Larmo raised his head as Rhapsody came back into the room, pushing a food trolley covered in a white blanket.
"You are bloody lucky that no one was around when I grabbed this, or I would have been busted!" she grumbled, pushing the trolley up to the bed. Larmo didn't say anything. His words were conveyed with his eyes, which were bright.
"Now, for the love of...ugh, I've gotta stop saying that! Just stay very still!" she cried. Larmo obeyed. The Ursaring walked up to the machines. After examining them carefully, she came to the conclusion that the best option would be to disconnect the Linoone from them as opposed to disconnecting the wires from their roots, as that would mean the Linoone would have a bunch of chords trailing from his body. Moving over to him, she gingerly unwrapped the bandages swathing the majority of his body, so the connections were visible. Larmo winced.
"I am 90% sure this is going to hurt!" she cautioned. Larmo gave her a grimace.
"I think I can handle it." he said softly. Rhapsody frowned.
"Alright then, you seem to be confident in your endurance. Now, when I remove these chords, things are going to get a lot harder for you than they are now. Just remember to breathe slowly, and try not to talk, because that'll just use up your energy! Ready?"
A nod.
"Okay, here I go!" With surprising accuracy and grace, Rhapsody plucked the numerous wires out of Larmo's body. She placed them beside him on the bed.
"Are you alright?" she asked anxiously after she had finished.
As soon as Rhapsody had started removing the wires, Larmo felt his strength disappear from his body. The removal of each wire sent a stab of pain through his body. He suddenly felt very tired, and allowed his eyelids to droop.
"Larmo? Oi, try to keep your eyes open!" Rhapsody cried. "I'll get you out of here soon, I promise! Just please, don't go to sleep, I beg you!"
Larmo didn't reply, but he forced his eyes to open as they would normally.
Rhapsody gently picked him up off the bed, being excruciating careful of his injuries, and of her claws. But, if Larmo felt any pain, he certainly didn't show it. She was surprised at how light he was. She really didn't know her new strength. Using her teeth, Rhapsody lifted the white blanket hanging over the food trolley and placed Larmo on the shelf underneath it. As she lowered it, her dark eyes met Larmo's blue orbs.
"I...trust..." he began to speak. He sounded one hundred years old, and his voice was cracked and weak.
Rhapsody shushed him gently. "Don't speak." She finished lowering the blanket, and proceeded to push the trolley toward the door, being as gentle as she could. The wheels made soft squeaking sounds on the tiled floor. As she pushed the trolley out the door, she turned and looked at Baboba's body lying spread-eagled on the floor, and at the bizarre blood patterns skating the walls.
"I pity the cleaners." she said simply.
Rhapsody pushed the cart along the hallway as silently as the squeaky wheels would allow. Fortunately for her, the floor seemed to be deserted.
'If someone caught me with the Linoone...I would be so screwed." she thought.
'Why, I don't even know what would happen...I'd probably be taken away from Samuel, for one thing...probably be sent to the DPCC...spend a good number of years there...damn. Why am I doing this again?'
She could hear Larmo's scattered breathing beneath the veil of the blanket. He didn't sound too good.
'Crap, I have to hurry!'
Rhapsody ever so gently increased her speed. To her annoyance, the wheels started to squeak louder.
'Not fair...why do I get the crappy trolley?' she grumbled in her head, turning around a sharp corner.
She knew where to go. The Ursaring had explored the hospital when she first arrived here with Samuel by helicopter, courtesy of the police. No one questioned her. They were too busy with the injured pokemon or the rabid media to worry about a random Ursaring sniffing around. She wasn't doing anyone any harm, anyway. Rhapsody had found, in her wanderings, the employee exit of the hospital down on the west wing which, fortunately, was the same side as the forest she was heading to. By some bizarre blessing of the legendaries, the pokemon hospital was situated on the very edge of the city, near the tree line. A weird-*** choice for a hospital location, but Rhapsody wasn't arguing. She followed the path in her mind, hoping that it was the right one. She couldn't afford to make any mistakes, for both her sake and Larmo's.
"Rhapsody?"
If the Ursaring had been plunged into the waters of the Antarctic, she wouldn't have frozen faster than she did then. She couldn't even turn around to face whoever was addressing her. Her paws were wrapped around the bar, and she was sure she was squeezing it too tight, as it was buckling under the pressure.
"What on earth are you doing with that trolley?
Rhapsody was both delighted and horrified to hear that familiar voice.
"Samuel!" she said happily, with a huge fake grin oh her face. "What are you doing here?"
Samuel's arm was bound tightly in numerous bandages, and it lay in a sling. He also had random cuts and bruises, some bandaged, some not. He was dressed in a police shirt, as Rhapsody had destroyed his old one. "Erm, nothing I suppose. Why, what are you doing here? And what's with the trolley?"
"What, this trolley?"
"Um, yeah?"
"I'm, er, I'm just helping a nurse with her rounds! Yes, see, this nurse approached me and asked if I could, er, push this trolley for her as she has, er, a bad leg!"
"But why does she have to use the trolley if she can't push it?"
"Er, well er, y'see, she usually isn't meant to do the rounds with the trolley but, erm, because of all the injured pokemon coming in she has to do it today, um, yeah."
"I see." Samuel said, giving Rhapsody a weird look. "Well, I won't stop you then. You keep going with your rounds."
Rhapsody's fake grin increased in size. "Thanks Sammy! I guess I'll see you later then! BYE!" And Rhapsody took off down the hallway, the trolley's wheel's squeaking loudly in bitter protest.
"Bye." Samuel said softly.
'I didn't know any of the nurses could speak Ursaring...'
Rhapsody finally arrived at the employee exit. With a mighty punch on her count, the locked door flew open and proceeded to go flying into a car and through the windscreen.
Rhapsody then said a very bad word.
Fuming, she carried the trolley down the small flight of stairs and into the carpark. The sunlight burned her eyes. She couldn't tell what time of day it was. As her eyes adjusted to the brilliant glare, she took a quick look around the area. Luckily for her (the legendaries were really smiling on her today), the employee carpark was practically deserted. There was no sign of anyone. Breathing a sigh of relief, the Ursaring gently lifted off the blanket to expose the pokemon beneath it.
"You okay?"
Larmo looked up at the Ursaring staring down at him. He gently inclined his head.
"Good." She said, gingerly lifting him off the steel shelf. Placing him on the ground, she quickly stowed the trolley in the shadow made by the stairs. As for the blanket, she ripped it to shreds, and scattered them to the wind. No one could find out she was involved with Larmo's escape. No one. With one final glance around the area, she gently picked up the near-unconscious Linoone and took off into the forest.
The column of smoke emerging from the ruins of the Radio Tower marked the spot of the catastrophe better than an 'x' on a treasure map. Below, on the ground underneath the black pylon, the remaining members of the Goldenrod fire crew sifted through the rubble in a vain attempt to locate any more survivors. They weren't optimistic about their chances. The bodies of the dead were numerous and, even though the disaster had been two days previous, more were still being uncovered.
Lance had remained at the scene of the tragedy to oversee the operations. He now stood amidst the debris, his cape fluttering in the tiny breeze that timidly made its way through the cracks and crevices. The Dragon master had still not given his permission for the paparazzi to be allowed in the area, and they were currently being restrained by the police, preaching about 'freedom of the press'. Lance did not intend to release any info about the disaster, but still, he knew most of it would escape anyway. The world would find out about the group of pokemon that turned the biggest city in Johto into a ghost town.
Whitney had also chosen to stick around and help out. Lance found that he had a new respect for the young girl gym leader. She was full of boundless energy, passing out drinks to exhausted firemen and aiding the nurses with their duties. Lance doubted if she had had more than four hours of sleep over the past two days.
Whitney had been lucky in the regard that the explosion had not done any real damage to her gym. Sure, all the windows needed to be replaced and there was a hole in the roof from where a stray piece of debris had crashed through, but in comparison with the station, which was next to the Radio Tower, the gym had escaped unscathed.
Lance turned as he heard someone approaching him.
"Ah, hello. How is everything going?" he said.
Whitney walked over and sat down at his feet, sighing. "Okay, I guess. I'm just sick of seeing all the dead bodies being dragged out of the rubble."
"I think everyone is." Lance murmured. "It was a terrible event."
"But still," Whitney said, "at least the Linoone was lying when he told us about the dynamite. Otherwise Goldenrod would have been leveled."
Lance nodded in agreement. "I didn't think the Linoone would have been able to obtain that much dynamite, but I couldn't take a chance on an assumption."
The pair was silent for a while, both glancing around the area. Then Whitney spoke up.
"When the dynamite exploded...I...I was so scared." she said softly. "Not for myself, but for my city. That was the only thought in my mind at the time. Just the thought that Goldenrod was going to be destroyed. It was all I could think about."
"You were knocked unconscious, weren't you?" Lance asked. Whitney nodded.
"I was kind of close to the building when it happened. I was lucky to escape with only a cut on my head. When I woke up later that day, I thought that Goldenrod was no more. I was relieved to find out the truth, let me tell you now."
A small smile graced Lance's lips. "I think we all were."
"Have you got the date of the memorial service for the victims of the explosion?" the gym leader asked.
"I consulted the rest of the Johto gym leaders, but we haven't reached an exact date yet. But it's most likely going to be some time after we finish the work here."
Whitney turned back to the rubble. "It won't be for a while then." she said sadly.
The silence returned back to the pair. They were happy to enjoy it for a little while, until Whitney again felt the urge to speak up.
"Why don't you sit down? Your leg must be hurting you."
Lance looked down at his left leg, which was swathed in bandages, courtesy of the explosion. "I would, but I can't risk this cape getting dirty. It's an absolute pain to clean."
Whitney smiled. "Why do you wear it then?"
"Clair would tell you that it's my gigantic ego coming into play." Lance said dryly, which made Whitney laugh. "But that's not the reason."
Whitney gave Lance a look.
"Whaat? It isn't! Really!" he replied indignantly, which only made Whitney laugh more. Lance looked annoyed, but ended up laughing along with the gym leader. It was a strange feeling, to be laughing where so many had ended their lives.
Whitney stopped laughing when she heard her name being called. "Looks like they need me over there."
Lance smiled at her. "You'd better go then."
The girl returned his smile, and stood up, brushing the dust off her shorts. She headed off in the direction of the tents.
Lance was about follow her when he felt a presence behind him.
"So there you are! I wondered where you had gotten off to," he said, without turning around.
Lance's Dragonite flapped its wings. "I needed to stretch my wings a little. All this walking around does them no good."
Lance turned to his pokemon. "Would you mind going for another flight? I feel like some fresh air."
"It would be an honour to transport the great Dragon Master around upon my back," The Dragonite replied, bowing. Lance lifted himself up, and positioned his legs according to the curves of Dragonite's body.
"I see you're back to your old sarcastic self," he said, as they took off into the air.
"I never thought I had left," The Dragon replied, gliding slowly as to allow conversation.
"You know what I mean. You had been acting strangely ever since we took off for Goldenrod."
The dragon pondered the accusation, letting the wind caress his wingtips. "Perhaps it was just the atmosphere."
Lance could tell his pokemon was avoiding the subject. "Just what did you and that Linoone talk about?"
"I'm sorry?"
"In the battle. I watched you two. You were having quite the shouting match."
"Angry words were exchanged, yes."
"Just what kind of words? It must have been something pretty bad to put you in the mood you were in."
"You're rather rude for someone who has placed his life in my hands," came the dry reply. Lance laughed.
"Alright, I'm sorry. I was just worried about you."
"What are you, my mother?" Dragonite replied, amused by his trainers sentimentality. "If you were that worried about me, I suppose I could enlighten you to the workings of my mind."
"
Your mind? On second thought, I don't want to know," Lance joked.
"Very funny. Do you want me to tell you or not?"
"I do. I'm sorry, I'll be serious now."
"Oh good." The Dragonite banked to the left, and Lance shifted his weight to allow for easier movement.
"I suppose my main concern was how these pokemon were interfering with the balance that has existed between man and pokemon for centuries," the dragon said. "I'm a realist. The balance that we have is constantly under pressure from both sides, which makes it come close to tipping over. Enter that Linoone and his gang, and I feared for the balance's stability. But, I am a pokemon at heart, and it made me sad to see those poor fools trying to resist the power of humanity."
"You make us sound like tyrants," Lance said, blinking from the sunlight.
The Dragonite turned his head to look his trainer in the eye. "Maybe you are." He then said no more. Lance frowned, concerned by his pokemon's behaviour. The Dragonite gently coasted back down to the ground, landing perfectly on his two back feet. He bent down, and Lance got off his back. The dragon then retook to the skies without a word.
The Dragon master sighed. Perhaps his dragon was right in some aspects of his opinions (of which there were many). Lance didn't know what was going to happen now. All he knew was that the world had seen the power of ideas. He just hoped the world would learn from it.
The Dragon master looked over to where Whitney was assisting the Nurse Joy on duty with an injured Blastoise. The pokemon was hunched over, and pawing at its face. Burns, most likely. A large number of the pokemon assisting the fire fighters received facial injuries. That reminded him of something.
When the Nurse Joy had told him about the fate of his Aerodactyl, Lance was unsure how to react. Certainly not with happiness. He could tell that the Nurse was watching him, waiting to see how he would react to both the news and to his now blind pokemon. Lance had been unable to face his pokemon. He had no idea what to say. What was one supposed to say in that situation? So Lance had seen fit to avoid going near the medical tents, in fear that the Nurse Joy would try to capture him and make him see his pokemon. Pretending his pokemon didn't exist made the dragon master feel like scum, but at that moment he had no idea what else to do.
'There are some things in life that are just too difficult to face head on...' he thought sadly. He looked up as Whitney ran back over to him.
"We've found a survivor!" she cried happily, waving at him. "A pokemon, alive after two days under the rubble!!"
Lance was struck dumb for a moment, then he smiled.
'But, then again...if we don't face those things head on, we can never hope to overcome both them and our fears.'
The Nurse Joy looked up as she heard someone entering her medical tent.
"Lance!" she cried, surprised to see him. The Dragon Master's face was contorted with seriousness.
"I want to see my Aerodactyl."
The Nurse Joy stared at him for a moment. "Are you sure?"
He nodded.
Her face broke into a smile. "He's been waiting for you, as have I."
Lance returned her smile. "I know. I'm finally ready to face my fears, and accept what happened. Because it's Aerodactyl that suffered the most. I have no right to act like I am the one who was injured."
The Nurse nodded. "I'm glad you feel that way. Aerodactyl will be happy."
Lance smiled again, and pushed the flap away.
Rhapsody strode purposely through the forest, Larmo dangling in her arms. She had no idea as to the direction she was going, so she was relying on her instinct to guide her through the trees.
'I just have to get as far away from the hospital as I can...that way, the police won't be able to find out I had anything to do with this...' she thought. The Ursaring looked down at the Linoone lying doll-like in her arms.
'He hasn't got much time left...'
Cursing softly, the Ursaring picked up speed, going further and further into the forest. A Taillow cawed nearby.
'They've probably discovered he's missing by now...' she thought grimly. 'I hope I didn't leave a trail...' With this disturbing thought in her mind, she sped deeper and deeper into the forest, until she lost all sense of what direction she was traveling in. The sun shone overhead, but it was of no help to Rhapsody, as she had no idea how to read it. Soon she began to feel uneasy. The trees rose up around her like silent observers, and the lack of noise or any real signs of life disturbed her greatly, and angered her.
"Where the bloody hell am I?" she cried angrily, looking around for any sort of bearing on her position. Her angry yelling snapped Larmo out of the stupor he had fallen into.
"What...where?" he croaked. She looked down at him.
"I'm lost," she said miserably. Larmo blinked.
"Lost?"
"Yes," Rhapsody grumbled. "I have no idea where I am. God dammit, why does this always happen to me?!" She slammed her free arm into the nearest tree with a loud thunk, and a storm of bark flakes flew into the air after being freed by her claws.
Larmo didn't answer her. Instead, he closed his eyes and sniffed the air.
"Can you smell that?" he asked softly.
"Smell what?" the Ursaring asked, pulling her claws from the maimed trunk of the tree. She raised her nose and sniffed the air also. A grimace crossed her face.
"Ugh! Whatever it is, it smells god-awful!" she cried, covering her muzzle with her paw. "Why the hell did you ask me to sniff it?"
"Because I recognize it," Larmo replied, his voice soft. "Please, go that way!" He pointed with a claw.
"But that's towards the stench!" Rhapsody protested. "Are you mad? It's probably something dead and rotting!"
"Exactly. Please Rhapsody...I need to be sure." Larmo pleaded. The Ursaring stared at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes.
"Fine! If you insist!" She steadied him in her arms, and headed in the direction he had indicated. The more they traveled, the stronger the smell became, until the stench was almost unbearable. Rhapsody wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"I don't know what you expect to find." she said, striding onward. "It's not like it's going to be anything spectacular. From the smell, I'd say that, whatever it is, it sure as hell won't be pretty. Are you even listening?" Larmo was staring straight ahead, his eyes wide. Rhapsody also looked up, expecting to see, judging by the Linoone's expression, something amazing and wondrous.
"It's a rotten log." she said flatly.
"It's the log..." Larmo said incredulously. "The rotten log we hid in when we were hiding from the Growlithe!"
"Who?"
"Kenda and I!" Larmo cried, tears pouring down his face. "We hid here when I first escaped from my trainer and the police were pursuing us!"
"How...nice!" Rhapsody said, the fake grin returning to her face. "I've always thought a rotten log was a
great symbol of the friendship between two pokemon!"
Larmo either didn't recognize the sarcasm in her voice, or he didn't care. He just continued to stare at the log, tears continuing to leak out of his eyes.
Rhapsody sighed, and placed him gently on the ground so she could stretch her cramped arm. Larmo didn't seem to mind.
"So what you are basically saying is that this...log...is where you met Kenda, or something?"
"Sort of," came the reply. "It was pretty soon after we had first bumped in to each other. I had Growlithe from the police force with me, as I had left my trainer with a...goodbye present, you see. Across his face."
Rhapsody blinked, amused. "You really are a psycho."
Larmo gave her a look. "Trust me, this kid deserved it. Anyway, Kenda led me here and we hid inside the log, and the Growlithe didn't find me!"
"So basically the sight of this log reminds you of the good times you and Kenda had together?"
"I wouldn't put it quite so bluntly but yes, in essence, that is correct." After that sentence left his mouth, Larmo exploded into a coughing fit.
"Larmo!" Rhapsody cried, attempting to kneel on her stumpy legs. "Are you alright?! Here, I'll pat you on the ba...okay, maybe I won't do that, but I'll find you some water or something just please try to hold on for a little longer!"
The Linoone raised a claw to tell her to stay. His coughing soon subsided, and he laid back on the grass, eyes half closed in fatigue.
"Are you okay?" Rhapsody asked timidly. Larmo looked up at her.
"Why do you care about me?" he asked.
"What?"
"I don't understand. Why do you care about what happens to me? About my losses? Why are you giving me your sympathy, when all I ever did was hurt you?" Larmo said weakly. "I don't understand. Why do you care? Why are you showing me kindness, instead of the hatred I deserve?"
Rhapsody didn't answer immediately. She played with a weed growing near her foot. Then she looked down at the Linoone lying in the grass.
"Because I forgive you," she whispered.
Larmo's eyes widened. Then, slowly but surely, a small smile began to creep onto his face.
"Thank you," was the simply reply. Then the startling blue eyes began to close, and his body began to go limp.
"Larmo? Hey, Larmo! Oi! Wake up! Don't go to sleep, don't! Hey!" Rhapsody picked the frail Linoone up and proceeded to try to shake him into wakefulness. "Wake up! Please! Just hold on a little longer!" Rhapsody didn't know it, but her own tears had begun their journey down her cheeks. "Please don't...don't be...not now...c'mon Linoone, don't leave me alone out here...hey!
Will-you-wake-up?"
"He's not going to awaken," came a voice from behind the log. Rhapsody immediately dropped Larmo like he was red hot, and scrambled to her feet, claws at the ready, her heart beating a swift tattoo against her ribcage.
"Hey! Whoever you are, come out coward!" she yelled, her voice trembling, to her credit, only slightly. "Don't hide, unless you're scared!"
Rhapsody heard footsteps as the owner of the voice walked through the grass, to emerge out from behind the log.
"Who the bloody hell are you?" Rhapsody asked, with her usual tact.
The Chansey, as it was, looked not at Rhapsody, but at the Linoone at her feet. "I see the world has finally claimed him."
The Ursaring blinked. "What the heck? You know him?"
The sunlight streamed down through the thin canopy of leaves, to catch on the ring dangling from one of the Chansey's dreadlocks. "I do know of him, yes."
Rhapsody puzzled over the answer for a minute, then she said "Hang on! You're one of the Chansey's from the hospital, aren't you?! You're gunna report me to the police!"
The strange pokemon laughed softly. "I am afraid you are mistaken, Ursaring. I haven't worked in a hospital for decades."
Rhapsody was completely bamboozled. "Then I'm lost. Who on earth are you?"
The Chansey glided over to where Larmo laid in the grass. "I am one of those pokemon who believed in a better future for us all, and was caught in the blast of our ambitions."
It took Rhapsody a few good seconds to decipher the cryptic statement. Then it clicked.
"You're one of the rebel pokemon, aren't you?" Rhapsody's only response was a smile.
"But then...how are you...you're all..."
"Unscathed? That's a question for another time, and time is of the essence here. It's your duty to finish what you started, Rhapsody."
The Ursaring blinked, utterly perplexed by this strange pokemon. "What do you mean?"
The Chansey indicated Larmo, lying so peacefully on the ground. "His final journey has already begun. It's is your task to find an appropriate grave for his old vessel."
"Hang on, grave?! He's not dead!" Rhapsody cried angrily. "I was talking to him a second ago!"
The Chansey's naturally smiling face grew somber. "I think you might discover otherwise."
Rhapsody glared at the weird pokemon, then bent down to examine the Linoone lying at her feet.
"Larmo?" she whispered softly. "Larmo, wake up. C'mon, it's not funny anymore." She started to shake him. "I don't know what you are playing at, but you better stop! C'mon! Is this how you reward me for going to all the trouble of getting you out of that hospital!? OI! WAKE UP, YOU STUPID LINOONE!" she screamed, shaking him furiously. The Chansey placed her arm on Rhapsody's shoulder.
"He isn't going to wake, dear."
The Ursaring was hunched over, her massive shoulder's trembling. With a mighty roar, she slammed her claws into the ground beside Larmo's head, sending a small tremor through the area. For the strange Chansey had been right in her assumption. Larmo was dead. The bright blue eyes were now closed for all eternity, and the deadly killing claws laid limply at his sides.
"No...it's not possible..." Rhapsody said, staring blankly at Larmo's lifeless body. "He can't be dead..."
The Chansey frowned. "I understand this must be a shock for you. It's always a tragedy when life is lost."
"But he...all he said...no last words, nothing meaningful...just..."
"Thank you?"
"Yeah..." Rhapsody replied, still staring blankly at the calm face of the Linoone lying in front of her.
The Chansey smiled. "I don't think you can quite understand just what your words meant to that pokemon. To hear, just before he died surrounded by his own bitter darkness and pain, forgiveness from someone he had hurt, well...that was like a beam of light shining through to his heart. It allowed him to be at peace, that light did.
Your light, Rhapsody."
"My light..." she murmured.
"It rescued him," the Chansey continued. "Your kindness spared him a lonely, dark death. It was his own guilt and grief that was plunging him deeper and deeper into a void where no light could possibly hope to reach, until you rescued him and showed him the light that burns inside you, despite your...rough exterior.
"Your light brings joy to those around you, Rhapsody. Your trainer, for example. You are the light that saves him from the darkness in his life. And just how you saved him, you have also saved Larmo. Never forget that it only takes an idea to change the world, just as it only takes a kind word to save someone.
"I want you to carry that message with you throughout your life. Remember the sacrifices these pokemon made to make their message heard. Remember the pain, the sorrow, the tears. Remember the lives that were lost, and the lives that were changed. Remember that even the smallest, most insignificant Rattata can still topple the mightiest Tyranitar if it wants to. If it has that will. Larmo had that will. Larmo was that Rattata. And Larmo toppled that Tyranitar. The question is, do you have the strength to face you own battles like he faced his? With your life on the line? Have you learned from his mistakes?"
Rhapsody was silent, absorbing the Chansey's words. She watched the fur on Larmo's face moving gently with the wind. Then she looked the Chansey in the eye.
"Yes."
Nuumanjya smiled.
"Then the rebellion meant something," she said simply. She walked over to the rotten log. For some reason, the smell no longer bothered Rhapsody that much.
"I want you to place the body inside here." she ordered. "This is a symbol of the bonds of friendship that existed between not just Larmo and Kenda, but all the pokemon in that radio tower. It is fitting that Larmo should find his final rest here. Plus," she added, "the particular fragrance of this log will disguise Larmo's scent, so he cannot be found by police dogs. He deserves peace."
"We all do." Rhapsody murmured, gently picking up the body and walking over to where the Chansey was indicating.
"In here?"
"As deep as you can place him."
Taking a deep breath, Rhapsody crawled inside the log, and pushed Larmo deep into the heart of the log. She then reemerged, brushing the rot off her body.
"He will now be at peace," The Chansey murmured.
Rhapsody kept her eyes on the log. "I hope so. By the way," she added, turning around, "I didn't catch your-"
A single leaf detached from a branch and fluttered around the empty clearing.
"...name." the Ursaring finished, blinking.
'Where did she go?'
Rhapsody felt the wind picking up as she pondered over the Chansey's sudden disappearance. More leaves joined the first one, riding the wind in what looked like a ballet performed solely by nature. Rhapsody stood in the embrace of the wind, closing her eyes as the leaves danced around her. She felt a strange feeling of peace overcoming her, filling her senses. The odd Chansey's words rung around her mind.
"Perhaps the world will change from now on," she thought aloud, smiling as she realised it.
Rhapsody wandered through the forest, heading back to the hospital where Samuel was waiting. She didn't know how she eventually found her way out, but she was sure that a strange force was guiding her. The Ursaring could not tell if it was just pure instinct, or something more. But whatever it was, it soon guided her to the forest fringes. She could see the hospital in the distance.
Rhapsody felt the rays of the sun stroking her face. She looked up, and squinted, receiving an eyeful of light.
"Ow," She muttered. But she didn't turn away. The clouds, eternal travelers of the skies, looked down upon her. One cloud in particular caught her attention. By some chance coincidence, she recognized it as the cloud Larmo had pointed out earlier.
"It does look like a Mightyena." she murmured. Then, her eyes widened. Because she swore she could see a cloud shaped just like a Linoone floating alongside the other.
~THE END~
-;157;
This work is the perfect embodiment of Georges Clemenceau's definition of war as "a series of catastrophies that result in a victory."