I hate studying for chemistry. I really hope I pass the bloody class!

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Chapter 2

Ibuki knows, without knowing, that something is wrong. Even as she stands in front of Blackthorn City gym, as her Hakuryuu uses Hakai Beam and the opposing Fushigisou crumples.

She is surprised to see the Leader of the Kanto no Shitennou waiting as she exits her gym, but she nods, and invites him inside for tea.

Red is nervous, his hands are shaking slightly and even when he sips his tea he looks, instead of calm and collected, nothing short of terrified.

She wonders if it has something to do with Kanna’s absence from the last League Meeting.

“I’ll cut straight to the point, Ibuki. I don’t trust Sakaki, so you’re the next best person to talk to about this.”

Ibuki nods, and watches the chrysanthemum blossoms in the tea float up and down, bobbing gently in the current. “Is Kanna ill?”
“Worse.” Red says, and her heart skips a beat.

“Worse?”

“She’s in a coma.”

Ibuki almost – almost drops her cup, but manages to set it down. “How?” She asks.

Red sighs. “You have head of Ketsuban, yes?”

Ibuki shakes her head. News does not travel that fast from Kanto to Johto sometimes. Red sighs.

“She was the first of the Shitennou to try against it. It is a very strong flying-type pokémon that haunts the coasts of Cinnabar. We thought that as she trained ice-types, she would defeat it easily.”

“But she didn’t.” Ibuki says.

“No. Ruujura managed to teleport her, but she slipped into a coma moments later and we don’t know what to do now…”

Ibuki frowns. “What about Natsume? Or Kikuko? Could they not see into her mind and help determine how to defeat this enemy?”

“We tried that already. Natsume saw nothing but shadows, and Kikuko is old, though powerful… she also saw nothing in Kanna’s memories save darkness and despair. It did not help...”

Ibuki shudders. “Then are you here to ask me to…?”

She is the Ryuu no Meiji-sama, now that grandfather is dead and buried those three years hence, but Red shakes his head.

“No, Ibuki. I would not send you out kamikaze… I would rather go myself first.”

She is touched by his gesture, though her heart belongs to another. They silently finish their tea, and she offers him mochi.

Red eats two of the mochi, before he asks her if she knows of anyone who might be able to help.

Ibuki frowns. She knows the other Ryuu no Meiji-sama by reputation only, and Genji in Houen is of their Shitennou, but…

But this … this problem they should not ask for help.

She shakes her head. “I’m sorry, Red. There is nothing I can do.”

The Leader of the Shitennou sighs, and nods. “It is all right, Ibuki. But I wish I knew what to do.”

She puts an arm around him, comfort only, and he sighs.

“You are too young to be bearing this burden, Red. You are only fifteen.”

Red shakes his head. They both know that it is true, but Kanto desperately needed a strong trainer to lead the Shitennou, with Kikuko getting on in years, so… age did not matter then.

It should not matter now.

For a moment, Ibuki sees something in her mind, and she cries out in surprise. Red immediately stares at her in shock, reaching for his PokéNavi so he can call a hospital, but she stops him.

“Did you see something?” He asks, as he wraps her in the tablecloth after moving the tea things off. It is good to keep people warm after they go into shock after all.

She smiles at his earnest efforts, but shakes her head. “It was not a vision of Kanna or even of Ketsuban.”

Something… Red has never been the most perceptive of people, but he would have been blind to miss the obvious clue. “You love Kanna, don’t you?”

“Yes.” Ibuki smiled.

Red nodded. “I’m sorry I sent Kanna…”

“Apologize again and I’ll smack you. It was your decision to make, and the idea was sound. If only we knew how powerful that demon was.”

Red would not quite go that far. He was sure Ketsuban was a pokémon like any other. The idea of it being a demon was a bit far-fetched, though it could be part-dark type in addition to flying, a bit like a Murkrow…

“What pokémon would you use against it, Red? Have you any legendaries?”

Red chuckles. “No.”

There is something in him that does not want to capture them. In the back of the mind, a whisper of Balancing, but he does not tell her that.

Ibuki smiles. For some reason, she can feel that he is doing the right thing. She nods, and he gets up to leave, releasing his Ptera from his poke ball.

It is a magnificent Ptera. Red would have made a good Ryuu no Meiji-sama, had he chosen that path instead of becoming one of the Shitennou – the only one who does not have a type theme.

But he does also have a Gyarados, and a Hakuryuu…

“Wait, Red!”

Red stops, as Ptera turns around in surprise, already preparing to fly away. “What is it, Ibuki?”

“My vision… I think I know who can help you on your quest to defeat Ketsuban.” Ibuki blurts out hastily.

Red’s eyes light up. “Who?”

“I… I think my cousin Wataru…”

“Wataru? Is she a Ryuu no Meiji-sama like you are? Why didn’t you mention her earlier?”

Ibuki flushes. “Wataru is a boy, Red, despite the name.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” Red scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment. “So where can I find him?”

“I don’t know.” Ibuki sighs. “I haven’t seen him in years, but just now, I caught a glimpse of him in a waterfall cave.”

There were not too many waterfall caves around. Red nodded. “Thank you, Ibuki. Would you like to come with me to the Plateau and see Kanna?”

“I would love that.”

The two of them flew back to Indigo, where Ibuki explained the situation to Shiba and Kikuko while Red went to search for Wataru.

Kikuko frowned. Something about that name stirred her memory, but she could not grasp its significance. With a frustrated sigh, she left Kanna’s room, leaving Ibuki to keep vigil over her lover while Shiba went to train his pokémon.

End Chapter

Completed 8/13/06

… Yes, Lance’s Japanese name is considered female. Go ahead and stare…

Lance: …

Red: *Glomps Lance*

Phantomness: It’s true! I did research!