Vyren closed the door behind the group of Pokémon and Trainers, trying his best to make sure no one was watching and the sort. Flare glanced around the room, as did Charles, trying to find another old comrade, but couldn't detect the other old friend. They exchanged glances, before Charles pitted the question.
"Sam…where's Hydra?" the Charmander asked, softly, some how knowing the question would upset the Gym Leader. Samantha paled at the name, recalling those moments not so long ago…
Her brief train of thought was shattered when Vyren placed a hand on her shoulder, brining her from her trance. She glanced up at the sniper, who nodded slowly, then departed from the room, to let Sam explain it. The Gym Leader wasn't sure if she should take it as relief or anger for the sniper's departure, but he already left by the time Samantha wanted to ask.
The Gym Leader sighed, turning her attention back towards the pair of Pokémon she knew and the pair of Pokémon that were the children of the first pair. Her gaze diverted to Spark momentarily, before beginning her tale, about after Stadium, how she was 'resurrected', followed by her return to Star City, taking the position of Gym Leader, and how it followed to this point, and the end of Hydra as they know it. The description was short, but the tale was long…
Vyren lifted the scope of his rifle to his eye, picking out one of the many tin cans he lined up on the edge of the Pokémon Centre. The sun was setting on Vermillion City, though it didn't bother the sniper's alignment of his scope.
The shot echoed through the sky like a rippling sound wave, though no one would hear it, and even if they did, the chances of them figuring it was from the Pokémon Centre was slim, since it was one of the safest places to be. Well, that was Vyren's logic behind it.
The round hit the tin can on the side, nicking it into the air before landing onto the roof with a soft thud. Vyren sighed, recalibrating the scope of his weapon, thrown out of alignment after Flare tackled him, the rifle going flying out of his hands and crashing, realigning the scope into a different position.
"Hi…" a voice spoke from the entrance of the roof. Vyren glanced back, seeing only Flare standing by the door, a light smile on her face, though it faded quickly.
"Hey…" Vyren responded, blindly realigning the scope, then taking aim again, firing. Once more, the shot was off, this time, a bit lower then the intended mark. The sniper cursed softly, realigning the rifle scope again.
"Did…I do that?" Flare asked, approaching Vyren slowly. The sniper shook his head lightly, taking aim once more.
"Maybe, but I don't blame you," Vyren answered, firing, the shot hitting home this time. "You did think I was after your kids, and you acted naturally, I can't blame you for anything. Besides, it's nothing a little time and handiwork can't fix." Flare approached closer, until she was right beside Vyren. The sniper was surprised when the Flareon placed head against his side, nuzzling him lightly.
"Thank you, for taking care of Sam," Flare spoke softly, drawing closer to the sniper.
"I've only known her for a few days, I didn't do much," Vyren responded, wondering why he was getting all this affection. He placed his hand on Flare's back, rubbing her soft mane lightly, then brushing his hand back.
"Still, thank you," the Flareon spoke, pulling away a bit as Vyren began to disassemble his rifle and replace it into his pack. Flare watched with interest, still guilty at damaging the rifle, even if it was repaired now.
"Will you be travelling with us now that you have been reunited?" Vyren asked, having mixed feelings about the answer. He didn't enjoy the fact of travelling in large crowds, as it tended to attract attention, but in retrospect, the more friends, the better they can look out for each other.
The answer came when Flare nodded her head, saying she, and her companions would be travelling as Samantha's Pokémon, 'just like old times' she added softly.
"Come, we should get some rest then," Vyren remarked, hefting the pack and heading towards the entrance, or in this case, exit. "We depart early tomorrow, so we should be well rested." Flare agreed silently, following the sniper back into the centre.
Kystel and Karrion were perched on the roof of the Gym, watching the Pokémon Centre from the distance. Both opted to remain as sentry while the other rested.
"Team Rocket is losing their hold on Chimeras," Kystel commented blatantly, without provocation. Karrion turned her gaze towards the Fearow, wondering what he meant by those words. Kystel knew the Pidgeot would be interested in what he had to say now. "That ship at the Trilands, it house many Chimeras, in fact, it's one of the main facility of Chimera experimentation. Recently, a group of Chimeras and Pokémon 'escaped', though it was called a mutiny. One of those Pokémon was a friend of mine, Skymin, but that is a moot point. The fact remains that it is a Team Rocket ship, though no one on board really knows except for the authoritative figures and scientists."
"So, how did you find out?" Karrion questioned the Fearow, glancing back down towards the Pokémon Centre. Even now, she should not fail guarding over Samantha…
"A scientist on board informed me," Kystel answered, softly. "She was the same person who informed the first group of 'mutineers' of such information, and I'm guessing that's why they wanted to 'escape'."
"I don't understand…why would this scientist tell you of the true nature of the ship?" the Pidgeot asked, curious about the information 'leak', so to say.
"From what I can interpret, the scientist's daughter was also part of the original set of experiments dealing in Chimeras," the Fearow returned, closing his eyes and lowering his head. "And now, here she is, turning a whole ship into Chimeras…I guess she just couldn't stand it anymore…" Karrion listened silently, the Fearow sounding as though he was responsible for all that was happening. He may be knowledgeable, as was everyone else, but something else bothered him, something deeper. "No use dwelling on old memories," Kystel quickly added, perking back up and remaining on guard, watching the Centre. Karrion agreed, also returning her gaze towards the Centre, remaining diligent in guarding their companions.
Umbre hopped up and down on the bed, never being on anything so 'bouncy' before in his life. He laughed happily, a child with his toys.
"Do you have to be so childish?" Espe asked, shaking her head disappointedly. The Umbreon ignored his sister, continuing to bounce around on the bed, just as Samantha returned to her room, Flare by her side. Umbre quickly stopped jumping, but Flare knew anyway. The Flareon also shook her head disappointedly, like Espe.
"Now Umbre, stop playing around, you have to get your rest for tomorrow," Flare told her child. Umbre nodded slowly, leaping down from the bed.
"Yes, mother," he spoke sarcastically, or perhaps he was bitter. He left the chambers and headed for Vyren's room. The party agreed on all females in one room, and all males in the other, hence the divide. Sam would have preferred Spark to be with her, but Spark and Charles were getting so into reacquainting with each other that it seemed appropriate they were together. Besides, the Gym Leader knew she could trust Flare as much as she could trust Spark. The same went for Charles, and Sam felt relieved to have more old friends with her on this journey.
The Gym Leader ran a hand down Flare's back, who purred in response to Samantha's touch. Both smiled, glad to be reunited, Samantha slipping into her bed, preparing for tomorrow's long trip across the ocean. Flare did the same, laying onto the sleeping mat provided by the Centre for Pokémon to rest during the night. Espe curled up beside her mother, sharing body heat with each other to stay warm during the night.
Worried as she might be, Samantha slowly dozed off, fatigued from the days events…
Fog engulfed the young Gym Leader, fog that appeared from no where. Samantha waved her arms in the fog, trying to find her bearings, but could not sense anything that would help her find her position.
"Flare? Espe?" Samantha yelled out, trying to find the pair of Pokémon she shared her room with, but she doubted this was the room at the Centre anymore. She could feel the fog grow deeper around her, thicker, as if to contain her. "Where am I?" she asked silently, giving up on finding out on her own and glancing around as far as possible through the soup of fog. It wasn't much of a view for the Gym Leader.
"Samantha…"
"W-Who's there?!" Sam cried out, frantically searching out the source of the hollow tone. She found nothing, especially through the fog of the world.
"Sam…"
The Gym Leader glanced around, unable to find out who was speaking to her. The fog grew lighter, as a slight drizzle began to start, though it didn't effect the Gym Leader much.
"Do not worry about me…"
Samantha remained motionless, beginning to recognize the voice as it became more 'complete', more natural. She began to rake her mind for any ideas, and then it dawned on her, where that voice was. The drizzle became a down pour on that realization.
"We will meet again…"
The voice faded out of existence, Samantha screaming out of the name of who the voice belonged to, wanting to so talk with him again…
"HYDRA!" Samantha screamed out, sitting straight up in her bed, and waking up the other females in the room. Flare was up to her feet already, though Espe was in a groggy recovery. The Flareon glanced up to Sam, upon realizing it was a nightmare. The Gym Leader was panting, sweat trickling down her side.
"Sam…?" Flare asked, wondering what the Gym Leader saw in her dreams, especially one to prompt a reaction resulting in screaming out the name of a former companion…
"I…I am alright…" Sam spoke softly, glancing out the window. Thing beams of light shone through the cracks of the curtains, signalling early morning for them. This was followed by a rather loud knocking at her door.
"Sam?!" came the muffled voice of Vyren as he pounded on the door, also hearing the scream from within. His force eventually knocked the door open, as he dashed in, flanked by Spark, Charles, and Umbre. They saw Sam still in bed. The Gym Leader gave her best smile, which wasn't much considering who she just 'chatted' with in her dreams.
"I…I'm okay," she lied blatantly, visibly shaken by her dream. She glanced out the window, blinking once. Her tone was sad, as she spoke again. "We have a boat to catch…so…." The others nodded slowly, agreeing silently, but concerned about Samantha's condition. However, she wouldn't give them any sign of weakness, as she slipped out of bed, preparing herself for the journey. She stopped when she noticed everyone was still staring at her.
"Can you…please leave me alone? Just wait for me at the dock, I'll be alright," she told them, forcing another smile. Again, they nodded, this time departing, closing the door silently behind them. Sam thanked them silently for her privacy, packing up her items, thinking about her dreams…thinking about her Squirtle…
Kystel and Karrion were perched on the railing by the docks, waiting for the others to arrive. They knew the others were okay, especially flanked by so many Pokémon, and upon seeing they were awake, decided to scout out the dock to make sure nothing suspicious was going on.
"Have you been living alone, all this time…?" Kystel finally asked, breaking the silence the pair shared. Karrion didn't wish to answer that question, glancing away. "Um…if I offended you…I'm sorry…" Kystel quickly apologizing, kicking himself for bringing up the topic.
"I had a boyfriend, when I was much younger, in the days back on Cinnabar," Karrion spoke, revealing a history she kept buried over the years since she smuggled Samantha away. "Another Pidgeot, back on Cinnabar. He helped…me escape, by distracting the guards as they tried to gun me down," she spoke softly, closing her eyes. Kystel didn't need more of an explanation, it was quite clear what had happened to that Pidgeot.
"I've lived alone since then, not wanting to put many other people in peril, I just want to protect Sam now…" she continued, glancing up and seeing Vyren and the whole group of Pokémon following behind, though Sam was no where to be seen.
"She'll be coming," Vyren quickly explained, though he nervously looked back towards where the Centre was, wishing the Gym Leader would hurry it up. Karrion flapped her wings carelessly, knowing it would be alright, before taking off for one more round anyway. Kystel watched the female Pidgeot fly up, seeing a glisten of regret and guilt in the female's eye. Once more, the Fearow kicked himself, wishing again that he didn't bring it up.
By the time he was done his slight mood swing, he looked back up, seeing Samantha catching up to the group now. Something seemed to disturb her, but Kystel was in no position to ask, not wanting to upset another soul today. The group loaded up onto the boat, preparing for the long cruise towards the Trilands.