” The crowd of people nodded in approval, conversing with each other in harsh tones.

“She’s crazy! Why if I were her, I’d…”

“Giovanni must be rolling in the fresh dirt of his grave…”

“They never did anything to us! Hey, wait…”

A new kind of contempt was ignited then in the hearts of many members, a decidedly “normal” kind of feeling. They saw that Pokemon, though the target of their evil, were a part of their lives that they couldn’t live without. Their feeling was akin to the ceremonious splendor that was receiving their first Pokemon. For once, they acted like typical trainers instead of mindless puppets playing out an evil plan. In some ways, Sandra’s terror helped the team.

“I declare that we should form a rev… er, I mean, we should contact Maxie!” The crowd soon lost all contempt and stormed the speaker. They had heard too many conclusions like this.

The problem with this collective theory that the Magma side of the operation would react was that Maxie was known to follow a prime directive, and pretty much nothing else. Hearing that the Rockets were under duress would be like a whisper in his ear, while news of a Groudon discovery or advances in land- expanding technology would shout like a Loudred. But somehow, though, his team followed him with the utmost respect, and was more often leading itself in objectives. His one track mind was not common knowledge in Kanto, however, where almost everything about the overseas team was in the form of rumor.

Sandra’s unique way of leadership soon overwhelmed the team, and they gave up any chances of avoiding it. Revolution? No. Maxie? No. So they submitted to her evil and continued on with their lives, this time with a guilty heart. Most didn’t have the guts to kill anything, so declined any assignments while hiding the reason from Sandra. Others acted like mindless zombies, taking out objectives and simply omitting any feeling. Sandra was ruining people’s lives. She was retooling the human subconscious. She was absolutely taking any respect in the human name and spitting on it. And she enjoyed it.

Something had to be done.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Sorry for the extremely long wait, but I finally am getting back into this. It's a little shorter than before, but just wait...

Chapter 9: Kindness in Perspective

Flannery stopped in front of the tracks and glanced around, finally settling her gaze upon two unkempt figures lying in a heap on the ground. She instantly thought the worst. She knelt down and moved her head to their bodies to check heartbeats. To her relief, they were definitely still alive.

Dragonite began flapping its wings, blowing a calm gust at the Sandshrew. It didn’t mind this at all, and looked almost like it enjoyed it. Lance saw this flaw and had to think of another non-lethal battle method for his Pokemon to perform.

“Uh, Fly up into the air, I guess…” he said nervously. Dragonite flew up, to only be surprised by a lightning fast attack from Sandshrew after a large leap. It was shaken, but not completely thrown yet. Dragonite was visibly angered by this, and thus began powering up for a powerful Dragon Breath attack. Lance was shocked.

“No, don’t do it, Dragonite! Stop!” His words were too late, as the creature had just released a stream of blue flames that hit Sandshrew with deadly might. It smacked the ground hard and flopped in an unnatural position. Lance looked on in silence, his mouth agape.

“Well, I guess it’s the least I can do,” Lance muttered as he pulled out a Pokeball and threw it at the fainted Pokemon. It hit, released bright red energy, and encased Sandshrew. He grabbed the ball from the ground and held it in front of his face for a moment, then attached it to his belt.
***

The night was cold, a welcome contrast from the day, but otherwise an uncomfortable condition. The stars were in plain sight, with the supposed eyes of each Pokemon constellation gazing down upon the barren wasteland. Flannery was in her sleeping bag, toiling away at a notebook in which she wrote in calmly. Lance was sitting up, staring at the lantern in the middle of them. The two figures were in a similar position, lying in a heap, still.

“When do you think they’ll wake up? They’ve been like that for hours,” Flannery said, putting down her pencil and undoing her hair band.

“I don’t know, but that fall must have been pretty bad. Where do you think they came from?” Flannery recalled her earlier discovery.

“I remember one of them was wearing a black uniform of some sort. That could explain- Huh?” One of the figures started to move, brushed her hair back and rubbed her eyes. She took one look at her surroundings and began to yell.

“Erin! Are you okay?” she turned and looked at the person next to her with a sigh of relief. “Wake up! We made it!” The other girl was jarred awake and she instantly got up and hugged the other. Flannery looked on in awe.

“Wow, it took you two long enough,” she said jokingly. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Flannery, and this is Lance.” He smiled from behind the lantern’s glow. The two girls both smiled, and knew they had found freedom and favor.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Chapter 10: Calm Reflection

“First of all, this may come as a shock, but we were Rockets.” Flannery and Lance sat in pure confusion as the two girls, now fully conscious, began explaining their predicament.

“What’s Rocket? Does it hurt?” Flannery interrupted. Erin sighed.

“We were members of Team Rocket, an organization in Kanto… kinda like your Team Magma. But that doesn’t matter anymore, because now we’re free from that evil once and for all!” Erin’s face was beaming, as was Audrey’s. They were ecstatic to know that they’d soon be experiencing a life of peace, a life of purpose, a life that was pure and one that rid of unnecessary evil. Or so they thought.

“It’s funny that you mention Team Magma, that’s the reason we’re out here in the middle of nowhere. We… have a belief that their recent wrongdoings are completely awful, so we’re seeing if we can do anything about it. So far, the only luck we’ve had has been bad…” Lance paused for a moment, and looked at the stars.

“I’m sure what you are doing, or will do, is good, and needed.” Audrey said. “The only problem is that your foe is much bigger than you may think. You see, the Rockets combined with Team Magma… now they’re led by a… well, Erin’s mom.”

“What?” exclaimed Flannery. “This is bad… if I knew this is what we’d be up against, I would have never left Mark home… no…” She tilted her head down and buried it in her notebook. “Real bad…” Her voice was muffled.

“Come on Flannery, don’t break down now, you gotta think positive. Why do you think Dragonair brought us here? We were destined to meet these girls. Just think; there’s power in numbers.” Lance’s calm words cooled her flame like they always did, and she looked up and smiled at him. Erin and Audrey smirked. This caught Lance’s attention. “What are you two laughing about? Isn’t it your bedtime?”

“Nah, it’s just you two… heh heh…” Audrey’s smile widened. “You can’t hide anything from me!”
“Why don’t you guys get ready for some sleep?” Lance said, obviously changing the subject. “I’m sure it’s been a riveting day for you. Besides, we head out to the city tomorrow. We’re gonna ask around and see what people know about these guys.” Flannery nodded in approval, and tucked herself into her sleeping bag.

“Wait, what are you saying, that we can travel with you guys?” Erin asked, as politely as possible.

“What do you think? We get up at seven. Good night!”
***
It was around midnight, and Erin and Audrey’s snores were evidence that they were sound asleep.

“Wow, it’s just my luck that out of all the possible girls we could have found, we had to get the ones who snore. At lest they’re cute…” Flannery, whom Lance had known was still awake, turned around at this comment.

“Did you even think of the age difference? They look like they’re -what- sixteen? Come on, be realistic!” She sat up and folded her arms.

“I was just kidding, do you read into everything? Besides, they aren’t as beautiful as some people I know.” Flannery blushed, as she knew exactly what he meant. “Remember, we gotta get up at seven, so get sleep while you can, Miss…”

Miss, She thought. He really is crazy… awesome. Flannery laid back down and went to sleep, dreaming away about absolutely nothing.
 

billy5772

SENIOR
Yes! I finished it. I just read all ten chapters! I really like this story. The plot is excellent and the characters have a good chemistry. Flannery and Lance are good characters and they interact well. So do Erin and Audrey. You've done very well with regards to character development. And the plot...man, it's good. I like it a lot. The chapters are kinda short but that made it easier for me to keep reading. That along with the fact that I really do want to know what's going to happen next, makes length a non-issue.

There were a couple of grammatical errors. There were a few instances when you didn't separate a pargraph with two people speaking. It got slightly confusing a couple of times.

Overall, an excellent fic. I can't wait until chapter 11!
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Just like to say I'm extremely happy with the resulting opinions thus far! Here's some more...

Chapter 11: Exploring and Understanding

She was awakened by a sudden gust of sandy air, and Flannery had never had a better sleep. It seemed extremely ironic that this comfort occurred in the middle of the desert and not at her home. She glanced over to Lance, who was still asleep, as far as she could tell. Erin and Audrey were also in the same position they left them in, so she guessed she was up way too early. Flannery stood up slowly and crept past Lance’s sleeping bag to check if she could see the city from there. She nearly tripped when a voice came from behind her.

“You’re up? Why didn’t you say something?” Audrey had sat up and was fixing her unkempt clothing. Flannery caught her breath.

“I… didn’t know you were up! You scared the daylights out of me!” The two of them laughed.

“I’m glad you’re awake, I wanna talk to you about something, girl to girl.” Flannery was puzzled, and thought how strange it was that after only spending one night with a stranger, she’d gained the ability to trust her. So she went back over to Audrey and knelt down in front of her, and nodded in reply.

“Well, I want to know the deal with you and Mr. Spiky Hair.” Flannery rolled her eyes.

“You need to mind your own business, you… Help me wake up the others. I wanna leave a little earlier.

Erin was waked by a gentle shake from Audrey, and Lance got up right after this. They all gathered around the unlit lantern.

“By request, we’ll head into town before seven. We’ll have to be careful, though, because everyone will be in their homes and may think we’re trespassers. The world’s a different place since recent doings, as I’m sure you two know firsthand.” Lance looked over to Erin and Audrey. “Nonetheless, we need to find out more about what we’re up against, and how to get there. I’d ask you two, but you were probably sworn to secrecy so much that you don’t know the location.” They both agreed with the statement, and headed south, to what he stated was Mauville City.

The trek out of the desert was slow, but sure, and it helped the four of them to get to know each other better. Strangely, however, Audrey did not make on comment about Flannery and Lance, but instead went on to describe the toils of being a Rocket member. She talked about the awful mistreatment of Pokemon (that Erin described in excruciating detail that made Flannery cringe), their insane families, and the state of the team in Giovanni’s control compared to Erin’s mother’s ways. The two of them could have never fathomed what was actually going on at the time. The description of their lives prompted Flannery to give a basic description of the life of a Gym Leader. She talked about how wonderful it was to see different trainers, their techniques, and learning how to see that other battle methods can help in tight situations. One of her grandfather’s words of advice was “to open up your mind to other ways to overcome opponents,” or “a Psyduck is not always better than a Golduck.”

When they arrived in the city, the glow of the reflective skyscrapers and grand billboards was enough to make them teary-eyed, especially for the far from home Flannery. She looked at the shops and houses and could not believe that the residents did not just muster up the courage and go outside. She knew she would have.

Lance’s mind was centered, however, on a group of people, all in a similar white and blue uniform, who were gathered at a city map near the center of town.

“Look, guys, people! They look… peculiar…” Lance’s statement awoke Flannery from her daydream and caused Erin and Audrey, who were in the middle of a game of “I Spy”, to literally stop in their tracks. But they all had no clue why they were gathered. They were again shocked when a tall member of this group turned around.

“Huh? Somebody came out!” He shouted, looking afar with his hand. He then gestured to some of the others to go ahead to meet us. Two of them came forward, on a man with a blue bandanna, a white and blue striped shirt, and blue pants. The other was female, and wore a similarly colored cropped shirt and blue pants. They stopped in front of them, focusing on only Flannery.

“You!” the woman said, pointing her finger dangerously close. “You’re a gym leader, aren’t you? Lavaridge, right? What are you and your friends doing out?” Her finger pointed came progressively closer. Flannery tried to ignore this as she readied her reply.

“Um, yes, I am, but… CAN YOU PLEASE PUT THAT THING DOWN?” The woman, obviously startled, backed away, her arm finally at her side. Flannery took a deep breath. “Now, we’re out here because we want to know more about this Team R-M. Do you happen to know anything?” The woman looked at her like she was crazy.

“Hey guys,” she called out behind her to the rest of them, “come over here! We need to have a talk with these four…”
 

billy5772

SENIOR
This chapter was okay. You probably could've gone ahead and included the ensuing conversation between Team Aqua and the gang, but it's cool. Not a whole lot happened in this one, so there's not much to say. Well, I'll be here next time.
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
Chapter 12: Heartfelt Decisions

“First of all, we will do you all a favor and not kill you.” One of the uniformed men started addressing the group after they had all migrated over. “If you are unaware, we are members of Team Aqua, and we are here investigating the whereabouts of Team R-M., as you, apparently, are as well.” Lance looked completely quizzical.

“Investigating?” He asked. “Is that it? Not the kind of team to get up and go, are you?” Flannery looked over at him and glared, appalled that he would say something so rude and hypocritical. The man was getting angry.

“If you’d let me finish, we need to find out how this joint venture with the former Rockets will affect our state in the Hoenn region. If they move their entire operation to Kanto, it will give us a chance to get out and snatch ourselves some land.” Audrey thought about how sad it was that the world had turned into a buffet plate where organizations fought for the last muffin. This also made her hungry. Her stomach then growled, causing another rude look from Flannery.

“So, you’re still doing nothing? You’re not actually going to Kanto to check for a hideout?” Lance asked again. The man was clearly getting more perturbed.

“Sir, we know the location of the hideout, we just want to gather any extra information. Before we jump into a possible world war, we need to see what we’re up against.” Lance stood up.

“That’s not the reason; you just want to cover up those chicken faces of yours with a thin veil of lies! You Hoenn people are all the same! Inaction is your-”

“Enough already!” Erin had come from behind Audrey and stepped in front of Lance. “Lance, you are making a mockery of us! These people have a point, but you’re too stubborn to see it! They need to be sure, they need to have an affirmation that everything will work out okay. Some people need that. As for you, you can go on and keep living that spur-of -the-moment life. Just open your mind to others for once.” She backed away slowly, nearly out of breath. Flannery, Audrey, and even Lance looked at her in pure amazement. They had all never seen Erin speak for that long. Lance sat back down.

“Wait, you! The one with the red hair! Is your name really Flannery?” the man said as he took off his sunglasses. To Flannery’s surprise, the person standing in front of her was actually someone she had known. She first recognized the blue hair, then the eyes, and finally, the fact that he was the only member wearing shorts.

“B-Brawly? You- You’re an Aqua… I haven’t seen you in… well, in-”
“It’s been a long time. Remember how I said that we’d see each other again on one great day? Didn’t have this in mind, that’s for sure…” His happy demeanor was not matched by Flannery, much to his dismay.

“Sorry to interrupt this great reunion,” Lance said carefully, “but where did you say the hideout was?”

“Three things mister. First, I didn’t say, second, stop interrupting me, and three, I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!” Brawly was about to reach to his Pokeballs on his belt, but refrained after glancing at Flannery.

Erin was getting restless at the moment for an unknown reason, and was shifting her weight from leg to leg. Her eyes were tightly closed shut.

“Are… you okay?” Audrey whispered to her quietly. Erin nodded.

“Forgive me for this,” she whispered back, and once again walked in front of Lance. She stared at Brawly for a moment, and then tilted her head down and looked at her feet.

“I give up. I just can’t take it. Will you allow me to join your team ranks?” If it wasn’t for her innocent face, Brawly would have cracked up, along with the rest. But she was serious, and this completely shocked everyone, especially Audrey.

“What? Are you insane?” Audrey called out furiously. “Do you really have the nerve to give up what was supposed to be freedom for a new life of slavery? You’re getting more and more like your mom, and don’t tell me I’m wrong! What happened to you? I used to know a girl that was calm and respectful, but this… is too much.” Her eyes were filled with tears and her face was lined with run makeup. She turned around as a last resort.

“Audrey, calm down… Why is no one their selves today?” Flannery commented. This didn’t help.

“I know I’m the last person anyone wants to hear from right now,” said Lance, “but there is an upside to this.” A pale Erin, confused Flannery, and teared Audrey all looked up at him in disgusted faces. “Maybe this was meant to happen. Maybe Erin will have a better life in the Aqua ranks. Putting my bitterness aside, I realize that it shouldn’t matter what I think about the situation, but see it through the ways it could end up. If it wasn’t for fate, I wouldn’t be blessed by great friends, would I?” Though his statement could be questioned, it simply made them all slightly happier. Erin still looked unforgiving, however.

“Fine then, you people can be crazy, but all I wanna know is where the hideout is,” Flannery asked Brawly, who was still shaken by the sudden outbursts. He gathered his courage and folded his arms, trying to act as it didn’t affect him.

“Well, it’s in Saffron City, if you must know.” He paused and looked up. “I just wish we could have seen each other on a better day…” Flannery didn’t say anything, but agreed in her heart. She, Lance, and Audrey said their goodbyes to Erin as they began walking out of the town. Audrey ran up to her and gave her a hug, her then mostly gone tears reappearing. Flannery just waved, and looked up at the buildings to think about whether they had changed, too.

“You’re different, Flannery.” Brawly shouted as the group of Aqua’s started leaving the area as well. She once again was silent, but thought to herself: Aren’t we all…
 
S

Senator Kiwi

Guest
Nice job, this fanfic is excellent! I like the inclusion of all the known figures of the real series as well.
 
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