[FIN] It Doesn't Get Better

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie's shoulder's fell when the recall sequence didn't work, her brow furrowing and tears brimming in her eyes the more Luke tried to get Mieu back into his ball, and back to normal.
"No... it has to work." she whimpered. It couldn't just be like this, this couldn't be happening, there had to be a way to stop this.

Her arms holding on more tightly to Northern, as with a startled gasp and a jerked step back upon reaction when Mieu turned to her with his building fury.
"Mieu, stop. come on, its us. Its your family." She said, trying to reach him by any feeble attempt she could muster.

Pop was quick to step forward, though avoided getting too much closer and trying not to show aggression to the Flareon, as he wasn't in his right mind, and with Rosie in its light of sight she didn't want to go sparking a reason for him to get any angrier.
 

[Suudonym]

Mieu responded with more of the same senseless aggression and threat displays, and as Pop confronted him as well, he pulled back and opened his mouth, flame bubbling at his mouth, though his Flamethrower was interrupted as the flat side of Luke's sword suddenly made full contact with his flank, batting him away from the girl. Before the Flareon could recover his footing, his trainer dropped down over him, stabbing the point of his sword into the ground beside him and putting his weight on a hand that pinned the fire-type to the ground.

For the first time since the tragedy had begun to unfold, Luke put his thoughts to voice, shouting desperately, "Is this some kind of revenge?! Is this for forgetting you ten years ago, and saying you were annoying, and treating you like you were a burden?! I get it! That's what I deserve; I understand! But how am I supposed to make it up to you if you're acting like this? What am I supposed to do if you won't let me do anything? Be Mieu. Please, just..."

The Flareon squirmed and scrabbled, clawing at the arm that restrained him and trying to achieve a position from which he could use his Flamethrower. When all efforts failed to free him, he gave a long cry of rage and frustration, "Flaaaaree!"

Luke's brow creased at the sound, his shoulders tense.  

[Blood_Goddess]

She was shaking, though she managed to keep standing as her Lopunny hurried to her side, wide eyes still watching the events fold out.

All Rosie could do was hope that Luke could get through to him, she didn't know what else they could do.  

[Suudonym]

Getting through the Flareon, as Luke understood it, was no longer a possibility. Mieu was already dead.

He remained in the position he had taken, unmoving and unspeaking, the long scratches being drawn over the burns and bites that already decorated his arm hardly registering in his senses. This was a cruelty. Mieu would never forgive a pokemon for behaving this way towards Luke or Rosie. He was quick-tempered and overly cautious, but never, never would he do anything that would threaten them.

His chest tight, his throat dry, Luke reached a trembling hand to the hilt of the sword standing beside him. This was the only mercy he could offer to the brother who had become something that he would hate and despise.

Luke drew in a long, long breath and exhaled it slowly, squeezing his eyes shut on reflex as he plunged the lethal edge down through soft flesh, the rushing thud of his heartbeat in his ears drowning out the sharp screams of the pokemon on the other end of the blade as they peaked and faded to silence.  

[Blood_Goddess]

There had to be a way, There had to be, it couldn't end like this! it could even happen like this! It would be okay, they would go to the league, the center could run some tests, they could figure it out... yeah, They had to figure it out, becasue this wasn't who Mieu was.
He was kind, protective, strong, and most of all, he loved Luke, he loved the boy he grew up with and always would.

It couldn't end like this-

Tears rolled off her face in streams as she blinked them out of her vision, her breath catching in her chest as she watched Luke lift up his sword, and at the moment it was thrust down fresh teams blurred her sight, giving her only the sound of the Flareon's pained cries.
Following the silence, Rosie's knees hit the ground, catching herself on an outstretched hand before he dropped any further to the ground, and letting out a panicked gasp followed abruptly with an anguished scream broken pitifully into open sobs, defiance, denial and pleading over and over again.
I wasn't supposed to end like that.

Pop just stood there, unmoving next to her trainer, staring with wide eyes at the scene before her.  

[Suudonym]

Luke pushed himself to his feet shakily, lifting the sword from bleeding corpse and taking a step back. Moving on reflex, he returned the blade to its scabbard, raising a hand to cover his eyes as he suddenly found the sunlight offensively bright. He swayed lightly on his feet, his expression dim and weary and his thoughts absent of any recognition of what had just transpired.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Pushing herself back to sit on her heels, placing her hand over her mouth and trying not to look up, afraid of what she would see.
Though movement, and the sound of a sword being returned to its sheath forced her eyes to lift to Luke.

Gently, Rosie placed Northern on the ground by Pop, and though she felt sick and weak Rosie forced herself to her feet.
Her uneven breath went unchecked, it was everything she could do to try and keep from sitting back down. But that had been Luke's best friend, and Luke had been the one to deliver the blow.
"Luke." She said, trying to get his attention, he wasn't looking good at all.  

[Suudonym]

Luke lowered his hand to his wrist, crossing the wounded arm in front of himself for its protection. He half turned in the direction of the familiar voice but abandoned the effort to move when the motion turned his stomach and dizzied his head. He remained where he stood, lowering his gaze to the ground.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Luke." Rosie repeated, drawing up to him and reaching out to touch him.
He wasn't talking to her, not that she blamed him. trying to clear her eyes she looked down at the injury on his arm, taking in a shaky breath then looking up at his face.
He looked ill and distant, Shock was probably setting in.
"Luke come on, we need to sit you down." She said quickly, reaching up to touch his face gently.  

[Suudonym]

Though he raised his eyes, he seemed more to look in her general direction than at her specifically. For a short time, he simply stared, his face pallid and his breath shallow. Eventually he leaned forward, tiredly setting his forehead against her shoulder.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Her shoulders fell when he looked up, but still didn't respond to her.
When he did finally move, it was to lean his head down against her, again without a single word.
A great deal of sorrow sank into her heart at that moment, just at the idea of what he must be going through, and there wasn't a single thing she could say.

Trying to stifle a whimper Rosie lifted her arms around him and held him.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Luke..."  

[Suudonym]

Every sense felt overwhelmed, yet at the same time, it seemed almost as though he was experiencing it indirectly; it was as if he was simply watching from somewhere outside of himself. And in fact, it seemed okay that way - not knowing what brought on the expression of sympathy, not understanding the throbbing heat that afflicted his arm, not acknowledging the ringing in his ears or the twisting of his stomach. He didn't dislike it that way.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Rosie wasn't sure how much time passed, it probably felt a lot more then it really was. She couldn't do anything, not sure what more she could do.

Eventually the sound of a vehicle pulled closer to them, Rosie glanced over to see that the police were finally here.
"Help us." she said to them as they stepped out of the vehicle, looking around with bewilderment.
One of the cops, after surveying the scene disappeared back into the car to call in an emergency, while the other hurried over with an air of caution to see what happened.