Thread: A Wish on Freedom- Part 6 Epilogue

Chapter Eleven: Hidden

“We can’t leave our rooms again… we just can’t…”

Gwenda was pacing the room looking very intense, though whilst she thought she was contributing ideas, Victoria and Andrew had already come to this agreement. Andrew was leaning against the wall, simply nodding, in so much shock he couldn’t think of anything to say. Victoria was lying on her bed clutching Millicent’s empty Heavy Ball, the Miltank lying besides her in silence as she understood how serious the others were. The Minder’s appearance had ruined what they thought would be a perfect chance to get back into the outside world and prepare themselves for their journey, but now they would be stuck inside, forced to avoid him for the remainder of their journey.

“There’s only a few hours left on the boat, right?” Gwenda said in a high pitched voice that she thought was encouraging. “We can just stay here and order some food, maybe work out what we’re going to do when we get off the boat, and then go and blend in with the crowd getting off when we dock. It’ll be dark, so we could probably find a place to hide and then set off in the morning.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Andrew said, but he sighed and sunk onto the beautiful carpet. Their rooms seemed dark and hideous now, as if the ship had just become plagued. The enjoyment had been sucked out, and they had been looking forward to going back to the pool, eating nice food, lounging under the beautiful sun.

“I just want to know how he found us,” Andrew sighed. “He did it so quickly… maybe they’ve been following us from the start. Like spy Pokemon… that Skarmory could have been stalking us!” Gwenda
gasped dramatically and rushed towards their bags.

“He could know we’re in this room! People may have spoken about us! We need to move now,” and she grabbed her clothes from the previous night and flung them in. But as she lunged for Victoria’s clothes, her friend grabbed them, sitting upright for the first time in about ten minutes.

“We’re staying here,” Victoria said seriously. “The Minder isn’t going to find us. Even if he does, there isn’t anything he can do to us here. We have Millicent to protect us, and there is three of us, isn’t there? He doesn’t have the Parrish’s to back him up anymore.”

“Good point,” Andrew said with a wide smile, getting up off the floor. Victoria stared at him and their eyes met, and for a few moments they simply stared at each other, both smiling. Victoria could definitely feel something between them, and almost forgot about the situation, simply glad that the two were there, together….

“Miltank Mil!” The two snapped out of their staring as Millicent stood, coughing grumpily. She pointed towards her stomach which let out a distinct grumble. Victoria had completely forgotten about feeding her, and knew she was use to getting her hay updated several times a day.

“I think we will have to risk going out a few times, to get supplies and stuff,” Victoria said, leaping off her bed. “I’ll go out now and get Millicent some food: we can’t have a hungry Pokemon that is our only protector, right?” Gwenda moved asides as Victoria rummaged through the bag, pulling out the hedge clippers and her hand mirror. “I’ll look around and see if the Minder is coming around bends so he can’t surprise me, and I have the hedge clippers just in case!”

“Victoria, you can’t go out there!” Gwenda whimpered. Her lips were trembling and her eyes were watering up, and Victoria couldn’t help get upset as well, instantly flinging her arms around her best friend before she could cry.

“Don’t worry, the Minder won’t be able to stop me!” She said soothingly, but Gwenda was still beginning to sob up. Victoria was reminded of escaping from the farm just over twenty four hours ago, and remembered Gwenda crying before they did so. The two were close friends, and she really didn’t want something to happen to her, and vice versa.

“Just… just… just be careful,” Gwenda sniffed, wiping her eyes, and Millicent passed a handkerchief over for her to blow her nose.

“I promise,” Victoria smiled, and walked off, slipping the hedge clippers into a pocket of her dress along with some of their money. At the door Victoria paused, staring towards Andrew with a rather longing look. He gave her an encouraging smile and went to pat her on the shoulder, but paused, seeming a bit nervous, and backed away slightly.

“See you all soon,” Victoria said rather sadly and walked out into the corridor. It was empty, but she still walked cautiously down the carpeted hallway, listening for any sign of movement. The thoughts she had had the previous night were rushing through her body with every pump of her body. If the Minder showed up and tried to attack her, there was no doubt in her mind that Victoria would raise the hedge clippers up and stab him. She heard something move, and Victoria gripped the clippers, ready to strike…

“I do say that was an awful kafuffle on the deck, wouldn’t you agree?” An elderly women said, and Victoria slinked back into her hallway. The couple who had eaten near them was walking past, the husband shaking his heads.

“Awful indeed. I do wonder if that man was just trying to sneak onboard the ship,” he said, and his wife made a sound in agreement. “I’m just glad management has taken him away to sort things out so we could finish our meals in peace!” The wife made the agreeing noise again before the couple disappeared. Smiling, Victoria let go of the clippers and rushed off in the opposite direction to the couple, back towards the dining room. Whilst she was glad she could get Millicent some food quickly, Victoria was also glad she didn’t have to face the Minder just yet. No matter what she told herself, committing murder seemed like such an evil thing to do, especially on such a nice boat.

***
For the rest of the day, Victoria and Andrew took turns sneaking around. Gwenda was too afraid about going by herself, so she stayed behind and ran around with Millicent, keeping the hyperactive Miltank entertained. Andrew went to buy some new clothes as Victoria didn’t want to go back there after how rude the sales woman had been, leaving her to go and wander around and try to find information. She found some gossiping cleaning ladies, the only other black people Victoria had seen on the ship asides from her and Gwenda, and eavesdropped to their conversation. Apparently the Minder was allowed to wander around the decks, but wasn’t allowed to go into any of the rooms and would have to pay for a ticket when they got to Slateport. Victoria was disappointed that he wasn’t being locked up, and wondered what tale he had spun.

The Johto Jewel was quickly nearing Slateport, going far ahead of the predicted schedule. They had entered Hoenn Waters as the sun began to set, giving the passengers spectacular views of golden and orange skies being reflected in the waters below. The captain made an announcement saying that they would arrive in Slateport around two hours, arriving a few hours earlier than expected. The guests had retreated inside to pack their bags before heading down to the dining hall, ready for their last meal before the ship arrived.

There weren’t any windows in the rooms though, so Victoria, Andrew and Gwenda simply lay on their beds, waiting for their ordered dinner to arrive. They were bored and restless, their rooms very confined now that there was no chance of leaving them. Victoria was chopping at some fabric she had found with the hedge clippers, sighing loudly, and trying not to notice how Andrew was staring at her from besides the door. He was rolling a ball of silk sheets towards Millicent, who was clearly enjoying being played with much more than the people playing with her were. Gwenda was examining herself in the hand mirror, seeing how her hair looked in different ways. The three of them were rather depressed about having their fun cut short, and though they had gotten the map of Hoenn out, they hadn’t had the enthusiasm or concentration to make a plan, the Minder still on their minds.

A knock at the door changed the mood. All three of them leapt up, Victoria instinctively raising the hedge clippers. There was a pause, and they all exchanged looks, wondering if it was The Minder trying to get through the door.

“Did someone order some food?” A voice asked. The three sighed and Andrew moved and unlocked the door, revealing one of the black maids with a white clothed trolley. “I thought I had the wrong room, almost everyone is down at the dining room!” She chuckled, and pushed the trolley in. A silver platter was on top, and she raised it onto a small table in the corner of the room. A succulent Grumpig had been cooked to a wonderful brown, and was surrounded by steaming vegetables and a basket of bread.

“Delicious!” Andrew boomed, and he grabbed his cutlery and cut a piece of the Grumpig off and began to chew it, clearly enjoying the taste.

“Thank you for this,” Victoria said, the hedge clippers tucked inside her dress again. She paused over a few dollars of thanks, but the maid shook her head.

“It is kind of you to offer, but I don’t take tips from my own people,” she said with a smile. “You keep the money, buy yourself something nice in Hoenn.”

“I heard they have markets there, is that true?” Gwenda asked.

“Oh yes, their markets are just wonderful!” The maid explained, moving away from the door. She raised her arm and showed Gwenda a blue bracelet she had brought, explaining about the kind man who ran the stall. Victoria moved over to examine it, but a figure moving past their open door caught her. The person was moving rather briskly, but Victoria still caught the crisp white shirt there were wearing, the smart black pants, and caught something thin and black in their hands.

Without thinking, Victoria moved forwards. Forgetting that the maid was there she pulled the hedge clippers out, making Millicent look up from the Pokemon food Victoria had gotten earlier. Andrew turned away from the pig as Victoria walked out the door, ignoring a gasp from the maid and marching down the corridor. The Minder was just ahead of her, walking at a familiar fast pace. The clippers were raised threateningly, and Victoria was ready to strike with them if necessary. She didn’t care about what the consequences were anymore, but her blood was boiling, and she had to do it now, there wouldn’t be another chance.
Revenge would be hers….

“Victoria, what are you doing?”

Victoria froze as an arm grasped hers. The person in front of her turned around and she saw the face was that of another elderly man, but it was a much healthier looking face that was currently in shock. He was trying to put his tie around his neck, and there was a distinct lack of a cane in his heads.

“Oh my… I’m so sorry sir!” Victoria gasped as Andrew lowered her arm for her. The man simply nodded and continued on his way, mumbling under his breath. Victoria was horrified at what she had just done, and her body began to shake.

“Victoria, what’s wrong?” Andrew asked. “Why did you chase after him?” Victoria turned to face him, his face still handsome as he looked at her in worry. The maid was taking the empty trolley out of their room, Gwenda rashly making up a story before she reported them. Victoria didn’t know what to say, her mind was getting clouded. But she couldn’t stop as a sob broke through, and then tears began to stream, and in seconds she had turned and was running down the corridor.

“Stay there with Millicent!” Andrew shouted, and as Victoria rounded a corner, she could hear his feet thumping after her. Desperate to get away, Victoria saw a door ahead was ajar and pushed it open, appearing on metal staircase. It was spiralling down and Victoria ran down it, her bare feet hurting on the metal. Andrew’s feet were bigger and were causing a bigger clang, but Victoria had no desire to stop, her tears falling quickly now and impairing her vision. Her feet found relief as they moved onto a flatter, more comfortable metal, but the room she had entered into was stifling hot. Victoria came to a stop as she wiped her eyes, looking around at where they were.

It appeared she had entered the ships engine room. The ceiling and walls and even a large part of the floor was covered with pipes upon pipes, leading to what and from what Victoria didn’t know. The room stretched on past where Victoria could see, but in the immediate area she was near two gigantic metal boxes, fires roaring inside of them. Stacks of coal were nearby, crowding up what was left of the space, and Victoria felt like lying on top of them, feeling like she deserved the pain.

“Victoria!” Andrew appeared at the bottom of the staircase, and Victoria turned to flee but was too slow: in three powerful strides Andrew was besides her, grabbing her arms to stop her fleeing, the hedge clippers falling onto the dirty coal. “Victoria, what was that about?” He asked. His voice wasn’t angry but Victoria felt guilty anyway and she collapsed into new found tears, clutching Andrew in a desperate manner.

“I wanted to kill that person,” she wailed. “I thought he was the Minder and I was about to kill him. I’m a horrible person, aren’t I?”

“That’s not true Victoria, that’s not –”

“Yes it is! Since we got on this boat my mind’s been filled with nothing but revenge plans. I want to kill the Minder, I want to kill Edmund and his sons, and frankly I wouldn’t mind giving a Judith a good stay in hospital! They are all such horrible people for what they did to us,” Victoria cried, “but am I just as bad? I could have killed that innocent man simply because he looked like the Minder in my head, and I… I… I…” but Victoria couldn’t continue her sentence, and she and Andrew sunk to the floor, her head buried into his chest.

“Victoria, you are not a horrible person!” Andrew said in a soothing but serious voice. “I want to kill them as well and I wouldn’t be this upset about it! They are horrible pieces of scum that enslaved us for no reason other than saving them a few bucks on labour. If those hedge clippers had been in my hands, I probably would have fought against the grip and stabbed that guy anyway.” Victoria looked up into Andrew’s eyes, her tears beginning to lessen as he smiled his handsome smile, stroking her hair with one hand. “You are a wonderful person because you stopped and felt guilty! That was an amazing thing to do, which is understandable for such an amazing person.” Victoria smiled back at him, and she suddenly felt something in her chest. She gazed up at Andrew, her mind becoming confused on something else. Maybe it was the heat of the room, maybe it was his kind words or what had just happened in the corridor, or maybe because Victoria just damn well felt like it, but she raised her head and kissed him.

Fireworks seemed to explode between the two in that one moment. Victoria had never felt such a strong feeling in all her life, and her lips were practically tingling as the two kissed. The moment turned into several, and than the two remained embraced for over a minute before they finally broke apart, their eyes meeting, their chests heaving as they gasped for air. Victoria had felt something between them for some time, a connection that had increased since they got on the boat, and she was glad it wasn’t one sided.

“I love you,” she said breathlessly, clutching his hands in her own. She half expected him to laugh or insult her, but Andrew’s smile was warm but timid, his eyes wild and excited.

“I love you too,” he whispered, and the two kissed again. Not caring where they were, forgetting about their dinner and Gwenda back in their room, the two collapsed backwards onto the floor. They continued to kiss, Victoria undoing the buttons as Andrew lay on top, his hands running through her hair. The fires roared unattended in their boxes, their flames dancing as wildly as the passion between the two, and they remained the only witnesses as Victoria and Andrew exchanged their love for the first time, letting time flow away with the sea, letting their emotions come out, letting themselves enjoy total freedom for the first time in years.

Omg, you should have more sex in your story! lol :P

Haha, great chapter. Somehow I doubt Minder will them (not on the ship at least) so I'm glad they're approaching Hoenn. I dunno what else I can say, looking forward to reading more. Keep it up!

I wanted it to be a more sensual scene as it is sex that means more. There'll be sex scenes in future works though, so look out for those ;) Glad you enjoyed the chapter and hope you enjoy the next developments

The pacing started off kind of slow but it really picked up to a good pace.

I have to admit that this is an unusual take on the pokémon universe but it works. I really like the characters too (well, except the Minder and the plantation owner but I like to hate them).

Though I have to admit, the group finding abandoned luggage with valid tickets sounds a bit contrived.

Thanks for the feedback. I knew the series would begin slowly, but I had fingers crossed the idea would keep people around until they escaped. Im glad you like the characters, and I thought them finding the luggage was better than a stowaway plot. I wanted them to enjoy a bit of luxury and adapt back to the lifestyle, and be able to experience racism for the first time (though they dont know it) rather than have them shoved away on a dingy boat or in the cargo hold.

If anyone wants to be on a mention notice system for this, just post in the comments to let me know

Chapter Twelve: Confrontation

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock

Time went on, and Gwenda found herself getting tenser and tenser by the second. It was if the clock was counting down to something dark and unenjoyable, rather than the end of the short but magnificent voyage. Gwenda stared at the simple clock anxiously, wondering what was taking Victoria and Andrew so long, and hoping they’d arrive back before Gwenda was left alone at the docks.

Gwenda needed Victoria, she had known this for some time. There was no way she could have survived Miltank Meadows if it wasn’t for Victoria’s companionship and humour. Gwenda wasn’t stupid but she wasn’t intelligent either, and could easily lose her head when things went bad. Escaping would never have happened, and Gwenda couldn’t survive in Hoenn without her friend to guide her through. A tear began to stream as Gwenda wondered where Victoria and Andrew were, and hoping nothing had happened.

“Miltank Mil Mil,” Millicent moaned, clattering an empty plate against Gwenda’s pacing legs. The Miltank had eaten the majority of the food, leaving only a few scraps of the Grumpig and some of the bread. Gwenda looked down at her and managed to laugh, wiping the tear away before she got too worked up.

“Are you still hungry?” She chuckled. “Or are your bored? Do you want to play something?”

“MIL!” Millicent boomed, patting her udder sleepily, and flopped back onto the floor. Gwenda laughed and sat down on her bed, allowing her stress to lessen as she grabbed her plate of cold meat and tore a strip.

“This is good, I can see why you ate it all!” Gwenda laughed through a full mouth, and Millicent managed a smile. Before her parents died, Gwenda had had several Pokemon that lived in her backyard, and was quite good at playing with them. That was, until they had all gone… all of them…

No, stop it! Gwenda shouted at herself in her mind, ignoring the mental pictures forming and stopping herself from crying again. She had more of the Grumpig and laughed as Millicent eyed it eagerly.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock

A knock sounded at the door.

Gwenda leapt up excitedly, her plate crashing to the floor, Millicent grabbing the meat before it had landed. In Gwenda’s mind, only Victoria and Andrew were there, calmed down and ready to have their food. Beaming, Gwenda rushed over and pulled the door open, ready to greet them.

“Fina –” Gwenda began, but than she froze, realising who was actually there.

The Minder smiled back at her, pushing his way into the room.

“Finally indeed!” The slave master said, his eyes alive with a sense of excitement Gwenda had only seen when he was wiping slaves close to death. Her world came crashing down, and Gwenda found herself slip to the floor in shock, close to fainting. They had escaped… how had he found them… how?

“Lovely room,” The Minder said, smiling at Millicent, who had frozen with her food dripping out of her mouth, “but than again, it is a lovely ship. I’m surprised they let two black girls on board, but they must have a very slack system.” The Minder paused and turned back around to face Gwenda, his smile getting wider and wider as he reached for his whip, the familiar black leather stained with blood from its last brutal beatings.

“But, of course, this is the last time you’ll be enjoying this lifestyle,” he said, his words like knives through Gwenda’s body. “I am here to escort you and your foul little friends back to the farm. I will than string your bodies up to a tree, and I will whip your bodies until your skin falls off. Mr Parrish will surely have a few words to say – he is veeeery annoyed, after all,” The Minder hissed. “Once we have made our peace, I will raise my shotgun up, and I will blow each one of your heads off.”
Gwenda had tried to stop herself, but tears were beginning to stream, a gut wrenching feeling swelling up in her stomach. They thought they had escaped from this, but now their freedom had been snatched away, destroyed before they could fully enjoy it.

“You’re a sick little monster!” She screamed up at him, and The Minder simply laughed, unfolding his whip and raising it up.

“Your words can never hurt me, my dear, but trust me, you shall pay for them,” he laughed, and raised the whip up. Gwenda raised her arms in defence, knowing it was useless, and wondering where Victoria and Andrew where, why they weren’t here to help protect her…

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock

“TAAAAANK!”

In Gwenda’s fear, she hadn’t noticed that Millicent had scuttled over to the corner, and neither had The Minder in his twisted pleasure at trapping her. Both their heads turned as the food trolley was sent flying, crashing straight into The Minder’s unguarded body and sending him sprawling backwards over the bed. Gwenda simply gasped, a tinge of happiness and surprise mixing into the horror and shock settling into her body. As plates crashed loudly down onto The Minder, Millicent rushed forwards and grabbed the suitcase with all of their possessions in.

“Tank Mil Mil Tank Miltank!” She cried and picked Gwenda up single handedly, half dragging her down the hallway as she began to sprint. Gwenda was stunned by her strength and agility, but was now beginning to worry about finding Victoria and Andrew. They would need to be alerted about The Minder before he found them, alone and unarmed, and Gwenda needed them in order to plan their escape.

“We aren’t splitting up, alright?” Gwenda told Millicent, and the Miltank nodded as she ran between two middle aged woman who screamed in shock. “Good, I don’t want to get stuck alone when he gets back up!” The halls were empty, but noise was coming from every door they passed. The passengers were getting ready to depart the boat, oblivious to the psychotic maniac on board with them, or the plight of the trio they had been so unnecessarily rude to.

“Where do you think they went?” Gwenda asked, doing her best to try and keep her cool. She noticed her voice crack though, and realised it was going to be harder than she thought. Gwenda began looking around for possible clues in the hallway to where they might have gone, and didn’t realise something white flashed at the very end of the corridor. But Millicent came to a halt, staring curiously at the ajar doors a few feet away.

“Millicent, why have you stopped?” Gwenda asked absently, wondering if Victoria could have gone towards the dining hall.

“MIL!” Millicent squealed in reply, and Gwenda quickly looked around: The Minder was walking through the doors, his wide smile replaced with a tight scowl, a Kadabra walking alongside him.

“Teleporting onto the ship may seem like more sense,” the aging man hissed viciously, making Gwenda squirm, “but crash landing got me sympathy, and sympathy got my questions answered.” The Minder looked furious, and was raising his whip up, ready to smash it down against their skin.

“RUN, NOW!” Gwenda screamed hysterically, and Millicent quickly burst through the nearest door, the whip cracking the carpet behind them. The Miltank began running down a sweltering staircase, the heat rising up unbearable, the clang of her large body on the metal sure to attract attention. Gwenda and the suitcase bounced in her arms as they began to turn, putting more distance between themselves and The Minder, but knew they couldn’t outrun him and his Kadabra forever.

Gwenda just hoped she could find a good place to hide.

***

The fire in their smoke boxes roared vigorously, the orange light it cast both hot and pleasant. Victoria and Andrew lay on their bare backs, the glow glistening of their sweat covered skin. Both of them were breathing deeply, and Victoria watched as Andrew’s fit chest heaved up and down with each breath he took, her stomach swooning as she thought about the past few minutes.

It had been… one of the most glorious sensations of Victoria’s life. She lay there on the hard and hot floor, clutching her dress over her otherwise bare breast, breathing just as deeply as Andrew and soaking up the feeling rushing through her body. It felt as if a huge burden had suddenly been lifted off her body, a large amount of stress and depression gone, replaced by an amazing feeling of wonderment and happiness. And Victoria was both amazed and glad that she had done it with Andrew. She’d always fancied him from afar, but her heart raced to know that he felt the same way. Their heads glanced towards each other, and Victoria gazed into his blue eyes, a smile spreading across her face.

“That was…,” Andrew whispered, but he couldn’t find the right word, and Victoria simply giggled and leaned forwards, kissing him warmly on his lips, enjoying the feeling it caused. Andrew smiled back, and Victoria rested her hands against her bare chest, words forming in her mind, but none of them the right ones to fully express how she felt right now. Andrew began to open his mouth, and Victoria just hoped he had the right words to sum things up for her.

“Can you here something?” He whispered, the happiness creeping off his face. Victoria was rather stunned and a little disappointed, but she could also hear a very loud metallic noise coming from the staircase. She yelped at the noise, realising someone must be coming downstairs, and pulled her dress back over her sweating body. Andrew slipped his trousers back and quickly did his shirt back up, neither of them wanting to be caught in the flesh.

“RUN MILLICENT, RUN!” Victoria and Andrew exchanged shocked looks as Millicent suddenly ran in, Gwenda and the suitcase in her arms. Gwenda turned around as Millicent came to a shock halt, and her eyes bulged as well. “There you are! What are you two doing down here… where is here anyway?” Gwenda asked, getting down from Millicent’s shoulder with a loud thud.

“Um….” Victoria said, not sure what to say in response.

“Victoria was just a bit shaken up. I took her down here to comfort her, away from any prying eyes,” Andrew explained quickly, wiping the sweat off his face with his sleeve. Victoria nodded along with a forced smile, hoping Gwenda would buy it. Thankfully, her best friend seemed rather distracted, looking back at the staircase nervously.

“Why do you have the suitcase with you, is it time to go?” Victoria asked, and Gwenda shook her head, her eyes fill of fright.

“The Minder found me! I thought it was you two and I opened the door. Millicent managed to get rid of him, but he has a Kadabra, you know, those gold things that teleport?” Victoria and Andrew both gasped, their stomachs rearing up with the same feelings of shock and confusion Gwenda had felt.

“We have to get out of here, now!” Victoria wailed, and the other three nodded, heading for the doorway as fast as possible. They didn’t know how they’d escape, they just knew they had to get off the ship now.

“I wouldn’t move if I was you!” A familiar voice growled from behind. Unwillingly, Victoria and Gwenda turned back around in shock. The Minder was walking out from the maze of pipes and tubes behind them, a scowl across his face and his Kadabra by his side. “If you move, Kadabra here will Teleport and grab you, and then throw you into the fire.” Andrew froze, his feet about to touch the steps, and sighed in defeat. Victoria and Gwenda found themselves clasping each others hands in worry, watching as The Minder nodded and took a step forwards.

“Good. I would rather murder you with my bare hands, but I will throw you in if you provoke me!” He hissed. He was beginning to pace around, a task made difficult by his limp. He seemed to be deep in thought, staring between the two raging fires on either side of him. “You two weren’t that tricky to track down, just so you know. I followed the train’s path down to the docks, and found the talk of the town had been two black girls fleeing onto a ship with a white boy. I was able to sweet talk a lovely receptionist until giving me the ships details, and I very quickly flew out to meet you.” The three all exchanged looks of horror: how had they been so easy to find?

“What’s wrong with me being with them?” Andrew growled. “How is that an issue to anyone?” The Minder paused and turned to face him, his smile one of surprise and laughter rather than anger. He quickly began to laugh, leaning on his cane to hold himself up as the sickly sound echoed around them.

“Seriously… you actually asked me that… you three are fools! If I hadn’t appeared, you wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in Hoenn anyway!” The Minder snorted, and his Kadabra gave a deep but slow laugh to join in with his master. The four were left very confused by the laughter, too stunned to move and knowing it would snap him out of it if they did so. They were helpless, unable to do anything at the moment. The Minder was beginning to calm down, and he quickly straightened up, wiping a tear of joy away from his aging face.

“I needed that, thank you. Edmund would be most amused when I tell him of that. But, of course, you can always tell him yourself,” The Minder said, smiling wickedly, and he clicked his fingers. Kadabra took a step forwards, raising his spoon up, eyes beginning to glow pink. Victoria pulled Gwenda and Andrew into a quick hug, tears beginning to form from both woman’s eyes. As they waited for the first, there was a loud thud besides them.

“MIL!” Millicent was walking forwards, having dropped the suitcase behind her. She was beginning to glow white, and walked forwards into Kadabra’s line of vision.

“Get out of the way!” The Minder snapped, reaching for his whip. Millicent simply ignored him, the white light brightening as Kadabra tried to force her out of the way. Victoria, Gwenda and Andrew watched in amazement at her defiance, the light beginning to take up the enclosed area. Something glinted out of the corner of Victoria’s eyes, and she turned around to see the hedge clippers lying atop of the large pile of coal. It was the only other weapon they had, and Victoria had to keep it.

“STOP!” Andrew shouted, but Victoria had already run forwards, leaping past The Minder and grabbing the clippers. The slave minder turned around, looking furious as he raised the whip up. With the clippers in her hands though, Victoria felt a sense of courage rise up in her, and could feel the anger she’d left behind rise up again.

“ROT IN HELL!” She roared up at The Minder, and she leapt up, ready to jab it down. The Minder’s eyes bugled, the whip falling loosely at his hands, and Victoria felt god like as she prepared to stab…

Than Millicent released her Bide.

The explosion was as bright as it had been back when they escaped. Blinding white light filled the entire capacity, making the flames looked dull in comparison. Screams and shouts echoed around as the beam smashed through pipes and one of the boilers, tearing the bottom of the ship apart. Victoria was blasted backwards by the shock wave, the coal flying everywhere. Her head hit the side with a painful shudder, and Victoria felt her body sliding down…

The Bide stopped as suddenly as it began, and Gwenda and Andrew were left to evaluate the damage. Pipes had been blasted apart, whole systems that made up the ship fail. A powerful fire was spreading from the collapsed firebox, and it was spreading towards the mound of coal now scattered around. Water and gas was emitting from everywhere, mingling with the smoke caused. The men in charge of manning the intricate part of the ship had been sleeping a few rows away, and were now screaming and shouting at each other, unaware of the slaves onboard.

“Millicent… that was…. that was…,” Gwenda tried to say something, but nothing could describe what they’d seen. Millicent simply nodded at her, glancing at the spot Kadabra had been at moments before. Andrew looked over towards Victoria and saw her eyes were shut, her body trapped by the flames.

“Grab the suitcase, we need to leave, now!” Andrew shouted, and raced over the hot coal. His feet hurt and his eys were still sore from the light, but Andrew couldn’t leave Victoria behind, not after what had just happened between them. She was murmuring as he picked her up, pocketing the hedge clippers and putting her over his shoulder.
Gwenda and Millicent were moving up the stairs, and Andrew followed after, his eyes burning more from the smoke filling the area. The group ran up the staircase, the metal already beginning to burn their soles, the smoke ad noise chasing after them.

“We have to jump overboard!” Andrew screamed.

“ARE YOU CRAZY!” Gwenda shouted back at the top of the staircase. “Going in the pool was the most swimming I’ve down for years! We can’t survive out in the ocean!”

“If we don’t jump off than we’ll die!” Andrew said as he followed Millicent back out into the hallway, the Miltank clutching their suitcase. People had their doors open, chattering away as they readied to dock in Hoenn, unaware of the killer below. “This whole ship is probably going to explode any second judging by that fire!” Gwenda yelped, and she quickly sped up to join them. There were doors open only metres away, leading out to the decks high above the ocean surface. Gwenda was petrified about The Minder being there, but was now more frightened about the destruction happening beneath their feet. None of the other happy passengers had any idea of the raging fire, the destroyed systems, the fact the boat might not make it into port. The fear fuelled her adrenaline, and Gwenda shut her eyes as she ran past the last open door, ready to jump. The room they passed had a loud clock, ticking away, and Gwenda was reminded of her thoughts of a countdown, only a few minutes before.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock

Their feet barely touched the wood of the deck before Andrew, Millicent and finally Gwenda leapt over the low railing. Their bodies sailed in the air for a few seconds, a scream rising up in Gwenda’s throat as she opened her eyes, staring down at the wide expanse of dark ocean that would come up to meet them.

Than the Johto Jewel exploded.

I think I failed a bit in writing this part... any feedback?

Chapter Thirteen: Water

For the passengers onboard, the explosion was unexpected.

They had all been mingling around in their rooms, reflecting on their short but enjoyable cruise. The dining had been excellent, the views had been spectacular, and the slight amounts of drama had been enough to give them things to gossip about when they made it back to their social circles. The rooms had been magnificently made, some of them better than the guests own rooms. It was one of those journeys you hoped never ended, but the passengers didn’t mind. They were looking forward to either returning home to Hoenn or enjoying the sights the new region had to offer. They had made new friends with the other guests, and it had been a purely wonderful cruise.

For the workers down below, the explosion was unwanted.

As the Johto Jewel had been nearing Slateport City, the men that controlled the ship below the decks had decided to slow their work down, seeing as they were so close to their destination. The men had all gone and had a little rest behind the pipes, meant to last only a few minutes, but quickly turned into half an hour in the tricky way time and sleep flies by. As they rested, Victoria and Andrew entered, and they remained fast asleep. They were asleep when Gwenda and Millicent arrived, and were asleep when Kadabra teleported The Minder down. The ship was beginning to slow, and the workers were beginning to awake, shocked at the amount of time spent below, and getting ready to get the ship going for its last few minutes.

The Bide changed everything.

Suddenly, all of the men were awake and they were left gobsmacked: pipes had been torn apart, the coal had been scattered, fires were starting up. The hull of the ship had gone from peace and quiet to destruction in only a few seconds, and the workers had no idea what to do. They simply stood there in shock, watching as more pipes exploded, the gas line dangerously close to the flames, but they had no training in what to do.

“We have to call the Captain!” One of the younger men shouted desperately. The older men nodded, and they all rushed towards their work room, not noticing as Andrew, Gwenda and Millicent departed up the stairs. A special phone was there in case of emergencies, and the youngest man quickly pulled it off its hook, smoke already rising up and unfortunate sounding clanks echoing around.

“Emergency, emergency! There is a fire in the hull, we need to evacuate, now!” He shouted, his co-workers staring hopelessly at the raging fire behind him, thoughts of loved ones and possible options rushing through their heads.

Unfortunately, they were too late to act.

The explosion was a sight to see across most of Hoenn.

One by one the gas pipes began to explode, setting off a chain reaction of explosions. The workers could only watch for a few seconds as orange fists rose up throughout the engine room, coming together in a gigantic shock wave of energy. But the men had been standing too close to another pipe, and it wasn’t long before there were incinerated by the exploding gas only a few feet away. The metal hull was pushed beyond capacity as the explosions gathered together, and quickly the fists burst through to the other side.

The passengers above were left shocked as the Johto Jewel began to shake and shudder. Those who were on the decks watched in amazement as the explosions burst through the hull, sending sharp metal flying across into the ocean and sending them scrambling for the hallways. Unfortunately, the explosions had easily blasted through the lower floor of the ship. Those who’d been in their rooms found their floors being destroyed beneath their feet, the explosions tearing them apart before they could notice it, their holidays ending before even knew it. Within only a few seconds, half of the people onboard had been killed.

In Slateport, dock workers could only watch in horror as the orange, red and yellow of the flames lit the dark sky and waters up, the explosions tearing through the entire hull. The full force of the combined explosions had turned the hull into scrap metal, and the cruise ship was now cracking down the middle. The workers could only gasp as the ship began to sink, the flames disappearing as Johto Jewel’s last voyage was cut to an unfortunate and saddening finish.

For Andrew, Gwenda and Millicent, it was yet another blow to what should have been a smooth escape.

They had just jumped over the edge, Andrew clasping to Victoria, Millicent clutching the suitcase tightly. Falling much faster than the others, Millicent wrapped her tail around Gwenda and grabbed onto Andrew, pulling her three human companions close to her chest and placing the suitcase over them. Gwenda was screaming loudly, and Andrew was wondering if they would be able to escape in time before the ship exploded. They could see the water rising up towards them, ready to greet them as just another cold, wet friend, the Jewel’s gentle movements through the water enough to send safe ripples for them.

Than there was the explosion.

Gwenda screamed louder than ever, but even Andrew and Millicent couldn’t hear her over the explosion. Intense heat washed over their bodies, sending the strange group spiralling across the sky. Millicent did her best to hold them all together, but the heat was too strong, and metal was smashing into her body. The extra push from the explosion was enough to send them possibly a kilometre away from the ship, they couldn’t be sure, but they did know they were about to crash into the water at an alarming speed.

“MILLLLLL!” Millicent yelled, tensing up, not sure if she would be able to withstand the pressure. Gwenda was still screaming, and even Andrew tensed up, clutching Victoria tightly as they came soaring down, striking the water.

Though the explosion had sent ripples through the liquid darkness that was the ocean, the force as the group hit was still enough to ache their bodies and send them bursting apart. Gwenda’s scream turned to a gurgle as she began to sink rapidly, and Andrew desperately tried to hold onto Victoria, but knew it would be hard.

The sea was literally black, no light managing to break beneath the surface. Yet they all knew the water was there, they could feel it seeping through their clothing, moving against their skin, pressing against their bodies. Noises sounded all around in a strange, echoing manner, accompanied by rapid movements in the water. They all knew it was the Water Pokemon fleeing from the sinking Johto Jewel, though none of them had anyway of telling. The water was liquid darkness closing in on them and crushing their bodies, squeezing the life and breath out of them. Together they had escaped the farm, The Minder and the exploding cruise ship, but it seemed they had finally found their match in the water, already taking them after only a few seconds in the water.

A light suddenly appeared, glowing much brighter than normal in the inky darkness. Gwenda and Andrew had succumbed to unconsciousness alongside Victoria, the force of impact and inability to swim leading them to slowly slip away. However, Millicent was managing to hang in there, using her strength and abilities that only a Pokemon could have to continue breathing, though she was also beginning to sink. The luminous red light that appeared was eerie in the dark water, and Millicent spun around, trying to find the source. A Staryu was floating only a few feet behind the Miltank, its jewel glowing like a spotlight across them all as they began to sink through the waters.

“Miltank Mil Mil Tank!” Millicent tried to say, but only a gurgling noise and a series of bubbles came out instead. Her limbs were flailing though, and Staryu moved aside to see Millicent pointing at three ex-slaves, sinking back into the darkness of the ocean.

“Staryu Yu Yu!” Staryu said in a majestic voice and quickly moved forwards. Its limbs cut through the ocean, and the Star Pokemon reached the three within seconds. Millicent reached out and grabbed onto the suitcase as Staryu spun around and piled Victoria, Andrew and Gwenda onto her limbs, their bodies overlapping each other and nearly blocking out the light.

“Tank Mil!” Millicent said, forgetting about the bubbles. Staryu only nodded and swam back towards her, extending a limb for her to hold onto. Millicent quickly grasped on, holding as tight as she could, and felt a sudden jerk. It took a few seconds to realise that Millicent was being pulled through the water, bubbles smashing into her face as she did so. She didn’t know how Staryu was doing it, or why she was helping out, but was just relieved someone had come to their rescue. The current was strong against Millicent, and she held tightly onto the suitcase to prevent everything going.

Than, with a sudden burst of fresh air and parting of water, Staryu flew almost magically out of the water, the three humans on top and Millicent clasping on. Staryu’s red jewel didn’t glow as brightly here, but as Millicent took deep breathes, she noticed in the glow that they were hurtling towards the very corner of a docks, right next to a warehouse.

“TAAAANK!” She screamed, and let go at the last second. She smashed into the very edge, sending chunks of concrete flying, but Staryu was able to skid to a halt, her three passengers toppling off. “Miltank Mil Tank Tank Mil!” Millicent puffed, hauling herself up out of the crater she’d created. She continued to breathe in as she examined where they had landed. It appeared to be the very end of the Slateport City Port, right in the corner by a wooden warehouse next to her. No one else was in sight, and the only light available came from the moon, though it was shielded by clouds, and from Staryu’s jewel.

“Yu Star Star Staryu!” Staryu said dramatically, and Millicent waddled forwards: Victoria was coughing, slowly rising up and she spluttered out water.

“Wh-wh-what happened?” She said, rubbing her head and chest as the water ran down her chest. “Why aren’t we on the ship? Where’s The Minder?” But than Victoria noticed Andrew and Gwenda soaking bodies beside her, both unconscious but their chests rising slowly. Her eyes than looked up at Millicent, and then towards dancing flames in the background. Victoria gasped as she and Millicent watched the Johto Jewel go down, snapped cleanly in two and unable to be saved. Victoria broke down, unable to hold it in, and Millicent pulled her into a silent hug, tears streaming down her face as well, knowing that the destruction was her fault. They sat in silence, Staryu providing them with a sombre glow, simply watching, wondering, hoping that the path ahead would be clearer than this…

High above them, completely out of their view, The Minder watched the cruise ship sink. Skarmory’s metal body was hard and cold in the cooling temperature, and he wanted to get low and recover from the injuries he had sustained. But The Minder watched the boat sink first, wondering if his enemies had managed to escape, and if he was still on the hunt for them. The Minder hoped they were still alive, because he was willing to kill them now more than ever. He gave Skarmory a tap, and turned scowling away from the sinking wreckage, mentally planning his next move.

I don't think I acknowledged this last time, but thanks all of those people involved in honouring this story with Best Dark Story in the recent Fan Fiction Awards! I have enjoyed writing this story and appreciate the consideration by you all :)

Part Three: Adventures in Hoenn

Hoenn, by far, is one of the most beautiful and interesting regions in the Pokemon World.

No other place has such a board range of environments, communities, Pokemon or places to visit. You can walk for about an hour and manage to walk through a bustling cityscape, a riveting forest of activity, dark and mysterious tunnels, wide fields of grass and back to the nearest small town or city that is beginning to lift off.

Caves and rock tunnels are scattered throughout, providing an exciting adventure for those who choose to travel through them and uncover the Pokemon within. Two volcanoes are found throughout: one scatters ash across a town that has learnt to deal with it and accept it, whilst another has been dormant for so long that people live in houses carved from the mountain’s sides. A wide desert valley carves through several mountains, with plain walking tracks and grassy fields at either ends. One town has built itself around its hot springs, and one city has built its homes in gigantic tree houses that would send in child into a dizzying dream. Several cities had built up on islands cut off from the rest of Hoenn, while one town has built itself willingly in the ocean in wooden huts connected by rope bridges.

Hoenn is a place of amazing diversity and is the place most people choose to travel to, with a harbour system in Slateport that outshines all the rest and provides the best place for cruise ships to come in. Wheter they plan on searching through a route of near permanent rain to find one little Feebas as a souvenir, or simply want to travel down ash covered mountains and chase after Pokemon in the expansive Safari Zone that has nearly opened, Hoenn is a place of grand adventure and grand places to visit. There is something there for everyone to enjoy, and you will always leave Hoenn with a story to tell about the adventures you’ve had.


Chapter Fourteen: Onwards

From a dark and dusty warehouse, the group watched the clean up occur.

Victoria, Gwenda, Andrew, Millicent and the friendly Staryu stood on top of wooden crates in the corner of the abandoned warehouse they had landed next to. It was old and had no windows, opening it up to the weather and temperatures, and old pipes creaked and dripped water throughout the night.

But they had no care for that.

They watched mournfully as two tugboats sailed back into shore, dragging barges full of debris from the Johto Jewel behind them. This was the stuff that had been floating on the surface, and several more boats and about five cranes were searching through the early morning ocean, Water Pokemon trying to find as much debris as they could and help bring it back up. However, there was little hope for finding any survivors, as it was a long swim to Slateport, and the explosion had torn throughout the entire ship. People would have been blown up, badly built, blasted into unconsciousness, or simply unable to survive in the sinking, burning ship.

And they knew it was all their fault.

As the tug ship came into the dock, Victoria sighed and collapsed onto the crate, her fellow slaves copying her instantly. Millicent continued to stare out at the ocean, her new Staryu friend joining her in watching.

“This is just terrible,” Victoria groaned, resting her head in her hands. “I thought we had left all this stuff behind! I can’t believe the Minder found us like that! And the Jewel…,” Victoria wanted to say something powerful and meaningful, but the words couldn’t come out, though the others knew how she felt. The cruise ship had been the first place they had felt free in many years, where they had finally been able to be free and enjoy their lives again before this adventure they were embarking on. To have this symbol of hope and freedom blow up before them was a great loss to them all.

“I just feel bad for those nice maids, they didn’t deserve that fate,” Gwenda said with a slight sob. “I mean, no one deserves to be blown up, but those other guests were just so mean to us for no reason! Those maids at least treated us right.”

“The Minder seemed to think it was all some big joke, as if all those white guests knew something we didn’t,” Andrew added grumpily. They sat in silence for a few moments, listening to the distant sounds of dock workers talking amongst themselves, the tug boats whistling as they got closer into port. They dwelled over what had happened, how close they had come to death and, even worse, being captured again by The Minder. But at least he was dead, the explosion too powerful for him to have survived. Their path ahead was clear, though their consciences weren’t

We caused that explosion, Victoria thought, tears rising up in her eyes. It was Millicent’s Bide that set things off. It was us that brought The Minder there, us that started the fight, Andrew and I that… Victoria stopped her thoughts there, simply allowing the tears to flow. What had happened between her and Andrew in the boiler room had been magical, the greatest moment of her life to date. Associating that with the explosion, turning that happy moment into a sign of sadness and death… Victoria couldn’t tarnish her feelings like that. She had lost everything in life, but she wouldn’t lose her memories.

“How is the suitcase looking?” Victoria asked, wiping her tears away, the thought of memories reminding her about their possessions. Andrew pulled it between the three of them and opened it up: surprisingly, the suitcase had managed to hold, and only some water had seeped through.

“Wow, this thing sure is sturdy,” Gwenda said with a slight smirk.

“I don’t think anything is damaged,” Victoria said, grabbing their clothes, the hand mirror, Victoria’s books and articles. There was some slight water damage to the books and the clothes were a bit wet, but otherwise they were fine.

“We better put this back too,” Victoria said, and grabbed the hedge clippers, which were a bit rusted following their trip in the ocean, and placed it back in the suitcase. Asides from Millicent, it was their only weapon. Victoria remembered the power that she felt when she held the clippers in her hand, jabbing them down towards The Minder. Would she be able to do something as courageous as that again? The Minder was out of their way now, but someone else could get in their way again at some point. Victoria had anger she wanted to let loose, and remembered back to the conversation she and Andrew had before they had slept together. Victoria had these dark thoughts, and she needed to find a way to let them out, let her move on from the farm. But Andrew didn’t care that she had this emotion, and Victoria looked towards him, their eyes meeting for the first time that day. They smiled at each other, and Victoria wanted to reach out and grasp his hand, take him away and be alone together again.

“What happened between you two back on the ship?” Gwenda asked, and the connection and the thoughts instantly broke.

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked nervously, and Victoria caught Millicent whispering something to Staryu, giggling.

“You were just down there for a long time, I was getting worried,” Gwenda said casually, grasping the clippers and giving them a playful snap. Victoria and Andrew looked at each other nervously and blushed.

“Nothing, nothing at all,” Andrew said a bit too quickly, and reached into the suitcase for something to distract them. “Hey, what’s this?” He gasped, and pulled something out. The girls turned to see the paper bag they had put the remaining Apricorn Balls into, with Millicent’s Heavy Ball on top.

“How many more of these do we have?” Victoria asked.

“Errr… five more, it seems,” Andrew said, tipping them into the suitcase.

“That pink one is called a Love Ball, the blue one is a Lure Ball, and that green one is a Level Ball,” Gwenda explained. “I can’t remember the other two, but I have a feeling they’ll be the Fast and Friend Balls. My mother had a lot of Apricorn Balls back before…,” but Gwenda froze, staring at them almost in shock. Victoria understood why: her friend had never said anything about how she lost her parents, and it was never nice whenever she remembered what had happened to hers. Victoria gave her a gentle pat and picked up some of the Apricorn Balls. Millicent waddled over and cradled hers, and the Staryu poked its nose in as well.

“I think we should take this one with us,” Andrew said, giving the Staryu a pat. Staryu looked up at them, and though it had no mouth, Victoria could tell it was smiling at them. She looked across at Gwenda, who still looked a bit sad, wrapping the bottom of one of the dresses continuously around her finger.

“Gwenda, I think you should catch Staryu,” Victoria said, winking over at Andrew. Gwenda looked up, eyes wide with shock.

“Me… really?”

“Of course!” Andrew said, catching on. “You said you couldn’t swim, so Staryu could help you out with that!” Gwenda’s face was beginning to light up, and she leapt to her feet with the Lure Ball in her hand.

“Really, are you sure?” She squealed, and the two nodded and she squealed again in excitement. “Staryu, do you want to be my Pokemon?”

“Staryu Star Star!” Staryu replied, spinning in mid air in excitement. Victoria, Andrew and Millicent took a step backwards, and Gwenda threw the Lure Ball towards Staryu. It touched her and coated her in blue energy, which Staryu dissolved into and entered the Apricorn. The ball closed with her inside, and fell into the suitcase, wiggling several times before glowing blue and stopping. Gwenda was shocked for a second, staring down at her new capture, but than burst out in a chorus of screams and jumps of delight.

“YES!” She screamed, picking the Lure Ball up and spinning around with it. Victoria and Millicent smiled at each other, glad to see that Gwenda was so happy. “I should give her a nickname, like Millicent. Umm… Starlet? No… um…,”

“Scarlet?” Victoria suggested, and Gwenda’s face lit up again.

“Yes, that is perfect, thank you!” And Gwenda gave Victoria a quick but tight hug before raising the Lure Ball up. “Scarlet the Staryu, come and join us!” The ball burst open, and Scarlet formed at Gwenda’s feet.

“Star!” It cried, and Gwenda clapped her hands together and gave her a hug. Victoria felt all warm inside, and all thoughts of the Johto Jewel left her completely as she saw the happy look on her friends face. But the tension was shattered as Andrew suddenly closed the suitcase lid with an echoing noise, attracting all attention towards him.

“Sorry to interrupt this, but we do need to get going, don’t we?” He said, and held up the map of Hoenn. Victoria had completely forgotten about their quest in all of the commotion, and quickly rushed to Andrew’s side to glance at the map with him. They were currently in Slateport City, but Lilycove City was nearly on the other side of the region.

“Mil Mil,” Millicent said, pointing towards one section of land.

“That is Route 110,” Andrew explained, and traced along the zigzagging route with his finger. “It shouldn’t take too long to walk it, and that means we can be in Mauville City by the end of the day. Than we can catch a ferry across the strait towards Route 118 and carry on to Lilycove from there.”

“We’d better get going then if we’re to reach Mauville by sundown!” Victoria said, grabbing the Heavy Ball and turning to Millicent. “Walking or riding?” Millicent pondered for a second, but than wrapped her left arm around Victoria’s left and smiled. “I’ll take that as walking,” Victoria laughed. Gwenda picked Staryu up to rest in her arms, and Andrew heaved the suitcase up.

“Onwards to Lilycove then!” He shouted, and the friends headed for the door, knowing they had a strict schedule to stick to if they were to reach Lilycove in time for the Star Festival. But as they walked past the docks, watching cranes, men and Machamp alike shifting the wreckage of the cruise ship onto the docks, Victoria felt tears rise up in her again. They were the only survivors, and the explosion had been their fault. This guilt would linger over them forever more, and Victoria was sure she would imagine the screams of the guests as they were killed, just so they could continue on with her dream.

She just hoped she would make their memories proud and reach Lilycove in time. Than it might all seem worth it…

Chapter Fifteen: Letter

From atop the nearest building, The Minder watched them leave.

He sighed in relief as he saw Victoria, Gwenda, Andrew and the Miltank move between buildings, clearly heading towards the city boundaries. The Minder had no idea what they were really planning, but he had a feeling they were heading towards Mauville City. If they were staying in Slateport, than they wouldn't be sneaking around, moving away from the docks and North towards the nearby routes. The Minder was very good at analysing and presuming, one of the reasons why he made such as good slave watcher, being able to detect who was up to no good and predict who was going to stuff up before they knew it. Thanks to this skill, The Minder safely bet that the slaves wouldn't go East towards the small towns, otherwise they would get a ferry and take a quicker route towards Route 104. Mauville was the safest bet, and The Minder needed to plan his next move.

At the moment, his body ached terribly. The Minder was not getting any younger, and his age didn't help the injuries. His leg that had been injured so long ago was currently throbbing painfully, and there were several bruises and burns on his body from the previous night. It was only at the last possible moment that Kadabra managed to get to The Minder, teleporting him away as the Johto Jewel exploded. He had taken the night off to rest, despite knowing where the slaves were, as there was no way he would have been able to take them on with his injuries at that moment.

But The Minder had a job to do. He needed to bring these slaves back. Edmund wanted them back so he could prove to the other slaves they would never escape and outwit him, but The Minder had his own reasons. These slaves had escaped under his guard, making him look bad. If he didn't bring them back, Edmund would most likely fire him, get a younger, fitter, tougher man in to marshal the slaves. The Minder had nowhere else to go: no family, no friends, no house, only his Pokemon and the tiny shack he slept in. Bringing these slaves back alive, so they could be tortured and killed in front of the others, was a personal matter for The Minder, and wasn't going to let himself down.

As the slaves began to disappear out of the coastal city, becoming tiny specks entering the trees and grass, The Minder turned towards a piece of paper and ink pot he had pulled out before noticing the slaves. He had a message in mind, and quickly began to scribble it down.

Dear Edmund.

I am writing to say that the mission, so far, is not going as well as planned. I managed to find out, through some talkative Olivians, that the slaves had board the boat 'Johto Jewel'. I managed to get aboard and attempted to capture them, but after a battle, where they enlisted the use of their Miltank, I was defeated and they escaped. I would have chased after, but I was only teleported away from the ship seconds before it exploded as a result of the fight.

I am recovering from injuries sustained, but I will be fine to continue. I believe the slaves are walking towards Mauville City in Hoenn, though I am not quite sure of what they are heading towards or planning on doing. However, I plan on ambushing them as they enter the city and will hopefully capture them there, otherwise prevent them from getting any further.

If I manage to succeed in Mauville, I will Teleport back to the farm straight away. I recommend you ready the knives and the nooses, and I would like to have first cut of the Victoria girl and the Miltank – they were the main ones who injured me on the cruise liner.

Hoping the farm is well,

C.C.

The Minder read through the letter again and then smiled, his aged, sun damaged face looking as frightening as ever. He then pulled a blue Level Ball from his pockets and pressed a button, causing it to open up.

"Return," he said into it, and seconds later there was a sudden flash. Kadabra stood besides him, placing a small sack fill of fruits, cheeses, breads and bottles of milk and wine next to him. "Good haul," The Minder said with a nod, and passed the letter towards him. "Take this to Edmund and then return immediately."

"Kadab," Kadabra responded and grabbed the letter, glowing white once again. The Minder averted his eyes as he teleported away, and looked off towards where the slaves had walked towards.

"I look forward to finding you," he growled, "I look forward to finding you three and destroying you with my bare hands. No slave will ruin me, and I won't let my record be tarnished!" The Minder continued to stare off into space, waiting for Kadabra to return so they could fly towards Mauville on Skarmory, and ways of killing the slaves entered The Minder's mind, making him smile his sadistic smile.

***

"Yes… thank you. You may leave now."

A bright flash filled the room, and Edmund watched as the Kadabra teleported away. He stared down at the letter, trying his best to keep his anger under control, but several phrases leapt out that infuriated him: I was defeated… they escaped… not sure of what they are heading towards… hopefully capture them… hoping the farm is well…

"The farm would be well if you did your bloody job!" Edmund roared, and threw the letter into the fireplace, glaring down at the embers that sparked upon contact, watching the paper as it quickly burnt up. Edmund didn't sit down straight away, though the living room was nearly bare following his angry outburst. The damaged furniture had been taken away, and Grace planned to buy some replacements once her injuries had healed. Unfortunately, she continued to be her husband's punching bag and was now bedridden, trying to recover from her multiple bruises, leaving the house untended and the living room empty.

Edmund was close to breaking point now. Ever since the breakout, the slaves were beginning to rebel. It seemed they didn't want to stay in the farm anymore, now that they knew of an alternative, and were beginning to get lazy. The Pokemon weren't being tended to, the crops weren't being tended to, the work with the railway line was being ignored. Some slaves didn't even do work, simply finding places to hide where Marvin and Victor wouldn't be able to get them, such as trees, bushes, hidden corners of Lucifer's Cage, The Minder's cottage, The Shack. The Pokemon were growing restless as well, firing attacks, destroying their homes, ruining the crop as they stampeded. Miltank Meadows was quickly collapsing, and Edmund needed the slaves to return.

Once Victoria, Gwenda and Andrew returned, Edmund would slaughter them as inhumanely as possible, right in front of everybody else. Than he would torture and kill the Miltank, making sure the other Pokemon saw. Edmund wanted everyone in the farm to know he was in charge, to know they would never escape and they will never be allowed to disobey again.

"Father, father!" A cry came out from the doorway, and Edmund turned angrily around, knowing it wouldn't be good news. Judith ran in wearing her nightgown, looking petrified. "Father, some of Tauros and Miltank are stampeding again and are attacking the wall! Victor and Marvin need your help!"

"GAAAAAH! Can't those idiots do anything for themselves?" Edmund screamed, grabbing his chair and throwing it to the wall. Judith screamed, but Edmund glared at her and she fell silent once more. "I'll be out in a moment," he said, and Judith and fled so quickly she could have teleported as well. Edmund stared back in the flames, watching as the last of the letter was burnt and turned to ash.
Those slaves better be back here soon, or I am going to Hoenn and dragging them back here myself, Edmund growled, before grabbing the fire poker and storming outside, in a right mood to slaughter the rampaging Pokemon… and a few slaves.

Chapter Sixteen: Grass

"How long have we been walking?"

Victoria and Andrew turned grumpily around to face Gwenda, who was dragging her feet a few metres behind them. She had been complaining for the best part of an hour, and it was the fourth time she had asked this question.

"Once again Gwenda, I don't have a watch, we don't know how long we've been walking!" Andrew snapped. "Let's just settle with the fact we've walked a long way and leave it at that," he added grumpily, and turned back to face the way ahead. Victoria simply looked across at Millicent, who was walking alongside, and sighed.

They had indeed walked for a long way. Though they didn't have a watch, they knew it had been many hours since they left Slateport City behind as they headed towards Mauville. They had between rows of beautiful trees that towered up above them, very much unlike the ones Victoria was use to seeing around Miltank Meadows. They seemed to touch the sky, and Victoria had been tempted to try and climb up their branches, try and climb up as high as she could go, and see if she would be able to touch the stars.

It wasn't long before they left the trees behind, and they found themselves embarking down the main part of Route 110. Based on the map, this route was S-shaped, turning in three parts in a completely different direction. Stepping onto this part of the route, Victoria can see that magnificent deep blue oceans were on either side, restricting the size of the route to the width of a railway line, with little space on either side. A sign nearby stated that the SEASIDE ROAD BRIDGE – COMING SOON, clearly as a way to fix this size restriction, but Victoria was quite happy to be walking through the long green grass that tickled her knees, breathing in the fresh ocean air and seeing the many Pokemon flourish in their natural environment.

Since her parents had died and Victoria had been sent to the orphanage and then Miltank Meadows, there hadn't been much variety in the Pokemon she had seen. However, finally being back exploring through grassy routes, she was beginning to remember names her parents had taught her before their demise. Packs of Wingull flew above their heads, their loud, high pitched screeches like music to Victoria's ears. A school of Magikarp swum beneath the water's surface, while intimidating Tentacool bobbed above them, giving the trio reproachful looks. Blue and green Oddish ran between the long and short grass, their long green hairstyle's allowing them to blend into their surroundings. Plusle and Minun chased after each other, Zigzagoon nibbled away at berries, and the poisonous Gulpin oozed through the grass. Victoria was ecstatic to be back amongst wild Pokemon, and hoped they would be able to encounter more on their journey.

But they continued to walk along Route 110. It seemed to stretch on longer than they had had expected, and had only turned two of the three bends. The sun was high above them and was baking their skin, and Victoria was certain that the amount she sweated could have filled a troth back at the farm. The dresses didn't make for comfortable walking, being too long and too hot, and that was most of the reason why Gwenda was lingering behind. Scarlet the Staryu was constantly using BubbleBeam to help cool her down, but it didn't seem to be enough to keep her going. Andrew, however, seemed to have more energy than anyone else combined, even though he was carrying the suitcase and was marching on ahead, making up for lost time. Victoria wasn't sure whose side to take in this: Gwenda, who had been her friend for much longer, or Andrew, who she now had a bond with that no one else could match.

"I think we should take a rest," Victoria called out, deciding to meet in the middle. Andrew stopped and turned around, looking slightly curious and slightly furious, while Gwenda seemed to keep on going, despite being nearly red in the face. "I'm feeling a bit tired, so I think we should all just take a little break!" To emphasize her point, Victoria flopped down in some short grass and beamed at the two.

"Mil!" Millicent said in agreement, and sat down alongside. However, Andrew simply let out a loud groan and stayed where he was.

"There's no time to rest, Victoria! We're on this mission for you, after all, and we can't afford to waste time sitting down when there's only a few days left until the Star Festival!" He snapped.

"We're not all as fit and fast as you, Andrew," Victoria said, trying to keep things sweet. "Sitting around milking Miltank and doing gardening isn't exactly a way to stay fit now, is it? I'm only asking for a few minutes!"

"And how exactly are you going to count these few minutes?" Andrew snapped. "Besides, we all know your just waiting for Gwenda to catch up!" Gwenda looked up crossly at the sound of her name, and Victoria had seen her get cross very easily back at the farm when pushed to her limits, and hot days never really helped this.

"I am… just fine… thank you!" She growled, taking deep breathes in between words. She picked Scarlet up, who fired another light BubbleBeam, and began to march forwards. "Come on Vic… toria… if Andrew can… keep going… then so can… we!"

"No, I really want a rest!" Victoria growled, looking to Millicent who help, who simply shrugged. "It's a hot day and we've been walking for a long time: it would seriously do us all some good if we just sat down, had a little drink and calmed down!"

"I'm perfectly calm!" Andrew shouted in a rather contradictive tone, and quickly realised this and took several deep breathes. "Victoria, we are nearly at Mauville City, I can see it in the distance! We've only got about a week or so left until the Star Festival, possibly even less. I just don't want us to slow down when we've come so far. I thought that's what you wanted!"

"I do want it, but I don't want us to hate each other at the end of it!" Victoria shouted, leaping to her feet. Gwenda was beginning to walk past her, head held high, and clambered through the long grass to avoid Andrew. "Come on, we escaped together! We've leapt from exploding cruise ships, leapt onto passing trains! Let's not let some sun and a long walk ruin things for us!" She got to her feet, figuring the other two wouldn't sit down, and put a smile upon her face. However, Gwenda simply continued walking, not even looking back towards them. "Andrew, apologise to her! We need to be in this together!" Andrew sighed and turned around, and Gwenda paused in her path, clearly waiting for this faithful words.

"Gwenda… I'm sorry your so slow," Andrew said, and Millicent stifled a snigger as Gwenda turned angrily around.

"Staryu Star!" Scarlet snapped, stars shooting out of her jewel and exploding against Andrew's chest. It was Gwenda's turn to laugh as Andrew leapt backwards, his arms, flailing madly as he beat back the Swift attack. Victoria watched this unfold and turned around in disgust, marching back the way they had come. She wasn't going to try and sort them out if they didn't want to play nicely. Victoria had had a feeling for a while that Andrew and Gwenda weren't getting along, possibly because they had both come on this adventure because of her, not to be close to each other. She had hoped they would have gotten on together by now, but it seemed that they weren't anywhere near that happening.

"Victoria, come back!" Andrew shouted, but Victoria refused to look back, focused entirely on putting distance between herself and them. Let them sort out their own problems, she thought viciously, it's not my job! I'd gladly keep on walking, but I'm not walking with them if their going to be so stupid about –

"AAAAAH!" Victoria suddenly screamed, as she found herself tumbling forwards. She had only been looking ahead, not down, and hadn't noticed something resting in front of her. There was a cry at the same time as Victoria yelled out, and there was nothing to stop her from falling. There was a sharp pain in her foot as she turned to try and stop herself, and Victoria screamed again as she fell into the long grass, her face smashing into the earth and her hands scraping.

"VICTORIA!" Andrew and Gwenda both shouted, but Victoria couldn't lift herself off the ground, too tired from all the walking to move a muscle. Something moved next to her, and Victoria looked up to see a green Pokemon staring quizzically at her. It nudged against her, a sorry look in its eyes, and Victoria realised this must be what she tripped over.

"Victoria, are you alright?" There was a swift movement, and Victoria cried out as Millicent heaved her onto her feet. Andrew and Gwenda looked concerned as they all converged on her, and the green Pokemon backed away at the sudden appearance of all the people.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," Victoria insisted, but as Millicent lowered her, the pain in her right foot shoot upwards and she cried out. "Alright, maybe my foot is just a bit sore… I think I twisted it when I fell."

"Oh dear, this is all our fault!" Gwenda whined, and she suddenly threw her arms around Victoria, pulling her into a tight hug. "If we hadn't upset you, this wouldn't have happened! I'm so sorry!"

"It is fine Gwenda, don't worry," Victoria said with a smile, but her eyes were glancing towards Andrew, wondering if he was going to apologise. But the only male in their group had his attention on the Pokemon below him, who was trying to move backwards into the grass.

"This is an Electrike," Andrew said, his tone very different to how it had been only a few moments ago: he sounded much calmer and almost in his own little world as he stared downwards. "It's an Electric type. My brother had one before he…," but Andrew stopped there, leaving Victoria and Gwenda in shock. They had never heard Andrew speak about his family before, and Victoria wondered why the thought had never occurred to her in the past. Andrew continued to have his back turned to them as he opened up the suitcase and reached in, pulling out the Fast Ball they had looked over earlier that day. He got down to one knee and looked at the Electrike, who backed away again.

"Elec Elec!" He said, sparks flying from the yellow lines running around his body, but Andrew extended the Fast Ball out, not worrying about them.

"Would you like to come on our journey? We could really use a Pokemon like you," he said calmly. The Electrike looked a reproachful and began to take another step backwards, but he stared at the Fast Ball and gave a nod. Victoria could tell Andrew was smiling as he pressed the Fast Ball against the Electrike's forehead and he was sucked inside. Andrew got to his feet and turned around, his face indeed lighting up as the ball shook in his hands. There was a flash and it froze, and Victoria clapped her hands together in happiness. Andrew simply nodded and put the Fast Ball into his pockets, his face remaining happy but he didn't say a word.

"Miltank Mil Mil Tank Mil!" Millicent said grumpily, shaking Victoria to draw their attention back towards her, but Victoria simply felt her body being shaken terribly. As all eyes turned back towards her, Victoria felt a sharp pain in the front of her head. She gasped and touched her head, trying to bite back the pain, but Victoria could feel herself slipping away. Gwenda and Andrew both cried and rushed towards her, but Victoria's vision was going black, and she simply shut her eyes as her body went limp, unable to explain things, but she knew something was wrong.

Chapter Seventeen: Doctor

Victoria awoke with a start, and instantly found an unfamiliar face hovering above her.

“Ah, good to see you Miss Freeman!” The man said warmly, a big smile on his face. Victoria, however, was afraid, and backed away from him. She looked around the small room she was in, with simple wooden walls and floors, a closed door and a bucket of water in the corner. The bed was stiff and the sheets and blankets were a foul shade of yellow, but Victoria was more concerned with why she was here: who was this man, where were Millicent, Gwenda and Andrew? Hadn’t she just been on Route 110 a few moments ago?

“Relax m’dear, just relax,” the man said, trying to push her down, but Victoria frightfully beat his hands away. “You just had a bit of a fall and hurt your ankle, and then passed out. I think your just dehydrated, so I need to give you some water and –”

“Who are you?” Victoria snapped, carefully poking her ankle out from the end of the sheets. A bandage was wrapped around, and she remembered it hurting when she moved it before, but now it seemed to have healed or be in the process of healing.

“My name is Doctor Alfred Granger,” the man said, beginning to laugh a bit. “I probably should have led with that! Your friend, Andrew, brought you in. He’s just outside, been waiting all night!”

“All night!” Victoria gasped. “How long have I been unconscious?”

“Over night, a few hours on either side of the evening,” Doctor Granger explained as he passed over a glass of water. “Andrew said that you had been walking for some time when you tripped over an Electrike and fell, and then shortly passed out. I think you were just a bit dehydrated and probably a bit tired, which is explainable when walking in the heat for so long! Just drink up and rest, and you’ll be able to go once I think your better.”

“But that’s all that’s wrong with me?” Victoria asked in between mouthfuls of water, and Doctor Granger nodded. “Good, I was getting a bit nervous there for a second!” The doctor tipped back his head and laughed once again, and didn’t notice as the door slowly opened up behind him.

“Is it alright if I come in?” Andrew asked. Alfred looked at Victoria, who nodded, and Andrew stepped cautiously in. “Gwenda took Millicent for a walk around Mauville, to take the sights in a bit.”

“We’re in Mauville?” Victoria gasped, and Andrew nodded.

“Took a while to bring you here, and then we had to find the right doctor,” Andrew explained, and Doctor Granger’s laugh quickly left his
face.

“Yes… you were lucky I was out walking my Mightyena or you might have ended up in the wrong place,” he said grimly. “Not too many doctors around anywhere that would treat a black girl being brought in by a white boy. Many of them would have tied you up and done the exact opposite of doctoring you…,” he sighed, and Victoria and Andrew nodded, beginning to understand the racial tension that existed around them. “But yes, at least you found me, and you can soon catch the ferry!” Victoria looked surprised, but Andrew nodded at her and she decided to play along. A bell jingled outside, and the doctor excused himself to see who had turned up.

Silent tension fell between the two as the door closed. Victoria looked away from Andrew’s beautiful eyes as she remembered why she had stormed off, how Andrew and Gwenda had argued. She could tell Andrew was feeling guilty, and she could imagine Gwenda was as well, but Victoria was annoyed with them. With all the pain and hatred that they had walked into by leaving the farm behind, there wasn’t any need for these two to be at each other’s throats.

“I am sorry, so very sorry,” Andrew said, and Victoria nodded stiffly. “It was just the heat getting to me, and the fact we aren’t making that great of progress. Gwenda does annoy me at times, but I shouldn’t have overreacted.”

“Okay,” Victoria replied, still feeling hurt at the anger between her two friends. “I don’t want to have to be put in a position where I have to choose between you two! Gwenda is my oldest friend and I couldn’t bear to be without her, but I lov – like you a lot as well,” Victoria quickly changed words as she found her face blushing furiously, and she looked away, but not before catching Andrew’s face blush as well. They sat in silence once more, not quite sure what to say to each other. Victoria had been questioning her feelings for Andrew, and that one night they spent together had meant so much to her, but did she love him? Had it been long enough for them to fall in love? Was there even a schedule for love: you must have done this, this and this before you may fall in love. Victoria simply clutched her head and drank her water, all these thoughts too difficult to comprehend in her state.

“I don’t know if I ever told you this,” Andrew said, his voice as quite as a Pichu, “but I was rich when my family was around. Not like living in a castle with our own personal railway rich, but we survived pretty decently. My parents ran a hotel in Goldenrod City, and we all lived in a nice room on the third floor. Lots of guests came through, and we managed to make a lot of money out of it. There were always weddings and giant balls and lots of famous people gathering around. I helped wash dishes in the kitchen and sweep all the tables and make beds to earn my pocket money. My brother, Alexander, was two years older than me, so he got to look after all the guests Pokemon with his Electrike. I always wanted a Pokemon, but my parents said not until I was ten…,” Victoria nodded along, clutching her glass so tightly in her hand that it might break, staring at Andrew as the pain seemed to fill his eyes.

“It was the 24th of June 1902, at about six in the evening when it happened,” he continued, his voice beginning to shake. “I was in the kitchens at the time, but they were right next to the ballroom, so we could hear the shouts. A man was drunk and accusing his wife of having an affair. My parents stepped in to try and break them apart, but the man got angry, accusing my parents of helping his wife hide the affair in the hotel, and began ranting about the price of rooms and alcohol. Then he pulled a gun out and several PokeBalls. He sent out several Vigoroth that were absolutely mental. They destroyed the room and sent everyone fleeing, as the man raised the gun and fired three bullets: one hit his wife, the other two…” Victoria gasped and put her hands to her face, the glass slipping and crashing to the floor. The jolt seemed to shake Andrew and he almost jumped up, tears streaming slowly down her face.

“That is… that is terrible…,” Victoria sobbed, tears beginning to fill her own eyes, and Andrew simply nodded, his hands wringing around each other.

“Alex and I went to the orphanage in Ecruteak shortly after the funeral; none of our family wanted us, just the deeds to the hotel. My brother was taken away almost a week later by a nice couple, and I lingered by myself for the next few months, until a nice man named Edmund arrived… I thought I was going to be happy again, that I could put back watching my parents get shot behind me… frankly, I would have rather stayed in the orphanage…”

“I don’t…,” Victoria said softly. “If you’d stayed there, than we would have never met… well, we would have when I went there, but it wouldn’t be the same. That orphanage is just depressing, no one talks to more than about two other people. The farm brought us together, and though it is an awful, horrendous place, I am just glad to have gotten some great people and Pokemon out of there.” She extended her hands out and grasped Andrew’s, and he looked up at her, their teary eyes meeting, and he leant forwards and kissed her. It wasn’t as powerful or overwhelming as their previous ones, but their lips remained in embrace for nearly a minute as they savoured the touch of the other, their hands snaking around into hugs.

“The reason why I want to keep going is because I have a wish as well,” Andrew whispered. “I want to be able to find my brother one more time, and, if possible, someone how see my parents. Asides from staying with you, it is the only thing I could ask for out of life.”

“That is beautiful,” Victoria whispered, and they kissed once again. “I will do anything to help you achieve that goal.” Andrew simply nodded, and they remained in their hug for another few minutes. Victoria wanted to force her mouth open, to say the three little words she had nearly said before, as now seemed like it could be the moment, the right moment to say them. But Andrew pulled away, wiping his eyes as he smiled warmly at her, and Victoria cursed herself for not speaking faster.

“I should see if Doctor Granger will let us go yet,” Andrew said, getting to his feet but still with Victoria’s hands in his. “Gwenda was going to look at the ferry timetables, see if we can get to the other side of Hoenn as soon as possible. The Star Festival is only four days away, including today, so we need to get a move on.”

“Four days!” Victoria gasped, not realising how much little time they had left. “Yes, go quickly, we must get out of here!” Andrew nodded, staring down at her hands as he let them go. He walked slowly backwards, smiling warmly at her, before slowly turning and opening the door. Victoria slid back in the bed, thinking about the moment they had just shared. She knew that she did indeed love Andrew, and could feel that he loved her back, and sometime, hopefully by the time they reached Lilycove City, there would be the right moment and they would be in the right place for her to pluck up the courage and declare her feelings, and hope that it felt as good as she thought it would.

I personally think that this chapter is one of the best things I've ever written, and would really love some feedback on this please. Thanks and I hope you all enjoy :D

Chapter Eighteen: Ferry

The sun was shining its hottest rays once again, but this time over Mauville City. The city was small but busy, with many businesses, mostly science and technology related, located around here. It was quite an open city, as there were four ways of leaving it, and many people jokingly called it an 'intersection with buildings.' The only travellers who stayed here were Hoenn League hopefuls attending the Mauville Gym, or those that were using the ferry service to get to the other side of Hoenn.

"It is soooo hot!" Gwenda groaned, waving herself with a fan Doctor Granger's receptionist had given her. Millicent and Scarlett walked alongside her, and the Miltank let out a loud 'moo' of agreement. "Why do we have to be the ones to go and find the ferry? Why can't Andrew have done it?" Gwenda snapped, and angrily kicked a rock that was in front of her.

"Staryu Star Star?" Scarlett asked, and Gwenda simply shook her head at her and looked away into the distance.

She wasn't angry with them, like Scarlett had asked, more… annoyed. Gwenda had meant to be going on this grand adventure with Victoria, her only friend over the past few years and the only thing that had helped her through such a tough and dark place in her life. Gwenda had been looking forward to travelling together, reaching Lilycove City and celebrating the festival as they found Jirachi.

Not that Gwenda disliked Andrew, but he hadn't been factored into their quest. He was very attractive and very fit, and Gwenda knew that Victoria had fancied him for quite a long time. Putting the two together was only going to build a strong relationship between them, and Gwenda was convinced they were both in love with the other. Whatever they said about what they had done in the boiler room, Gwenda knew it was a lie, and something much more special had occurred between them.

Gwenda just felt left out. While their bond got stronger, Gwenda was being shoved aside in the process. She had been the one who got chased by The Minder throughout the Johto Jewel¸ but they didn't seem to care about her feelings from that. And if Andrew got angry, which of the two was he going to take his feelings out on? Gwenda just wanted to be close to her old friend and try and build a new friendship with Andrew, but if she kept getting shunned aside by their blossoming romance, how was this going to happen?

"Millicent… do you… do you think Victoria likes Andrew more than me now?" Gwenda asked sadly. Millicent gasped and came to a stop, and Scarlett's jewel seemed to flash in surprise.

"Miltank Tank Tank Mil Miltank Tank Tank!" Millicent said in a hushed voice, shaking her head. Gwenda smiled and nodded, a tear streaming down her face. "Tank Tank Tank!" Millicent cried, and gave her a back crunching hug. Gwenda gasped for breath, but appreciated the gesture and hugged the Miltank back, though her arms didn't make it the full way around.

"Thank you for the reassurance," Gwenda said once Millicent had let go, and she massaged her back a bit to numb the pain. "It's just been playing on my mind since we landed in Hoenn. I may just be acting silly."

"Staryu Yu Yu Star?" Scarlett suggested, and Gwenda pondered over the thought for a moment.

"I don't want to upset them by telling them about it," Gwenda replied. "But if it gets worse, than I will talk to Victoria and see what she has to say about it." Scarlett and Millicent both nodded, and Gwenda felt like a load had been taken off her shoulders as they began to walk forwards, getting closer to the ferry port. Route 118 was quite beautiful, with many tall trees on both sides and long grass tickling Gwenda's knees as she strolled through it. Sandy spots appeared here and there, and Gwenda could see a proper beach of golden yellow sand appeared just in the distance.

The 118 Ferry was not a large service. Tickets were brought from a wooden stall to the side, and then passengers would line up on a wooden pier as the ferry pulled up. It was about a quarter of the size of the Johto Jewel¸ designed to only carry about fifty people, though usually many more tickets were sold until about a hundred people were crammed inside. It was a popular service for those wishing to get between one side of Hoenn to the other without travelling the difficult path to Fallarbor Town and catching the train, and a large crowd would usually turn out for the ferry, either going on holiday, on a Pokemon journey or desperately needing to get to the other side for whatever reason.

However, Gwenda was stunned by the amount of people there. It seemed as if everyone from the city had turned up, and then everyone from Slateport as well just to add to the mixture. Gwenda simply came to a stop as she stared at the queue of people waiting to get a ticket, and Millicent and Scarlett stopped alongside her.

"I can't even see where the timetable is through all these people!" Gwenda said, nearly speechless. The noise coming from the crowd was unbearably loud, with screaming toddlers and children, people arguing about luggage and the price of the tickets, people complaining about the length of the queue, even some Pokemon were adding their cries to the noise, two people even having a battle to pass the time.

"Miltank Mil Mil Tank?" Millicent asked.

"I doubt that this is the only place to find out the time," Gwenda said. "We might as well head back into town and try to find someone that has their own timetable?" Millicent and Scarlett nodded, and Gwenda began to turn around. She stared at the crowd though as she turned, and could see one thing was very clear: all of the people in the queue had white skin. If they could find a timetable, would Victoria and Gwenda even be allowed onboard? She remembered the comments The Minder had made, implying that her and Victoria would be outcast and Andrew for being with them. Was there some sort of prejudice for being of their skin colour? Gwenda couldn't remember much of her childhood, and couldn't remember ever be judged based on something like her skin colour, but were the memories just so old she couldn't remember?

"I really need to sit down," Gwenda sighed, rubbing her head. "The sun's getting to me… making my brain hurt!" She finally turned away from the crowd, and instantly saw that Millicent hadn't moved from where she had been a few moments before. Confused, Gwenda looked around, and felt her body seize up, her mind freeze, her legs nearly giving way as she saw who was standing there.

The Minder.

He looked exactly the same as he had in the Johto Jewel's boiler room, except with a few more scars than before. But he still had his cane in one hand and his whip in the other, and his lips were curled in a cruel, mocking smile. Gwenda clutched onto Millicent for support, feeling her throat and heart sink down into her stomach. There was nowhere for her to run, trapped between the vicious slave driver and the crowds of people, most of whom were probably Pokemon less and unwilling to help anyway.

"Don't even try and fight this, Gwenda," The Minder purred as he stepped forwards. Scarlett moved in front, the jewel flashing threateningly, but the Minder simply laughed. "You have two Pokemon for protection… how lovely. I have three, and I think there are vastly more superior than a bejewelled starfish and a walking vat of milk."

"MIL!" Millicent said angrily, and took a step forwards, but the Minder flipped his cane up and pointed it at Gwenda's throat. She began hyperventilating, staring at the cane as it neared her throat, feeling her legs shake violently.

"If any of your Pokemon try anything, I will kill you all here and now," The Minder hissed, his calm manner passing as he let his angry side out. "You are going to walk with me and take me to find Victoria and Andrew. I will torture you briefly and kill anyone that helped you, and than take you back to the farm, where Edmund will surely have some fun tricks lined up, don't you think?"

"H-h-h-how did you sur-survive?" Gwenda asked, the only words she was able to form, and the Minder smiled again.

"The power of teleportation is always a convenient thing to have," he replied. "Kadabra managed to use Teleport a second before the entire thing exploded, and Skarmory flew me to safety. I actually used a contact the farm has with a gunpowder supplier, who smuggles his supplies from Johto in some of our vats. He gave me several barrels and Kadabra placed them in the 118 Ferry, just in case I wasn't able to capture you in time."

"You were going to kill innocent people just to kill us?" Gwenda gasped.

"Do not sound so surprised, darling," The Minder said, brushing a wrinkled hand against her head, sending shivers down her spine. "I will very willingly kill all of these people here right now if they try and stop me, but who of them will? They'll just think you belong to me for whatever reason, and no one is going to try and protect some foul little black girl like you. Now let us get moving. Edmund's patience is being tested enough, and I know that with each hour that passes, he will think of a new way to extend your pain, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?" He put his whip and cane in the same hand and grabbed hold of Gwenda's right arm, dragging her forwards as he walked. Gwenda tried to walk, but her legs finally gave way and she collapsed to the ground, nearly crushing Scarlett.

"GET UP!" The Minder roared, and brought his whip crashing down onto her chest. Her screams echoed around the route, and silence fell across the queue of people as they stared towards her. Gwenda looked up, seeing that there were all staring at her, the arguments and complaining stopping, all eyes focused on her. But not a single person moved from the queue. Not a single person dared to defy the Minder, dared to interrupt a situation they knew nothing about. Gwenda knew the Minder and Edmund were sick, twisted people, but seeing no one come forward to help her made her want to throw up. She was a human being, being tortured by someone and dragged to her death. She didn't care what her skin colour was, and neither should they.

But if no one else was going to help her, it was time Gwenda stood up for herself.

"GET UP I SAID, GET UP!" The Minder roared and he raised his whip again. But as it came down, Gwenda raised her free arm, grasping onto the blood stained leather. Using all her might and the Minder's surprise, she pulled on it. The Minder yelled out as he crashed face down in the grass, and Gwenda quickly leapt to her feet, Millicent helping her up. But she didn't accept her hug of support, simply staring down at who she could know see was a frail, foul tempered old man with a bad leg and a sick agenda.

"I don't care what your orders are," Gwenda hissed as The Minder gathered himself together, struggling to stand up. "If you want to kill me, Victoria, Andrew or any of our Pokemon, you are going to have to defeat me first!"

"STAR!" Scarlett added, and fired a shower of golden stars that sent the whip flying from the Minder's hand. The old man looked stunned, but his aging smile slowly crept back onto his face, his right hand driving the cane into the ground to help him get back onto his feet.

"Very well than, Gwenda, I will play your game," he said, pulling three Level Balls out of his pocket. "I will battle you, and one of us will win. And very simple prizes for that: if you win, you and your friend will live… for now. But if I win, I get to kill you before you can ever bring your Pokemon back, agreed?" Gwenda looked at the man, and then down at Millicent and Scarlett. She wasn't the best at controlling Pokemon, but these two were loyal and had decent moves between them. The Minder had a Skarmory, a Kadabra and something else, but he didn't know what her two Pokemon could do. And if Gwenda didn't stand up for her and her friends, kept running from battles that they fought for her, than how was she going to make it to Lilycove?

"I accept."

Chapter Nineteen: Duel

The Minder seemed to purr as he moved backwards several paces, leaving enough space between him and Gwenda for a battle. Now that she was thinking about it, Gwenda wasn't sure if the battle would be a smart move or not: she had never seen The Minder battle properly, but she had a feeling his Pokemon had a lot of good moves like the personal Tauros Edmund Parrish had. And if he did have a third Pokemon, Gwenda would be left to be killed if Millicent and Scarlett fainted. She looked around, wondering if any Pokemon would appear, but only a Roselia was sitting on a rose bush was around, and she wasn't looking at the battle.

"Not nervous now, are we?" The Minder called cheerily. "I should say now that if you back down, I get to kill you, agreed?" Gwenda simply nodded, taking several deep breathes and getting back on focus. She glanced at the crowd and could see that it was moving along as they got their tickets, not making a sound and trying not to stare, but their eyes kept flickering back to them, still no one coming to help.

"Are you two ready?" Gwenda asked.

"Mil Mil!"

"Staryu Yu Star!"

"Excellent," Gwenda said, glad that they were confident. The Minder seemed to be ravishing in her discomfort and nervousness, and raised one of his Level Balls forwards as if offering her a treat.

"I shall take the first turn, shall I?" He said with a twisted smile, and allowed the ball to burst open, energy forming in front of him. A second later his Kadabra was standing there, spoon outstretched a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Ah, a Kadabra… a Psychic type!" Gwenda said, though she wasn't even sure if that was true. "I think I will use…"

"Staryu Star Star!" Scarlett said, moving forwards and flexing her limbs.

"I will use Scarlett!" Gwenda said happily, but this seemed to just make the Minder laugh once again.

"Your Pokemon are choosing for you… how pathetic!" He laughed, and Gwenda was tempted to run forwards and punch him in his wrinkled old face, but knew that she would have to fight fairly even if he wasn't going to. "Very well then – Kadabra vs Staryu… let us just see who comes out on top. Psybeam, go!"

"Kadab!" Kadabra said, and he put his spoon to his head. Rainbow circles shot out of his eyes in a rapid beam, washing over Scarlett and nearly knocking her over. Gwenda was shocked at the speed and power, and was beginning to doubt this battle even more.

"Alright… BubbleBeam!" She commanded. Scarlett fired a series of bubbles towards Kadabra, some of which hit, but he mostly slashed his spoon down and popped them all, leaving the Minder smiling.

"You'll have to do much better than that, I'm afraid," he said. "Disable!" Kadabra raised his spoon up, and it and his eyes glowed pink. They suddenly turned blue, and Scarlett flashed blue a moment later. Gwenda tried to think, and thought she knew what it did: Disable stopped moves that were just used from being used again. Already she was one move down.

"Swift!" Gwenda cried, and Scarlett rapidly fired the stars towards Kadabra. This attack seemed to work better and even forced Kadabra back slightly, but not enough to fully knock him down. "Brilliant, use it again!" Gwenda said.

"Cheating are we Miss Wilson?" The Minder growled, and Gwenda gasped: she had never told anyone, not even Victoria, her last name before. How did the Minder know something so personal and so secret? "If you are going to cheat, two can play at that game! Teleport repeatedly and than use Psybeam," The Minder commanded. Kadabra's body flashed white, and he suddenly began to pop all over the place. Scarlett would turn when he appeared and start firing, but Kadabra would have left before she got to him. Gwenda and Millicent felt giddy just watching this unfold and had to hold onto each other, and Gwenda was thrown when Kadabra suddenly appeared right behind Scarlett.

"Dabra," he said, and Scarlett hadn't even turned around before the Psybeam hit her. She rotated forwards like a run away cog and landed in a pile on the ground right near the queue. Gwenda gasped, and could see that Scarlett didn't look particularly good. The Minder smiled, and Kadabra began to slowly walk over with his spoon raised, obviously planning some sort of attack.

"Come on Scarlett, use Swift or… or… Recover! Or…," than Gwenda froze, her nervous face beginning to lighten up as she remembered what Scarlett's other move was that she had shown her earlier. "USE SURF!" The Minder gasped, and people in the queue began murmuring, clearly entertained by Gwenda's fight for her life.

"Staaaaar," Scarlett called, two of her limbs raising up. There was a sudden splashing sound from the waters behind, and Gwenda wasn't surprised the crowd was beginning to move. "YUUUUUU!" Scarlett yelled, and suddenly a wave of water rose up behind them. It snaked its way along the crowd, squeezing through the gap left the queue and arching over Scarlett. Kadabra looked shocked, and began to glow white in order to Teleport away, but it was too late: the wall hit him like a car and sent him spiralling, caught within the spiralling water. Scarlett got to her feet, her jewel flashing and her limbs twisting and moving, and she let the Surf raise up into the air, the same height at Lucifer's Cage.

"NOW!" Gwenda yelled, and the Surf disappeared. Kadabra fell many metres to the hard ground, landing with a loud, sickening thud. The Minder looked down at him, and for a moment Kadabra tried to move, but than his body became limp and his eyes crossed.

"YES!" Gwenda yelled, hugging Millicent and clapping as Scarlett spiralled over, her jewel flashing but still looking fairly weak. "That was an excellent job! You take a rest, Millicent can take his next Pokemon, if that is fine with her." Millicent nodded, and boldly took a step forwards as the Minder brought back Kadabra, stretching her muscles and glaring down at the old man.

"Very good job Gwenda," the Minder said with a snarl, replacing this Level Ball for the next. "I can see I underestimated you… but no matter, I can still stop you with my next Pokemon." Gwenda had more confidence now and didn't care for what he said, but tried to remember who the next Pokemon could be. Than she remembered a flash of silver and a loud thud as something crashed onto the deck of the Johto Jewel.

"Skarmory!" She gasped, and the Minder nodded as he unleashed his next Level Ball into the sky. They all looked upwards as the metallic bird formed, instantly squawking and screeching down at them. A Flying type would be harder to work with, and she wished she had Andrew's Electrike, but Gwenda knew of one move that would help them out.

"Rollout!" She called. Millicent folded up into a ball and began to roll forwards, moving around like a loose wheel and gathering up speed before heading for the trees, using them to help launch upwards.

"Air Slash," The Minder called. Skarmory spun around in mid air, gathering wind around her right wing, and than stopped and sent it flying towards Millicent. The speeding Miltank simply blasted through it and kept on rolling, crashing directly into Skarmory's chest.

"SKAAAR!" The metallic bird squawked as Millicent's heavy weight began to force her down, and Gwenda clapped as Skarmory was driven into the ground and Millicent simply rolled off. The Minder looked furious, and Gwenda could tell he was regretting getting involved in this battle.

"Use Rollout again, it will be easier now!" Gwenda called, and Millicent began to roll back at a greater speed than before. Skarmory was weakly getting up, the single Rollout clearly too strong for her.

"Use Slash, hurry up!" The Minder yelled. Gwenda was glad to see him angry and losing his dominance like this. She could never remember him ever training his Pokemon back at Miltank Meadows, and clearly his inexperience and possibly foul treatment of them was going to ruin things for him.

"Karmory Skar!" Skarmory squawked and flew forwards, right wing glowing a dazzling white. She was moving to one side and coming up close to Millicent, and Gwenda could see that either the Slash would knock Millicent aside or Millicent's Rollout would cause Skarmory to crash once more.

It turned out that both happened.

Millicent struck Skarmory's wing, and the two attacks seemed to work against each other. Skarmory cried out as she was sent spiralling to the side, but Millicent also began rolling out of control. The Roselia in the bush screamed and leapt aside as Millicent flattened it and crashed into a tree, folding out and looking dazed. Gwenda felt bad for her and the Roselia, but she heard the Minder scream and looked over towards Skarmory: she was lying like a heap of scrap metal, useless and unable to battle.

"Oh dear: it looks like I still have two Pokemon and you only have one. I wonder how this is going to turn out?" Gwenda said cheekily, and smiled back at the foul glare the Minder was giving her. Veins in his neck and forehead were throbbing with rage, and as he glared towards Skarmory, Gwenda was surprised the foul look wasn't going to melt her.

"I can still win this, so I would not be so cocky!" The Minder growled viciously, bringing Skarmory back and grabbing his last Level Ball. Gwenda shrugged as Millicent walked back, rubbing her head but otherwise fine.

"Are you fine to continue?" Gwenda asked, and Millicent nodded, and the three females turned towards the Minder as he released his next Pokemon. For a second Gwenda thought a rock had been sent onto the field, but arms suddenly came out of it, and she realised it was the legless Geodude. She looked at Millicent and her large body, and than down at Scarlett and her Water type attacks, and than up at the Minder and smiled.

"Funnily enough, I think I stand a chance at winning this," she said with a bright smile, and the Minder simply tightened his grip on his cane and whip. Gwenda didn't care about him any more though: facing him in battle simply showed that he was weak and incompetent and a terrible trainer, hiding behind his weapons for protection.

"Zen Headbutt," Gwenda commanded.

"Rollout," The Minder said angrily. Geodude wrapped his arms around his body and began to roll forwards, and Millicent ran forwards with her head glowing a bright pink. Millicent had a lot more weight and power behind her, and quite easily ran into Geodude and sent him flying backwards while only getting a little damage, the Rock and Ground type smacking into a tree and landing on the ground.

"GET BACK OUT THERE!" The Minder hissed, thrashing his whip against the ground. Geodude nodded and moved forwards fearfully. Gwenda had hoped it would have been easy enough, but she knew how to build up a powerful move.

"Bide, now!" Gwenda shouted, and the Minder seemed to curse this. Millicent began to glow white, gathering together the energy she would use.

"Keep using Rollout!" The old man growled, digging his cane into the ground in his rage. Geodude rolled forwards and struck Millicent in the stomach, but her weight absorbed the blow and she remained upright, staring down at the Geodude and smiling as she continued to glow. Gwenda was excited, knowing this battle was nearly over, and that she would be able to flee and get Victoria and Andrew and sort out a new plan, and possibly even get the police in order to capture him. Nothing could ruin her plans nothing… absolutely nothing.

"ROSE!"

Except that.

Gwenda turned around as the tiny Roselia stomped forwards, swinging her rose-covered arms as she marched through the grass. She didn't look particularly happy, and Gwenda could see that her bush had been completely destroyed and turned into twigs.

"Roselia Rose Rose Selia!" Roselia growled, stomping her foot against the ground. Gwenda didn't want the battle to be interrupted now, and had a feeling that the Roselia would end up ruining the battle.

"I am very sorry Roselia, Millicent did not mean to ruin your bush!" Gwenda said pleadingly. The Roselia gave Gwenda a slight nod before turning towards the Minder. The old man gave the small Grass type a strange look as she marched forwards, raising her roses up at him.

"ROSE ROSE ROSELIA ELIA ROSE SELIA ROSELIA!" The Roselia screeched, and suddenly her roses turned lime green and little projectiles were fired from them, splattering against the Minder.

"What is it, what do you want?" He growled, Geodude moving forwards to protect his trainer. Roselia scoffed and whacked him backwards with one of her roses and kept firing at the Minder.

"She is annoyed about her bush being destroyed," Gwenda said. "She must blame you and Skarmory for ruining it." The Minder scoffed and stared down at the Roselia, raising his cane to deflect the Pin Missiles coming his way.

"I do not care about the feelings of such a small, useless Pokemon," he laughed and swung his cane. Gwenda, Millicent and Scarlett gasped as Roselia was sent flying by the cane, and than the whip came crashing down and smashed her to the ground.

"YOU MONSTER!" Gwenda screamed, rushing forwards to tend to the injured Pokemon. Roselia had a gash across the middle of her body, and was covering it with her roses, a pained expression across her face. "How could you do such a thing?"

"Are you really going to risk this battle simply for a Roselia?" The Minder scoffed. "You can go and tend to this thing if you like, but I will kill you before you can take five steps. Your decision though." Gwenda did not want to lose this battle after coming so close and knew that the Minder was trying to manipulate her. But the Roselia was very hurt, and Gwenda didn't want her to suffer.

"Rose Rose," the Roselia suddenly send, forcing away Gwenda's grip and standing up. She raised her red rose to the sky and pointed her blue one forwards: the red one glowed green and the tip of the blue one formed a small green ball.

"Solarbeam!" Gwenda gasped, backing away as the powerful attack was formed.

"Miltank Mil Mil!" Millicent said, taking a step forwards as she continued to glow white, getting brighter and brighter. The Minder and Geodude were trapped, two strong attacks coming their way. Gwenda and Scarlett stepped backwards happily, the queue of ferry goers rushing away in fright.

"See you later," Gwenda called out to the Minder, who was staring at the attacks in shock. She was expecting him to wait and accept his fate, but the Minder leapt backwards behind a bush, leaving Geodude there.

"SELFDESTRUCT!" He shouted, just as the Solarbeam and Bide were unleashed. Gwenda simply gasped and grabbed Scarlett, leaping backwards behind a tree as Geodude blew himself up.

The three attacks collided upon each other, and the result was predictable.

A giant shock wave was released, bright light shining a blinding and fiery white. It was so strong that the trees shook violently, their branches being torn away and leaves burning up. The bushes were sent scattering, and Gwenda and Scarlett slumped against the tree, the heat burning through them. Screams sounded around them, and Gwenda clung desperately to Scarlett, memories flowing through her of screaming family members and intense heat wafting over her, the images of the burning house still burnt into her eyelids…

Stop it! Gwenda said, forcing the memories away as tears formed. By the time the nightmare was behind her, she realised that the shock wave had stopped though the screams continued. Gwenda opened her eyes to see the trees around her were burning and scorched, wild Pokemon such as Seedot and Zigzagoon fleeing the scene.

"MILLICENT, ROSELIA!" Gwenda yelled, rushing forwards as Scarlett fired a series of BubbleBeam at the trees. Millicent was slumped against a tree, still conscious but much weaker than she had been a few moments ago. But the field was destroyed: all grass had been burnt away for about a ten metre radius, and the ground had been severely cracked and damaged. The queue had been blown over, and people were screaming as their luggage had been damaged, friends and family injured, the ticket office on fire.

"Millicent, are you alright?" Gwenda asked, and the Miltank nodded, pointing instead towards something else. Gwenda placed Scarlett down and rushed towards Roselia, who was still scarred from the whip and was covered in ash, looking very weak. This was all Gwenda;s fault that she had been harmed, and her guilt was unbearable. She scooped the feeble, tiny thing up and her arms and glanced towards the bushes. The Minder was lying unconscious against a tree, his Geodude a few feet away having unleashed the main powerful force of this explosion.

"Millicent, Scarlett, make sure that those two do not move," Gwenda said, and the two Pokemon nodded, Scarlett still firing BubbleBeam at the various fires around the place. Gwenda nodded at them and began to run, heading towards the Pokemon Center in Mauville. She needed to heal Roselia, and than needed to find the police or some sort of authoritative figure that would come and get the Minder and lock him away for good.

It was time to end this, once and for all.

Second to last chapter of the year!



Chapter Twenty: Message

All was quiet in Mauville City. Doctor Granger said that this usually happened around lunch time, when people stayed indoors and ate and then headed back into the hub of the city afterwards. It was the quietest time of the day, and it would be the best time to let them slip out without many people noticing.

"Take it easy and try to rest more," the kind doctor had said to Victoria and Andrew as he let them out of the door. "I don't want to see you back here anytime soon!" And he slipped a small bag into Andrew's hands as they left and gave them a final smile before shutting the door.

The peace and quiet was very refreshing, and Victoria took in the fresh sights of this city. The ground was all grassy and dirty, a much nicer change from the ports of Olivine and Slateport, and beautiful mountains and hills rose up on all sides. The buildings all seemed quite nice and homely, and Victoria thought this would be a nice place to settle down some day.

"Oh my," Andrew gasped, and Victoria turned to see he was staring into the bag from the doctor before he put it into the suitcase. "He's given us a bunch of supplies: medicine, berries, some fruit and bread, a leather pouch of water, Pokemon food and… what are these?" He pulled out a series of large black discs, and Victoria remembered seeing things like them back at the farm.

"I think they play music or something like that," Victoria suggested, but watched as a piece of white paper fluttered out from them. Both she and Andrew bent down to grab it, and their hands brushed against each other as they grabbed it. Victoria felt goosebumps up her arm and pulled away, watching as Andrew's face lit up a shade of red.

"It says that these are a new method of teaching Pokemon moves," Andrew said, reading the note quickly to cover up their moment. "I don't see how this would teach a Pokemon a move though… do you?" Victoria shrugged, not really paying attention as she stared across at Andrew, feeling a sensation stirring up in her heart. Andrew looked up to see why she wasn't responding and instead saw the look on her face. He slid the large records into the bag and put it and the suitcase down before walking forwards and wrapping his arms around her.

"What if people see?" Victoria whispered, glancing around nervously though still wearing her smile. Andrew simply smiled and planted his lips on hers, and they remained in this embrace for about ten seconds.

"Let them look. I would gladly go to jail if it means I got to kiss you first," he replied softly, and Victoria found herself feeling rather hot and waved herself with her fan, beginning to feel her face burning up. They kissed once again, and both of them would gladly stay like this for the rest of the day if they could, glad to be spending this time together.

However, it wasn't to last.

"VICTORIA, ANDREW!" The shout ripped through the silent city, and Victoria and Andrew broke apart as they turned around to see where Gwenda was. Victoria saw her running out of a building made from orange stone, fear covering her entire face, and Victoria knew something was wrong.

"Why aren't you at the ferry?" Victoria asked as Andrew packed the bag into the suitcase. Gwenda looked on the verge of tears and hugged Victoria first before she spoke, her body shaking.

"The Minder was there and he challenged me to a battle!" Gwenda explained, making Victoria gasp and Andrew leap to his feet. "He wasn't very good though and Millicent and Scarlett managed to defeat him, but than a Roselia came over, angry that her bush had been destroyed. The Minder struck her with his whip and there was an explosion of moves. I think he had been knocked out when I left, but I left Millicent and Scarlett to guard him and took the Roselia to the Pokemon Center," Gwenda explained quickly, and the tears suddenly began to fall. "I don't want… the Roselia… to die! The nurse said she is… she is… she is quite hurt, but will do her best… but I still don't want her … to die…," Gwenda sobbed, and Victoria gave her a soothing pat on the back whilst exchanging looks with Andrew.

"It's fine now, he can't hurt you," Victoria said. "You go back to the Roselia, we'll go and get the Minder and bring him to the police." Gwenda shook her head as she pulled away, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand.

"I cannot bear to look at that poor wounded Roselia, and the nurse said being there would only make things worse for me," she said. "I want to be there, I want to see how he looks when he realises he cannot win!" Victoria smiled slightly at her friend's strong words, but they all froze as screams suddenly sounded in the distance. Victoria and Gwenda both looked shocked, but Andrew suddenly pulled a Fast Ball out of his pocket and threw it.

"Electrike, lead the way!" He shouted, and Victoria watched in surprise as the yellow and green Pokemon she had tripped over materialized. Andrew looked up at her and pulled an apologetic face. "Sorry… I was focused on other things and forgot to say," he said, but Victoria shrugged.

"I'm more disappointed you didn't give him a nickname," she said, and Andrew managed a half smile, but they quickly got back into the seriousness of their situation. Electrike barked and quickly began rushing forwards, and the three began to run after, wondering what had happened since Gwenda had left the route behind…



From a distance, you could tell things had changed.

The fire continued to burn from the collapsed ticket building, and it seemed to be spreading to the surrounding bushes and trees. The queue of people had suddenly disappeared, though about a dozen figures were lying on the ground, surrounded by discarded luggage. The 118 Ferry had also arrived, dramatically smaller than the Johto Jewel and its white paint had faded to an odd shade of yellow. Anyone walking past could tell that something had happened: you could feel it in the air, though the force behind it was not making himself known…

As the trio appeared, they instantly split up, silently seeming to decide on what they would do. Electrike was barking and run between the humans, and Victoria got down next to one woman lying face down in the grass. She bent her over, asking if she was alright, but gasped when she saw the wounds: a hideous, bloody gash running around her neck, the signs of being choked to death. Andrew was searching around for the Minder, Millicent and Scarlett, wondering if they remained in the area, while Gwenda was walking transfixed towards the ferry. It was strange how it hadn't been there before yet the people had, but now things had changed, and Gwenda had a feeling she knew why.

"The people, their on the boat!" She cried, turning to face Victoria and Andrew. "The Minder must have woken up and overpowered Millicent and Scarlett, than killed this people and forced the others onto the ferry."

"Why would he do that?" Victoria said, getting up from the choked woman and looking around. "Why would he kill this people and force them onto the boat? It doesn't seem like him," she said, and Gwenda nodded, trying to put the pieces together. But than she realised something and gasped, staring back at the ferry in horror.

"He put a bomb onto the ferry!" Gwenda cried, and Victoria gasped. Andrew began to run forwards with Electrike, heading towards the aging wooden jetty leading to the ferry, but he paused as something loud groaned next to him. Victoria gasped and rushed forwards towards Millicent, who was stumbling out from the bushes. She had a large gash across her back and along her face, and Victoria couldn't bare to see her Miltank like this and began to cry, giving Millicent a huge hug that she reciprocated.

"Where's Scarlett?" Gwenda cried, and Millicent pointed back to where she had come from. Gwenda sprinted forwards to find Scarlett stumbling forwards, a large crack in the middle of her jewel. Gwenda shrieked and picked her up, giving her a soothing hug. Andrew and Electrike moved away from the crying girls and turned towards the ferry.

"Electrike, we need to get in there and get those people out," Andrew explained. "I can't see the people around, so he has probably lit the fuse and gone away. Be ready to run if something goes wrong, alright?"

"Trike Trike!" Electrike said, and the two moved forwards.

"Be careful Andrew!" Victoria called through her tears. "It might be dangerous!" Andrew was going to respond, but a cold laugh suddenly erupted behind them, and they all froze in shock.

"Yes Andrew, it may just be too dangerous for you," the Minder snarled as he emerged from the ferry. His limp was much worse, even his cane couldn't help fix it, yet it didn't seem to bother him: his smile was wide and cruel as he moved forwards, a piece of rope trailing out from his hand holding his whip. "Your little black slut doesn't want you to die, so you better than her away before your all roasting!" The Minder's laugh got louder as he dropped the rope and focused on moving forwards, cane and whip in hand.

"ELECTRIKE ELEC LEC!" Electrike growled, and he raced forwards, glowing yellow. The Minder simply scoffed and smashed the whip into the ground, and Electrike froze and backed away from the flying leather.

"Why did you kill these people?" Andrew shouted, pointing to the victims behind them. "Why are you going to kill these innocent lives?" The Minder simply smiled wider as he moved forwards, thrashing his whip constantly against the ground. The sound seemed to hurt Millicent and Scarlett, and Victoria and Gwenda moved with them further away, Andrew slowly moving to them.

"After Gwenda beat me, it was most embarrassing and I felt bad about myself," the Minder explained as he approached the burning shack. "I couldn't let those people watching think I was weak, so decided to act. One of them approached me asking if I was alright, and I promptly beat him to death with my cane. I beat and strangled my way through the fleeing crowd, including harming those two Pokemon who tried to stop, and decided I should teach you three a lesson as well, especially if Gwenda was going to bring you others here to bring me in. So I forced the people onboard the ferry and arranged my explosives, and told them that if any of them tried to stop the fire, I would kill them all individually." The Minder laughed at the terrified looks on their faces and moved closer still to the shack, reaching out towards the burning pieces of wood.

"How is that going to teach us anything?" Andrew hissed, and the Minder looked up at him, his smile fading as a scowl formed on his face. He had a piece of wood in his hands and moved back towards the jetty, though continued to glare at Andrew.

"I am sending you a message," he hissed. "No matter how hard you try to stop me, no matter how hard you try to outsmart me or defeat me, I am going to win in the end. I will kill as many people as necessary to get to you three: I would even break little Judith Parrish's neck if she ever tried to get in the way. Your fate is mine, and I will get to you in the end, so you might as well give in now." The Minder had paused above his rope, holding the burning wood in his hands, a smile returning to his face, and Victoria realised what he was doing: they hand themselves over to him, or he would kill everyone on the boat.

"We are free from you and the Parrishs!" Andrew yelled, staring at the Minder and not at the wood. "We will escape you and you will never be able to catch us, and you will be the one that gets killed in the end!" The Minder nodding, closing his eyes, his smile fading slightly. Victoria wanted to yell out and make him stop, but his fingers were already slipping from the wood.

"How disappointing," he said, and dropped the wood. Victoria screamed as the rope caught alight and quickly began to burn. "It looks like there is even more blood on your hand Mr Kingston… how disappointing."

"RUN!" Andrew shouted, pushing the two girls backwards. Electrike fired a yellow ball of electricity towards the Minder, who simply pushed himself backwards into the water, a white flash erupting a moment later. Victoria wanted to go back, try and do something to save the people, but the rope had already burnt up into the ferry.

"We shouldn't have left them," Victoria hissed, giving Andrew a furious glare. He shot her back a rival look and kept on running, none of them looking back, none of them wanting to face the horror they left behind.

But they couldn't ignore the explosion.

They were close enough to Mauville City to not feel any shockwave or flying debris, but the sound would probably sound in Slateport. The three turned around to see a cloud of black and orange smoke rising up from the hull of the ferry. Already it was beginning to sink, the yellow frame tipping forwards into the water. Many people were trapped inside this giant sinking tomb, unable to escape and sentenced to a horrible death combining both fire and water. Victoria felt a tear rise up in her eyes, but Millicent was pulling on her, trying to get her to move.

"We have to get out of here, before anyone comes and starts asking questions," Andrew said. Victoria didn't want to listen to him but reluctantly turned around and began walking, one last image of the fast sinking ferry burnt into her eyes. However, they all quickly noticed that Gwenda wasn't moving: she had collapsed to the ground, watching the smoke rise into the air, her entire body shaking.

"Gwenda, we have to go!" Andrew shouted, but Gwenda didn't seem to hear him, her attention focused on the smoke. Andrew pulled her to her feet and backed away, but Gwenda simply tipped over backwards. He sighed and put an arm between hers and half dragged her forwards, Gwenda still turning back towards the ferry, which was now deep below the water's surface. Victoria, Millicent and Electrike reluctantly moved forwards, a loud siren sounding in the town, and they quickly disappeared before anyone could see them leaving the site, anyone could name them as being guilty in what just occurred.

Though Victoria was well aware of what monsters they truly were.



Part Four begins next time!

Part Four: The Mirage Tower

Deep in the heart of Hoenn, a mystery lies beneath the sand.

Route 111 contains one of the few deserts in any of the major regions. In the middle of the route, which is otherwise quite a normal grassy route, a sandstorm constantly rages. The golden yellow flecks of sand that had been there for centuries are whirled and blown around by winds that ripple through the surrounding mountains and rages through the sand. The wind only blows in the desert, leaving the rest of the route untouched, but the desert section is made nightmarish to cross. A constant veil of sand impairs your vision, preventing anyone from seeing more than five feet around them at any given time. It is quite easy for people to be lost for the rest of their lives in the desert, straying in the wrong direction and unable to find their way to the grass. Only the best of hikers are able to navigate this area, and it is recommend you hire one if you plan on passing through alive and healthy.

The desert may seem awful and a place that should be avoided, but there is a secret within the desert. A secret that keeps drawing people towards it, in hopes that they will be able to unlock the secrets.

The Mirage Tower.

For years it was thought that the four storey tower made of compacted sand was simply a mirage, hence its names. However, in recent years, people have actually made their way into the tower, made their way to the top floors, only for the tower to fade away around them. Some people say it only appears to those that are worthy, others say it is due to movements in the earth or an act of Arceus, but no one has ever worked out why this tower suddenly appears and disappears.

But there was one rumour about this tower that people could agree on. All those that had entered had spoken of seeing rubies, sapphires and emeralds embedded in the walls, gold and silver trophies, piles of coins as high as the eye could see, though the tower had disappeared before they could take anything more than sketches of the beauty, the treasures buried beneath the sand. Anyone that heard of these treasures became entranced by the tales, and many lives were changed towards finding these rumoured treasures, hoping that they could possess them and unlock the true mysteries of the Mirage Tower.


Chapter Twenty One: Guilty

"We need to stop."

"No… we have to keep running."

"It is too hot to keep running! Doctor Granger said to take breaks."

"They could be following us!"

"Do you see anyone bloody following us?"

Andrew turned furiously around to face Victoria, but could see she had a point: the dirt covered road with only patches of grass behind them was empty of anything asides from bushes, trees and rocks. Victoria glared at him as she came to a stop, hands on her knees and taking deep breathes. Route 111 was mostly uphill, and after running it for nearly an hour, Victoria was ready to either rest or beat Andrew with the suitcase.

He had not stopped moving since the explosion around two hours ago. Andrew had wanted to get running straight away, head for the train at Lavaridge Town and leave Mauville behind, but Gwenda insisted on rescuing the Roselia. Andrew had protested, but Victoria sided with her best friend on this one, and they went to the Pokemon Center. Once the nurse and a special Pokemon Doctor had healed the wound, Gwenda captured the Roselia inside the Love Ball. After this, Gwenda slipped back into her catatonic state and did not say a word. Millicent, Scarlett and Electrike were healed during this time as well, with Millicent's skin allowing for faster healing and Scarlett receiving special cream for her jewel.

Once this was completed, Andrew set them off. The entire city had poured to the intersection to see what was going on, though Machamp and Vigoroth were being used to keep people backwards, including screaming, weeping friends and family of the victims. Victoria felt even worse about the incident as they slipped away to Route 111, Millicent having to carry Gwenda as she seemed unable to walk on her own.

The running was hard and painful, as Victoria was already tired and ready to collapse from her sufferings over the past few days. She knew that Andrew wanted them to keep moving, put as much distance from the city as possible in case someone had noticed them and began pointing fingers, but she couldn't bring herself to run away like this. Deep down, Victoria felt responsible for the bombing. They hadn't caused it or intended to cause it, and she wasn't sure if the Minder wouldn't have set off the bomb anyway, but Victoria couldn't help but feel this way. They had led to the Johto Jewel being destroyed, and the other slaves back at the farm were undoubtedly being punished for their mistake: how many people would have to suffer before Victoria got what she wanted? Was she the most selfish person in the world for her actions?

I must find get to the Star Festival and find Jirachi, Victoria thought determinedly. Maybe then I can ease this guilt, try and reverse things, make them better… Victoria's head was beginning to hurt and she collapsed down to the ground, reaching across to the suitcase and getting the water pouch out. She had several large drinks before giving it to Andrew and then over to Gwenda. Victoria was not sure what had caused Gwenda to shut down, but did not want to pressure her friend or try and force her into revealing something if she didn't want to.

"Alright, that was enough of a rest," Andrew said. "I agree that no one is following us, so let's just stick to a brisk walk." Victoria looked up at Andrew and felt something angry rise up in her that had been bothering her since they left, and she was beginning to notice a serious flaw in the man she loved: speed. It seemed that Andrew could not keep still for more than a minute, constantly trying to get them to move and put distance between the bad things. Victoria could have been have able to cope with this in small doses, but it seemed his mind moved too quickly as well. Andrew had not even paused to think of a way to outsmart the Minder, to get the flaming wood out of his hand's and save the people on the ferry – no, Andrew just had to shout back the first thing that came into his head. Victoria was not sure how this affected his feelings for him, but it was definitely going to play on her mind.

"We're tired, give us a minute," Victoria said in an almost hiss, and she moved backwards in the grass to be with Gwenda and Millicent. A slight smile came on Gwenda's face, and Millicent gave Victoria a gentle pat on the back. Andrew, however, looked rather annoyed with this decision.

"Victoria, we need to keep mov –,"

"No Andrew, we need to rest!" Victoria growled. "We are not going to be very useful if the Minder tracks us down and we're too weak to run away or command a move! Just sit down and be patient," she snapped, and angrily grabbed the suitcase and smashed it to the ground. When she looked up, Victoria could see hurt in his eyes, but he shook his head and sat down, staring in the direction they were meant to be heading.

"Mil Mil Miltank Tank Mil," Millicent said, and Victoria just shrugged.

"I will deal with him later," she said as she opened up the suitcase. Victoria began examining the records Doctor Granger had given, and saw the each one had a colour and a move written on it, with a short description and instructions of how to work it. They now had discs that could teach Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Surf, Brick Break, Energy Ball, Flamethrower, Protect, Psychic… they just kept going on!

"We are going to have to work which of these moves you can learn," Victoria told Millicent as she passed some of the records over. Millicent was entranced by these and kept searching through, getting more and more excited at each one she looked at. Gwenda slowly moved and began to examine some of the records as well, her eyes lighting up in excitement at the sight of them.

"We could teach some to Scarlett and Roselia as well," Victoria said softly, "or does Roselia have a nickname now?" Gwenda seemed almost stunned to be spoken to, but she nodded and pulled the Love Ball out, smiling as she stared down at it.

"I think I will call her Petal," Gwenda replied, a smile crossing her face for the time in a while. Victoria whispered Petal, and thought it was quite a nice name. Suddenly, the Love Ball crashed to the ground, and even Andrew turned as Gwenda suddenly began to sob. Victoria rushed forwards to give her a comforting hug, and Gwenda began to cry into her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Victoria asked. "Are you crying about Petal's injury?" Gwenda shook her head and continued to cry, the sound echoing all around the valley. "Than what? You don't have to tell us, but we will be here for you if you do." Gwenda lifted her head up slightly and stared at Victoria with wet, tear filled eyes.

"It was my parents!" She cried, and broke down into another round of sobbing. Victoria almost froze in shock: Gwenda had never mentioned what had happened to her parents in the whole time they'd known each other, and always seized up when the subject came up. "I was outside! I watched as our house burnt to the ground, and there was nothing I could do… and there was nothing I could do on the Jewel or with the ferry… I left them all there to die!" Gwenda fell back into Victoria's shoulder and continued to cry non stop for ten minutes. Andrew came out of his grump and passed a handkerchief to Victoria, who used it to wipe the tears away. It was a truly heart breaking sight, but no one said a word, Victoria simply calming shushing her while Millicent and her patted and stroked her back, all the while thinking of the horrible conditions of how they had each arrived her: Victoria's parents had their throats slit, Andrew's parents had been shot, Gwenda's parents burnt in their own home. Death had brought them all together, yet they seemed to be bringing more death with each action they took.

"It's been half an hour," Andrew whispered in Victoria's ear. "I know you want to comfort her, but…," he stopped there due to the look Victoria was giving him, and went to back away when Gwenda suddenly sat back up, sniffing and wiping her eyes.

"He's right, we should be going," she said.

"We don't have to Gwenda!" Victoria said, giving Andrew another foul look. "If you are sad or shaken up, don't feel pressured to leave." Gwenda simply shook her head and got to her feet, though her legs wobbled slightly.

"It is best if we keep walking," she said. "I can deal with my problems myself… I've been dealing with them myself for a while now, haven't I?" A smile crossed her face, and Victoria had to agree as she got to her feet and gave her friend another long hug. "It was just the shock of seeing the explosions… it brought back memories…"

"Its fine sweetie, it makes perfect sense," Victoria said, and they stayed in their hug for another minute. Millicent let out a soft moo and joined in on the hug, making the girls laugh, and even Andrew joined in after he put Petal's ball and the records back in the suitcase.

"Well, let's get going then!" Gwenda said with new found cheeriness. "The route ahead can't be that much worse, can it?"

It could.

After another twenty minutes of walking through the valley, the group reached the desert section. They froze upon arrival, and the suitcase fell from Andrew's hands in shock. The three slaves and Millicent simply stared at the path in front of them, not sure what to say, not sure what to do…

Sand. Sand everywhere. Everywhere they looked, sand was there. A curtain of the stuff blocked their way, and they all came to the same conclusion as they stared at it: it would be impossible to walk through. They would get lost in this new desert valley, and they would never make it to Lilycove.

They were trapped.



Sorry it was not the most exciting ending to the year, but A Wish on Freedom shall return very early in January! Look out for the rest of Part Four and the final Part Five, where we will see if Victoria, Gwenda and Andrew's wishes come true or not. Thanks to all those people who read and reviewed and enjoyed this story over the year, and I hope you will enjoy what is still to come.