Chapter 39: Yet Another Offer


     "What in the heck are you doing?" screamed someone behind us and
his voice was echoed in the desolate cavern. We turned around. Archie,
the leader of Team Aqua was running towards us.

     "I was too late," he mumbled to himself. In a louder voice, he
said, "Do you realize what you three have just done?" He was directing
that question towards Josh, Taylor and Wally.

     "Yes. We completed a goal that Team Magma has been working on for
quite some time," Josh said proudly.

     "I have to correct you, Josh. You and Wally completed that goal. I
refused to participate in it. I don't want to be on this stupid team
anyways. You guys did it, not me," Taylor told them. He was certainly
surprising me these days.

     "The sunlight is so bright that it's threatening to dry up the
WORLD'S water!" Archie shouted. "Watch, follow me!"

     The Team Aqua leader led us to a patch of land outside. The rays
were blinding and I had to wear sunglasses to be able to open my eyes.
The light did nothing to help my bad vision.

     Wally bit his lip and that only worried me further. "It wasn't
supposed to be this bright, Josh."

     "Who cares? This is probably better anyways," Josh said casually.
It burned my insides to hear him say that. How could he be so heartless?
I thought I had known him, but I really never did. I realized now more
than ever that he had been so fake.

     "People can die in this weather!" Sam exclaimed. It seemed very
weird to have the six original members of our group together again, but
things would never be the same again.

     "People weren't supposed to die in our original plan. I was forced
to be in the room while Maxie thought it up," Taylor pointed out to
Josh. He looked even more worried than I felt.

     "There's only one place Groudon could've gone... The Cave of
Origin," Archie said thoughtfully. "You guys need to go to Sootopolis
and stop it."

     "Forget this," Josh scoffed. "I'm out of here!" And with that, he
recalled a Charizard and he and Wally flew off.

     "I better go too," Taylor said. "I need to make sure that they
don't cause any more trouble."

     "Thank you," I whispered. It meant a lot to me to know he had
changed, and my opinion of him would be altered forever.

     "Jenn, may I speak to you for one moment?" Archie questioned. I
went off with him, away from the group.

     He handed me a globe, similar to the orb Wally had used to awaken
Groudon. That's when I realized it. This was the red orb. Vicky had
spoken of two orbs. And now I had the second one. "That should control
Groudon. I need you to defeat it and return the sunlight to normal. I
believe that you can do this, Miss Frost, and I hope that I didn't
choose wrong."

     "You didn't," I assured him. "I won't let you down, Archie."

     "Are you sure you wouldn't want to be part of Team Aqua, Jenn?
You'd be really good at it."

     I hadn't been swayed before and I wouldn't be swayed this time. "No
thank you. This kind of thing would be a bit cool but I have enough
trouble following me already. I don't need Team Magma to hate me any
more than they do already."

     "I understand that," he said. "Those two guys looked like they
hated you."

     "They do. But before he was a Magma recruit, he had a huge crush on
me. I prefer it this way," I grinned. It certainly made things easier.
Besides, you would think that I had puked enough on my little escapade
on a raft to last a lifetime.

     I felt someone touch me on my shoulder and I jumped a little. "Are
you ready to go or am I interrupting something important?" Nathan
questioned and I smiled at him. I was so happy just to be around him.

     I looked back at Archie and he shook his head. "No, you're not.
Let's go and get my most hateful rivals up at Team Magma headquarters a
reason to hate me even more."