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A Pokéstory

A cool breeze accompanied by a dull throbbing pain in her head aroused her. Her eyes slowly blinked open as she instinctively put her hand on her head. Sprawled out on the ground, all she could see was a canopy of trees slightly covering the big blue sky above. She sat up to observe her surroundings. A forest. What was she doing here? Her little brown ears twitched slightly as the breeze picked up, blowing her long pink hair into her face. She brushed it away and stood up. Then she noticed her dress. It was blowing violently in the wind, and she had to hold it down to keep it still. It was pink and seemed to have taken a good beating at some point in its life. The bottom was torn to the point that it barely covered her thighs, and it was ripped and torn all over. Lost, she began to walk deeper into the forest, when she felt something cold under her bare feet. She looked down and saw a silver moon attached to a chain.
“What’s this?” she thought to herself, as she bent down and picked it up to examine it. On the back was an engraving. Emerald. “Who’s Emerald?”
Suddenly she heard a rustling in the bushes. “It’s just the wind,” she assured herself, but it persisted. Then, a large pinsir stepped out from the bushes and uttered a lout cry. She knew that she, a simple cleffa, was no match for this foe. Frozen in fear, she stood there as the pinsir inched closer and closer. Then, just as it was about to use vice grip, out of nowhere, a boy appeared. He jumped right in front of her.
“Safeguard,” he said in a surprisingly calm manner. This stopped the pinsir for now, but it gave an angry cry. “Psychic,” he continued. At this the pinsir gave a desperate wail and retreated.
As the battle ended she observed the boy carefully. He looked about her age. Probably somewhere between seventeen and twenty. He had long blue ears and a small black tail that had a white circle with a black dot in the middle, the characteristics of a wynaut. Then the boy turned around, and she noticed his beautiful golden eyes. His hair was choppy and black, and he wore a maroon sweatshirt with a blue pokeball on the pocket. His jeans were teal and fitted to his legs. They went down into a pair of black converse.
Just as she was about to mutter thank you, he started to walk away. “Wait!” she yelled after him.
He stopped and turned slowly.
“I didn’t even get to thank you.”
This obviously didn’t interest him because he turned and began to walk away again. She was stunned. Chasing after him she yelled, “Wait!” She came to a halt in front of him.
He stopped, rolling his eyes. Then he gave her an annoyed look that said what?
“Well…. I, ummm…… I don’t know how to get out of here.”
He sighed and shook his head. Then he waved his hand as if to say come on, and started to walk off again.
With a confused look, she followed him. His eyes only looked straight ahead. “So……” she mumbled. “Uh, thank you for saving me.” His eyes never wavered. “So, what’s your name?” Still no reply.
“At least, I don’t have to tell him mine,” she thought to herself.
He was silent as they walked along. They had been walking for what seemed a half an hour when they reached a river. “How are we going to cross that?” she questioned.
He pointed to a tree not far off. It had fallen and created a narrow bridge over the river.
“I-I don’t think I can cross that,” she replied, but that didn’t seem to phase him. He strolled over to the tree, motioned for her to follow, and started walking across.
She walked over to the tree, and nervously inched onto it. By this time, he had crossed and was watching her from the other side. She stepped very slowly. She was almost to the other side, when she lost her balance and fell to the raging river below. He jumped up in flash and grabbed her hand to stop her from being swept away. Then, steadying himself on the branch, he began to pull her back up. Panting as she came up, she clinged to the tree desperately. The boy sighed. Then he looked down at her and held his hand out. She looked into his eyes. They seemed kinder, relieved. She took it, and he led her off the tree.
They started walking again, and his eyes seemed to go back to their normal state. Almost emotionless, almost angry, a bit of both, and never wavering. She sighed. A cool wind blew, and a slight shiver ran through her body. His eyes glanced down at her for merely a moment, but he could do nothing so he went back to his usual disposition.
After a while, the trees began to thin, and she could see a town appearing near the end. It was a small town with quaint little houses and grocers. While she was looking around at the various buildings the boy veered off onto a turn. “Huh,” she mumbled turning her head. “Wait! I-I…” But he was gone. She sighed. Where was she going to go? She wondered around aimlessly for a while, until she was stopped by a large man who stepped out of an alley. He looked like a machamp. Two other men stepped out from the shadows, machokes. They were loud and seemed to be drunk.
“Well, well, well…” the first man started. He seemed to be the leader. “What do we have here?” She tried to back up, but one of the machokes stepped behind her, blocking her escape.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
She was speechless. “I….”
They closed in on her. “So what is a beautiful girl like you doing out on a night like this?” the machamp said twirling her hair. She yanked her head away. “Oh want to play it like that, huh?” They started pushing her around. When suddenly a voice rang out.
“Leave her alone Steve!” She turned to see the boy from earlier.
“Raiden, if you knew what was good for you, you would go home to your mother,” the machamp snarled.
“That sounds like a good idea,” he replied. “But I’m taking the girl with me.”
The machamp laughed. “You‘ll have to take her from me first.” He lunged for the boy. “Seismic toss!”
The boy didn’t flinch. “Safeguard.” The machamp seemed to bounce off of his shield. “Psychic.” The same attack combination he had used before. It seemed to be working well for him, because the machamp landed on the ground.
“Billy!” He yelled.
One of the machokes answered. “Yeah, Steve.”
“Get ‘im,” the machamp ordered.
At this the machoke lunged for him. “Dynamic punch!”
The boy sighed. “When will you learn?” He mumbled. “Safeguard.” This, of course, stopped the machoke and he followed up with mimic, releasing a painful punch. The machoke stumbled around for a bit and landed on the ground next to the machamp. He seemed a bit confused.
“John!” yelled the machamp. “Your turn.”
The other machoke who had been keeping watch over the girl came to attention. He looked frightened as the boy observed him waiting patiently for the next move. “Are you sure you wanna do this?” the boy asked. “If you just give me the girl we can avoid this.”
The machamp yelled again. “John! Come on.”
The machoke threw the girl at the boy. “Thank you.” He replied. He took her hand and quickly led her away.
“You’ll regret this!” the machamp yelled. Then he proceeded to reproach the last machoke.
“Thank you,” the girl said. “Again.” She smiled, but there was no reply. “So…. Your name is Raiden?”
He sighed. “Yeah. Something tells me you don’t have a place to stay.”
“No, not really.”
“Well, I suppose you can come home with me for the night. Where did you come from?” he inquired.
“I-I-I don’t know…” she stuttered.
“You don’t know!?” he bellowed. She looked down at the ground sadly, and he sighed again. “Well then what’s your name?” He continued forcing calmness.
“Ummmm….”
“You don’t know that either?” She handed him her necklace. Raiden turned it over to see the name etched into the charm. “Emerald.”
“I just woke up in the forest. I didn’t know where I had come from, or who I was. I found this a few feet away from me. I just assumed it was mine.”
“Then we’ll call you Emerald.” He looked at her and smiled for a brief moment. “There’s my house.” He said pointing to a very small cottage.
It seemed almost separated from the rest of the town. The outskirts she supposed. She followed him in, entering into a small living room. It was connected to a kitchen. There was a woman cooking dinner. She was older, and time had taken its toll on her. It seemed as if she had a hard life. Emerald figured she was a wobbuffet.
“Raiden,” she began. “I’m glad your home. I made….” she trailed off as she looked up. “Hello there, and who might you be?”
Emerald laughed. “Um… I’m Emerald.” She looked at Raiden almost unsure.
“Well, nice to meet you,” the woman said coming out of the kitchen. “I’m Karen,” she said wiping her hands on her apron, holding out her hand out to shake Emerald’s.
Raiden rolled his eyes. “Okay, Mom, Emerald here kind of needs a place to stay, and I thought since it was just you and me that we might have enough room for her.”
“Honey, can I talk to you for a second?” she replied. He rolled his eyes again, and they walked into the kitchen as if it gave them some privacy. “Where did you meet this girl?”
“Look, mom. Honestly I don’t want her here as much as you,” he began, “ but she has no where to go. I found her this afternoon and she doesn’t even remember her name.”
“She just told me it was Emerald.”
“She found a necklace. It had that name engraved on it. She doesn’t even know if its hers. Look, I know I sound crazy, but you need to trust me. If we turn her out, she’ll have no where to go.”
“Okay,” she sighed. “She can stay.”
They walked back into the living room. “You can stay,” he announced.
“The potato stew is ready,” his mother informed them. “Why don’t we all grab a bowl and sit down to eat.”
Over dinner they discussed the day’s events. Raiden’s mother was astonished to hear what had happened and was very sympathetic. She seemed to believe everything Emerald said, and, unlike Raiden, she didn’t yell or roll her eyes. She appeared to be a kind person, and she and Emerald took a great liking to each other. After dinner, his mother got out some blankets, and Raiden decided to take the couch, giving Emerald his room. It was small. There was bed with a nightstand on the side of it. On the nightstand was a clock, and at the foot of his bed was a big trunk. He had a small dresser on one wall, probably filled with clothes. Raiden’s mother gave her a nightgown to sleep in, and Emerald snuggled into the covers falling into a deep sleep.

She awoke to the sound of clattering pans and the fragrant smell of bacon. She surveyed her surroundings as se sat up. Raiden’s room. What had happened? Yesterday seemed like a dream to her, but here she was. She pulled the covers off lazily and stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen. Raiden’s mother was making breakfast.
“Good morning,” Raiden’s mother greeted her.
“Good morning,” Emerald replied.
“I’m making bacon. Raiden went out to get some eggs.”
“Oh really?” Emerald said surprised. “Maybe I could go out and help him.”
“I’m sure he would love some help. The coop is right behind the house. You can’t miss it.”
Emerald smiled and made her way through the house and out of the door. As she walked around to the back of the house she found herself surveying her surroundings very carefully. Every detail seemed important, although she wasn’t sure why. She just knew it was. She noticed a spider web in a tree nearby. It shimmered in the sun light. There was a small patch of clovers and daffodils by the corner of the house. As she stepped around to the back she noticed a small forest. The seemed to be everywhere here, surrounding the whole city like water surrounds a tiny island in the ocean. She saw the coop, an old, beaten up shack.
“Hello?” she questioned popping her head in.
Raiden turned. A look of irritation came over his face again, and she thought she heard him mumble something under his breath.
“Need some help?” she smiled.
“No,” he barked.
“Are you sure? Look! There’s an egg there!” she skipped over to an empty nest with a singular egg in it. She scooped up the egg with great concentration, extremely cautious not to break it, then walked slowly over to Raiden, and held it out to him. He sighed. “Here,” he thrust his basket of eggs toward her.
She smiled gleefully and placed the egg carefully into the basket, then began flitting around looking for another egg.
“She’s like a child,” Raiden mused to himself as he disrupted a chicken to check her nest. He glanced over at her. She seemed so oblivious to him, disconnected from the real world.
“Alright, I think that’s it,” he stated, looking in her direction.
“Oh?” she muttered, smiling broadly, but the boy only turned in disgust. She looked a bit disappointed. She only wanted a friend, but despite her attempts Raiden only distanced himself.
He crawled out the small door, and Emerald scuttled out after him. She noted everything again on the way back. Nothing had changed. The same spider web was still sparkling in the tree and the daffodils were still beautiful. She smiled at two squirrels playing in the bushes.
“So..” Emerald started, but Raiden just ignored her as he sulked along. He had that look again. He was determined to ignore her. She sighed.
The two entered the house to be greeted happily by his mother. “How many eggs did you get?”
“Nine,” Raiden replied. ”Not too bad.” He handed her the eggs which she immediately began to prepare. Raiden started setting the table. First he reached into the cabinets and took out plates and cups. Then, reaching into the fridge, he grabbed milk and juice. Soon the eggs were ready, and Raiden’s mother set them and the bacon on the table. The three sat down to breakfast making small talk as they ate. Raiden was quiet and spoke only when addressed by his mother. After they finished Raiden announced that he was off to work and left in a hurry. His mother began to clean up the dishes and suggested that Emerald explore the town, and so she was off.
Raiden and his mother lived a little ways off from the town. A ten minute walk. It was a relatively poor town. Very small. She wandered down the dirt roads looking at all the buildings along the way. It was almost like she had a photographic memory. Every detail stuck out to her. If she wanted to return the way she had come, she knew exactly where she was going after passing through briefly, as if she had lived there all her life.
As she walked down the street a pair of strong arms pulled her into an alley. They slammed her into a wall and pinned her there. It all seemed a bit hazy to her. Then she saw him. She couldn’t get a good look at him. It was dark. He had messy brown hair. His face was rough and worn, with stubble on his chin, but what she noticed most was his eyes. A look of both fury and surprise. “You little brat!” he snarled. “Why can’t you just stay dead!?”
“Who are you?” she winced.
“Don’t play stupid with me!” The man tightened his grip on her arms.
“No…….” she begged.
Suddenly something came over her. It was like someone just took over. Like autopilot mode. She began to hum softly. The man seemed alarmed. He roared, trying to cover her mouth, but she fidgeted and sang louder. The tune turned into lyrics. Lyrics that were so familiar. Lyrics she had heard before. Lyrics she had sang before. Where? Where did she know them from? The man’s grip slowly lightened. Then he released her and collapsed to the ground. She found herself rummaging through his pockets. In one she found a wallet, which she opened. There was an id in it. John Remington. Fake. At least that’s what her new found persona told her. She sifted through a wad of cash. $993. He stopped for a bite to eat somewhere. Probably started with a thousand. Hundreds, twenties, tens-it was all there. She noticed a cell phone sticking out of his pocket. Take it? Leave it. The voice said not to, but it was her only chance, the only thing linking herself to her past. She needed to understand what happened to her, so she took it with her.
I need to change my look. She made her way back to a thrift store she had seen before. An old lady sat behind the counter waiting for customers. She waved at her as she walked in, giving her a warm smile, but Emerald kept walking. She found the woman’s section quickly and sifted through the clothes. She needed something subtle. Nothing that stood out. She picked up a brown shirt with a scoop neck collar that hung off her shoulders and elbow-length sleeves. Next she picked up a pink skirt. It was short and puffed out a bit, but she liked it. She made her way over to the shoes and accessories. She chose a pair of brown converse, then picked up a brown belt and some rubber bands for her hair. Lastly she grabbed a pair of scissors, and made her way to the counter. Then she noticed a pair of fingerless brown gloves. Not very subtle, but what could it hurt. She made her way back to the counter where old lady smiled at her again. This time she returned the favor. She paid for the clothes with the money she had stolen.
“Do you have a changing room in here that I could use?” Emerald inquired.
The old lady pointed to the other side of the store. “Over there in the back corner.”
Emerald walked to the changing room and entered it. She started to tug on her dress straps, when suddenly she lost it. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she collapsed to the floor. Whoever had been pulling the strings before was gone, and it was just her. Why her? Why was all this happening to her? What had she done? Who was she? She was jerked back to reality by the cell phone. It rang loudly. Fumbling through the clothes with her trembling hands, she searched. She grabbed it and quickly answered.
“H-hello?” she stuttered.
“Hello,” a deep, ominous voice replied. “So, how did you do it?”
Something about the man’s voice made anger well up inside her. She felt like it was all going to burst from her. “Do what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she argued.
The voice chuckled. “What do you want? Because you must want something,” he stated, trying to change the subject.
“What do you mean what do I want? Who are you?”
He laughed again. “You know who I am. Can’t we just stop playing this game. It bores me. I know! Why don’t we play a new game. I’ll-”
She cut him off. “Who are you!?” she said raising her voice slightly.
There was a slight pause, before the man laughed satisfactorily. He seemed to find it all so amusing. “Who are you?” he retorted.
She was taken aback by the question. She had been asking herself the same thing since she had aroused in the forest, and yet it still frightened her. Just the thought that she had no answer, still. Maybe she would never have an answer.
“I-I-” she stammered, choking back tears. “I don’t know.”
“So it did do some damage. Not the result I was looking for, but this might be much better.”
“You make me sound like a lab rat! What did you do to me!?” All the pent up anger inside her exploded.
“You can still hold a conversation. So obviously you didn’t forget everything. So what did you forget? I’m thinking you lost your episodic memory or autobiographical. You know? The memories of your life basically, and you still have your implicit memory. The memories of your motor abilities. More or less. This is good. What am I saying? This is remarkable.”
“What if I remember more than you think I do!” she countered.
“Well you can’t remember that much if you don’t even know who are you are. Now can you?”
“My name is Emerald,” she declared.
“Emerald,” he scoffed. “You didn’t go by that name. So what’s your last name Emerald?”
“It’s-it’s-I don’t know…” she admitted, tears streaming down her face.
“That’s what I thought. You probably found that name in your locket didn’t you? Your precious locket. Look, I’m a busy man. So why don’t I just get back to you?”
“Wait!” she testified, but the line was dead. She took a deep breath. She was falling apart. After a moment to collect herself, she finished changing and put the money and the cell phone in her skirt pockets. Running her fingers through her long pink hair, she looked intently into the mirror. She picked up the pair of scissors and chopped it. Her long hair that had once extended to her hips, now reached a few inches past her shoulders. She fixed it into braided pigtails with her new rubber bands. She cleaned up, grabbed her dress, and made her way out of the store. The old lady gave her a strange look as she passed by, but she merely ignored her.
As she exited the store she surveyed her surroundings carefully. This was becoming a habit. Everything seemed to be in order. She continued down the road. Suddenly her stomach growled loudly, and she pulled the phone out of her pocket to check the time. One ‘o clock already. She walked down the road to an old diner she had noticed before. Once inside, she noticed Raiden sitting at a booth by the window. She caught his gaze as he glanced up from his food. His apathetic expression changed immediately. She sighed. “Why does he always get so annoyed around me?” She thought to herself.
She made her way over to the booth. Pushing his plate into the center of the table, he stood up. “I’m done,” he declared and started for the door.
“Raiden….” she begged as he passed. Raiden stopped and turned his head to her. For a moment there was silence, and their eyes locked.
He had never taken the time to really look at her. Her eyes were like an open book. He could see fear, anger, confusion, everything all mixed together. It looked like it was all just too much, and that she might burst into tears at any minute.
“Please?”
Raiden sighed. He was being a total jerk. She let go of his arm, and he slinked back into the booth. Emerald smiled faintly.
“So…” he started reluctantly. “Where have you been all day?”
She laughed painfully. “Around…”
He knew something was wrong; he had seen it in her eyes. “Come on. You pulled me back in here just to sit around with you?”
She noticed a change in his voice, a softer tone. He had an awkward smile on his face, and she could feel one creeping over hers as well. It was contagious. She laughed again. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
“First of all, ever since I’ve been here I’ve been noticing things. I’m always noticing things out of place. Like that stain on your shirt. You wiped it very well, so well in fact, that it’s still wet. I’m guessing, super potion? I bet your boss was upset with you.”
Astonished, he replied, “He was, very, but how did you know all of that?”
“I told you. I just do. I don’t know how or why. Things don’t even have to be off for me to notice. Like today, I was just walking around town. After passing through once, I knew exactly where I was going. It’s like I have a photographic memory. Then I was just taking a stroll when some guy grabbed me and pulled me into a dark alley. He was angry, so angry, and he just kept yelling at me. He had me pinned up against the wall.” She lifted her sleeve to show him a bruise on her arm. You could see the finger marks. “I have a headache from him banging me into it.”
“Who was it?” Raiden probed.
“I don’t know. He was very rough, big, but not huge, and his eyes, oh his eyes, but all of a sudden, I just started to hum. I was so displaced. I felt like someone else was controlling me. I didn’t know what I was doing, but he did, because he tried to silence me. But she-“ She paused to correct herself, “I refused and suddenly lyrics flowed from my mouth. I-I think it was a lullaby. It sounded like one. The lyrics seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place them. Then he was just out, lying limply on the ground. I found myself rummaging through his pockets. He had some money and a cell phone on him. I took them, went to the thrift store down the road, and bought these.” She looked down at her clothes. “Then she was gone. I thought it was all over. I was just taking it all in, when the phone rang. There was a man he-he knew me. I don’t know how, and he rambled on about memory. He was only interested in playing games with me. He wouldn’t tell me anything. Except,” she paused slightly, “he implied that he did this to me. That I had forgotten all my…” She scrambled for the word he used, “my autobiographical memory. My experiences. Everything that makes me, me. But then he just hung up. I just kind of sat there until I realized the time. I was starving so I came here, and-and…..” She had kept a rapid pace as she described the day, but as she neared the end of her story and slowed down, she just couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
Raiden got up from his side of the booth and sat next to her. He wasn’t sure what to do. He was still in shock. Could she be telling the truth? She looked up into his eyes for merely a second, and he knew. It was true. He tried to pat her on the back, but she grasped his sweatshirt tightly and began to sob into his chest. He embraced her softly, whispering comforting words to her. The two stayed there for a minute or so, attracting attention. Raiden glanced around nervously. Then Emerald took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s okay,” he replied.
Emerald laughed softly. Raiden made her feel just a little better. There was just something about him.
“Well…” he trailed off. “I have to get back to work. They’ll be looking for me. We can talk when I come home.” Then he got up from the booth and hurriedly exited the diner.
She watched him as he left. Then she called the waitress to her table and ordered some lunch. She ate quietly, trying to decide where to go next. There wasn’t much for her to do now but wait for Raiden. So she decided on going back to the house until he got home. She finished her meal and did just that.

It was around six by the time Raiden got off of work. He juggled a bottle of awaken in his hands as he tried to lock up the store. He worked at the pokemart. Why his small town even had one, he couldn’t guess. He was their best customer. He always came home with something. He had potions, tm’s, and various other paraphernalia saved up for his trips to the woods. The store was so small that they carried few things. Raiden had to special order much of his collection. He had longed to one day move onto a bigger town where he could really train, but he always stayed behind. He could never leave his mother. When everything was in order he made his way through the darks streets back to his house.

As he entered his home, he saw Emerald sweeping the kitchen floor. His mother was washing dishes, and the two were chatting and laughing. They had really taken a liking to each other. Emerald was the first one to notice him as she glanced up from her broom.
“Raiden!” she squealed, nearly dropping her broom. She ran over to him and embraced him.
“Yeah, yeah,” he responded apathetically. “I have something for you.” He held out the bottle of awaken.
“Awaken? I don’t understand…” she mused.
“That song that you sing that puts everyone to sleep, it’s called lullaby. A common attack that puts foes to sleep.”
“Oh, and you use awaken to wake them up!” She smiled enthusiastically. “I chose that song because-because Mom used to sing it to me every night. Mom…” Suddenly a feeling of grief overwhelmed her. Visions flashed trough her mind. A car burning. Horror flooded through her body. Then there were body bags on the ground. She could see herself, a younger her, screaming and crying, trying to fight her way out of arms. They weren’t much bigger than her own. And then nothing. It all flashed through her mind like clips of movie.
To Raiden she seemed to be in a daze. “Emerald….? Emerald!” Tears slowly crept down her face. Snapping back to reality, she wiped a tear from her cheek and gazed at it inquisitively. “Are you okay?”
“Oh,” she started, looking up at him, “yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Just, um…. Visions?” She said almost more like a question than a fact.”
“Visions? What did you see?”
“Well it was like watching a trailer for a movie. Just clips. “
“But what did you see?’
“Well there-there was a car, and then body bags. I saw-I saw me I was crying. I think I was trying to run to the car, but someone was holding me back. And then nothing.”
“Sounds like a car wreck.”
“A car wreck….” she muttered to herself. She could feel the memories at the tips of her fingers, but they were just beyond her reach. She tried to remember but it was blocked, and so she gave a deep sigh and returned her gaze to Raiden.
He could see the disappointment on her face. “Maybe you should just get some sleep.” He stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes to encourage her.
“You’re right,” she agreed. She told his mother good night and went to his room to sleep. The whole night her dreams were filled with images of burning cars and body bags. The nightmares repeated over and over again. They jolted her awake in cold sweats. It must have been the ninth or tenth time when something changed. The view shifted from the strong arm that held her back up to the face of a young boy. Then she could see the whole picture clearly. He strained to hold her as she thrashed about violently. He, himself fought back tears. He seemed to be only a few years older than she was. Too young for this scene. He had long brown hair and blue eyes. Then suddenly she awoke. Her heart ached, but why? She missed him. The boy who had held her. She missed him so dearly. It seemed to plague her. Then she caught on to scent of breakfast in the air, and it was gone. Back to reality. She grimaced as she pulled herself out of bed. Her “sleep” hadn’t done her much good. A shiver ran through her spine as she touched her feet to the floor. Raiden’s mother had patched up her dress for her to use as a night gown the day before. Her clothes had been set out to dry after she had washed them last night, so she just went straight into the kitchen. Raiden’s mom was busying herself with breakfast, but Raiden was gone.
“Where’s Raiden?” she questioned.
His mother replied, “Oh he’s outside doing his chores.”
Emerald had figured as much. So she found her clothes and changed, but when she came out ,he was still gone. Deciding to meet him, she went outside, but to her surprise the chicken coop was empty, and he was nowhere to be seen. She searched around frantically. It all seemed so familiar. This feeling. This moment. Then suddenly something caught her eye. The bush where the squirrels had been playing the day before was disrupted. Leaves and twigs were crushed next to it. Entering the woods, she found a trail, and it was fresh. But there was only one set of foot prints. Odd that there are any footprints. Following the trail, she noticed it was labored, as if it were carrying something heavy.
She neared a small clearing after about twenty minutes. She climbed into a tree nearby and peeked out onto the clearing. She saw Raiden tied to a stump, unconscious. The man from yesterday was staring down at him. He had his arms crossed and a smug smile across his face. He looked different though. Instead of his plane trench coat, this one had flames spewed across it, and he wore red gloves in the shape of claws. They looked almost like shovels and were strapped to the top of his hands. They seemed very sharp. She made a mental note of them. Now he wore no hat and she could see his face clearly. His short spiky hair came to a high red point, and his red tail blazed with fire. He had to be a charmeleon. I have to get his attention away from Raiden. She made her way from tree to tree until she was facing his back. Then she proceeded to rustle the leave to grab his attention, but the man merely chuckled, his gaze undaunted.
“You can come down from that tree now,” he declared. “I’m appalled that you even use such menial methods on me. Trying to distract me from the prize like that. In fact…” He raised his hand to attack Raiden.
A scene flashed through her mind. The brown headed boy from her dream. There was a bright flash and then it was gone. “No!” She screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. She darted from the tree she was in to Raiden’s side. She saw the flames. It must have been a flamethrower. She took a direct hit for her bravery, letting out a piercing scream, she crumpled to the ground. The paint was excruciating. Every inch of the front of her body was burned.
His low chuckled evolved into a loud roar. “You moron,” he scoffed as he walked over to her. You just screwed yourself.” He stood over her and aimed his hand directly at her face. It still sparked from his previous attack. ”Good bye, Emerald.” His hand flamed vigorously and prepared to attack.
Emerald reacted in a split second. “Pound!” she yelled bringing her fist down on the ground. The whole clearing shook and the man lost his footing. His flamethrower shot up into the air. “Mega punch!” She pulled herself off of the ground and then threw her whole body into a punch to his face. It was a considerable blow. Worse than the hit she had taken. She was amazed at all the strength that she could muster up. Judging by his reaction to her attack, and her reaction to his, she was stronger than her was. He growled in frustration, then responded with ember, but her punch had slowed him immensely. Emerald quickly pushed herself off of the ground and out of the way. He found himself attacking nothing, and this angered him even more. He threw himself at her, pinning her down. He tried to attack again, but she pushed him off with a mega kick to the gut. He struggled to pick himself up off the ground. Emerald stood up and walked over to the man. She pressed her foot down on his chest and ended the fight with a final mega punch to the face. He was unconscious.
For a moment she just stared down at him. Half of her was observing him carefully to make sure he was down. While the other half was just amazing that she had done this to him; that she had been the one fighting this fight; that she had won. This posed the question once again. “Who am I?” Looks could be so deceiving. Little old her taking down him. She could have mused over it all day. Raiden! She was reminded of his predicament by that little voice again.
Suddenly, it hit her. The person hiding inside her. The one who kept her safe. The one who seemed to be so elusive. That’s who she really was. She bent down and untied Raiden from the stump. To her surprise she lifted him up in her arms, but it seemed so natural to her. Something “she” had done many times no doubt. The weight wasn’t much for her. So she began to walk back to the house, pondering who she could be, and what she could have done.

By the time Emerald returned to the house an hour and a half had pass since she had left. As she entered the house, Raiden’s mother scrambled over to them as she laid him on the couch. She fondled him and blurted out question after question. She was on the verge of tears. Emerald was speechless. Then she saw another vision.
The boy from earlier. He was lying on the ground. There was blood. So much blood. Sorrow filled her. Then she ran over to him, and held him in her arms. He was dead, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all her fault.
Then she could hear Raiden’s mother again, and the boy was gone. It struck her. This was all her fault. If he hadn’t been with her none of this would have happened. It’s not the first time.
“I-I-” she stammered, “I have to go!” She ran to Raiden’s room.
“Where are you-?” His mother yelled after her, but she was gone. His mother turned her head back to Raiden and stroked his face gently. His eyes slowly fluttered open. “Raiden!” she gasped embracing him tightly. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I thought you were…” She trailed off.
Raiden looked around blankly as his mother held him tightly. Then suddenly it all came rushing back to him. That man-he was getting the eggs and he heard a noise. When he turned there was a man there. He hit him hard. And then… Nothing. But why would he… “Emerald!” he called out in realization.
Loosening her grip on him, his mother replied, “What?”
“Where is Emerald?”
“She went back there somewhere. I-”
Raiden cut her off as he quickly made his way to the back of the house. She was in his room. Seeing her, he entered the room. Emerald was standing over his bed. Having folded her nightgown, she now stood staring down at it, as if in deep thought.
“Emerald?” he began. Startled, she turned nervously to face him. She seemed scared. He continued, “That man who took me… He was here for you, wasn’t he?”
“He was trying to get to me,” she answered.
“What did he want?”
“I-I-I don’t know. He said something… He said ‘he’ wanted me alive. Like he was referring to someone. He was restless, though, and it seemed like he wanted a fight. He just needed an excuse. Look. I’m sorry,” she said turning back to the bed. “I’m leaving, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“It’s all my fault Raiden. If I wasn’t here you’d never have been taken. This is why I travel alone. I can’t stay in one place for too long.” She surprised herself with the last sentences she released., but they seemed to just flow out of her.
Raiden moved closer to her. “Hey!” he exclaimed. The sudden increase in volume startled her. “You’re not going anywhere. Okay?”
“I can’t stay here Raiden. They know I’m here, and I’ll only cause you and your mother more pain if I stay. I have to leave.”
He sighed deeply. Then, making a decision, he announced, ”I’m coming with you.”
“Raiden, you-”
“Hey!” He yelled cheerfully, a grin covered his face. “I’ve been waiting all my life to leave this town. It was bound to happen eventually. Besides,” he continued smugly, “You can’t do this by yourself. I mean look at you! You’re a mess, an emotional wreck. You can’t remember who you are; you can’t remember how to fight. How are you going to take care of yourself? You need me.”
“Oh really? Do I?” She questioned sarcastically.
“Couldn’t live without me.”
“Well then, I guess I have no choice” She chuckled. “But how will you tell your mother?”
“I knew this day would come,” His mother replied from the doorway. She stepped into the room. She had been listening from the hall the whole time.
“Mom!” Raiden gasped, speechless.
She moved closer to him. Fixing his hair she began, “You’re always training. You hate it here. The only thing that’s ever held you back, is me. All these years…”
“Mom I-”
“Raiden,” She sighed deeply, “Go. I’ll be fine. You need to do this, for you.” Her eyes teared up, as she smiled.
“How will you support yourself?”
“I’ll be fine. I can take care of the house by myself and get a job during the day. I have a lot of extra time on my hands anyway.”
“Thank you Mom.” He hugged her tightly.
His mother glanced over at Emerald. “Please keep him safe.”
“I promise to do whatever I can.” It was bittersweet to her. Knowing she couldn’t possibly keep that promise, and yet she was determined to.
His mother nodded and rubbed Raiden’s arm gently before leaving the room. He stared after her for a moment, then he went to work, getting ready to leave. First he grabbed a bag from his closet. He yanked open his dresser and put three outfits in it. Next he bent down on the floor, and grabbed a box from under his bed. He opened it to reveal a small stack of bills. He examined it closely. His life savings. He looked around the room one more time, then got up and exited it. His mother was waiting by the door. They hugged one last time before he left. He split the money and gave her half. It brought her to tears. She refused, but he still forced it into her hand. Then he and Emerald left.
As they left the house she thought she saw a small tear glistening in his eye. “Are you okay?” she ventured.
“I’m fine,” he retorted, loosing any sadness left in his expression. “Now, where are we going?”
“Well-um-” She glanced at the clothes in her hand. “Oh, we should go shopping.” He eyed her suspiciously. “I’ll go to grocers while you stock up on supplies from the pokemart. Then we’ll meet at the diner and eat before we leave for the next town.”
“All right!” He exclaimed. “Let’s go!”
The two split up and did their jobs. Emerald bought a bag for herself while she was out. A simple brown messenger bag with a pink flower stitched into the front. When she got to the diner Raiden was there waiting for her. He had ordered something already, so she did the same. The two were finished and out in half an hour.
“Well,” Raiden said, “this is the road leading out to town.” The two stood at the beginning of a long dirt road. “The only road out actually.”
“Where does it go?” she wondered aloud.
“Deckersville. I’ve been there a few times on deliveries.” He surveyed the town one last time, and they started down the road.
Emerald fidgeted nervously as they walked. Raiden had that look again. She concluded that this would be a long walk.

“Are we there yet?” Emerald groaned.
“For the twentieth time, we are not there! Does it look like we’re there?” Raiden snapped.
“But we’ve been walking for three hours.”
“We’re almost there. If I’d have known you were going to complain so much then I would have just left you on your own!”
Emerald sighed. She looked up at Raiden with a pathetic face. Suddenly his eyes widened and a small smile played across his face. She looked forward to see what had penetrated his barrier. Then a large smile crept across her face as well. The sun had just inched over the horizon, and the bright city lights seemed to light up the sky. She took it all in for a moment. It was breath taking. They were close. “We’re here?”
“Not ye-”
“Deckersville here I come!” She yelled suddenly bolting forward.
“Huh? Wait!” Raiden yelled scrambling after her.
Suddenly emerald stopped abruptly. She noticed a cluster of houses, jammed together on either side of the dirt road. They looked like shacks, dilapidated and run down. Everything seemed dirty. The people she saw outside were in barely more than rags. They looked like her after she had woken up in the woods.
Raiden nearly ran over her as he tried to stop. He put his hands on his knees and took deep breaths. “Are you insane?” He yelled. People eyed them suspiciously. He looked around nervously.
“Where are we?”
“This is the outskirts of Deckersville,” he began as he moved closer to her, slowly grabbing her arm. “This is not exactly the best part of town. It’s not really safe here. Come on. Let’s keep moving,.” He nudged her forward.
Finally, they reached the city.
“It’s so beautiful…” she muttered. Admiring the lights and tall buildings.
Raiden shook his head, but he couldn’t hold back a small smirk. This was it. The beginning of his adventure. “All right, enough. We have to find a place to spend the night. There’s a hotel a few blocks down.”
“There’s one right there!” She yelled, taking off again.
Raiden sighed heavily and followed her. He entered the lobby of what was an average hotel. The room was empty, and there was no one behind the counter.
“Hello?” Emerald called out timidly. Her voice echoed off the walls. Raiden leaned slowly over the counter.
“Hello!” a girl yelled, popping up from behind the counter into Raiden‘s face. Their noses touched for a moment.
“Gahhhhh!” Raiden fell to the floor with a loud thud.
The girl hopped over the counter quickly. “Oh my!” She gasped, crouching down over Raiden who was now sporting a small bump on his head. “Are you okay? Did I startle you?”
“Mehhh… Startle?” Raiden mumbled, rubbing his head and sitting up slowly. “More like a heart atta-”
“Hi there!” Emerald chimed in, cutting him off. “I’m Emerald. This is Raiden. We were looking for a place to stay.”
The girl stood up and moved back behind the counter. She had long thick black hair with many layers in it. On her face, she wore crazy makeup and had a piercing on her lip. She had a cute teal and purple plaid shirt on with short grey shorts, and her shoes were purple high top converse. She wore a variety of accessories. She was obviously a leafeon. Her ears and tail were leaf shaped.
“Hmmmm…” she mumbled. “Emmi then? What’s you last name, Sweety?”
“Ummmm… it’s-uh-” Emerald stuttered.
Raiden stood up. “Just put it under Raiden Grays.
“Whatever you say, Darling.” Raiden made a strange face at her reply, but she continued. “So how long will you two lovebirds be in town?”
“Lovebirds…?” Emerald mused.
“We’re not lovebirds!” Raiden declared slamming his fist on the counter. He sighed, calming down from the sudden burst. He seemed flustered. “And, I don’t know.” He glanced over at Emerald.
“Oh? Not long,” she added gloomily.
“I see,” the girl giggled, smirking at Raiden. “Well, I’ll just put you down for tonight and if you need to stay longer then you come and talk to me, ‘kay? I’m Terra. Now here’s your keys. Room 153 2nd floor.” He handed her the money, and she smiled as she handed him the keys.
“Thanks,” Raiden grumbled. Emerald nudged him. He glared at her then rolled his eyes. “I mean, thank you.” He finished with forced politeness. The girl nodded. Then the two made their way across the lobby to the elevator.
“She’s just a ‘tad’ eccentric.” Raiden commented under his breath.
“I like her!” Replied Emerald defensively.
She pressed the elevator button, and its doors slid open. The two entered. When they reached the second floor, Raiden searched for the room as Emerald followed.
“Here it is, 153.” He opened the door with the card key and entered the room. He surveyed it, finding himself content. “All right, time for bed.” The two dropped their things and got situated.

Raiden groaned as he rolled over on the pullout bed. He had taken the couch so that Emerald could have the bed. He stretched as much as he could, then, with a yawn, he slowly pushed himself out of bed. He sighed deeply as he took a good look out of the window. It was pouring. “So much for moving on today,” he muttered. Entering the bathroom he started a shower. He needed one after the day before. The had both been so tired last night that they had gone straight to bed.
After a nice, long shower, Raiden stepped out, wrapped in towels. The sink and mirror were outside of the bathroom, connected to the rest of the room. He was drying his hair with a towel when Emerald’s eyes fluttered open.
He caught her eye. With his sweatshirt she had never noticed his muscles. He wasn’t body builder material, but he looked like-like a hard worker. She found her eyes glued to him as he rifled through the items on the counter. Her heart sped up a beat. She hadn’t really stopped to think about how good looking he was. He always had that scowl on his face. Then suddenly he turned around. She scrunched her eyes shut frantically, then reminded herself to relax. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, but she forced herself to relax. It seemed he hadn’t noticed that she was awake. She could hear him digging in his bag.
“Hmmm… Where is that comb?” He wondered aloud. “There it is,” he said pulling it out. Then he looked up as he prepared to stand up again, and Emerald caught his eye.
The thought crossed his mind, “She’s so peaceful when she’s sleeping.” A small smile played across his face. He stood up and went back to the mirror to fix his hair.
After a minute or so Emerald slowly peeped open one eye, then another. “This feeling…” She mused. She figured now would as good a time as any to get up. Before Raiden caught her staring. Why was she staring at him anyway. He didn’t even like her. She forced a yawn out, then a long groan, as she pulled the covers close.
“Heh,” Raiden laughed,” it’s about time you got up. Thought my shower would have woken up you up, for sure. it’s not like these are the thickest walls ever.” He continued to comb his hair, and look into the mirror without turning his glance.
“Well, I’ve slept through worse things,” she replied starting to pull the covers off and sitting up.
“Oh really? Like what?” He turned around and smirked at her.
“Well-well-” she paused. “I don’t know!” She declared, frustratingly throwing off the covers and getting out of bed in a single motion. “I’m sure I have though.”
He laughed again. He set the comb down on the counter gently, then walked over to his to get his clothes. “Well, you’re next. You stink.”
“Hey!” she retorted.
He closed himself in the bathroom, ending the conversation. “Hmph,” she grunted crossing her arms. She glanced over at her bag and rolled her eyes. She picked up her clothes and sniffed them. “Ewww…” she grimaced, holding them away from her face. “Better wash these. Hey Raiden! I’m going downstairs to use the washer! I’m taking a key so you don’t have to let me back in. Be back later!”
Throwing her bag over her shoulder, she walked down the hall, and took the elevator down to the lobby. She played with her hair. It needed to be fixed, but the doors slid open so she ignored it. There was a man behind the counter this time, and, after she asked, he directed her to the laundry room. She followed his directions to a small room hidden by the stairs. Entering it, she placed her bag on one of the washers. She opened it up and fixed the settings, but as she began to dump out her clothes she realized that she has no detergent.
“Out of detergent?” rang a voice from behind. Alarmed, she spun around. “Oh, did I startle you?”
She was surprised to find a gorgeous blonde staring back at her. His hair was very light, almost white in contrast to his dark tan skin. It had a short layer, but a long braid extended down his back. Bright green eyes peeked out from his bangs. He looked to be about twenty. He had a muscle shirt with a neck like a turtle neck and pale fitted blue jeans. His right hand was wrapped, and he wore chains on his left arm. He also had a tattoo of a skill on his upper left arm. He had large grey horns on his head, and a small pointed tail. He looked like a houndour.
“Oh, well-I-uh-I just-” she stuttered. “I forgot it.”
He smirked. “I figured. Here, you can use mine.” He placed it on the washer, then found his own.
Emerald had to pry her eyes off of him. She turned back and sighed deeply. Then she knocked one of her shirts on the ground accidentally in her nervousness. She glanced over at him as she bent down to pick it up. He chuckled. Blushing, she turned back to pour the detergent.
“Done yet?”
She fumbled the bottle, nearly dropping it. “Uh-huh.” She spun back around holding the bottle out.
“Hmph. You’re cute.” He smiled grabbing the bottle.
Her face turned beat red as she stuttered, “Th-thank you?”
He poured the detergent and slammed the lid down. It made her jump. She quickly turned back to start hers. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to find him only inches away from her face He placed his hands on the washer behind her. A smile played across his face. She pressed her body up against the washer, backing up as far as she could.
“So? What’s your name?” He questioned.
“Um-it’s-E-Emerald,” she forced out, nearly forgetting it. She shifted nervously.
“Hmmmm, Emerald-like the beautiful stone-I like it. I’m Griffon. So nice to meet you.” He moved one of his hands into position to shake.
She wasn’t sure what to do with it for a second. “Oh,” she gasped. “You too!” She just stared at him for a moment.
“You can let go of my hand now,” he laughed. Embarrassed, she pulled back. “So what are you doing in town?”
“Well, I…..” she searched for an explanation. She couldn’t very well tell him why she was really here. ”Oh. I live in a small town South of here. It’s pretty small. You’ve probably never heard of it. Anyway, I came into town to get some stuff and just to get away. I mean I hate being cooped up there. I just want to get out and see the world. You know? What about you?” She smiled broadly to top it off. Who knew she was such a good liar? It was the perfect fit for her. Bittersweet. A good tool, but lying isn’t generally considered a good quality.
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I’m on an-how should I put it-indefinite vacation. Just traveling through the country, seeing the sites, training, meeting beautiful women.” He flashed another smile at her, which made the redness return to her face “Just living life. It’s great. So how long are you in town for?”
“Oh, just a few days. I was going to head back today, but, with all this rain, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”
“I see. Then you will be staying here a bit longer. I was going to leave soon too, but something unexpected just…popped up.” He smiled again. “We should do something later, since we’ll both be around a bit longer, I mean.”
“Uh, sure. I suppose.”
“Great! What room are you in? I’ll drop by later.”
“Well, room 153, but-” The washer buzzed loudly.
“Oh,” he exclaimed. “That’s mine!” Flipping open the lid, he grabbed all the clothes inside. Then he found a dryer and stuffed them all in it. “I’ll be back for these later!” He called as he walked out. “I’ll stop by!’ He paused to wave and flash one more beautiful smile before leaving. Then he disappeared down the hall.
She quickly swapped her clothes over, then leaned back against the washer and let out a deep sigh, as she let herself slowly slide down. She sat there for a moment, taking it all in. Did she just get a date. It seemed. No ties. She was reminded. What are you thinking? Besides that, she needed to leave, but…. He was so dreamy. It was too late now. She had already given him the okay. She sat there a while in a haze. Her mind empty. It has been a while since she just sat down and relaxed. But, almost as soon as she began, she was jerked back to reality by the sound of the dryer. She sighed again. “I guess I better get back to the room.” She grabbed her clothes and was off.

“I’m back!” She exclaimed as she entered the room. Raiden had picked up the sofa and folded the blankets, setting them on side of it. He was sitting there watching television. Giving a small nod, he glanced over at her and then back to the television. She sighed. Then a small smile crept across her face. “Is there any room for me?”
“He glanced across the couch, then scooted over a bit. She set her bag down and plopped onto the couch.
They sat there for another hour or two. Raiden didn’t talk much. It was quiet or the most part with the exception of a laugh or comment. It was nice though. Something felt different. He wasn’t annoyed to talk to her. Her stomach growled slightly. “It’s time for lunch,” she thought. Just as she went to get up, there came a knock on the door.
“Who could that be?” Raiden pondered.
Emerald gasped, “Griffon!”
“Huh?”
“Uh-I’ll get it!” she exclaimed leaping to the door. She flung it open.
“Griffon stood there with his gorgeous smile. “Hey there beautiful. Mind if I come in?”
“Well-I-” she stuttered, but he pushed past her into the room.
“Who are you?” Raiden snarled, crossing his arms.
“Oh? You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend.”
“He’s not my-I’m not her-boyfriend!” They both blurted out.
“Okay, okay,” Griffon smiled, “Calm down. Well if he’s not your boyfriend then I guess we can still get a bite to eat.” He drifted closer to her. “So why don’t you go change then we can go.”
“Ummmmm, I…” she stumbled over her words, but he nudged her toward her bag. She sighed in defeat. “Okay.” She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom to get ready.
Griffon plopped down on the couch next to Raiden, giving him a smug look. Raiden didn’t appreciate it.
He sneered, “Look buddy, I don’t appreciate you taking advantage of Emerald. So you better watch yourself.”
“What do you care?” Griffon scoffed. “It’s not like she’s yours. Besides, she’s a big girl. She can take care of herself.”
“I’m warning you.”
“Oh, I’m really scared. The little wynaut is gonna hurt me.” He made motions as he talked and laughed.
“Why I oughta-”
“All right!” Emerald burst in from the bathroom, ready to go. Raiden, now sitting forward ready to punch Griffon, quickly sat back.
Griffon laughed under his breath. “All done? Ready to go eat?”
Emerald nodded happily.
Griffon pushed himself off of the couch and replied. “Then let’s go.” She walked towards him, and he locked his arm in hers, directing her out of the door. Raiden sneered, and Griffon gave him a wink before entering the hall.
Raiden groaned. “Stupid. I do NOT like him.”
I the hall Emerald giggled. She felt like she was being escorted. “So,” Griffon began, “where do you want to eat?”
“Well…” she trailed off. “I don’t really know any places to go.”
“I’ve got the perfect place in mind. He pulled her through the winding streets, into a small alleyway. They entered a small restaurant seemingly hidden from the world. It was perfect. A small Italian restaurant, dimly lit with candles placed on tables. A man played accordion in the corner, giving the couple a warm smile as they passed. A waiter promptly seated them and took their order. It all seemed to go by so fast. Griffon was charming and suave. He said all the right things. Every time he smiled, she though that she would melt. He talked about traveling, and the places he’d been, people he’d met. He didn’t ask her much about herself, but she was almost thankful for it. What would she say anyway. Then it was over, and he was escorting her back to the hotel.
As they rode the elevator up, Griffon suggested, “Well, this was nice. We should do it again. Maybe we could get together tonight and do something.”
“Uh well… I should be leaving soon I don’t-”
“One night won’t hurt. Come on. When will we ever see each other again. Seize the moment.”
“All right, I’ll talk to Raiden about it.”
He laughed. “I’ll pick you up at nine. Don’t worry. I’ll get dinner.” He winked. She started to say something, but he placed his finger over her lip. Then, gently placing his hand on her shoulder he moved in for a kiss.
It took her by surprise. Suddenly all she could think about was Raiden. It all seemed wrong. She pulled away, and he reluctantly released her. “I-I-” she struggled to get the words out. “I have to go. Good bye!” She turned frantically to the door and jiggled her card key in her hand, trying to get it into the slot.
He chuckled a little bit. Placing his hand on hers to steady it, he pushed the card key into the slot and smiled broadly. “I’ll see you tonight.” Then he walked back down the hall. For a moment she found herself staring after him. She shook her head as if to put him out of her mind, took a deep breath, and opened the door. I was wondering when you’d get back. You’ve been gone long enough,” Raiden accused. “So how was your ‘date’?”
“I-it was-well-it-it was-fine. It was fine!”
“Just fine?”
Flustered, she nodded, almost unable to speak.
“Well, Emerald, I don’t like him. You should have heard what he said to me before you left. And he-”
“Hey! You don’t know anything about him.
“I know he’s a jerk.”
“He’s not a jerk! He’s kind and considerate. Which is more than I can say for you!”
“What? Fine then. Since Griffon’s so great then why don’t you let him take care of you. I’m done babysitting you!” He pushed past her to the door, slamming it on his way out. He crossed his arms and argued with himself as he walked to the elevator, yelling and complaining. As the elevator reached the first floor he stepped out, still muttering to himself. It was later now, and the girl from the night before was at the counter.
“Hey!” she called from behind the counter. Raiden scowled, but she continued anyway, “Why the long face? Where’s your girlfriend?”
“She’s not my girlfriend!” He fired back at her.
“Okay, okay, jeez. What’s your problem?”
I don’t have a problem! He’s the problem!”
“Him? I think I understand now. Little Emmi has a date, now doesn’t she?”
“No good, son of a-hey! How’d you know?”
She laughed. “I know these things. The guy isn’t the problem is he? You like her.”
“What? How could you say that? No.”
“Okay,” she rolled her eyes. “Then what’s the problem?”
He relaxed a bit and leaned on the counter. “There’s just something about him, something off, and the way he talked to me, threatening me. But then he was a completely different person when she walked back in.” He shook his head in defeat. “I tried to tell her, but we got in a big fight. I don’t know what to do.”
“Hmmm…” she pondered, “You told her, but she ignored you? How did you tell her?”
His anger flared up again. “Well he’s a jerk and-”
“That’s your problem! You need to tell her exactly like you told me. Be sincere. I can see you really don’t want her to get hurt. Tell her that. Girls aren’t as unreasonable as everyone thinks we are.”
“You’re right. I just need to be honest.” He popped back up.
“And gentle!” She added.
“Thanks!” Raiden yelled running back to the elevator.
Terra smiled at him, giving him a final wink for good luck before the doors closed. She turned back to read a book lying on the desk, but merely a minute later the elevator dinged again. She looked up instinctively to see Emerald arm and arm with another man. She noted that he was very handsome. He was smiling and rambling on about something. He seemed very content with himself, but Emerald was looking to the side and seemed troubled. No doubt what Raiden said had taken a toll on her. She felt like she should stop them, but what could she do? Then she heard him say the word ‘park’. He was talking about a romantic evening, the perfect night. She knew exactly where they were going. She looked back down at her book pretending to read.
Once they left she looked around excitedly for Raiden. A few minutes later he c