Lisa the Legend: Chapter 82 - Last Night on Earth now up! (24th June 2013)

[Blademaster]

Hi everyone! I'm back, Gold Coast was a blast, but it's great to be back of course.

...Gavin was gone?



OK, let's see here...

Well, that was... interesting...

So, Mt. Fairfax is Entei's home? And the Union was looking for Entei?

...No, wait-Entei and the Union were on the same side, so...

Ugh, my attention span sucks...

In any case, it was a well-detailed chapter; part of me was actually hoping Veronica would get BBQ-ed, but then again, that's just me and my 'weird sense of humor...'

I was curious about that blob-thing, too. What was it, a cocoon? Or some sort of a vessel?

...Wait, a cocoon IS tecnically a vessel...

Sigh...

I honestly don't see what you were so apprehensive about, Gavin-Lisa's been through worse than this chapter.

Still, if it's the beginning of something, then I guess you'd know better than me...

And yes, this chapter was kinda long, but it was action-packed, so I didn't really notice. I honestly thought it'd be a lot longer; when I read that last line:

"And then, at long last, she collapsed from exhaustion."

I looked and saw your sig; I was like, "What? That's it?"

In any case, it seems like you're gonna end Book 2 with a bang, so don't keep us in suspense too long.

...That's Dark Sage's job. :smilie:

-Blademaster, the Dark Scorpion Duelist

[Master Kirby]

Well, that sure made you wonder where things are going! Its NOT a volcano, and Lance and Darius aren't in any grave danger? I guess all the fire, lava, earthquakes and noises could be created by some enormously powerful pokemon, though I have no idea what kind. Maybe they were going down to fight whatever was creating the disturbance?

Lisa's parents were there, and her Dad was one of the strongest trainers in the middle of the cave fighting off the Union members? This makes me wonder if they aren't just pokemon researchers. Could that be a cover for them actually being part of the Anti-Union group?

Wasn't Entei killed in one of the earler chapters? If so, then he couldn't be the cause of the eruption, unless the legend involves the resurrection of a legendary?

You had mentioned that Gavin's Psychic powers had returned. Right now, we don't know where he is, but I hope he knows that his powers are back. That could come in handy if he was taken away with the Union leaders before the attack started. (I wouldn't think the leaders like Sterling would stay around to fight. They would run and hide while the grunts get attacked.)

There were a few grammer problems in there somewhere, but that is understandable in a 9,878 word chapter. The fact that it always had you on edge as the events unfolded kept it from feeling long.

The way the chapter ended, with the mountain's violence subsiding, and the Union being defeated, it looks like Lisa is going to finally have a chance to sit down and have a talk with someone to learn what is actually going on. I hope you don't have any trouble writing the next chapter, as I'll be looking forward to having some of these mysteries cleared up.

[mr_pikachu]

I can see why you weren't looking forward to this chapter, Gavin; it can't be fun to have to show your hand after 56 chapters of keeping your readers in awe and puzzlement. But, if there wasn't some deeper mystery beneath all the shadows you cast, there would have been no reason for us to continue reading. I think you did a pretty good job in handling the beginning of the revelations.

I really liked how you utilized the setting here. From the Union's meeting in the cave to the mysterious chamber and back again, your use of the setting as a backdrop for the action was marvelous. The descriptions in general, actually, were great; I could really imagine the incensed Union agents grabbing at Lisa's feet, and the journey through the darkness was also portrayed exceptionally well. I actually thought that Lisa's decision to save Veronica was done as well as could have been expected. It's couldn't have been easy to show all the things that must have been going through Lisa's head at that moment and still accurately show the franticness of the moment, so I thought it was done well.

Like some other people mentioned, though, I thought the tension waned a bit while Lisa and Veronica tore out of the Sepulchre. It was pretty obvious that Lisa would at least escape alive; otherwise, it would be a very sharp and anticlimactic end to the fic. Also, I was rather surprised to find several more issues - including a few grammatical concerns - than I usually do with your work. (I suppose it's to be expected with such a large chapter, but it surprised me nonetheless.) They were, for the most part, assorted and trendless problems, but one thing I didn't expect was the sudden use of a large amount of ellipses. (An ellipsis, if you didn't know, is a series of three periods used to show a pause: "...") It was an unexpected intrusion into your typically clean writing. Other than that, there were only occasional concerns like questionable word orderings, switched homonyms (its and it's), plural/singular word problems, etc. None of those were consistent problems, though, so they thankfully didn't hurt this chapter too much.

Overall, I liked this installment. Even though it wasn't as intense as some of your other chapters, and even though many things had to be revealed, you did a good job of managing them. Your use of the setting and scenario was superb, and the realization at the end of the chapter was quite fitting. Good job. I'll see you next chapter!

[Gavin Luper]

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Ada: I'm glad you liked the chapter in the end, it was good to get all these things outside of me and onto the page. Yes, Lance knows a very great deal and he has told some of this to his son - the things that happened this chapter will be a bit more clear after next chapter. Oh, the blob thing wasn't some token thing thrown in there to break Lisa's fall - have I ever done something as random as that? I definitely hope not. We haven't seen the last of it.

I know where you're coming from with the whole Lisa-saving-Veronica thing, but I reckon it (as you also said) was necessary - otherwise I don't think it would be realistic to see Lisa just leap out to save her enemy without a moment's hesitation. Overall, though, I'm stoked that you like this chapter ... seeya next chapter.

Blademaster: Heh, thanks for reading. The Union wasn't looking for Entei - but not to worry, I'm sure that it's a confusing story to follow. As I said to Ada, the blob thing has future relevance, but not right now.

Thanks for the support - looking at this chapter again, I actually like it quite a lot. I think my apprehension came from actually 'releasing' the chapter to the world as opposed to worrying about the chapter itself. On the whole, I'm so glad that this chapter didn't feel long or tedious to those of you who were reading it. Hope to see you next time!

Master Kirby: Your ability to read between the lines in this fic never ceases to amaze me ... you might be onto something. Thanks for reading again.

Yes, Entei was killed by Suicune in chapter 33. But ... well ... things are never what they seem in this fic, apparently. Also, you're right about Gavin's psychic powers - they have returned to him, but throughout that chapter he was unconscious ... so he had no chance to use them. More about this in later chapters.

It annoys me that there were so many grammar problems, but oh well; you guys are all actually a lot better at picking them up than I am.

About next chapter ... read further down.

Brian: You've hit the nail on the head, I was always going to be difficult to begin to spill the beans on what's actually been going on behind the scenes all this time.

Thanks for the comments - especially the description ones.

Indeed, the tension waned, but I tried to manage the escape as best I could. As for grammar, I noticed problems in the chapter too (well, I didn't pick them up, but I knew it didn't flow properly). Yeah, I used way too many ellipses. I also thought I overdid it on the semi-colons, but thankfully nobody seemed to mind. I will try to improve in the next chapter, which is much less action packed.

Glad you liked the end, too.

*phew* That took awhile. I don't know why I actually set time aside to reply to reader's replies, but it seems like the right thing to do. And I quite like it.

I'm now working on the next chapter, Chapter 58, which is the quintessential chapter you have probably been wanting to happen (I know I definitely have): the chapter with actual explanations that, for the first time, will actually answer some things. I'm taking it slow because there is a LOT of stuff to wade through here, and of course I have to make sure it all fits in with my notes and all the hints I've dropped, etc. But not to worry, it is coming along quite nicely already.

In between writing bursts for Chapter 58, I've also been adding to my notes and plans, and in a very JK-Rowlingish moment, I discovered the very last chapter of LTL that I began to write a couple of years ago, and I've begun to write it again. So that's quite interesting to do, the final chapter of all - still, it will probably be easier to do now than later, because when the time comes I'll probably be too sentimental to write it.

Anyway, back to the fic ... thanks again to everyone for reading and replying - closet readers, please reply! I really do like to hear your feeback!

Cheers!

[PersianKing]

wow. when i first read this it was no more then a few chapters long. but that was a few years ago. You still have the touch Gavin. I will most definitly will be waiting for Chapter 58

[Gavin Luper]

PersianKing: Hi! Thanks for reading again after so long. This story is still going ... and it looks like it'll be going for some time yet. Thanks so much for the reply! Chapter 58 is progressing OK, I'm taking my time with it in the hope that the more time I spend on it, the better it will play out. I hope. ^^

Cheers!

[Karania]

Both chapters look great, sorry I haven't been on lately but I've been swamped with schoolwork and all that. It looks like something's gonna break loose if it hasn't already and by golly bring it on! This is getting intense and I can't wait to see what happens from here, so I'll be back for the next chaptter whenever that'll be.

[Gavin Luper]

Hi Karania, thanks for the reply!

The next chapter is progressing really well everyone, I'm probably about a third of the way through it, which I reckon is pretty good considering how slowly I'm taking it. I like the way it's playing out and I don't want to do anything to ruin that chemistry, like rushing it too much. But so far, it's turning out better than expected. I'm quite pleased with this chapter.

Expect it up soon!

Cheers!

[Blademaster]

Huh, you know, if you posted a new chapter as often as you posted a reply, you'd have been done a long time ago. ^_^

[PancaKe]

xD @ blademaster.

well i promised you i'd read it.
and so finally I have read it.

very well written chapter, um... I enjoyed it immensley. I liked the suspence, and that you didn't waste time on boring detail.
I dont remember though, is this the first time that Lisa has met her father? Hmm... I really should oneday re-read this xD could take me more than a day.
hahah

anyway much love
and i hate you for not coming to sydney for longer
xoxo
<3 tara

[Gavin Luper]

Blademaster: Your logic is impeccable.

Tara: Hurrah! You finally read it! I'm glad you liked it, seeing as I didn't like it very much.

Is this the first time Lisa's met her father??? Of course not. He raised her for 14 years of her life. ^^ But as far as the fic goes, this is one of his first proper appearances - the same goes for Lisa's mum. They both made brief appearances in Chapter 26, and again in Chapters 31 and 32, then at Christmas in Chapter 39 and finally Lisa's Mum was in Chapter 41 ... but they have never had any real role thus far, nor have I ever actually described them properly. But we'll see them more in the next two chapters.

Thanks again ... and bleh, I'll return to Sydney one day, I'm sure.

Everyone: Chapter is already quite long and I'm nowhere near finishing yet. Part of me likes it and part of me hates it; this is the chapter when the truth is finally revealed in its entirety. And it's very hard to write.

But hey, enough of me crapping on about my story. I'll get back to writing it and post the next damn chapter ASAP.

Cheers!

[Andrew]

Haha, I actually read that from my mobile phone last night.

What's happened to Lisa's Pokemanz? And Aipom for that matter.

I think the big pulsating thing is Entei being reborn, like yea... Everyone being let get away or KOed was sad. I wanted physical violence!

Um, also Lisa's dad!? What happened to Bulbsaur and Ditto or something. I don't know... What about Lisa's mum?

A great chapter!

[Gavin Luper]

Hey Oz ... long time no see. EBTV still progressing??

I let everyone escape for a reason, believe me. Otherwise it would most definitely have been fun to see the Union people get destroyed. But nope, it didn't happen.

Yuss, Lisa's parents return, hurrah!

EDIT: Oh, right, progress report. Chapter 58 is still coming along, still just as slowly, I'm afraid. I'm getting there eventually, but there's really nothing new to report yet.

Cheers!

[starjake]

Well, it only took me...two days or so to read the whole thing...thank mr. pikachu...

I really must congratulate you on your writing, and your loyalty to the fic. This has obviously been many years in the making, but you've stuck with it!

One minor thing from WAAAAAAAAAAY back in the beginning of the story; is Lisa Walters the name of the girl Ash meets in the Entei pokemon movie? I can't remember, but if it is...talk about giving life to a minor character!

I can't wait to see the next chapter and the third (and, I assume, final) leg of this journey! While I certainly can't complain about not posting chapters frequently enough...post the next sooner as opposed to later!

[Gavin Luper]

starjake: Thanks muchly for reading; I can't imagine how onerous a task it would be to read the entire fic in just two days. I think it'd give me a headache.

Yes, Lisa is the girl from the beginning of the third pokémon movie. This was really just a reference point for me to begin with - I actually began writing this story about the character Lisa as a trainer (in the very very beginning, this was going to be a trainer fic). However, I grew attached to her and her character developed far more than the movie would ever have allowed, so now, I think it is safe to say, Lisa has become very much her own entity, quite separate from the pokémon anime.

I'd been at a (very frustrating) mid-way standstill with Chapter 58 for many weeks until today, when I finally figured out a way to move past a particular blockage. The chapter is now back on track and shaping up very nicely ... lots of questions hopefully answered, etc etc.

Thanks for waiting so patiently, everyone. I'll get the chapter done eventually.



Cheers!

[darktyranitar]

Hi there Gavin. New reader here, just started reading from last Wednesday until today... wow, 5 days...

And what a really good piece of story this is. I'm surprised that it had been 4 years, and people are still reading this fic. And you're very dedicated to this fic.

Well, this story, which seems to start of as a trainer fic, then added with the quest legend, and then, who could have guess, took into a dark moment. The last few chapters are full of suspense, that they kept me to continue reading.

And it didn't occur to me that Lisa is the character from the third Pokemon movie until some people began to speculate on her, and you also refered to the movie.

So, I'm looking forward to the next chapter. This has obviously came a long way. Also, good luck on the nominations of this fic in the FF awards!

(Off to sleep) Yeah, I read until it's late night here... This fic is fun!

[Gavin Luper]

Well, hi there darktyranitar, and thanks very much for reading!

I'm as surprised as you are that it's been four years for this fic (in some ways it actually feels like much longer!!) and I'm equally amazed that not only are old readers still reading, but somehow new readers like yourself and starjake, among others, start reading such an established fic. It's really flattering, and very very welcome.

Your post functions as a rather composed summary of the fic: from trainer, to quest, to dark ... and, in the future chapters, it's going to be a quixotic mixture of all three genres, which will be incredibly interesting to write.

Thanks once again, for reading and for your good wishes.

To everyone - still nothing very exciting to report. This is one of those chapters that takes a lot of dedication and perseverence to complete, but it's only because I want to get it just right, and so far things just haven't unravelled quite as I want them to, so the chapter could still be a few weeks away. Believe me, it is more frustrating for me, the writer, than it would be for any reader, though I understand how annoying such a long wait can be.

Anyhow, I'll keep pushing ahead with Chapter 58 and hopefully will have it completed just the way I want it as soon as possible.

Cheers!

- Gavin.

[MeLoVeGhOsTs]

Well expect something from me this week. I'm going to start reading ^^.

EDIT: The rain is falling with enormous quantities. Not a better day for reading and spending time on TPM. I better get myself some snacks, sit comfortable and start to read ^^

[Gavin Luper]

^^ Cheers, MeLoveGhosts. (I won't even try to get the capitalisations right, sorry!) I hope you enjoy reading this!

Just posting really to thank everyone who read and voted for LTL/me in the Silver Pencil Awards! Had a really great result this year - the Awards Award, plus 13 others, including:

Best Fiction Overall (LTL)
Best Pokémon Fic (LTL)
Best Action in a Fic (Chapters 55-57, LTL)
Best Writing Style (LTL)
Best Plot (LTL)
Best Cliffhanger (End of C56, LTL)
Best Plot Twist (Lisa's parents seemingly being involved in the anti-Union force, LTL)
Best Pokémon Battle Scene (Melee in C56, LTL)
Best Chapter (Chapter 56 - The First Battle, LTL)
Best Character in a Leading Role (Lisa, LTL)
Best New Pokémon (Fiskmire, LTL ... somehow he always gets nominated in this category)
Best Writer
and
Most Likely to Become a Couple (Me and Tara, just for a change )

So a massive thank you to everyone who nominated/voted/even just read the fic, it's the first time LTL's ever scooped up a heap of awards, despite being nominated a LOT over the years, and only ever snatching a couple (which is still good, obviously).

Progress Report: Still slow. I'm really sorry, but it is not going well at all. On the upside, though, I've been producing pages and pages of handwritten notes for the next book, as well as the next chapter - lots of backstory and character profiles, because there are soon going to be lots of new characters, though only a few of them will be major.

Cheers!

[Hyperness is a Good Thing]

Hello, I'm back! I last commented(and read) this fic...14 chapters ago(an amazing two years I think). So I didn't do such a massive job on catching up as some people, who had to read all 57 chapters, but heck, I just spent about half a day reading this. ^_^

Good job on that super long chapter...haha, and even though I know Lisa's safe and all there are still soooo many questions... I want to know more about the legend, and more about the three dogs, and what happened to Lunanine after it was electrified and so many other things....¬_¬ I'm dizzy. yay.
So yeah...basically..UPFATE! and congrats on all your awards. =) When it's done, it definitely has to be archived away. haha.

[Gavin Luper]

Thanks, Hyperness, it's really great to see you back here. Glad you're enjoying. As for the answers to the many questions abounding in Lisa the Legend, they will be answered very soon.

Everyone: Well, hi! An update at last! It's been almost a month since I last posted anything in here. I'm very, very pleased to say that Chapter 58 is now about 2/3 complete (I think it's getting close to 6000 words now - yay!) - and is shaping up very nicely. I did a lot of it today, actually, working off some incredibly valuable notes I made a week or two ago - notes that pretty much plot out the explanations behind lots of things. I can't say how much longer the chapter will be, you all know how patchy I can be with writing speed. Could be tomorrow, could be weeks - but after the progress I made today, spurred on by a very welcome burst of writing confidence, I'd be leaning towards the former. Here's hoping.

Anyway, back to doing a bit more of the chapter before The Amazing Race comes on. Ah, how I love that show!

Cheers!

- Gavin.

[mr_pikachu]

You know, I'm rather glad you didn't have the new chapter ready by that post, Gavin. With my obsessively reading each chapter as soon as it's posted combined with the final exam I had to take not 17 minutes and 4 seconds after that post... let's just say the result wouldn't have been a good one. (...And I still haven't forgotten that nomination, Gavin. I don't forget things like that. Ever.)

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that things are going well with the new chapter. 6,000 words already, and you're only 2/3 of the way through? This must be one really important piece of work. I'm really looking forward to see what Lisa has to say to her parents... and what they have to say to her. And, of course, the continuation of the plot will be important, as well. But since I have next to no idea where it'll lead next, I can't really conjecture on that very well. Oh, the pain of not knowing!

But yeah, I'll be earnestly looking forward to the next chapter. Enjoy your favorite reality show, because afterward, the shackles go back on!

[Master Kirby]

Hi Gavin, Its been a while since there have been any updates. I'm sure you have a life outside of TPM, so that would explain the delay.

Your last post said you were 2/3 finished with the next Chapter. Have you done anymore since May? Maybe if your are having writer's block, you should sit at the computer late at night when you are real tired, and just write whatever comes to mind. Read what you have written already, and then daydream about what could happen next.

Hope you post soon.

[Gavin Luper]

Hi Master Kirby - and hello to all.

I have been writing at every chance I get for the last few months, but with nearly full time work now, plus hurried planning for my trip to Europe, these chances have been brief and usually futile. I have written, deleted and rewritten this chapter a ridiculous amount of times, and I mean a ridiculous amount of times, probably well over twenty by now; it's never actually been completed though.

The reason it's so hard is this: this chapter is the one in which an absolutely enormous leap has to be made, both by Lisa and by me as the writer. After this chapter, the plot will change, the writing style will change a little and even Lisa will change, in that she will have to grow up very quickly. I find it very hard to pull off such a climb, especially all in one (or two) chapter(s), but I'm doing my best.

I honestly can't say when I will have this chapter ready to post. I still have most of the "2/3" that I had written in May, but I am quite sure that it will all need to change. Above all, I need to strike a balance in this chapter between what is strictly necessary for the reader to see and what can be left to the imagination and/or later explanations; I really need to be economical here. That said, it will quite probably end up being an oversized chapter.

It's tough, and it's been very frustrating for you guys, and for me, even more so. I'll continue to plough away until I think I have the right thing to post. In the meantime, direct your good wishes my way so that I might have a burst of inspiration that will spur me onwards.

Thanks muchly for your support! Cheers!

- Gavin.

[Gavin Luper]

Hi, everybody!

I didn't get time to do this before I left Australia, and it slipped my mind until just then. But better late than never, I suppose. As I'm currently backpacking around Europe for 3 more months (been in London for 2 1/2 weeks), Lisa the Legend is on (a definitely temporary) hiatus until October 21, which is the day I fly back into Perth. There simply isn't the time to write over here, and even if I really want to write, computers are costly as hell. So, it's officially going to be another 3 months at least until the next chapter. I know how bleak that looks (chapter 57 was in January ... egad) but I hope (as ever) to get the ball rolling once I return. I have been feeling the urge to write for the last few days, so perhaps I will soon get a burst of inspiration, I don't know. In any case, the rest of the fic is coming ... it's just a matter of time. I don't care if I don't write the words "The End" until 2015, I'm going to get it done!

Anyhow, I'd best be going as I need some sleep (I'm currently in Bruges, Belgium and I've been travelling constantly for 2 days).

Thanks for your patience, guys, and please curb your urges to chain me to a desk and force me to produce Chapter 58.

Cheers!

- Gavin.

[Master Kirby]

That sounds like fun, backpacking across Europe! And for 3 months. Thats a lot of walking. You will probably have plenty of time to think about the future of LTL since your legs will be doing all the work and you won't have a lot to think about. (No school to keep your brain in use). Have fun travelling!

Maybe if you carry around a notebook in your backpack, you could sit down and write, whenever you have a break during the evenings.

I'll be sure to check back this fall.


EDIT: Countdown.................. 2 more Months to go!

[Gavin Luper]

Hi!

I'm back from Europe at last. The trip was awesome, the best thing I've ever done with myself, and I'm now slowly returning to the bittersweet reality of home. Bitter because I wish I could have kept travelling forever (it felt like I was gone for years, not months) and sweet because I get to see my family, friends and home once more.

In any case, now that I'm back (arrived home last night) I felt it was about time I posted to take Lisa the Legend off its temporary hiatus and let you all know I'm back at work on the next chapter in front of the computer, or at the kitchen table, depending on whether I'm actually writing or just plotting away. I won't be so insolent (after a nine-month wait) as to say something so bland as "It's going -well"; suffice it to say, I'm doing my best to make this chapter worth waiting for. I hope you all enjoy it when eventually hits your screens.

I'm writing hard!

Cheers!

- Gavin.

[Gavin Luper]

I debated whether or not to make a double post for this, but I suppose it's about time I gave you guys some good news, so here's a progress update.

I've been writing hard for the last week and finally churning out some good work. Chapter 58 is now (dare I say it?) about 2/3 finished. I've done just over 9000 words and it's still growing - this is going to be a massive chapter!

I've also planned out Chapter 59 and some of the next book, which is going to be very interesting with regards to both the developing plot and development on new and existing characters, including Lisa, of course. For now though, it's back to chugging away on Chapter 58.

Coming soon! I hope!

Cheers!

EDIT 5/11/06: Hovering around the 13,000 word mark now and still a fair way to go. It's working out very well! I'm really, really going to try to keep it below 20,000 words ...

EDIT 6/11/06: Obsessive progress reports because I'm so happy. Things have worked out well. Around 16,500 words and still going. Almost definitely going to keep it under 20,000 now, thank God, but it's still going to be an onerous task to read. I'm considering splitting the chapter but that probably won't happen, I'm too keen to get it all out there at once.

[Master Kirby]

Thats OK. I'm sure by now, most of us have gotten used to long chapters. I like them better than short ones because you can enjoy them longer before they end. I'm glad you are getting back into the flow of writing.

Lisa stood rooted to the dais in utter shock. The man who had been fighting the Union, with his Heracross and five other pokémon, turned around to face Lisa, and she gasped. Her father, Ryan Walters, stared back at her.

“Lisa,” he said, very quietly.

At a loss of anything else to say, Lisa said softly, “Hi Mum. Hi Dad. Fancy meeting you here.”

And then, at long last, she collapsed from exhaustion.

Soon we will be learn more about Lisa's parents, the "researchers", who have been found fighting the Union! I'm going to have to reread the last chapter to refresh my memory on the past events.

[Gavin Luper]

G'day everyone!



CHAPTER 58 IS FINALLY HERE!!!

This chapter has taken so long and is in itself so enormous that I feel as though I need some kind of introduction to it; there seems to be a lot to say about it. This chapter was without a doubt the most difficult chapter to write in my entire life. It took ten months, meticulous attention to past chapters and heaps of painstaking work to haul it back from the edge of the chasm it was teetering on the brink of and finally complete it.

It is all here: the entirety of Chapter 58, which finally reveals many secrets and mysteries of Lisa the Legend. It is essentially the resolution of the second book, as well as an end to the first part of Lisa's life. There are many explanations that reference chapters of several years past - it might be helpful to take a quick glance at some of these chapters as you go along if you need to jog your memory - especially Chapters 27 (for the flashback), 38/39, 41, 42, 45, 47 and 48.

This is a long chapter, roughly the length of three of my usual sized chapters and as such I think it might end up becoming a little disjointed. Moreover, I'm sure there are more grammatical mistakes than usual: some of these I have left in on purpose, as they just feel right, others have probably been completely missed because of my rather dubious grasp on advanced grammar. Due to extreme length I've split it into three posts.

I am ultimately proud of this chapter because it finally gets the ball rolling; the story is coming into its own at last. This chapter finally allowed me to spill all the secrets, all the backstory, that I have been bursting to share for several years now. Contrary to appearances, I edited this chapter as much as possible without taking away from the atmosphere; thus, you can be sure that everything in the chapter is in some way relevant to the next chapter (which will be the closing chapter of the book) and Book Three. I debated long and hard about the title, torn between this one and another, but this really does sum the whole thing up so very well.

I really hope that, after you have finished reading this new installment, you find that it was worth the wait.

If I say any more about this chapter I'll only be stalling, trying to hold on to my precious mysteries for a few minutes longer, but I think everyone's waited long enough.

So here it is!!!

-----------------------------------------

Chapter 58 – Behind the Glass.


Joseph Sterling cast his eyes down to the shrinking mountain range below. The adrenaline had barely finished coursing through his veins, yet he had already settled into his sleek leather chair, the glass of scotch in his right hand almost empty. The chopper was too high now for him to see the civilians scurrying across the plateau on Mount Fairfax, but the activity around the little village was impossible to miss: police cars, ambulances, fire engines and television vans had all swarmed to the hamlet like bees to a daffodil.

And though this widespread attention was precisely what he had bargained for, he had scarcely been more disappointed in his entire life.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. How could he have been so mistaken? His one mistake – and bitterly it had been his own, and no one else’s – had resulted in his failure to penetrate the Sepulchre of Entei. They had, at least, succeeded in acquiring the Second Key, but without gaining access to the Sepulchre, this battle had ultimately been won by his foe; he had failed.

No, Sterling corrected himself. It was not a failure. It was a stumbling block, a setback … but one that, given time and thought, could be overcome to his advantage. It had to be.

He tore his eyes from the view below as the door of his cabin slid open with a mechanical hiss. A woman with platinum-blonde hair marched in, her hair arranged so that it covered a large part of her white face.

“ Must you always take so long to get changed?” muttered Sterling, hardly glancing at her clean black outfit.

“ I’m a woman, Joe, it’s what we do, when we’re not cooking and cleaning, you know,” Veronica sniped. She took the seat opposite him and set about lighting a cigarette.

“ Don’t start. I know you’re pissed off because of what happened in the Sepulchre.”

Veronica winced momentarily before sleekly resuming her façade. “ Just like you’re pissed off because you got the wrong kid for the Sepulchre, right, Joe?”

“ Right,” he snarled. “ Entei must have been mistaken.”

“ Or maybe he deliberately misled you,” Veronica chimed in with practiced repetition. “ Honestly, trusting a creature like that … I thought you were smart.”

“ I know what I’m doing in regards to that, don’t you worry your little head, woman,” said Sterling smoothly. “ Nice hair-do, by the way …”

The woman scowled and swept back the blonde locks that had obscured part of her face; beneath was a large, angry lump.

“ Walked into a door, did we?”

“ The Walters’ girl – she’s feisty.”

“ She’s also a fourteen year old girl, not a bloody ninja,” Sterling spat. “ In any case, what happened to you in the Sepulchre was your own bad luck, not mine. Frankly, you should be grateful I was able to get you out of there in time. Hudson and his mob had already taken the chamber for themselves, you know.”

Veronica paused, mid-drag, and then spat at him, “ Of course I know, I was there the whole time. Where were you, darling?”

Sterling felt the familiar tingle of frustration dance along his spine. “ I had important business to attend to, Veronica,” he said coolly. “ I think somehow it escaped your attention that we were last night in the company of one of our own escaped prisoners.”

She raised a heavily plucked eyebrow, clearly thrown by this information. “ Oh?”

“ Yeah. Seems Professor Oak found his way to where the action is after all.”

“ You don’t think he actually found those children … told them anything … do you?”

“ That’s what I needed to find out. I tracked him down after you took the girl down into the Sepulchre. We had already captured him in the earlier battle; he was being held in a nearby tunnel. I coaxed the truth out of him – he claimed he had already divulged everything he knew to the children.”

“ Shit.” Veronica scowled and blew an angry puff of smoke into the air. “ We still have him, right?”

“ Nah.” Sterling drained the last of the whiskey. “ After he told me everything I needed to know I killed him.” He now turned to face Veronica so as to see her reaction to this; he found it satisfying to see her drop her cigarette in her lap with utter surprise.

“ Oh, you didn’t! You did not do that!” she cried, absent-mindedly patting out the ash on her skirt. Her eyes were wide with genuine disbelief; it was a minute before she composed herself, elegantly lit another cigarette and resumed her usual obstinate tone. “ You’ve finally grown some balls then.”

“ Ostensibly,” Sterling said dryly, not even bothering himself to snipe back. “ After we had heard his story, he was only an irritation; frankly I’m glad I don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

“ Oh, today is going to be even better than I thought,” Veronica grinned. “ As if you weren’t already going to grab enough attention with the attack on the mountain, now you’ve taken out probably the smartest, most famous researcher since Charles Druos.” She paused, slowly thinking this over. “ The response is going to be even bigger, then, I mean, if that’s possible …”

“ You’re not just a pretty face, Ronnie.”

“ So how long are you going to wait before you announce everything to the media?”

“ Once we get to the base.” Sterling glanced at his shiny Italian-made watch. “ So I was thinking about, oh, a few hours?”

The second cigarette tumbled through the air to join its friend. Sterling guffawed recklessly as Veronica hastily wiped the ash from her skirt once again.

“ You cocky bastard,” she said with a smirk, reaching into her pocket for another cigarette.

*

“ They’ll announce it some time today.”

Lance Hudson didn’t look up at his close friend; he kept his head in his hands, the throbbing headache refusing to leave him despite the painkillers. A crumpled sheet of paper was spread out on his lap, a few words scribbled upon it uselessly.

“ Mate, I dunno if you’re getting it – we need to be ready to counter their declaration when it comes – as soon as it comes. To show them we’re ready.”

“ I get it, Marco, I get it!” Lance snapped through his teeth. He lifted his heavy head and surveyed his old friend and advisor, who stood, fists clenched, before him in the large, sunny ‘Cherokee’ room of the Fairfax Inn. “ I’m still working out what I need to say exactly. I never wanted to have to reveal the Guard to the world so soon. How the hell am I meant to pull something like this off?”

“ Just keep it simple, don’t mention the Legend.”

“ There’s no way to do it properly without revealing the Legend!” barked Lance testily. He put on a sardonic voice. “ ‘Hi everyone, I’m Lance Hudson. It’s got nothing to do with me really but I just thought I should go to fight against the terrorist group The Union. You know, just because they killed some people, and I’m a good guy …’ – What a load of shit, Marco!” he growled. “ And the worst thing of all is that we’re not ready for this, not at all. Hardly anyone knows who it is they’re fighting for.”

Marco didn’t unclench his fists; on the contrary, he looked more incensed. “ If you’d told them earlier, there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Lance rose so quickly that his wooden chair clattered to the ground; there were six other people seated in tub chairs about the edge of the room, all of whom looked completely taken aback.

“ Alright, Marco, if you wanna fight me, do it!” growled Lance, not even looking at his pokéballs on the desk, but baring his fists.

Marco shaped up to Lance and it could not have been more clear that one of the men was about to swing, however at that moment, several people cried out in protest, the loudest of whom was a man who left his seat to step in between the two friends.

“ That’s enough! That’s enough!” he bellowed, holding out a hand to each of them. “ Look, this is just the stress getting the better of the two of you. You’re both better men than that!” Both Lance and Marco flushed red, returning their hands to their sides, though neither ceased leering at the other. “ Lance, I know you’re overwhelmed, but Marco’s right, we need to move on with this speech – we can all help you write it. And Marco, this whole thing has been a shock for everyone. Hardly anybody knew Lance was in charge of this.”

“ No-one else is supposed to be his best mate,” spat Marco. He sized up the man standing between him and Lance. “ You already knew, didn’t you, Giles?”

“ I worked it out,” said Giles coolly. “ That’s not important now, Marco. What we’ve got to do is work together now before the Union gets the upper hand. You’ve told Lance what he needs to know, now sit down and let’s just get on with it!”

There was a murmur of assent from the others in the room. Looking as though it was the last thing he wanted to do, Marco broke eye contact with Lance and slunk back to his seat near the large bay window. Giles, too, returned to his.

“ Thanks, Giles,” said Lance stiffly, now feeling the flush of embarrassment as he realised how much composure he had just lost in front of the group. “ Alright, before I get the speech done, I wanted to hear from Nate.”

A man with salt-and-pepper hair rose obediently, his response almost regimented.

“ What’s the latest news, Nate?” asked Lance, still standing.

“ The police have co-operated so far. They’ve allowed everyone safe passage down the mountain, but only as far as the village. Every single person here is going to be thoroughly questioned, even the kids, before they let us go. No chance with the choppers, either – the army got at least three Black Hawks sent here an hour ago, equipped with M60 machine guns and twenty reserve troops. Nobody’s taking off like Sterling did this morning. They had half a dozen Alakazam driven in here a while back; my guess is they’re blocking any attempts to teleport out. We’re gonna have to comply with the police force completely.”

“ As we expected, really. What about for the future? Have you probed your contacts within the force?”

“ Yeah, nothing doing. They’re all the same – willing to help me out, willing to give me info, but none of them are going to join us. Too risky. Plus we can’t be sure what their position is going to be on us after today. The Goldrenrod Chief told me personally we would be considered a vigilante group if we went around fighting the Union ourselves rather than leaving it to the force; and while they would turn a blind eye mostly, if we do anything particularly overt they have no chance but to charge us as criminals ourselves.”

An angry murmur took up around the room; the word ‘bureaucracy’ could be heard above all others.

“ Thanks, Nate,” said Lance. “ Azura – how are our men?”

“ And women, Lance,” corrected a tall, slender, blue-haired woman, who didn’t bother to rise from her seat, but rather reclined in it lazily. “ We came out of things OK. As you all know, we sadly lost both Irwin and Adrian in the battle.” She exchanged a significant look with Lance. “ Reed, Jeremy and Keegan have all sustained very serious injuries but are currently stable, last I checked the hospital room. Roger, Christina, Kelly, Natalie, Owen and Blair are in the ward as well, with just minor injuries, along with Gideon, who has finally woken up, you’ll be happy to hear, Giles.”

Giles smiled. “ I’ll visit him later.”

“ What about the children?” asked a brown-haired woman, seated nearest Lance.

“ All the contestants from yesterday’s contest – well, all of the ones that have been found so far, are alive and well. They were tracked down by the Union last night and tied up to simplify the Union’s siege. But, save for a few who suffered cuts and bruises, they came out of the ordeal relatively unscathed, thank God. It’s always awful when innocent civilians get involved in these things.”

“ I meant Lisa – and her friend,” amended the woman.

“ They’ve been terribly injured,” said Azura without preamble. “ Young Gavin Luper, he is a close companion of Lisa Walters’ – it looks like he really copped a lot from the Union. All I saw of him was what looked like a bandaged cocoon.” The brown-haired woman pressed her hands to her mouth in horror; Giles looked dismayed. “ As for poor Lisa herself, she’s got scratches and bruises, some burns too, but worst of all, the Matron said she had received a bullet wound to her torso – someone from the Union shot her in the back!”

An audible gasp went up throughout the room; Marco muttered, “ Cowards!”

“ She’s stable, though – unconscious still, but when she wakes up she’ll be in shock. I ordered the Matron to inform us the moment she wakes up, then we can get Ryan and Maria to see her.”

“ Where are they?” asked the brown-haired woman.

“ In the ‘Pembury’ room, alone. I think they’re both in shock, and the battle wasn’t easy on them. They’ve been under a lot of stress since Lisa disappeared two weeks ago.”

“ For those of us who don’t know that story, you could fill us in,” said Nate, a little impatiently. “ I’ve heard you talking about this for a week now and I haven’t asked you once. I think it’s about time you told us.”

“ The story is just a distraction, it’s not important,” said Lance bluntly, unaware of the purpling faces of both Nate and the still-indignant Marco. “ All I’m saying is, as a result, Ryan and Maria –”

“ Lance!” cried Azura exasperatedly. “ For God’s sake, just tell them! For the sake of peace! We have enough time to bring everyone up to speed.”

Lance looked a little taken aback at being spoken to like this before he shrugged and obliged. “ Alright then. Last week, I received an urgent call from an Ecruteak contact. He told me that Entei, who we have long suspected of Union involvement, had suddenly returned to the Burned Tower. Sure that this was going to mean trouble, I called Ryan and Azura and they mobilised at once, sending their younger children to our safe house, just in case; Lisa was not at home at the time, but training at the nearby lake with Azura’s daughter, Marina. As it turned out, they arrived at the Burned Tower not a second too late: Entei had led a contingent of Union agents to the tower’s basement, where they attempted to capture Suicune and Raikou. Suicune escaped in quick time; Raikou, however, was fiercely pursued by Entei and the Union. It fled across the lake, where it encountered the two young girls, Lisa Walters and Marina Frost. Now, as we know, Marina is Raikou’s human counterpart; from her testimony yesterday, we understand that Raikou told her about their connection, and that both she and he were being pursued by Entei and the Union, after which Raikou teleported her and Lisa to apparent safety.

“ Raikou consequently managed to flee Entei’s grasp, that time, at least; and Marina found a safe place in the city to begin training her pokémon for the worst, as Raikou had instructed her to do. That evening, however, the Union made their disastrous attack.

“ You see, Ryan and Azura were still at the Burned Tower, ferreting out the remaining Union agents who were still hiding from them in the forest. Meanwhile, an unknowing Lisa returned to her house, shortly after joined by Marina. When Marina entered the house, she noticed, by pure luck, an intruder in the place, and hastened to find Lisa. It appeared that the Union had surrounded the house but, rather than attacking Lisa alone, they waited for Marina, too – two of the children for the price of one attack. What they hadn’t counted on was that the girls would work together to fight them, rather than simply come quietly.

“ According to Marina, it was young Lisa who identified the intruders and decidedly led the charge against the Union, or Team Rocket as they believed at that stage. She encouraged Marina to take her valuables with her before they tried to escape the house and flee, however, only Lisa managed to leave before the Union reappeared, discovering Marina still trapped in the house. And here, both Marina and the rest of us owe a great deal of respect to Lisa, for she was clever enough to lead a spirited offensive against the Union agents, distracting them and allowing Marina to escape the house too. Unfortunately, Lisa was quickly captured; Marina used her Mudkip to fight off some agents before she was stunned herself – and there her recollection of that night ends. When she awoke the next day, she was a prisoner of the Union, and she assumed Lisa had been taken captive also.

“ When Ryan and Azura returned, they arrived to a scene of utter destruction and chaos; ultimately concluding that both Lisa and Marina had been kidnapped. They raised the alarm and immediately fled the house for our safe house outside Ecruteak, where they have been for the past week.

“ But back to Marina: though she assumed Lisa was in the same situation as she, she soon discovered this was not the case. Over the next few days, Marina was taken across the country by the Union agents who had captured her. They had either guessed or been told the location of the Sepulchre of Raikou, possibly by Entei; in any case, it was where they were taking Marina, obviously intending to open the Sepulchre by using her. On Friday, three days ago now, they managed this, which means that, in between the day of the attack at the Walters’ house and last Friday, Entei finally tracked down and captured Raikou for the Union. With both Marina and Raikou in their possession, the Union successfully entered the Sepulchre of Raikou.

“ However, this is where luck apparently comes in. After obtaining the contents of the Sepulchre, which unfortunately the Union still possess at the moment, they sought refuge from the elements that night in a small traveller’s hut, which they had assumed to be empty; unbeknownst to them, two others had inadvertently taken shelter in the same hut mere minutes before them – namely, Lisa Walters and Gavin Luper.”

Nate looked confused. “ So, Lisa hadn’t been kidnapped by the Union, then?” he questioned. “ And as for the boy, I thought he was held captive too?”

“ So did we, until we heard from Marina on Saturday morning. Although Raikou had fully informed her of her purpose, she played dumb with the Union. On Friday night, Lisa and Gavin discovered they had stumbled on none other than their lost friend, Marina. Once again displaying truly heroic disposition, they tricked the agents and overpowered them, rescuing Marina and taking refuge that night in a nearby roadside motel. Not wanting to reveal all that Raikou had told her, as she had had precious little time to digest this information herself, Marina pretended to know nothing, instead demanding to know why she, of all people, had been kidnapped by the Union; she had noticed that Lisa had evidently crossed the organisation several times previous. To her utter disbelief, Lisa and Gavin regurgitated a story frightfully similar to hers: encounters with the Legendary dogs, though Lisa had of course encountered Suicune rather than Raikou, run-ins with danger … poor Marina’s mind was in turmoil. The same things had happened to both of the girls – what could this possibly mean?”

Lance paused, and Azura naturally filled in the next part of the story. “ Poor thing. The next morning I received a phone call from her, which shocked me, as I knew she had been kidnapped. I began sobbing the moment I heard her voice. When she asked me what was wrong, I of course had to reveal that I knew she had been kidnapped, and in turn she wondered how I could have known this. After comforting her, I told her I needed her home in Tokor at once, and she agreed. She never mentioned Lisa or Gavin, and if she had, what happened here tonight might have been partially avoided. But it’s not her fault! Marina was so confused by this stage it was a wonder she hadn’t already had a nervous breakdown. She knew nothing of our organisation, nothing really of the Union, and of the Legendaries only what Raikou told her. She really is just a child.

“ She reached Dervine harbour the next day, as I had instructed her to do, and I met her at the port. She simply collapsed into my arms and cried like a baby! Poor dear. Then she told me the full story! I think I went into shock! I had never expected such a thing to happen to my daughter. We have always been so vigilant, always so careful to protect her. Never did we expect the children to be targeted so early in the Union’s campaign. We underestimated them, gravely underestimated them, and it almost cost us both Lisa and Marina.”

There was a sombre mood in the room; most people had their heads cast down slightly out of respect for Azura’s feelings.

Lance picked up the story again. “ Yesterday morning, Azura brought Marina back to the safe house outside Ecruteak, where she relayed Marina’s tale to Ryan and Maria, who were still hiding there. From what Marina said, after the attack on the Walters’ house, Lisa had escaped and evidently found her way to Port Valeo, in Houen, where she was required for the trial of an ex-Rocket member, Lenina Johnson, whom we now understand Lisa battled against last December. There she was joined by Mr Luper, who, according to Marina, recently escaped Union imprisonment on Silver Rock Island. Incidentally, the trial was ambushed by Union agents bent on recapturing both Lisa and Gavin; once again, the two fought back with extraordinary skill, aided by fellow trainers Andrew and Jessica Hall, and members of the local Police Force. Again, Lisa Walters escaped the Union’s clutches.

“ The next day, Miss Walters ventured into the Valeo Police Station, where she reported the invasion of her house, which occurred the previous Tuesday. The attending officer there, Officer Frost – though no relation to Azura –” he added, as several pairs of eyes flicked over to the blue-haired woman. “ – expressed shock that Lisa had not reported this much earlier. Consequently, she left Lisa in the care of two other officers, but Lisa managed to slip away from them and disappeared once more.”

“ Why did she do that?” demanded Nate. “ Right when she was safe with the police, it could have saved her so much trouble!”

“ It was undeniably a reckless move,” admitted Lance. “ But as Marina told us, Lisa and Gavin thought they had bigger fish to fry. You see, they had been involved in the incident when Professor Oak disappeared last December – and they had just discovered his second appearance. Sure that the two events could not be unrelated, the duo headed for Dervine, where Oak had last been seen. It was ultimately fortunate that they took that route, as it was along the path to Dervine that Lisa noticed a plume of smoke about the forest – the aftermath of the Union’s attack on the Sepulchre of Raikou – and it was this that led them inadvertently to save Marina.”

He glanced at his wristwatch and sighed heavily. “ Long story short, this comes back to what I was trying to say about Ryan and Azura. They received mixed messages for two weeks: at first, they thought Lisa had been kidnapped by the Union. The day after Lisa and Gavin left Port Valeo, the television news was reporting their mysterious disappearance from the Police Station, which obviously contradicted this. Then, yesterday, they discovered the truth via Marina’s testimony and by contacting their eldest son, Tom, who had heard news from Lisa. Yesterday morning Lisa told her entire story to Tom, who has since passed it on to Ryan and Azura. It has been difficult for them to come to terms with their fourteen-year-old daughter’s double life – they had no idea she had been through so much. To then discover her at the mountain tonight, once more the victim of a devilish coincidence (for she had been a contestant in the Fairfax Mountain Contest), shocked them to their core. I think they are still recovering from the shock; still recoiling from the information that their daughter has been aware of the Union and the Legendaries for a long time now.”

There was a thick, pressing silence. Everyone, even those who already knew the story, seemed subdued. Then, unexpectedly, Marco said, “ What about Lisa?”

All seven others in the room looked bemused at this; Lance even seemed perturbed. “ What about her?” he answered brashly.

Marco folded his muscular arms and sat forward in his tub chair a little. “ Well, you’re saying how hard it is for her parents to discover this about her – can you imagine how hard it’s going to be when Lisa discovers her own parents are part of the Guard, an anti-Union organisation? At least Ryan and Azura knew what was eventually going to happen to their daughter – Lisa never had a clue that her parents were anything but who they said they were, did she?”

The air seemed to ring with his words for a moment, until Lance said awkwardly, “ Well, I suppose you’re right –”, but before he could get any further, Nate said from across the room, “ Whatever, Marco, it’s not like you know her.”

“ I didn’t say I did,” countered Marco brashly, not even hearing Lance’s vague admission. “ I’m just saying, it’s the truth, no-one gave any thought to her, did they?”

“ Like you care!” shot back Nate. “ You’re just trying to show up Lance in front of everyone. ”

“ At least I say what I think, I don’t crawl around the room trying to kiss his arse all day long.”

Nate was on his feet already; there was a collective intake of breath from the women in the room. “ No, you gotta play Devil’s Advocate all ****ing day, don’t ya Marco?!” he jeered, taking a step toward Marco. Being a tall, very muscular man, Nate was significantly more intimidating than Lance when it came to a fistfight.

Marco rose to the challenge, and before anyone could so much as blink, the two had begun to lay into each other, fists and curses flying through the air.

“ Stop!” bellowed Lance, clutching his head. Meanwhile Giles and another man who had remained silent throughout the meeting, Stephen, attempted to tear the two apart before they did any real damage to one another; amid much swinging of arms and spitting, the two were separated; Stephen briskly escorted Nate from the room, slamming the door behind him, while Giles pushed Marco back into his seat, where he sat and fumed, red-faced and swearing to himself.

With the chaos over, Lance rose from his seat and addressed those remaining in the room. “ It’s ten o’clock. I want everyone down in the breakfast hall at twelve. I’ll be instructing you on our next move there. Now, I’ve got a splitting headache, so I’d love it if you all left me alone, I’ll finish the declaration by myself. I spoke to the owner and he set the entire second floor aside for us, so you can rest in any of the rooms on this floor. See you all at noon.”

Everyone filed out of the room. The brown-haired woman gave Lance a quick kiss on the cheek as she passed him. The door closed a moment later; when Lance looked up, however, he saw that Marco still sat obstinately in his seat, his face deep red.

“ Marco,” he said, still at his desk at the far end of the room. “ I wanted to tell you about it, honestly. I always wanted to tell you.”

Marco glared at him. “ Twenty years. Twenty ****en years, mate.”

Lance hung his head. “ I know mate. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Marco shrugged. “ Even when you knew I was working for you …” he growled, standing up and moving for the door.

“ It would have been an unnecessary risk,” Lance defended, though there was no conviction in his voice.

“ **** off it would’ve,” spat Marco, and with that he crossed the threshold, slamming the door loudly. He had barely taken a single step away from the door when he saw a pale young woman in a nurse’s uniform standing before him in the hallway, her hands clasped together and her brow furrowed nervously. “ What?” he demanded.

The girl seemed to almost jump out of her own skin at this. Shaking a little, she squeaked, “ I w-was told to t-tell you that Miss Walters has woken up, sir.”

Marco’s scowl became a smirk. He’d show Lance what happened when people were kept in the dark …

“ Alright. Where is she?”

“ In the hospital room, j-just down on the first floor …” stammered the nurse.

“ Show me the way,” said Marco smoothly.

*

The electrical beeps and whirrs, accompanied by two soft voices issuing complicated medical jargon to one another, told Lisa that she was in some kind of hospital. She opened her eyes to find herself in a relatively large wood-panelled room – a room in the Fairfax Inn – lined with about a dozen white beds, all of them occupied by patients. Her first instinct was to sit up, but there was no such luck: her muscles simply failed to respond; indeed, her entire body, from her head to her feet and everything in between, felt as though it had recently been exposed to the business end of a steamroller. She had the simultaneous feeling of being extremely calm and unworried about anything, as if she was doped up on sedatives. Unable to do much else, she simply lay there, listening to the nearby conversation.

“ … which should stem the flow until the coagulants come into effect. By then we should have a chopper ready for transport to the Redwood Hospital, where he can be properly treated. And really, he’s the worst of the lot, so we should be alright after that’s taken care of.”

“Yes, Matron. And what about number five?”

“ Number five is … the girl?”

There was a click of a pen. “ Yes. This one.” Lisa felt a hand on the end of her mattress.

“ She’s the one with the burns?”

The second person cleared her throat. “ Mild burns to the face and forearms, scratches, smoke inhalation, particularly bad graze on the left leg, projectile wound in the upper back, bruising to the head and torso – and she’s probably suffering from serious shock.”

“ Gracious, that girl’s really been in the wars.” There was a silence. “ Hmm, that wasn’t the most appropriate choice of words, was it, Emma?”

“ Oh, well, I suppose not, really,” replied the younger woman. “ Um … number five?”

“ She’s in a bad way but she’s by no means critical; she’s stable at least. Whoever it was who patched that bullet wound up might well have saved her life, you know.”

“ Mmm.”

“ Keep her painkillers up. When she comes to, ask how sore she is, and if it’s too much for her you can up the dosage.”

“ Oh, OK.”

“ Remember, once she’s with it, you’re to notify me at once. I’ve been given orders on what to do with that girl.”

“ Yes, Matron.”

There were some loud footsteps receding on the creaky floorboards. The remaining nurse clicked her tongue, tapped her clipboard once or twice and then approached the bed nearest the door of the room that had apparently become a makeshift hospital. Lisa watched as she undressed the bandages of the man in that bed; he writhed around and moaned in agony as she repeated nervous words of assurance. After a long time, the nurse finished redressing his bandages and the commotion ceased. Aching all over, Lisa was unable to do anything but stare at the bland ceiling or, by pushing her jaw down on her chest painfully, the other side of the room.

She was staring blankly at the ceiling when there was a sudden gasp of breath very close by. Moving her neck, Lisa caught the top of a girl’s curly auburn hair; a second later, the face of a young woman in a nurse’s uniform swam more clearly into view.

“ Hi,” said Lisa simply.

“ Oh no,” said the nervous-looking girl, stepping back a little.

Lisa tried to roll onto her side to garner a better view, but once again she failed. Staring at the wooden frame of the bed beside hers, she said calmly to the nurse, “ Could you tell me what’s going on please?”

“ Oh, I’m not allowed to,” said the girl anxiously. “ I have to go get Matron now that you’ve woken up. Oh, God, how am I meant to leave twelve patients alone like that?”

“ That doesn’t sound like the most ingenious idea,” said Lisa, her voice a little thick; indeed, she was finding it a bit of a challenge to speak, like her mind had become clogged with cotton wool.

“ Well, it’s not,” agreed the girl. “ What if one of them starts to flounder?”

“ Exactly. Don’t worry about what your Matron said. You could at least tell me what’s happened …”

The girl came scurrying around the corner of the bed, eager to have an excuse not to abandon her patients. She pulled up a wooden chair and dragged it with a squeak into Lisa’s line of vision. “ I don’t really know. Matron got a phone call about two hours ago; someone said there was an emergency at Mount Fairfax. The next thing she brought me along with her to help. But, I don’t really know what to do!” the girl said, clearly struggling to not bite her nails. “ I’m still learning to be a nurse, I’m not that good.”

“ No, no, it’s OK, you’re doing a good job,” Lisa assured her in what was a very slow, laboured sentence. “ I just saw you fix that man’s dressings, you did good.”

“ Thanks,” said the girl.

“ Am I on sedatives or something?” Lisa added slowly.

“ Not sedatives, no …” said the girl. “ Strong analgesics though, they tend to knock you around a bit if you aren’t used to them. Do you need a stronger dosage?” She added, clearly recalling her instructions.

“ No, no!” Lisa said urgently, a little frightened by the mental image she had of herself drooling uselessly in her bed. “ No, I think this is just right. Now … do you know what happened last night?”

“ I can’t be sure. We were told it was some kind of terrible accident during the contest here. But Matron said the injuries we’ve seen are no accidents, most of them. And –” She lowered her voice and leaned a little toward Lisa. “ The media reporters outside are saying it was a terrorist attack. The Police mentioned a group called ‘The Union’ …”

“ Did you see any of these people?”

“ No, no, they were all gone before I got here. The Police said they only caught a few terrorists, and the rest of them all left in helicopters.” She glanced around the room. “ It’s so terrible …”

A pressing concern bubbled up in Lisa’s mind. “ Nurse, I have a friend who I think was hurt last night. Do you know if he’s OK? His name’s Gavin Luper …”

It took the girl a moment to emerge from her thoughts about the siege. She eventually flipped open a silver clipboard and ran a pen down it slowly, muttering names under her breath before she said, “ Luper, Gavin. Sixteen years old … is that right?”

“ Yes,” said Lisa breathlessly.

“ He’s in this ward, bed nine,” said the nurse, gesturing to her right. Lisa tried to crane her neck to see but it was still painfully locked; she was unable to see anything more.

Meanwhile, the nurse was struggling. “ Um – oh God –” she seemed unable to speak for a moment, “ well – he’s not good – he’s been badly injured. Some broken bones and internal bleeding, plus some awful grazes …”

“ Is he going to be alright?” pressed Lisa.

“ Oh – I hope so – I mean, I think so,” blundered the nurse. She played with her bangs nervously. “ Well, yes, he’s going to be OK. He needs more treatment and he’s still unconscious but he’s stable, he’s fine, he’s going to be alright in the end,” she said rapidly in what was evidently her most forceful voice.

Lisa had a thousand more questions she wanted to ask the girl. Before she could even get started, though, there was a creak nearby and a loud woman’s voice cried, “ Emma!”

The nurse sprang to her feet, blushing like a beetroot. “ Matron!”

Strong, purposeful footsteps strode across the makeshift ward. “ What on earth is all this? I left you with strict instructions! You were to come for me the moment this patient came to!”

“ I’m sorry, I was about to leave –”

“ I don’t want to hear it. Go check on beds seven and eight, please,” came the cross voice of the Matron. The girl named Emma gave a choked kind of sob and disappeared from view.

Now the Matron stepped into Lisa’s limited line of vision. She was a short, plump woman with a red face. Her hair was tied up neatly in a tight grey bun. She did not look a pleasant kind of person to cross.

“ Miss Walters, is it?” she asked Lisa curtly.

“ Yes,” said Lisa dumbly.

“ Right. I’ve been instructed to call some people in here when you wake up; they’ll be here in a minute. Emma, go at once to the room called ‘Cherokee’ on the second floor. Tell them Miss Walters has woken up.”

After the young nurse’s light footsteps had scurried into the distance of the Fairfax Inn, Lisa was left in silence again. The matron made a point of ignoring her completely, leaving Lisa to stew in her own anxiety at just what was about to happen – who was about to come and see her.

Loud, heavy footsteps entered the room suddenly, accompanied by the light, skittish footsteps of the young nurse, Emma. A gruff male voice said, “ I’m here.” The Matron flitted briefly through Lisa’s line of sight, clearly nervous. She and the visitor exchanged words in hushed tones, too low for Lisa to hear, then Matron’s clipped footsteps disappeared from the room along with Emma’s, and Lisa was left alone with the newcomer, whom she could still not see.

“ Lisa Walters,” came the deep voice. “ I’m Marco Trippolo.”

A complete stranger appeared in Lisa’s line of vision. He was a tall man, with a shaved head and handsome Italian features. He extended his hand to her and she shook it politely, though she could not help wondering who on earth he was, for she had secretly expected either Lance or even her parents, whose appearance she could still not explain rationally.

“ Listen up,” said Marco authoritatively. “ I’m here to tell you the truth about everything that’s happened to you. I don’t know what other people have told you but my word is fact.”

Lisa couldn’t hide the immediate contempt on her face, nor could she suppress her instinct that something was amiss. There was something dangerous, unbalanced even, in his tone.

“ Firstly, your parents are founding members of an anti-Union organisation called The Guard. The Guard exists to protect the Legend of Ecruteak, and consequently to counter every step made by the Union, who you already know about. The reason Ryan and Azura are here today is because the Guard, who I am also a member of, arrived here last night to fight the Union and stop them succeeding in their mission here.”

Irrational tears sprung instantly to Lisa’s eyes when she heard her parents’ names. She couldn’t bear to hear aloud the facts she had already ascertained in her sleep. She wiped the tears away with the corner of her sheet, sure the man would break his tirade out of respect for her feelings, but he appeared not to notice her tears, his black eyes impassive and unfocused as he pressed on with disgorging the truth; however, Lisa no longer heard him, nor did she want to. There was a ringing in her ears, her mind’s eye was transfixed on the image of her parents in the cave, fighting the Union like trained soldiers; unstoppable tears splashed onto her chest.

Meanwhile, the man named Marco was still spewing forth his lurid revelations, of which Lisa caught random phrases like ‘three guardians’ and ‘iron lock’. The man was speaking faster than ever, his face crimson; he looked almost devilish as he continued talking, his handsome features becoming animal and greedy, as though he found some bizarre pleasure in being the one to deliver this information.

His demeanour eventually frightened Lisa into action; her face still wet, she bellowed, “ ENOUGH!” at the same time as another, stronger voice cried from the doorway, “ MARCO!”

In her surprise, Lisa whipped her head around, completely forgetting how stiff her neck was. There was an audible crack as something slotted back into place; she winced but the pain quickly passed. Glad to have a full range of vision again, she focused on the figure standing stock-still over the threshold: a stocky man with a pair of sunglasses on his head was staring at Marco, an expression of utmost fury across his face.

“ What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, not moving from the doorframe.

Lisa’s eyes flew to Marco. He was more flushed than ever, like a child caught red-handed stealing. He said nothing.

The other man spoke with a deliberately muted tone, though it could not have been clearer that he wanted to shout.

“ Get the hell out of here,” he said, as low as a whisper. “ Get the hell out right now.”

Marco was out of his seat at once, streaking down the ward without another word to Lisa. He pelted past the man at the door, who made no move to manhandle him in his anger, but merely watched him disappear down the hall.

“ Are you alright, Lisa?” asked the newcomer sincerely, surveying her from afar.

She nodded, wiping her tears, utterly confused as to what had just happened.

The man took a few steps in from the door. “ Is there anyone here who heard what he told her?”

“ He told her about us, about the Guard,” came a loud woman’s voice; Lisa whirled around to see a female patient with messy blonde hair sitting up in her bed.

“ And that Ryan and Maria helped found it,” came a male voice from a bed to Lisa’s left, though she could not locate the source.

“ And he tried to tell her about the Legend –” added the woman.

“ But I don’t think she really heard him then, because she was crying, poor thing,” chimed in a young woman directly opposite Lisa’s bed. She made eye contact. “ Are you feeling a bit better now, Lisa?” she asked kindly.

Lisa managed a weary nod before she covered her face up with her sheets, screwing her eyes shut tightly.

“ Poor dear,” came the young woman’s voice again.

“ Why didn’t you stop him?” asked the man near the door testily.

“ We thought he was meant to be here!” protested the other man.

“ Yeah, we thought he really had been sent to tell her the truth,” said the loud woman. “ I’m guessing he wasn’t?”

“ Of course not!” cried the man at the door. “ Ryan and Azura were meant to do that.”

“ I WANT TO SEE MY PARENTS!” Lisa screamed.

There was instant silence. She trembled violently beneath her sheets, the tears tumbling again as voices and words rang in her ears, her mind replaying the moment she saw her parents in the cave over and over again.

“ Lisa –” said one of the strangers.

“ I want to see my parents,” she repeated more quietly, hugging herself tightly and wishing everything to be a dream.

A voice said, “ At once.” And footsteps left the room to silence.

[Gavin Luper]

*

She must have fallen asleep, because the next thing Lisa felt was two strong arms hauling her upright into a warm, sweeping embrace. She opened her eyes to see her mother’s beaming face before her, swimming with tears as she held her daughter close. Lisa collapsed in her Mum’s arms, sobbing desperately and clutching to her mother’s plump frame like a pathetic child, not caring what she looked like anymore. How long she hugged her mother – whether it was a minute or ten – she could honestly never say; all she knew was a surge of emotion through her entire being; something that warmed her throughout.

Eventually they each pulled away from each other for air. Lisa gathered a lungful of oxygen before her Dad appeared beside her Mum and swept her into his arms in turn, though he held onto her for only a few seconds before kissing her head and releasing her once more.

Lisa surveyed them closely, a lump in her throat. There was the man she called Dad, his black hair messy, exactly as it had always been, his manner still controlled and aloof like the man he was – but she had never seen him with his clothes torn and face battle-scarred, a dagger clearly visible at his belt. Beside him was the woman she called Mum; she too was just as she had always been, kind and plump-faced, free and honest with her emotions – but her honesty had not stretched so far as to tell her daughter she possessed a team of six pokémon, their pokéballs on display on her belt.

Icicles were forming in the pit of Lisa’s stomach. She yearned for an explanation – something that would justify all of this – but nothing came to her. Trying to swallow the lump in her throat, she said, “ How –” before her throat closed over painfully and she choked on the rest of her question.

Her Mum looked distraught, torn, maybe, at seeing her daughter so emotional. She tried to take Lisa’s hand but this irritated Lisa more than anything – she whipped her hand out of her mother’s grasp as if it had burnt her.

“ Lisa,” said Mum softly, “ we’re sorry. We’re really sorry that you had to find out this way.”

“ Find out what?” Lisa managed with difficulty, though she already knew the answer.

“ That we are both a part of this,” said Mum, her hands together, fingers interlocked as if she were in prayer. She looked deeply distressed. “ Now that we realise what you’ve been through – we can understand how strange you must be feeling.” She fiddled with a tattered thread trailing from the bottom of her muddy blouse before looking Lisa directly in the eye. “ Just imagine for a second if things had gone to plan,” she said sadly. “ You would still be living at home. You would never have seen a legendary pokémon and would never have been exposed to the Union. You would have got a job and stayed in Ecruteak training your pokémon. Things would have been ideal. And when you turned eighteen we would tell you the truth, the whole truth, and you would be shocked of course, but not like this. If we told you we were part of the group fighting the Union, it would have meant much less to you than it does now, after you’ve seen them, been targeted by them – and fought them, even. You will feel differently about the truth now than you would have … and should have.”

The lump had subsided a little now and Lisa found her tongue. “ I know you’re doing the right thing,” she said, trying to choose the best words. “ The Union are the bad guys and the Guard – you – are the good guys. As far as I see it anyway, since you all saved us tonight. But –” Her throat began to seize up again as she reached the hardest part of all, the thing that was tearing her up the most inside. “ But you’re my Mum and Dad. You raised me. You teach me to drive and help me with my homework. That’s – that’s what parents do!” she spluttered. “ You go to work each day to support your family. You dig for fossils and lost treasures and things. You attend meetings and seminars. But you don’t – you DON’T! -” (She nearly shouted this part.) “ – fight wars!”

Both her parents were stunned into silence.

“ And that’s why it’s hard,” said Lisa, her face burning. “ Because it’s just not right, it’s not right! You can be as shocked as you like about what I did without telling you, but you’re both grown adults who already knew about the Union, about this whole other world. I’m just a kid!” she cried. “ I didn’t know what was happening to me! I didn’t know why people were coming after me! I just had to deal with it as best I could and then I put it behind me. I pretended these things weren’t happening to me, that things weren’t as serious as they seemed. I felt like I could never tell you the things I had done, the kind of people I’d been exposed to … it felt like a horrible, horrible secret that I had to keep.” She felt a flush of shame. “ And the whole time – the whole time! – you both knew about the Union, were fighting against it, even …”

She trailed off, feeling suddenly dazed: comprehension of the awful irony had just dawned on her. The fact was, if she had told her parents the truth about being followed by the Union and the Legendaries when they first returned from Kanto in December, everything would have been revealed much sooner. She and Marina would never have been attacked; all the events of the last two weeks could have been avoided – and she, Lisa, could have been spared the terror, the mental strain, the brutality of battle … By keeping the truth a secret, she had very nearly caused her own destruction at the hands of the Union. Lisa finally saw the bitter reality: as much as she wanted to rage at her parents for not telling her the truth, and though she still felt she had that right, she understood that her own mistakes – borne of her youthful nescience and uncertainty – had played just as great a part. She was not without blame, either.

Unexpectedly, it was Dad who responded to her tirade. This took her by surprise a little: her father had never been much of a talker. He was mostly reserved and serious, content to keep his feelings and thoughts to himself unless someone particularly got under his skin. There were times when he would joke around with his wife and children, in which he would become quite talkative – but it was always the same subject matter. Lisa had never heard him talk about something serious, and so when he spoke to her now, it was as if he had suddenly become a different man.

“ You’re right,” he conceded in his deep voice. He stood up and folded his muscled arms. “ It must’ve been hard for you. But when we started all this, you weren’t in the equation. We founded the Guard twenty years ago, way before you were born, Lisa. There were no kids to think about, no-one else’s feelings to consider but ours, the founders’. Years later, when you were still young, we realised, too late, that our kids were going to be affected by this as well as us. But we never knew when. We thought you’d all be adults before you had to face the truth – and by then, you’d be old enough. Our plan was always to tell you when you were eighteen. I hate the Union more than ever now; it’s because of them that we have to do this so much earlier. I wish it could be different …”

He trailed off. Lisa knew he wasn’t done so she kept her tongue, even though something he had said had sparked her curiosity.

“ We have to tell you everything now, Lisa,” he said finally. “ Everything we weren’t going to tell you for another three years, and yet somehow, feel like we should have told you long ago. We know you’ve been told lots of different things by lots of different people. Some of them told the truth and some of them lied; but none of them told you the full truth, the whole story, as we know it to be true. We’ve already heard your story, through Tom –” Lisa recalled divulging everything to her older brother yesterday morning – was it really just twenty-four hours ago that she spoke to him? “ So now it’s our duty as parents,” he said unaffectedly, placing a hand on his wife’s shoulder, “ to tell you our side of the story.”

Lisa’s heart rose hopefully. Finally, after all this time, a chance to understand – to know the real reason she was pursued, the real reason her parents were part of the Guard – the real truth about the Legend.

“ I’m listening,” she said boldly.

Her mother, who had sunk into the wooden chair beside the bed, didn’t seem to hear her; she seemed preoccupied with clasping her hands together, looking downright apprehensive at the impending tale. Her dad, on the other hand, gave a rough, lop-sided smile at her plucky response.

Taking a breath, Dad sat down on the end of her bed. “ This all started way back in 1984, almost twenty years ago.

“ I was on my first project as a junior archaeologist. I’d been lucky from the beginning, or so I thought. I’d been offered the job just a few months after I graduated Uni at the end of ’82 – and it was a high-profile dig, too, a two-year assignment to the north-west of Ecru Lake, led by one of the greatest archaeologists of the last century. For me to have been chosen was nothing short of lucky, as I was so underqualified, but my Dad knew the people in charge of the dig, so he gave me a leg up.

“ The excitement I felt at the start of the dig fell away pretty fast as I realised the reality of my job. Hours and hours every day in the hot sun, excavating this ridiculously huge area and finding hardly anything noteworthy. It started to get tedious. More than tedious, I was pretty fed up. But I kept going, stuck to my job, partly because I knew it was going to get me far in my career to be able to say I’d worked under that particular professor of archaeology, and partly because of the other people I met on the dig.”

Dad smiled reminiscently. “ There were four of us who were only in our early twenties. Everyone else on the dig was so much older and so much more experienced than us, so at first we were grouped together out of necessity. But eventually we grew to like each other; after a few months we were best of friends, the four of us, and it made work so much easier …” He cleared his throat. “ I’m getting distracted. Anyway, one of my new friends was my boss’ son, and so we eventually got to know our boss – sorry, his name was Professor Hudson – a lot better …”

He frowned. “ That’s partly why it happened. It was just over a year into the project, the autumn sun was still hot and we were all exhausted. Spirits on the dig were at a new low. Funding hadn’t gone through on time, causing a two-week delay for a particular section of the excavation. Plus, we still hadn’t found what we were looking for and things weren’t looking any better. The person who seemed most affected by the setbacks was the professor. As the months wore on he got more and more attached to the dig. He worked seven days a week, every week. Some nights he didn’t sleep, just kept searching. Eventually he started to drag his son down to the dig on weekends when we were supposed to be resting and forced him to help. Being as I was his mate, I’d sometimes join him on the dig to keep him company.

“ And it was on one of those weekends, sometime in April ’84, when it happened.”

Lisa sat up higher in her bed, clutching tightly to the bedsheet she had absent-mindedly tied into a knot.

Her father looked at her plainly. “ I don’t know if you’ve worked it out yet, Lisa, but the professor’s son was Lance, Lance Hudson. That’s how we met, on the dig. The four of us: me, Lance, Azura Frost and Jim Donovan.”

It wasn’t the mention of Lance, but rather the name of the woman, that caused Lisa to accidentally rip a massive hole in her sheet. “ Azura Frost?” she repeated, her ears ringing. “ As in …”

“ As in Marina’s mother,” finished Dad, while Mum nodded gravely.

Lisa’s mind recoiled. “ So …” She struggled with the notion. “ So when Marina came to stay with us – you knew who she was?” she spluttered.

“ Of course we knew,” said Dad. “ What spun us out was that you and her should have had a chance encounter and become friends, as if it had been somehow been willed by fate.”

Lisa recalled the time at Christmas last year, when her parents had given Marina presents despite the fact that they barely knew her. At the time it had seemed a little overly generous; now, though, it suddenly made sense – they had known the whole time she was really the daughter of their close friend.

“ And so that’s why you let her stay at our house for so long …” Lisa murmured.

Mum looked vaguely offended. “ Well, I don’t need a reason to be hospitable!” she muttered, smoothing Lisa’s sheets rather violently. “ After all, I let Gavin stay too, and for no reason … honestly …”

She trailed off, though it was plain that she was continuing the rant in her head. Lisa deigned a fleeting smile.

“ Right,” said Dad. “ And imagine our shock, then, when shortly after you told us about this boy named Darius you met when you went to the Indigo Plateau to see your friend – um – Harry?”

“ Hiro,” corrected Lisa.

“ Right – see him battle at the Championships. We couldn’t believe you had met both Darius and Marina completely of your own accord. We’d always expected to have to do those introductions ourselves. It was a bit strange that all three of you might be united so soon. But, as it turned out, Lance prevented that from happening.”

It took Lisa a second to understand what he meant by this; she fixed him with her most accusatory gaze before her mum broke in instead.

“ Lance wanted to train Darius,” she explained. “ Darius wanted to come to Ecruteak and see you –” She did not manage to keep the motherly suspicion out of her voice. “ – but Lance was already reading the signs. The Union were scouring the country already. The Legendary dogs were out of sorts – Entei had broken away from the others – it was clear that things were developing more quickly. He told Darius about the Legend and began instructing him on how to best train himself up for the challenge …”

Mum cut herself short suddenly, reading Lisa’s blank look of incomprehension. “ Ryan, shouldn’t you get back to explaining your story to her?” she said sharply, as though it was his fault that Lisa was staring obtusely at her.

“ Lisa – you’ll understand in a minute,” began Dad. “ Back to where I was – it was a Saturday in ’84. Lance and his dad had been down at the dig all morning. Just before noon, Azura and I each received a phone call from the professor. He said they’d finally found something important. Of course, we went to join them at once. By this stage we’d excavated a fair way down and we actually had a few underground tunnels in operation. We found Lance and the professor right at the end of the longest, deepest tunnel, and for the first time in months and months, they were actually excited: they’d found something.

“ It was a stone tablet, covered in these ancient glyphs which none of us knew how to read but the professor. He was chipping away at the dirt that covered it up, brushing away and reading in this strange language, but he wouldn’t tell us what it said, just kept working. Lance, Azura and I joined in, because it was obvious that this was the reason the professor had started the dig – this was apparently what he had hoped to find in the first place.

“ Lance chipped through first. I remember that like it happened five seconds ago. All of us digging carefully at the wall of the tunnel. Just a flat, scraping kind of sound and then Lance whooping like a maniac. He’d been chipping to the right of the tablet and suddenly uncovered an opening. I’ve never seen the professor take over something so quickly. He was there like lightning and before ten minutes had gone by we’d gone far enough to make a whole section of the side of the tunnel collapse to the ground. When the dust settled, we shone our torches into the opening and found a long stone tunnel leading down to some steps – man-made steps. We’d discovered a lost world. A forgotten world.”

Lisa had never seen her father’s eyes shine like they did now; he seemed completely taken in his memory.

“ It was the reward we’d been waiting more than a year for. All the days spent on the dig suddenly seemed worth it. We went in straight away, just the four of us. The professor didn’t want to tell anyone else. He led the way. He was almost shaking with excitement – and to be honest, I was, too. We could only imagine what we’d stumbled on. And it was breathtaking. Tunnel after tunnel. Stone staircase after stone staircase. Pictures and hieroglyphics all over the walls, it felt like we’d been transported a dozen millennia in the past, yet the professor said the place looked only ‘about a thousand years old, if that’.” He laughed. “ Eventually we got to another stone tablet like the first one we found, only this time the door beside it wasn’t covered in the dirt and decay of the last millennium. Actually, aside from some dust, the place was spotless.

“ The door – a stone door, a clever ancient piece of architecture – opened easily, and inside was another tunnel, but this one wasn’t bare like the previous ones. It was filled – I mean filled – with … treasures. Golden statues and chests of coins and marble sculptures and all kinds of the greatest jewellery I’ve ever seen. Lisa, you couldn’t imagine, you really couldn’t,” he said earnestly. “ There were hallways and chambers filled with these things, from all the places in the world. There were old vases, empty pitchers that still reeked of strong perfumes, swords and battle armour, rich tapestries and silks of colours that practically glowed in the torchlight. Everything you could possibly imagine that might have had value in the ancient world was there, in that place …”

Whether consciously or not, he had closed his eyes during this recount. He now opened them, a fond smile across his stubbled face, and continued.

“ We spent a hours there, weaving our way through the galleries of treasures. We were stunned because we knew this had to be the greatest find in archaeological history, certainly in Johto anyway. Our thoughts were divided between how rich and famous we were going to be and simply how amazing the find was. It had a feeling of – I dunno – greatness. Like the things in these chambers really meant something … I don’t know how to explain it.

“ Eventually, though, we reached a chamber with nothing in it, save for a third stone tablet on the far wall, and beside it, an absolutely massive door, taller than three men, encrusted with rubies and sapphires and all kinds of gems. It was the most mindblowing thing I’d ever seen. The door itself looked like it was made of marble and an alloy of hard metals.

“ We must’ve stared at that door for fifteen, twenty minutes. The professor was reading all kinds of inscriptions on it again, he sounded euphoric, but he wouldn’t translate into English for us, not even for Lance. The rest of us just looked at it, wondering where it could lead if it were ever unlocked, what could possibly be behind this door that was greater than what we’d already seen.

“ Then the professor spoke. He said just two words at first, still looking at the glyphs all over the door. He said, ‘ It’s perfect.’ He was so quiet we normally wouldn’t’ve heard him – but it was silent in that chamber, absolutely silent. Just when we were wondering what he meant by ‘perfect’, he raised his voice and said to us all, still not looking at any one of us, ‘ You three have to go in.’”

His naturally dark eyes glowed brightly.

“ The professor told us there was a chamber beyond that could only be entered by three people at once. He said we should go, seeing as we were young. Of course, as eager as we were to go deeper into the chambers, there was the obvious stumbling block – the huge door was ostensibly locked, and there was no way we could get through it by force, it was gigantic. The professor shocked us again by saying, as if he was completely certain, ‘ It isn’t locked yet.’ He just told us to all put our hands on the door. It was … strange … how we obeyed him. But he knew what he was doing – he had read the inscriptions on the door. Lance, Azura and I all placed our hands against the door. And then it opened.”

Lisa furrowed her brow. “ Just like that?” she said sceptically.

“ Like magic,” said Dad. “ That was the first time we realised we were dealing with something otherworldly, something supernatural. This massive door just slid open for us, slowly but steadily, until it revealed an enormous cavern beyond. Unlike every other chamber we’d found before, this one was lit up. There were fires burning from marble dishes placed around the cavern on pedestals, illuminating the whole cave and it’s contents … that is, it’s inhabitants.” He hung on the threshold before saying, “ Inside were the three legendary dogs: Suicune, Raikou and Entei.”

Lisa was not shocked at this information; she had almost pre-empted it, but nonetheless, she was enthralled by the unfolding of her father’s tale – for she could not pre-empt what was going to happen next.

“ They were sleeping,” said Dad. “ As if they didn’t even know we were there. The professor told us to enter the cavern and we did, we walked down some steps into what seemed to be the home of the legendary dogs. I honestly don’t remember much of it. I know there was some kind of altar on a platform on the far side of the hollow and behind that there was another massive door, like the one we'd just gone through, except that door was encrusted with a lock, a huge silver lock, with seven keyholes. It needed seven keys to be unlocked and opened.”

Lisa listened even more intently.

"But apart from that, I don't remember much, other than that it was a massive cave. But that's all: we could hardly take our eyes off the dogs, almost never seen by humans since ancient times. We weren’t even thinking about the dig anymore; we were just completely mindblown.

“ It seems strange now, but we left that cave after about five minutes, maybe even less. The professor told us we needed to leave and we did. None of the legendaries even woke up. The door closed itself behind us. It was as if we’d never been in there.”

Lisa regarded her father curiously. She had expected something more astonishing to have happened, and this fell far short of her grand expectations.

Dad seemed to read her expression perfectly. “ You’re disappointed?” he grinned.

“ I just thought something else might have happened.”

Mum gave an impatient groan. “ It did, Lisa, don’t worry,” she said. “ Don’t toy with her Ryan, just keep going.”

Lisa’s father looked slightly indignant but he continued nonetheless. “ Well, after that we went back through the tunnels and chambers toward the surface. Professor Hudson wrote everything down in his logbook and even drew a basic mud map of where we’d been. We didn’t touch or take anything. We were all so astonished still.

“ When we got to the surface it was mid-afternoon. Professor Hudson swore us to secrecy about what we’d found. He said he needed some more equipment – some photographic materials, especially – to properly document the findings before we announced it to the rest of the team. We arranged to meet at six o’clock the next morning and return to the chambers below, because the next day was a Sunday and there wouldn’t be anyone else at the dig that day …

“ And that was the day when everything got stuffed up to buggery.”

Lisa blinked; Mum said, “ Ryan, language, really!” but her heart wasn’t in it.

“ What happened?” Lisa asked in a small voice.

“ We met at six as planned and went straight down the tunnels into the treasure chambers. We recorded everything as thoroughly as possible, writing down and describing everything we could. It was painstaking – it took hours and hours – but the professor promised us that after we’d recorded the contents of the chambers he would take us back down to where we had seen the legendaries the previous day, and it was that prospect that got us through the day.

“ After a long day we finally went down to the ancient door with the seven locks. As with the previous day, we put our hands on the door at the professor’s instruction. It opened once again. Inside were the legendaries, asleep again, though in different positions than we had seen them in the previous day. Azura, Lance and I each took, oh, maybe one step into the chamber before we heard the professor cry out. We turned around too late … we’d already been surrounded by Joseph Sterling and his gang.”

Lisa gasped.

“ Except we didn’t know who Joseph Sterling was at that stage,” elucidated her father, speaking faster now, as though he were totally immersed in his memory. “ Or rather, we knew him, but we didn't know what kind of person he would become. This was before he had any direct association with Team Rocket. It turns out he was leader of a fairly big criminal gang around Johto – a gang bent on underworld domination and control; they had a certain thirst for power, especially Sterling. By all accounts they were worse than the Rockets were at that time – kidnapping and murdering their underworld enemies. In any case, Sterling was resourceful and powerful enough to have heard about the dig – although,” he added, “ we’re still not precisely sure how he knew we had found something worth taking for himself. He was an associate researcher on the project at the time, but he wasn't directly involved. Probably he had a spy planted in our project team who was posted on constant sentry at the dig, or maybe who had bugging devices floating around there, though we still don’t know who might have turned spy on us. Whatever the case, Sterling and his twenty gangmates tracked us down that Sunday and we were at their mercy.

“ I’ll never forget turning around to see them all standing there, blocking the entrance to the chamber – our only way out. Sterling was at the front, holding a gun right at me, actually; others had their weapons trained on Lance and Azura; Professor Hudson was already being held by two big thugs with pistols.

“ The weirdest thing was, they didn’t talk to us, didn’t bark out any orders or requests to us. Joseph Sterling just looked out at the three legendaries, still sleeping in the cave, and I suddenly understood what he came for – not for us humans, but for the dogs. He wanted them for himself. When I think now about twenty men surrounding one of the legendaries and trying to take it for themselves, it makes me laugh – but back then we didn’t realise how strong the legendary dogs were. They were relative unknowns to science. It was rumoured that they were strong, mystic, but essentially flawed. Well, let me tell you, you haven’t seen power until you’ve seen Suicune, Raikou or Entei. They weren’t just powerful, they were damned near immortal.

“ In the cave that day, Sterling was top dog for about one, maybe two minutes: from when he made us put our hands up and surrender until he gave the command to his men to ‘ Open fire!’ on the first of the legendary dogs, Suicune, it was. He didn’t get far. Suicune woke up as if it had been waiting for this attack its entire life. The blast of energy we saw … it had to be seen to be truly believed, Lisa. Blinding icy blue light – blinding – erupted everywhere. That’s all anyone could see for a minute after the gang started shooting; and all we could hear were the screams of the others. I was sure I was going to die – and yet I soon realised that nothing was happening to me, that this energy was all around me but not even touching me.

“ Suicune’s counterattack lasted maybe one minute. When the light faded, there was nothing, not a single trace remaining to show that Sterling and his gang had ever been there. And there we all were – the professor, Lance, Azura and me – still on our feet, wondering what the hell had just happened and what the hell was about to happen.

“ The first thing I noticed was that Entei and Raikou had both awoken. They stood up proudly, each of them looking surprisingly smaller than I had always imagined them, though they were still imposing. Then Suicune walked right up to me, about a metre away, if that; and I saw out of the corner of my eye that Raikou had approached Azura in the same way; and Entei had followed suit with Lance. Suicune breathed out a stream of blue – energy, for want of a better word – and it surrounded me completely. For a minute all I could see was Suicune and blue light …

“ And then, suddenly, I was back in the chamber on the other side of the great door, standing beside Lance, Azura and Professor Hudson. It was silent … the door was closed … it was sealed, locked … it was as if we’d never been in there, except we had …” Dad shook his head, looking a little dazed. “ That wasn’t eloquent, but you get my drift, Lisa … we had no concrete evidence of anything, just the memory and the knowledge that the legendary dogs had just made some kind of contact with us, had done something to us … it was the strangest feeling …”

He trailed off once again, however, this time he did not seem in a hurry to return to his tale; he merely stared out the large, white-framed window at the far end of the makeshift ward, apparently lost in thought. Although Lisa’s mind was still reeling from all this unexpected information, she was still eager to hear the rest of what her father had to say. She allowed him a minute of reflection before she said, “ What happened then?”

Still looking resolutely away from Lisa, Dad said, “ Everything changed.”

Lisa gaped, and even Mum turned to look at him, because his voice was unlike they had ever heard it – hoarse and vulnerable.

“ The professor confirmed it,” he continued, though very slowly, as though he was suddenly having difficulties speaking; his voice seemed to have become lifeless. “ He’d heard of the legend. He already understood what had happened. We didn’t.”

Lisa blinked at the man before her; he was clearly fighting to keep the emotion out of his voice.

Finally, he turned and made direct eye contact with Lisa; she felt as though she was melting under his fiery gaze, but she held it boldly.

Her father spoke gravely, deliberately, as though he had planned every word years in advance. “ Professor Hudson had studied the legendary pokémon for decades, alongside his archaeological pursuits. He was mainly interested in Suicune, Entei and Raikou, whose existence was fabled rather than scientifically confirmed. He dedicated his life to investigating the truth behind these three legendary dogs. His search led him to Ecruteak, where he investigated various ancient ruins and gradually uncovered a lost, ancient language, which, once he mastered it, enabled him to read a forgotten legend inscribed on the walls of the Ruins of Alph.

“ The Legend described the existence of the three Legendary Dogs, and told stories of the ancient peoples not only knowing of their existence, but actually interacting with them. These people built shrines to celebrate the eternal bond between humans and pokémon – two shrines, in fact. They were the Tin Tower and the Brass Tower. The Tin Tower was to be a holy, sacred place solely for the legendary pokémon of the world. The Brass Tower was made as a haven to the three legendary dogs, and a shrine for humans to give their thanks and praise to the creatures.

“ The Legend claims that the people of this time were closely connected to the legendaries, even supposedly Ho-oh and Lugia, who frequently visited the Tin Tower, according to written accounts over the centuries. The Legend says that these ancient people were of a higher intellect, a higher cognition, a higher level of spirituality; they knew of a great secret, a secret that Suicune, Entei and Raikou had been tasked to protect from other pokémon. While the Legend doesn’t reveal what this secret was, it says that it involved a hidden source of unlimited power, an undescribed power. It also tells us that each legendary beast also had a human counterpart to help protect the secret from humans. Apparently the legendary dogs used their own kind of magic to bind a worthy human’s soul to their own. Those humans made the shrine impenetrable to invaders, devising a whole array of systems to keep the place secure, ultimately resulting in what is referred to in the Legend as the ‘Iron Lock’. It required seven keys to ever be opened again. The humans then took each of the keys and hid them, hid them far away from each other in all kinds of unlikely places throughout the continents, so that they could never be found, thus protecting the secret hidden deep within the shrine.”

He paused for breath; Lisa’s heart was hammering in her throat as she realised with a shiver that she was hearing the Legend she had heard people refer to so many times.

“ Historical records of the shrines and the legendaries simply disappear about seven hundred years ago. It’s as if the ancient people suddenly forgot the Legend and abandoned telling the story for future generations. The locations of the seven keys were never recorded. All concrete information was lost as the ancient civilisation died out. Eventually even the word-of-mouth stories disappeared from circulation … and not one of the ancient people ever revealed the secret they had worked so hard to protect.

“ It was Professor Hudson who rediscovered the Legend and set about discovering the truth about it. He knew the shrine was near the Burned Tower and Ecru Lake – it was the whole purpose of his dig in 1982. He fully intended to find the legendaries. And if I’m not mistaken, he fully intended for Lance, Azura and I to be there when he entered the shrine … he intended for us to be the ones to revive the Legend …”

Dad hesitated, apparently steeling himself. “ Lisa – I’ve told you all this so that you’ll be able to understand what – what I’m about to tell you now. The day Lance, Azura and I entered the shrine for the second time – the day Sterling attacked us – was the day when the Legend was reborn. When Sterling attacked us, the secret within the shrine was threatened for the first time in centuries. The legendary dogs had to protect their great secret, their hidden power. They did as they had done in ancient times – they found three humans whose souls they deemed pure and bound themselves to us. Entei to Lance, Raikou to Azura, Suicune to me. We were suddenly a part of the Legend – we were now forced to protect the great secret … but unlike the ancient civilisation, we didn’t even know what the secret was.”

Lisa felt as though her mind was spinning; it was too much to take in, she couldn’t process the enormity of what her father was telling her. What he was telling her as fact, as a true recount, she could only interpret as fiction, as a bizarre story – it didn’t seem real, even after all she had been through. It couldn’t be real.

She regarded her father critically and felt her stomach grow cold. His hands were actually trembling, his face pale and his mouth set firmly in a rigid line so as not to betray his emotions. She knew he was telling the truth. But it was just too difficult, too far removed from what Lisa wanted to believe was reality, for her to accept.

“ The moment we emerged from the shrine, the professor told us everything,” her father continued. “ About the Legend, about what he had discovered about it, about what had just happened to us in the shrine. He said our souls were bound to the legendary beasts. He said it was now our duty to protect the secret from Joseph Sterling, from anyone who sought to reopen the shrine. There and then, we became the Guard. Just the four of us, then. Bound by the Legend to protect whatever was being guarded by Suicune, Entei and Raikou. Suddenly that became the purpose of our whole lives.”

A dry sob rent the air suddenly; Lisa’s eyes fell on her mother, who was slumped weakly in the wooden chair at the bedside. She held her hands over her face and looked away from both Lisa and Dad. Lisa winced and put her hand on her mum’s shoulder comfortingly, but this served only to intensify her unexplained sobs.

Dad clenched his teeth abruptly, as though trying to keep himself under control, before he continued. “ I have to be careful how I phrase myself here, Lisa, because there’s sensitive information intertwined here that isn’t yours to hear. Put simply, we recruited some of our closest confidantes – our partners –” He gesticulated to his wife. “ – and other archaeologists from the dig, and the like – to join us. The Guard faced a few attacks from Sterling and his gang over the next years, but we staved him off every time. He knew we held a secret, but of course he didn’t know what it was; nonetheless, he was hell bent on finding what it was that we found in the shrine – which, after that fateful day in 1984, remained locked even to us. We closed the dig and filled it in, as an added precaution.

“ Mostly during these years, Lisa, our lives were somewhat normal. I married your mother and we bought our house in Ecruteak. I found a job in the National Museum while your mum stayed home to raise first Tom and then you. It was almost ten years later, in 1992, when the problems with Joseph Sterling came back to haunt us.” He paused deliberately, clearly choosing his words; Mum still had her hands over her face. “ Suffice it to say – we came very close to being defeated by Sterling. Shortly after, he became aware of the Legend, and the fact that, to enter the shrine and have a second shot at finding it’s treasures and secrets, he needed to locate seven ancient keys, seven hidden keys. Worst of all, he knew about Lance, Azura and I being bound to the legendary dogs.”

Lisa was listening, enthralled and alarmed, but she could not take her eyes from her mother, whose knuckles were white now as she buried her face deeper in her hands, slowly rocking herself back and forth.

“ Something else happened at the same time as this, though,” said Dad slowly. His face was ashen; he looked rather ill. “ Suicune, Raikou and Entei realised the threat they were under again, and c-consequently …” He paused abruptly, quite clearly struggling. “ … they made some … changes …” Lisa nodded along to show her father he was doing alright, but this seemed to make no difference. “ … to what they d-did … back in 1984 …”

Alarm and apprehension rose in the pit of Lisa’s stomach; nonetheless, she was concerned about her parents – they both looked quite unwell. “ Are you alright, Dad?”

He nodded, once, resolutely, but otherwise made no signal that he’d heard her; he pressed on. “ They changed who they’d bound their souls to … it was no longer Lance and Azura … and me …” He closed his eyes as he finished. “ They bound themselves … to our ch-children instead …”

There was a sudden buzzing in Lisa’s ears, like radio static; it was like her ears were revolted by what they had heard; yet over the warped noise she heard her own, weak voice say, “ You mean me, don’t you?”

And as her mother gave an enormous, choking wail, her father looked at her sombrely and said in his toughest voice, “ Yeah.”

It seemed to Lisa as the world simply blurred before her eyes and she fell down onto her pillows. To think, just a few hours ago, she had felt so alive, so elated and complete, when Professor Oak had told her the Legend involved her; now, with her new knowledge of the Legend, the truth bore down on her; she had never felt more detached from herself. The reality hit her before her father elaborated; exhausted though she was, she had heard enough now, been given enough disclosure, to understand the enormity of what she had just been told.

Her father was still speaking, but Lisa heard his voice as if he were calling to her down a cold, dark well. “ When you were four years old, Suicune bound itself to you, Lisa. I was there … I saw too late what happened … there was nothing I could do … And so the same thing happened to Lance and Azura … Darius became bound to Entei, and Marina to Raikou … everything changed … by the Legend, it means you kids … the three of you … are now the ones bound to protect the secret … guard the legendaries … you are the ones …”

The events of the past four months were finally pieced together, the reason the legendaries and the Union had pursued her now abundantly evident; yet Lisa had never imagined that discovering the truth would not spell the end of her ordeal. The hope had always lingered that her troubles would be over, resolved; that she could fall into her parents’ arms and everything would be all right, she would never be bothered again. Even though her mind was swirling, Lisa saw this precious illusion burst into flames before her eyes. The truth spelt nothing but despair; fate would not allow her to rest, to be free of those things which had plagued her since October. A fragile, wounded voice in her head told her the end of her anguish, the end of the nightmare, was going to be a long, long way away.

Presently, she felt herself alight from her thoughts and became aware that her father was talking again, trying to elucidate the details of what he had just revealed.

“ This means that you, Marina and Darius are the ones who must protect the shrine. You, Lisa, hold the power to connect with Suicune and protect him; he has chosen you to be his Guardian. You have been his Guardian since you were four years old; it is only now, that the Union is directly threatening the legendaries’ secret, that you have become vitally important to the fight against the Union. Do you understand what I mean, Lisa?”

She didn’t. “ I don’t understand how,” she said. “ How are we supposed to protect the legendaries? Any more than any other person? What ‘power’ do we have exactly?” She couldn’t for the life of her work out how she was different from anyone else; she didn’t feel strange, she didn’t notice that she was bound to Suicune.

Dad furrowed his brow. “ This is where what happened tonight comes in,” he said. “ Centuries ago, the Legendaries added their own precaution to protect the Iron Lock. They found what we believe to have been the sixth key and split it into three. They each took a piece and placed it in their own hidden cave. The ancient worshippers of that day, who, you recall, were in on the secret, described these caves as Sepulchres … which still completely confuses us. Do you know what the word ‘sepulchre’ means, Lisa?”

She didn’t.

“ A sepulchre is a burial place, a tomb,” he explained. “ Which makes no logical sense, as all three of the legendaries are all quite clearly still alive and kicking. Why the Legend refers to these three places as the Sepulchres of Raikou, Entei and Suicune, we still don’t know.

“ Whatever the reason, though, these sepulchres were to be the holding places for each third of the sixth key. To ensure they were extremely secure, the Sepulchres could only be safely entered by the guardian bound to that respective legendary; if not, the place would go into utter revolt, and begin to destroy its invaders.” Lisa cast him an obtuse look. “ That is, Lisa, the Sepulchre of Entei, which you and a Union agent forced your way into tonight, can only be successfully entered by the person bound to Entei – that is, now, Darius.”

Images of the last night flashed through Lisa’s mind: the golden statue of Entei standing guard; the wave of lava surging through the opening of the Sepulchre; the roar of chaos within the chamber; Lance and Darius zooming down to what Lisa had thought was a volcano – but of course, they knew that they alone could safely enter the place …

“ So – when I went in –” Lisa mused.

“ The Sepulchre of Entei went into chaos; it would have utilised everything in its power to destroy you – and it would have succeeded, because the person entering it was not the person Entei had entrusted his soul to. This meant that the treasure within – the fragment of the sixth key – was endangered. Had Lance and Darius not arrived when they did, to calm the disaster below …” He shuddered. “ You might not have made it out alive …”

Lisa shivered, though she could still not quite get her head around the notion of a cave attacking its intruders.

“ So that’s why we’re important,” she said, beginning to understand.

“ Exactly. The only way anyone can take the fragment of key hidden within the Sepulchre of Suicune is to have you enter it, Lisa, as you are the guardian of Suicune. That’s why the Union tracked you down so vehemently over the past four months, Lisa; that’s why you’ve been the object of their attacks so many times. Once they possessed you, they could effectively force you into the Sepulchre of Suicune, once they found it, and lo and behold, they’d be a step closer to having all the keys and finally having access to the secret in the shrine of the legendaries.”

Finally, Lisa knew the truth: the reason behind everything that had happened. She was the guardian of Suicune. She was crucial to opening the Iron Lock. That was the reason why the Union had sought her so assiduously for four months, the true explanation at last.

“ I should say, too, that I have the utmost respect for you, Lisa,” said Dad suddenly, taking Lisa completely by surprise. His face was serious. “ You managed to escape the Union not once, not twice, but a whole host of times! Frankly, that’s something you’d hardly expect of one of the most highly trained members of the Guard. I think you’re incredibly talented, Lisa, and very, very brave.”

Her mother nodded weakly, still not looking up.

Lisa actually felt herself blush, extremely uncomfortable with the praise that, deep down, she knew she probably deserved. Deflecting her father’s statement unsubtlely, she said, “ So what happens now? After today?”

Dad seemed to understand her discomfort; a fleeting smirk flashed across his face. “ That’s what we still don’t know for sure,” he said. “ Until tonight, Lisa, the Guard was made up of four separate divisions, for want of a better word. These divisions had their own leaders, and none of the divisions knew of the other; almost no one knew the entire organisation was being run by Lance, of all people. A lot of these members are still coming to terms with this; Lance has a lot to explain to everyone. We’re meeting at twelve –” he glanced at his watch. “ – in about fifteen minutes, actually, to decide exactly what our next steps are going to be.

“ But it’s pretty much certain what’s going to happen. Lisa, about an hour ago Joseph Sterling made a video-link speech to the global media, taking responsibility of the siege last night and announcing that his group was called the Union. Lance is going to publicly announce that we, the Guard, are declaring war on the Union. That’s what it comes down to, that’s what’s been brewing for the last twenty years.

“ You see, Lisa, this is what Sterling ultimately wants: power. Not enlightenment or wisdom; not happiness or love. He seeks the seven keys for the Iron Lock because he wants to find the secret of the shrine; he wants to take possession of the hidden power referred to in the Legend. Lisa, he wants unlimited power and control. He is not really interested in the Legendaries, nor in you three Guardians; you are merely means to an end. Sterling has begun a vicious quest, a war for power, by the most effective means he knows.

“ Do you understand what I mean? Sterling is going for all seven keys. If and when he gets them, he’ll have access to whatever the hell it is inside that shrine, that thing that the Legend says is a great secret, a ‘hidden power’. We, as the Guard, have two choices. We can spend the next months, years maybe, waiting until we get a tip that the Union have found the location of the next key. We could play the defensive forever but we’d never get anywhere; we’d never win. Our other choice is to play their game. Fight fire with fire. We engage them in outright war. We search for the keys just like they are, and if we get there first, they’ll be the ones playing the defensive. If we play the game like that, we have an enormous advantage over the Union from the outset. Do you see it, Lisa?”

She shook her head.

Dad answered his own question: “ The Union wants to break into the shrine. To succeed they’re going to need all seven keys. But what we want to do is protect the shrine, prevent the Union getting in. And to do that we need only to deprive the Union of one single key, one single fragment, even, to succeed.”

Comprehension dawned on Lisa; and for the first time, happiness, too. “ And we already have it!” she declared hopefully. “ I mean, Darius and Lance went into the Sepulchre last night … so we have our fragment, right?”

But her father did not look as jubilant as she felt.

“ No, we don’t,” he said stiffly.

Lisa’s heart sank. “ The Union didn’t –”

“ No, they didn’t,” Dad interrupted, suddenly edgy. “ Lance made a judgment call regarding the key that I don’t really agree with …” He shook his head, unnaturally violently. “ We’ll talk about that later, Lisa, Lance and I need to have some words …” He trailed off ominously and it was a moment before he shook himself again and went on. “ Anyway Lisa, what it boils down to is a quest and a war. We’ll be searching everywhere for the keys in order to get just one of them safely out of the Union’s grasp. And we’ll be fighting the Union every step of the way until we’ve got them pinned.

“ As for today, the Matron here said you need surgery, Lisa, to remove the bullet from your back. It’s a simple procedure but they can’t do it here, they don’t have a surgeon. You’re going to be flown with some other patients by chopper to Redwood Hospital, it’s about a hundred k’s away.”

“ And after that? Our house …” she muttered.

[Gavin Luper]

Dad shook his head sadly. “ Lisa, we won’t be safe to return to our old house for some time, maybe not ever, I can’t be sure. Once you’re discharged from Redwood Hospital, our whole family will be moving to the Guard’s safe house, it’s on a remote farmstead. We’ll be living there for as long as I can see into the future … for the duration of this war, however long it goes for …”

He fell silent again and this time he didn’t seem to have anything else to say.

Lisa wanted to say something else, talk about more, but as much as she felt like there remained so much unsaid between her and her parents, she could not for the life of her find anything new to discuss, any territory important enough to entrench her parents into as well. She begrudgingly sank into her own thoughts. Everything that had happened, everything in her life, was now centred on the new war. A war, the outcome of which would ultimately rest on her shoulders; her’s and Darius’s and Marina’s. The injustice of it all swelled up inside her, gnawing at her heart and devouring, piece by piece, the hope that had always resided within her.

“ It’s nearly twelve!”

The loud voice caught her unaware. Both Lisa and her father spun around; the loud-voiced woman with messy blonde hair who had spoken to Lisa earlier was sitting up in her bed, pointing at her watch.

“ What?” Dad said.

“ It’s almost twelve o’clock. The meeting with Lance is at noon, isn’t it?” The woman paused. “ Er – that’s what Azura told us anyway …” she added unconvincingly.

Lisa suddenly became aware that there were several members of the Guard in the surrounding beds, all of whom would have overheard every shred of the conversation between her and her parents; normally this would have made her feel as though her privacy had been invaded, and perhaps made her a little indignant, but she didn’t think there was a precedent for this kind of situation, and if she was honest with herself, she was too tired and overwhelmed to really care anyway.

Mum took her head out of her hands for the first time in minutes; her eyes were bloodshot and wet, her mouth drooping as if she were about to cry again. She exchanged a significant look with her husband.

“ We’d better go,” she croaked feebly.

Lisa turned away from her mother – she was usually such a strong, tough old bird and Lisa knew she wouldn’t want anyone seeing her so vulnerable.

“ Of course. I lost track of the time … thanks Christina,” he said to the blonde bed-ridden woman; she winked in response. Dad looked at Lisa apologetically. “ As I said, we’ve got to go to this meeting as sort some things out. We’ll come back to see you after the meeting, OK?”

“ Yeah, OK,” said Lisa stiffly. She wasn’t sure why but, despite how awkward it had been hearing all the information from her parents, she didn’t want them to leave her now.

“ When we come back you can tell us what exactly you went through tonight. And if you’ve got any questions, you can ask us, we might just have the answers to some of them.”

If I’ve got any questions, thought Lisa, piqued.

“ Maybe you can get some sleep in the meantime, eh?” added Dad kindly.

He and Mum both got to their feet. Dad put his arm around Mum and she buried her face in her shoulder for a moment for standing up on her own, wiping her eyes, smoothing her hair down and holding her head high.

“ OK,” said Lisa.

Both Lisa’s parents gave her a warm hug and a kiss before they left the room, but Lisa did not feel comforted by their embrace. She felt nothing but emptiness, as if something that used to live in her heart had left her forever. The unquestioned protected she had once felt from their presence was no more: Her parents were no longer Ryan and Maria Walters, loving father and mother; in the space of hours they had become Ryan and Maria Walters, renegade soldiers for the Guard – and for the life of her, Lisa could not reconcile herself with that truth.

*

Lisa lay very still for a long time after her parents left, listening to the beeps and whirrs of the medical equipment, her misty eyes on the bare ceiling. There was no way she could oblige her parents by sleeping – her mind had never been more crowded, her stomach never so churned up. No matter how she tried to divert her thoughts, they always circled back to the Legend, the Guard, her parents, the new war, and that fact that it all somehow came down to three people, three teenagers: Darius, Marina and her.

She fell into a stupor. It was only when the young nurse, Emma, came past her bed to check on her that she sluggishly forced herself back to reality.

“ Sorry, I thought you were asleep,” said the nurse shortly, catching Lisa’s gaze.

“ That’s OK,” said Lisa dully.

Emma tapped her pen on her chart, almost impatiently. “ Well, how do you feel? Is there much pain still?”

“ No, I feel fine,” said Lisa, though she could not help but think how terrible she really felt inside.

“ I’m going to lower the strength of your analgesics then,” said the nurse. She handed Lisa two white pills and a glass of water. “ Just take those.” Lisa did. “ You might get a bit of pain in an hour or so. That’s just your body adjusting to the less powerful drugs,” she added tersely.

Emma returned the chart to its holder with an unexpectedly loud clatter. She was about to move on to the next bed when Lisa suddenly understood her sulky manner.

“ Sorry for getting you in trouble with Matron before,” she said abruptly.

Emma turned on her heel, suddenly flushed. She surveyed Lisa intently for a moment before she gave a genuine smile; she had shiny silver braces attached to her teeth. “ Oh that - it’s OK,” she said, and it was clear that she was very pleased Lisa had apologised. She seemed to hesitate a moment before saying, “ I’m Emma.”

“ I heard – when Matron yelled at you,” said Lisa flatly. “ My name’s Lisa.”

“ Nice to meet you,” said Emma, her cheeks becoming even more scarlet all of a sudden. She reached surreptitiously for Lisa’s chart again. “ Sorry I was rude to you. It’s – it’s not really your fault I got in trouble with Matron – I’m the one who was meant to tell her you were awake and I didn’t,” she acknowledged awkwardly. She looked suddenly sheepish. “ I feel embarrassed now …” she muttered. “ I was supposed to tell you about the lost and found pokémon list before, but I didn’t because I was mad at you for getting me in trouble.”

Lisa’s indignation at the girl lasted barely a second; it suddenly hit her that she had no idea where her five pokémon had ended up after the siege last night. Anxiety began to clutch at her chest. “ Don’t worry about it,” she said quickly to Emma. “ Listen, I’ve got five pokémon, could you tell me if you know where they are?”

Emma pulled a stapled bunch of printouts from her clipboard and handed it to Lisa with a flourish. “ The pokémon that have been found by the police are being held in a safe place down the hall. They’ve documented every found pokémon right here –” She reached over and pointed her pen at the long printed list; many pokémon names had been highlighted or circled in texta. “ Have a look through for your missing pokémon, then, let me know when you find them and I’ll tell the police we found another owner.”

Lisa glanced hurriedly down the list. There was nothing at all on the first page; she flipped over frantically to the second. For a moment her heart leapt as she saw ‘Electabuzz’, but the description was of a female Electabuzz – hers was male. It wasn’t until the third page that she breathed a sigh of relief: the names, levels and descriptions of Electabuzz, Aipom, Dratini, Fiskmire and Vulpix were all there.

Relief washed over Lisa; she identified her pokémon to Emma, who smiled and said they would be ready for collection once she was discharged. Maybe it was the delight of having her pokémon found safe and sound, or perhaps it was just the pleasant distraction of being in the company of somebody who didn’t know about her past, that calmed her frayed nerves, but before she knew it, Lisa had drifted off again to a peaceful slumber.

She awoke a short while later with a heavy head and sore back. She sat up gingerly: with the weaker painkillers and the shock now worn off, the pain she had been mostly spared from earlier hit her with full force; every part of her body seemed to be aching from its ordeal.

She sat in her bed for a moment and simply stared into nothing. She felt like every iota of energy she had ever possessed, every ounce of strength and courage that got her through the ordeals of the past four months, had suddenly left her. She told herself quietly it was because she was coming down off the painkillers, but she knew in her heart this was not the case. She was coming down off a chaotic rollercoaster ride, a ride she had never expected to end like this, and the fact that the reality was as black as it was weighed upon her like a tonne of bricks.

Suddenly, she could not explain why she had not thought of it before, an idea darted into her mind. She examined it in her brain for a moment, weighing up the possibility that it might be as good as it seemed. Yes, of course, she thought. It was perfect. It was worth a try, at any rate … if there was a chance it could just make her feel better.

She gazed around the makeshift ward and spied Emma seated in a wooden chair near the door. The girl caught Lisa’s eye and hurried over to her bed.

“ How do you feel, Lisa?” she asked in earnest.

“ Horrible,” muttered Lisa honestly.

“ You should feel better soon,” said Emma gently. “ I’d put you back on the stronger analgesics, but I can’t. The drugs I gave you are really the strongest I can give someone in your situation … it’s not good to stay on them too long …”

“ That’s OK,” Lisa muttered.

“ By the way, your friend Gavin woke up briefly before,” added Emma.

“ Did he?” said Lisa, wishing she had been awake at the time.

Emma nodded. “ He came to as I redressed his bandages. He asked about you and I said you were fine. He tried to say something else but he was too exhausted, I think, he passed out again mid-sentence …”

“ Emma, am I allowed to leave the ward?” Lisa asked abruptly.

The nurse regarded her nervously. “ Oh, Lisa, I don’t know … I mean, really … you just got up. You said you weren’t feeling well …”

“ It passed,” said Lisa unconvincingly.

“ … and if Matron finds out that I let someone go …” Emma rambled on. Lisa was sure she had not even heard her.

“ Look, can’t you tell her that my Mum and Dad came and needed to see me somewhere urgently? She’d understand that, wouldn’t she? Tell her you couldn’t stop us or something …”

Emma stared exasperatedly at her. “ I wish you’d stop getting me in trouble!” she moaned.

Ignoring her conscience, Lisa said, “ Is that a yes?”

“ Go quickly!” Emma hissed, gesturing to the door frantically. Lisa didn’t need to be told twice. It took her a few steps to find her feet properly, but before long she was hobbling over the threshold and into the hall, keeping her mind off the pain in her back and firmly focused on her quarry.

Despite the broad sunlight of the early afternoon, the halls of the Fairfax Inn were in almost complete darkness. There was not a single window in sight, the only source of light being the open door of the makeshift ward. Lisa tried flicking a light switch on: a fluorescent light on the roof flickered hopefully for a few seconds before settling for a dull, useless orange glow in the extremities of the bulb. The darkness would have to do, thought Lisa, and she wobbled over to the first door she could find – a sign upon it proclaiming, ‘Wintergreen’ – and knocked.

Before long she had covered the entire first floor, copping the brunt of several angry ex-contestants, who were convalescing and told her in no uncertain terms where to go; one woman even had a Persian sit threateningly on the doormat in case Lisa returned. There was no luck to be had anywhere on the first floor: nobody knew who she was looking for.

She stopped by the staircase and checked her watch. It was covered in dried mud and the face had a devastating crack down the middle of it, but thankfully it still kept the time; the luminous glow told Lisa it was just ten minutes to one o’clock.

The obvious struck her at last. Of course – where else would he be? That was, she thought, if Lance’s meeting in the breakfast hall was still going … it was her best bet. She gingerly descended the stairs for the ground floor, from which she could hear a distant hum of activity.

Lisa opened the door and felt as though she had entered a different place entirely. The situation on the ground floor could not have been more removed from the peace and quiet on the first. Dozens of people were standing around in the sunlit halls, all conversing wildly about the events of the previous night. Hoping to be noticed as little as possible, Lisa slipped quietly into the crowded hall of what appeared to be more ex-contestants and tried to weave her way toward the breakfast hall. The throng of people were rowdy and unsettled – some of the boys were throwing a cricket ball around the place; others were simply bragging about their bravery.

“ … and then I punched out that motherfucker from Team Rocket, boosh, he went whoomp straight to the ground!” boomed a young man with short, bleached hair and a stubby in his hand. “ Didn’t get up again, neither. But by then I was taking on his mates …”

“ I thought someone on TV said they were called the Union now, but?” replied a blonde girl in a crop top, playing with her hair, pretending not to notice that the man was leaning his arm cockily against the wall beside her, virtually hemming her in.

“ That’s what they want you to think, babe,” growled the man, taking a chug of his beer. “ That’s what they want you to think. So – I had to do a flying kick on the next guy –”

Lisa scowled as she passed them. Dodging a couple of middle-aged woman who were gabbling excitedly about what they’d been through, she headed for the breakfast hall, sure that her suspicions would prove worthwhile. Narrowly avoiding a stray cricket ball to the head, she ducked into the lobby.

It was more crowded again; police and ex-contestants milled about uselessly, all chattering amongst themselves, many of the men sitting at the bar drinking pints. Lisa briefly spied Paddy behind the bar, working furiously to serve his restless patrons; she carefully avoided eye contact – Paddy’s blustering incompetence, while well-intentioned, was time wasting, and Lisa was in something of a hurry.

Or at least, she intended to be until she saw the image on the television screen. A news report was showing Joseph Sterling making an impassioned speech; the caption below read: ‘BREAKING NEWS: Ex-Team Rocket leader Joseph Sterling takes responsibility for Mountain Attack’. A moment later it became: ‘Government says new group “the Union” a terrorist threat.’ Lisa glared with hatred at the image of Sterling before her, wishing despite herself that she could hear what he was saying, but there the television’s volume was so low that it was completely drowned out by the noise around the lobby.

Pulling herself away from the TV, Lisa strode quickly down a side hallway to a sunlit vestibule. A window to her right allowed a view of the grassy grounds that led to the river and the path the contestants had taken up the mountain a day ago; it was now crawling with television cameramen and journalists interviewing the numerous ex-contestants and policemen. Trying to keep her mind off everything else, Lisa eyed the double doors before her that opened into the enormous breakfast hall. The doors were closed; Lisa had a feeling they would be locked from the inside if Lance and the Guard were still inside. She tried the handle with no luck – it seemed the Guard were still there, then. Which meant that he was, too.

She weighed up her options for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was storm into a crowded hall filled with people who probably already knew everything about her, were maybe even discussing her right now; she didn’t think she possessed the energy to face those people yet.

If I can’t go in there, she thought, then how …

Her eyes suddenly fell on a battered grey door to the far left of the main doors. A small sign fixed upon it declared, ‘Staff Only.’ Of course, Lisa thought – the kitchen! She might be able to hear if he was there through the kitchen doors …

She stumped over to the door and tried it. It swung open at once. Her heart rising, Lisa slipped into the dim kitchen and let out a gasp: on the bench on the far side of the kitchen, sitting on the bench with his legs swinging and ear to the staff door that led to the breakfast hall, was the boy she was looking for.

“ Darius!” she exclaimed.

He wheeled around in surprise, his brown eyes falling on her in disbelief. He leapt down from the bench and rushed toward her.

“ Lisa! You’re – are you OK?” The elation seemed to fall from his face suddenly.

Lisa realised how she looked – her arms bandaged, cuts across her grubby, tearstained face as she hobbled in her hospital gown. “ I’m better than I was,” she said after a long pause.

Darius didn’t hesitate for a second; he put his arm around her shoulder and helped support her.

“ You should be in the hospital-thing they have going on,” he said seriously.

“ Oh no, it’s OK,” insisted Lisa, realising that he was trying to lead her out of the kitchen and back toward the lobby. “ The nurse said I could leave for a bit … and so here I am,” she managed, with a fake laugh. Darius didn’t look entirely convinced, but conceded with a small smile – the dimples Lisa loved so much flashed before her eyes.

“ I get it,” he said at last, arm still around her shoulders. “ You’re like me. You wanted to listen in to what they’re saying in there, didn’t you?”

This wasn’t quite true, but Lisa suddenly found that she could not bring herself to say otherwise.

“ Yeah,” she said casually.

Darius gave a wry smile. “ You can take my bench space if you want, I’ll stand at the door.” And before Lisa could agree or argue, he had bodily picked her up off the ground and placed her delicately on the bench beside the door – there were no chairs.

“ Er – thanks,” she said, smoothing her matted hair down, a little flustered after being picked up like that.

Darius put his ear to the door again, and after a confused second, Lisa followed suit, disappointed that he was not going to say anything else to her. She had barely caught a few words from a man who sounded like he could be Lance before, unexpectedly, Darius whispered, “ I’m so glad you’re OK. I was terrified.”

Lisa managed a tiny smile. “ I was too. About you, I mean – you know – in the cave,” she blundered. He grinned and returned to listening to the proceedings in the breakfast hall.

Lisa looked at him closely for a moment. The glimpse she had of him last night in the cave had been too brief, and indeed, her mind had been on other things, to notice his appearance, but now she had ample time. He seemed to have become older-looking, more mature-looking, since they had last seen each other in December. His dark brown hair was no longer short and spiked, like Gavin’s, but long and shaggy. Lisa thought his jaw looked more defined, more rugged, than it had before, too.

She had searched for him to ask a different question, but suddenly she found an older one bubbling away inside her; and without warning it burst from her lips in an unexpectedly fierce whisper.

“ Why didn’t you come back and see me?”

Darius closed his eyes suddenly, as if he were in pain, before opening them and pulling himself away from the door. “ Lisa, I wanted to, honestly – ”

“ We had such a good day together at the pool in Silver City.”

“ I know,” muttered Darius, “ but –”

“ And the next day, when we drove back from Blackthorn City … we just talked and mucked around the whole time. I thought we were getting along really well, you know.”

“ Lisa –” Darius protested, looking deeply uncomfortable now.

“ But then you didn’t show up, even though you said you would, and I was left there, just … waiting. And the whole time I was so – worried – about you …”

“ It was my Dad, Lisa! The day after I dropped you back to Ecruteak he called me and told me to come home straight away. That day he told me all about the Legend, OK?” His voice was suddenly hoarse, hurt. The dimples were nowhere to be seen. “ I was a mess, OK? I didn’t want to see anyone at all. And I knew I couldn’t see you if I had to pretend I didn’t know who you were … that you were a guardian, too … I just didn’t want to talk about it … or think about it …” His face had become ruddy.

Lisa hesitated; this was not what she had wanted to happen. But in his own way, Darius had steered the conversation around enough for her to say what she had really wanted to say.

“ Darius …” she began, and her voice was weak and watery; furious with herself though she was, however, she could not fortify it. “ I just found out about the Legend today … about you and Marina and m-me. I just – I don’t know what to think … or feel … or do. I feel like a mess, too. I wanted to talk to you ‘cause I thought you might understand what I’m feeling – you’re the only one out of everyone here … you know?”

Darius looked at her curiously, as though this thought had genuinely not dawned on him. It took him about thirty seconds to respond, and when he did it was merely with a gruff, “ S’pose that’s true.”

Lisa looked at him desperately. “ All I can think about is how Mum and Dad never told me,” she said, struggling to keep her voice to a whisper. “ I can hardly even understand the Legend right now, it’s all too much for me to handle, I can’t even process it. But Mum and Dad … being in the Guard … I just can’t believe it, I can’t bear it.” She lowered her voice more. “ I know it sounds stupid but I feel like – like they betrayed me or something.”

Darius nodded suddenly, locking eyes with her for a moment before he tore away and leaned against the door again; unlike before, though, he was not listening to the conversation in the next room, but merely giving his tired head something to rest on.

“ Yeah,” he said dully at last, not looking at her, “ I know what you mean. After I got over the shock – all I could think about was how Dad never told me. How he had this whole secret life. I was so angry. I did stupid stuff just to piss him off … trashed the training gym with my mates and started drinking every –” He caught himself suddenly and stopped short, looking embarrassed. “ I can’t believe I said that to you,” he muttered under his breath.

“ It’s OK,” whispered back Lisa.

She waited on tenterhooks for his next words. For a second it seemed like they weren’t going to come, he seemed to not want to speak any further, but eventually he went on. “ The whole thing reminded me of a movie I saw once,” he admitted; Lisa was thrown a little. “ I forget what it’s even called. But there’s a guy who lives in some city, and he works as a diplomat for his embassy. One night someone throws a brick through his window and it misses him but smashes the wall-length mirror in his apartment … and behind the glass he finds a whole room filled with listening equipment and bugging devices and all that … It turns out that a government agency was spying on him for years and pulling the strings in every aspect of his life without him ever knowing …” Darius sighed. “ That really does sound dumb. But it’s how I thought of it. It’s how I still think of it. And I just feel stupid for never realising there was another world behind the glass.”

Lisa listened in silence. She thought she knew, at least a little bit, how that felt. She felt a tension in her chest loosen a little: she still felt as troubled as before, but knowing that Darius felt the same was the greatest comfort she could possibly have asked for.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. There seemed to be nothing else to say for the time being. Eventually Darius pressed his ear against the side of the door and resumed listening. Lisa staved off doing this for a few minutes – she wasn’t sure she wanted any more information crammed into her head. When she saw Darius’s face twist in an odd way, however, and heard a sudden burst of what sounded like applause, she let her curiosity get the better of her and mirrored Darius against the door.

The applause was just dying down. A loud male voice – Lisa was positive it was Lance’s – said, “ If we stick together now, as a united Guard, then we’ll have a chance at beating the Union. It might be fifty of us against thousands of them, but we have a full knowledge of the Legend, superior fighting ability and the three guardians in our corner. This is our chance: we can fight now, and have a chance at victory, or we can surrender, submit and lose. We all know what the right choice is!”

There was another outburst of applause; several voices roared, “ Hear, hear!”

“ So then, we have to go forward to face the future!” continued Lance fiercely. “ To find the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh keys, wherever they might be! To protect the legendary dogs from further harm! And to oppose the Union at every chance we get; to engage in total war against Joseph Sterling and his army! Who’s with me?!”

And the entire room erupted in battle cries and affirmations; people clapped and shouted and whooped and even cheered, and somehow Lisa felt herself swept up in the emotion of it all. For a moment, everything else she was feeling – the exhaustion, the sorrow, the betrayal and confusion, the fear of the unknown path ahead – just slipped away from her. She felt filled with newfound pride and solidarity, with courage and hope. As bad as things were, all was not yet lost. Hope still presented itself in the form of the Guard – and her parents.

The ruckus in the breakfast hall began to die down; Lance cried, “ Let’s get on with it!” There was a scraping of chairs on the floor, an unbolting of the main door, and the members of the Guard spilled out of the hall to face the world, to face the worst that the Union could throw at them.

The war had begun.

[mr_pikachu]

I honestly considered making a blank post in response, merely because that would likely explain my awe better than a long explanation would. Then I realized that the forum would probably prevent me from doing that, and typing a single period or something would just look stupid. So it's time for a long explanation!

To put it bluntly, I'm not even going to try to critique your writing style in this chapter. Frankly, and as much as I hate to admit it, this three-post-long work was so far above my current writing ability that I really struggle to find any deep flaws. If anything, there are a few superficial slips, but certainly nothing more.

First of all, the emotion. (God, the EMOTION!) That was perhaps the best part of the chapter. You took the turmoil of Lisa's world, the utter insanity surrounding the events of this work combined with the revelations of her past, her parents' secrets, and the Legend. And, looking at that chaos, you decided how she would respond. Not just how any old person would respond, but what Lisa Walters, Pokemon trainer from Ecruteak city would do in response to the madness.

But you took it a step further. You didn't stop at just showing her emotions. You went through in a deliberate, step-by-step fashion and described why she felt the way she felt, why she said what she said, and why she did what she did. You went through her thought process, showing how she jumped from point A to point B and so on, even detailing the hypocrisy of blaming her parents when it could have been prevented if she had told them the truth. That was, in a word, magnificent. An excellent demonstration of introspection.

The events of the chapter were additionally powerful, even if they were not as strong as the emotions were. Lisa waking up injured and in a hospital bed, the conflict between the heroes, the explanations delivered first by Marco and then by Lisa's parents (the EMOTION!), the announcement by Joseph Sterling (he's been called by his full name so many times that it seems unnatural to think of him in any other way), the counter-announcement by Lance, and the meeting between Lisa and Darius. Despite the number of extraordinary events here, they were still not as much of a force as the sheer emotion with which you hit us - though that certainly doesn't indicate a flaw in the plot.

As of course, you've left us with a cliffhanger, the way you love to do. Sure, it's not like someone could die in the first sentence of the next chapter - although it's possible you'll do that now just to prove me wrong - but it's a cliffhanger in a broader sense, as this whole thing, this entire fanfic, has been merely a prologue for what will happen next.

Even with something this beautifully grand, there were a few slight concerns I noted while reading this. Most of them were typos and such, and since I'm not sure you'd want me to list all of them, here are a choice few that were mildly more disruptive than the others.



Marco shaped up to Lance and it could not have been clear that one of the men was about to swing, however at that moment, several people cried out in protest, the loudest of whom was a man who left his seat to step in between the two friends.

So, it was unclear whether someone was about to swing? (Also, run-on sentence: change the second comma to a period.)


She was a crucial to opening the Iron Lock.

She was a crucial?


“You’re going to be flown with some other patients by chopper to Redwood Hospital, it’s about a hundred k’s away.”

One letter plurals can be tricky, but in my experience they typically don’t use apostrophes. (Even if “ks” looks confusing… perhaps it could be “Ks,” or something?)


Before long she had covered the entire first floor, copping the brunt of several angry ex-contestants, who were convalescing and told her in no uncertain terms where to go; one woman even had a Persian sit threateningly on the doormat in case Lisa returned.

They told her in no uncertain terms? That seems like they told her exactly where she needed to go… unless you’re using some unusual innuendo here. (“You can stick it up your ___!”)



Yeah, they're small, but I thought I ought to mention a few of them. Nonetheless, this is solid. Normally I would make this reply in a sandwich format - you know, sandwich the criticisms between two sets of compliments. But you know what? I have a feeling you're already confident enough in this chapter to not need that. Because this was... great. Plain and simple.

*commits the meaning of “nescience” to memory*

[Mew Trainer Rose]

...





I believe mr_pikachu has said everything I would say about this chapter. So I will just applaud you (the wait was well worth it) and hope that my mostly-blank post helps express the feeling of awe mr_pikachu would have liked to convey.

[Andrew]

Crikeys, talk about a LOT of exposition at once. I guess I wanted explanation from Lisa's parents, but wow, that was a LOT to read!

(BTW final Ellie Chronical Book is out!)

Poor old little Lisa's battered something chronic. Nice to see Marina and Darius are part of it too..

But Gavin.. what is his part in the entire thing...Lunanine's thingie? ANd why did he get the crystal ball? AND IS HE OKAY.... and what's Gavin's team anyway...

Extremely well written as always, poor geeky nurse. The Union is revving up! Full out warfare! Rad! Veronica's all like Doctor Blite from Captain Planet now!

Lisa's dad's backstory, rad. ANd it ties into the floaties drowning thing. Real nice!

The description of Lisa being drugged out, fairly truthful! I like!

But yes, a chapter that sets us up for a new scenario! Now! EBTV

[mistysakura]

Wow.

So. That has to be the best thing I've read in a while. I agree with mr_pika, the thought processes were awesome, without overdoing the melodrama. You've really allowed us to empathise with Lisa. And although the chapter was really long, it fit to gether nicely, and felt structured and not all over the place. A very long explanation at last, and it's good to see where this fic is going. yep, still want to know how Gavin fits into all this, but I can wait. I must say, teh first bit with Lance summing up what happened to Lisa and co. I felt went for a bit long. It was good in terms of it being a fic posted on a forum, because it's like a review of what's happened, bringing people up to date. But from a normal point of view, if people were reading this continuously, they'd likely just skip over the summary, although the intertwined bits such as the other members' reactions were good. And I have a bad feeling about the Guard actually; it seems that rather than just finding one key, they want to find them all, which would be concentrating too much popwer in one place. It would be very tempting for someone in the Guard to switch sides. I don't think the original three willl, since they were entrusted as guardians and they alone (besides the new guardians now) understnad the full enormity of this. But maybe someone else. The random fourth guy on the excavation, maybe? He was just there for no reason, so I'm taking a stab as to his real purpose.

Definitely worth the wait. If you're going to write chapters like that, bring on another ten months.

[Master Kirby]

That was definitely a major chapter in the history of LTL! Up until now, Lisa was just traveling around trying to solve these mysteries, not knowing what role she played in them. Now that she has learned of the Guard, it changes everything. Her world has been turned upside down, and her view of her parents has been completely changed.

You did a great job showing everything Lisa was going through and how she reacted to it. The sections where you mentioned the things that Lisa had been doing up to this point were real helpful since it has been ages since those chapters were written.

I'm glad to hear that Gavin is still in the land of the living, though that was a surprise to hear Joseph Sterling say he killed Professor Oak. The only flaws I could find were minor grammatical errors such as what mr_pikachu mentioned. There also seemed to be more profanity than the average chapter, though compared with the massive length and quality of your writing, I have to say, this turned out pretty well. I bet you sure are glad that you finally finished this chapter, and don't have to hide all these mysteries anymore. Though ........... now that we know what Lisa's parents explained of the legend, that still leaves us with plenty other plot twists. We still don't know how Gavin's psychic abilities are linked to the family curse of an inevitable battle with a Psychic Pokemon. I also was wondering where Lunanine fits into the legend with the other 3 dogs. And why was Entei working with the Union and killing people (a girl in a tree if I remember correctly)? I guess over the 20 years since they were awakened there must have been some falling out between Entei and other two?

You definitely have plenty of writing material and possible directions to take us, so keep up the good work. While it is never "fun" waiting months for a new chapter, when it turns out this well done, I'm glad you didn't sacrifice quality by rushing it. I'm looking forward to Chapter 59 (almost to 60!).

[Gavin Luper]

Replies!

Brian: I'm stoked that you found this chapter so good. In regards to the grammar stuff, I fixed most of it but left the "k's" thing - that was one of the things I was referring to in the intro to the chapter, it feels better left like that. With the people telling Lisa where to go, it was like that - "Go to hell", and so on in that same vein. Frankly, I thought I might have overdone the emotion in this a little bit - at least from a rational, me-as-the-writer point of view. But when I looked at it as Lisa would, it felt right that she would be going through these feelings, so I knew I had to leave it in, and I'm glad I did. There was a feeling upon finishing this chapter that everything had come to a satisfactory close - not that all of it has been resolved, but it's reached an intermediate resolution of sorts in the storyline of the fic. I wouldn't call the end a cliffhanger in a conventional sense, but I do see what you mean by the broader sense of the term; and I tentatively assure you I won't be murdering anyone in the first sentence of Chapter 59.

MTR: Hey, good to see you back again. Thanks muchly for the reply, I'm really glad you felt it was worth the long wait, though I don't intend to spend so long on a chapter next time. (I've probably cursed it now. Yay.) Anyhow - thanks for the awe.

Oz: You know what, I quite seriously thought of Dr Blight (sp?) from Captain Planet when I wrote that too. It's quite bizarre actually. Moving on from our clearly very 1990s childhoods, good to hear your feedback, as always. As you said, it's setting the stage for a new scenario, aka, the rest of the fic. Darius and Marina are indeed part of it, and the full-on warfare wasn't a joke, either, as you'll see later in the next book. I felt quite Rowling-ish tying in that old floaties-drowning-flashback to this, but it was enjoyable, and it had been a long time coming. I left Gavin's story out intentionally: partly because I would have had some kind of breakdown if I tried to fit every aspect of the plot into one chapter; but mostly because he was still unconscious. There's so much more to come for Gavin, and it'll happen in the natural course of events, but right now it's about Lisa and the other two. Finally, don't ruin the last Ellie book for me! I'm convinced someone's finally going to get killed off or something. And it might even be Ellie, who knows? Anyway, I only just struggled through the mundaneness of that second one (skimmed it briefly), and I have yet to even buy the last one. *holds breath*

Ada: ^_^ Thank you. It's good to hear you could empathise with Lisa from a reader's viewpoint, I've always felt that I had trouble connecting her and you guys in the fic. Glad it all fitted together nicely, too. I see exactly where you're coming from with the whole Lance summing-up thing - truth be told, if there had only been a few months between these last few chapters instead of years, I might not have bothered with it. But, looking back, it seems right that he elaborated to the rest - it's not just about the continuity aspect, but about the realism of the story: some of the other people in that room had no idea what had taken place, and they deserved to be filled in. Lastly, your observation of the Guard's behaviour and motives is very interesting. I'm not going to give anything away, but I think you've pondered the politics more critically than Lisa has yet.

Master Kirby: You're spot on: that was kind of the pivotal chapter of LTL, the major turning point in the fic. Up until now, Lisa was essentially in the dark, and despite events, she could retain vestiges of (dare I say it?) nescience. But not anymore. Now, she knows the truth, she knows who she is, she knows the Legend, she knows who her enemies are and why they seek her: everything is set to change now. As you mentioned, there was a lot more swearing in this chapter, and it was wholly intentional; it would seem artificial to me to have people going through these strains, these emotions, and stay completely in control of themselves, to stay civil. That's not what I've noticed from my observation of life: people swear, they get angry and irrational when they are put under stress or trauma. You're right: I'm extremely relieved and satisfied to have this chapter finished and posted; the mysteries are all out there now. However, there are many more things to cover and work on - including the matters involving the Legendaries, and Gavin's mystery. As for Professor Oak, you'll see about that next chapter. Everything in it's own time ...

Phew!

*wipes sweat from brow*

OK, now to everyone, I've been kicking back and lazing around, just thinking about the next chapter and sequencing it all in my head. I'm actually thinking about making a Fanart request for someone to draw a few characters and maybe a scene from the fic; but I can't make up my mind because I don't want my imagination of these things to be ruined. I'll let you know if I follow this up or not.

As for the writing of Chapter 59, I haven't made a concrete start yet but I'm not bothered by this: it's going to be a short chapter; there's not much happening other than some thoughts, some loose ends tied up and a bit of important dialogue. Ultimately, it's the ending of Book Two.

Hopefully it will grace your screens shortly!

Cheers!

[Gavin Luper]

The second book is finally finished and I'm VERY happy to have it done at last! I've made a contents page for the two books, as well as official titles for all three books, which I'll put up for Christmas. In the meantime, consider this chapter a late fifth-anniversary-of-LTL present (it was five years since the first post on December 1 this year). I hope you all enjoy this chapter, the conclusion to Lisa the Legend: Book Two.

Expect Book Three early in 2007!

---------------------------------

Chapter 59 – Burnt Sunset.


War was formally declared at two o’clock in the afternoon on the sixth of March 2003. All the members of the Guard, including Lisa and Darius, were summoned down to the foyer of the Fairfax Inn to watch Lance’s televised speech to the rest of the world. There were a few aspects of the declaration of war that Lisa didn’t really understand, such as when Lance mentioned the government’s red tape and problems with bureaucracy, but her father explained most things to her afterwards; and in any case, it wasn’t difficult to understand that the Guard was now at war with the Union.

Lisa briefly encountered Derek, the Union defector, in the foyer whilst the Guard was gathered around the old television set. He kindly applauded her efforts during the previous night and apologised for putting her on the spot in regards to relaying his message about the O’Malley File to Lance. When Lisa explained that the message had never reached its target, Derek appeared unfazed – he said the Union had already succeeded in taking the Second Key, so the entire message was no longer urgent. Whatever the O’Malley File actually was, Lisa assumed, would remain a mystery.

Lisa’s parents escorted her back to the hospital ward after the speech. Everyone seemed to be a little unsettled after the declaration, and Mum and Dad were no exception. Mum, in particular, kept clutching at Lisa’s arm as though she expected Union agents to tear her away at any second. Dad was more rational, though for the next few hours every other sentence began with, ‘ From now on.’ “ From now on, we’ll need to be vigilant about any sign we detect.” “ From now on, we have to start looking out for each other.” “ From now on, we’ll need to be on hand at any hour of any day to go to battle if we need to.”

So went the visit that Lisa had with her parents after the speech. After Lisa had recounted her version of events during the battle on the mountain and the Sepulchre of Entei, her mother made constant efforts to talk about normal things – the new shops in the Ecruteak Mall, Tom and Miki’s upcoming wedding, how Wes and Jean were doing – but Dad could not be distracted from war. He spoke less than usual and when he did, his tone was rough and clipped, and his words were always pertinent to the war. It scared Lisa to see him so preoccupied with such a grave matter, but she knew that this was how it was going to be now that everything had changed. From now on.

The upside of the visit, at least for Lisa, was lunch. The Inn’s kitchen staff called in to the ward with trays loaded with sandwiches, pumpkin soup, juice and icecream. It was only after she swallowed her first warm, nourishing spoonful of soup that Lisa realised how long it had been since she had eaten anything: before she knew it, she had devoured everything on her tray, much to the mild amusement of her parents.

The other patients in the ward were not quite as enthused by their victuals. A medivac helicopter had arrived just before two o’clock and transported the four most critical patients to Redwood Hospital for immediate treatment. Lisa had been viewed as the fifth most serious, as her bullet wound was not compromising her status but only giving her moderate pain; she would be included with the next volley of helicopters at around five o’clock. There were now only eight people in the ward – five of whom, including Gavin, were either asleep or unconscious; the other two were a dark-haired man from the Guard, named Gideon, who seemed uninterested by his food, and the young woman who had tried to console Lisa earlier, who appeared disgusted by the quality of the food, and could be heard muttering the word “revolting” under her breath.

The food in her stomach, combined with the general exhaustion that seemed to be lingering over everyone, quickly sent Lisa off to sleep after her meal; the next thing she knew after draining the last of her orange juice was her mother shaking her arm gently.

“ Lisa. Lisa, wake up love. Lisa.”

She drifted back to consciousness very unwillingly: she had just been having a pleasant dream which involved her waking up on the very first morning of her journey only to discover that everything since – the war, the Legend, the Union – had itself been nothing but a ridiculous, horrible dream.

“ Mmmmmmph,” she groaned irritably.

“ It’s quarter to five, love,” came Mum’s soft voice, “ the helicopters are going to be here very shortly. I’m just waking you up so you can get ready. Dad and I are just going downstairs to pick up your pokémon and your backpack from the police, alright?”

“ Mmm hmm.”

As their footsteps faded into the background, Lisa opened her eyes and stared up bitterly at the wooden ceiling. Her dream had seemed so real. She had felt sure that when she awoke, it would be October again, she would never have heard of the Union and never encountered the Legendaries … she would still be home … Once again, Lisa felt the bitter truth sear her insides: there was no escape from this reality.

She lay still and silent in her bed for some time, listening to the beeps and whirrs of the makeshift ward. She heard Emma and the Matron bustling about from time to time but they did not notice she was awake, a fact she was glad of, as she didn’t think she really had the energy to make small talk.

Loud footsteps heralded her parents’ return to the ward: looking around, Lisa saw Mum holding a plastic bag containing five red-and-white pokéballs, while her father had her grubby backpack slung over his shoulder.

“ There you go, darling,” said Mum gently, handing the plastic shopping bag to Lisa as she sat up in her bed.

“ This thing could do with a wash,” added Dad, dropping the dirt-caked rucksack to the floor.

Lisa shrugged dismissively at him as she returned the five pokéballs to her belt.

“ Well, we need to get going, Lisa,” said Mum, patting her arm as she kissed her on the forehead. “ The helicopters are due soon. Your father and I have to go collect our own packs, then we’ll be waiting in the foyer for you, alright?”

Lisa nodded.

“ By the way,” added Mum, “ the owner of the inn wanted to have a word with you. Something to do with the contest. He’s down in the foyer too, I think.”

“ Be careful, don’t tell him anything about the Guard,” growled Dad sternly. “ We’ll see you in a few minutes.” They left.

Lisa found suddenly that she wasn’t very curious as to what Paddy wanted to see her about. Yesterday, perhaps, she might have been excited at the idea of winning the contest’s first prize – after all, the buggy was what she and Gavin had entered the contest for in the first place – but it didn’t matter very much to her anymore. They’d found – and now, lost – the professor; they didn’t need to go to Dervine anymore. Even though Lisa was sure she and Gavin had managed to reach the summit of Mt Fairfax first, in light of what had taken place since then, it was a very hollow achievement.

There was a sudden cough from a bed to her left – a cough she had heard enough times to recognise in an instant. Her heart leapt; before she knew what she was doing she had slid out of bed and shuffled across to the bed in which Gavin lay.

His bloodshot eyes were open, a scratched, damaged-looking hand held over his mouth as he coughed. He was still covered, almost from head to toe, in thick bandages: only his face and hands had escaped last night’s ordeal with minimal damage. When he saw Lisa standing before him, a lopsided smile broke out over his face.

“ Thank God you’re OK.”

Lisa sank onto the foot of his bed and grinned back. “ Thank God you’re OK, you mean. I thought the Union were going to – you know …”

“ Me too,” croaked Gavin. “ After what they’ve done to me before …” He rubbed the scar on his cheek. “ I didn’t think I was going to make it out of there.”

“ We both did … it’s just so lucky.”

Gavin looked like he was about to say something, but as he so often did, he shut his mouth without divulging what was on his mind. “ So – what happened last night?”

For some reason Lisa found it very easy to rehash the entire story to Gavin. She explained her side of what had happened in the main battle on the plateau – how she had fought, seen a man die, and saved Gavin and the others from the incoming bomb thrown by the Union. She explained how she had seen the Union’s ranks being commanded by Joseph Sterling. She told of the journey into the Sepulchre she had taken with Veronica, the Union agent, and of what lay within. When she came to the next morning, Lisa was very blunt: she told Gavin almost in bullet points about her parents and the Guard, about Lance’s involvement, and Marina and Darius; about the Legend, how it affected her, and finally, about the new war.

Gavin was clearly affected by all this information, but he seemed, like Lisa, to have run out of shock for today. He merely nodded solemnly at the news and said nothing – it looked like he couldn’t find anything adequate to say at all.

Presently, a distant whirring sound began to tug at Lisa’s ears. It was coming from the open sliding door at the end of the ward and it seemed to be coming ever closer. She had a strong hunch as to what it was.

“ Hang on a sec, Gavin.”

She shuffled over to the door and pulled it open. It led out onto a small wooden balcony which overlooked the verdant grounds at the back of the inn, and beyond them, the tall, proud peaks of the Fairfax Ranges. Between two of the tallest peaks to the west, silhouetted against the burning orange-yellow orb that was the setting sun, were two tiny specks of black. Lisa stepped out onto the balcony. Leaning against the balustrade, she squinted into the distance, trying to ascertain what the objects were. The buzzing noise grew louder and the flying objects became larger, more visible, until Lisa was sure of what they were: the two medivac helicopters, approaching fast to take her and the other patients to safety in Redwood City Hospital.

Lisa closed her eyes and felt the cool, pine-tinged mountain breeze blow across her skin. She opened her eyes again and surveyed the world before her: green, sloping lawns below; a bubbling, crystal-clear mountain stream to the right of the grounds; the jagged, rocky outcrops of the upper reaches of Mt Fairfax; the awesome beauty of the sunset. She felt a serene smile emerge on her lips. Some of the worst things in her life had happened in this place; she had suffered more terribly here than anywhere else. Yet, basked in the sun’s golden rays, it was still a place of peace and beauty: gazing out over the mountains, there was no sign that such violence had occurred here less than twenty-four hours ago. It was as though nature had found her own way to heal the scars of battle.

Lisa returned to the ward a moment later, the pure scent of pine and fresh water still lingering with her.

“ Well?” said Gavin. “ What is it?”

“ Helicopters,” explained Lisa. “ They’re taking me to the hospital in Redwood City for treatment. I suppose you’ll be coming too.”

Gavin nodded slowly.

They sat in silence for a few seconds. Lisa knew she had to go, that Paddy and her parents would be waiting for her in the foyer, but she felt that something needed to be said.

Gavin beat her to it.

“ We never thought it would end up like this, did we,” he said, and it wasn’t a question. “ We started off like normal people, normal kids, with simple ideas. We just wanted to be pokémon trainers. But now stuff’s happened and it’s changed it all.”

Lisa smiled at the fact that he felt the same way, but she had never been less humoured in her life.

“ I know,” she said sadly.

She touched each of the five pokéballs on her belt silently, a lump growing in her throat. It had been a longstanding dream of hers to be a pokémon trainer. She had worked towards it, lived for it, really, for four months. But she realised now that the outbreak of war, and her involvement in it, spelt the end of those innocent dreams she had cradled for so long. She could keep her pokémon still, she could train them for the rest of her life, but never again could she identify herself as Lisa Walters, pokémon trainer. She was changed now. For better or worse, she was more than she had been before, more than she had wanted to be. She was no longer an innocent adventurer: she had become a fighter.

“ I’ve got to go, Gavin,” she said abruptly. She knew she couldn’t stay any longer – she had matters to attend to.

He seemed to understand. “ I’ll see you in Redwood, then?”

“ If we’re not on the same chopper, yeah.” Their eyes locked and they shook hands. “ We’ve got so much more to talk about.”

“ Yeah,” Gavin agreed.

“ You can be on the same helicopter if you want!”

Lisa and Gavin both turned around; Emma stood beside them, an earnest expression on her face.

“ I’m going with one helicopter, and Matron’s going in the other one with the last of the patients. I can get both of you onto mine, if you like!” She held out a clipboard and pointed to the middle section of a complicated-looking form. “ Just write your names in there.”

They didn’t have to be asked twice: Lisa scribbled her name down quickly, and Gavin followed suit.

“ I’ll see you both on the helicopter, then!” said Lisa swiftly, slinging her backpack onto her back and heading for the door. The buzzing of rotor blades was closer than ever now, and she still had to find Paddy.

The man in question was down in the foyer of the inn, serving frantically at the bar, which was still packed with an assortment of policemen, Guard members and ex-contestants. Lisa looked briefly at the long queue for drinks before she decided to take a short cut: she ducked behind the counter to where a red-faced Paddy was pouring pints of beer.

He looked bewildered when he saw her.

“ You sent for me?” Lisa asked.

“ Oh, yes, thank goodness you’re here!” he cried, slamming two pints onto the bar before hauling a large metal screen down over the counter and locking it. “ No drinks for five minutes!” He bellowed to a throng of angry people. “ I need a break!”

The cries of indignation followed them as Paddy led Lisa to a small table in the corner. A boy and girl were already sitting at the table. When Lisa arrived, they looked pleasantly surprised.

“ Lisa! You’re alright!”

It was Daniel and Nova, fellow ex-contestants who had escaped the Union’s clutches last night. They had saved Lisa from death at the hands of a Union agent on the plateau, and she had saved their’s from the bomb thrown by the Union.

“ Hi guys,” Lisa said blankly.

They quickly relayed stories before a bemused Paddy. Lisa launched into a heavily edited version of her story: The Union knocked her out. When she awoke, she was in a cave and the entire Union army was assembled there. A battle broke out soon after and she was rescued. She couldn’t see any reason in delving into the truth about the Guard or the Legend with Nova and Daniel, nor did she have the time – the buzzing of the helicopters was growing even louder. It turned out that Daniel and Nova had a similar experience to her: After the bomb exploded on the plateau, smoke and dust had been thrown up everywhere. They’d lost each other and tried to escape in the chaos that ensued, but the Union closed in on them and stunned them, as they had tried to do with Lisa. The next thing they knew, policemen were untying them in the tunnel that led to the big cavern.

Daniel had just finished his tale when there was a sudden, very loud chopping noise that reverberated through the entire inn: it seemed the helicopters had finally landed.

Lisa spun round to Paddy.

“ I have to go on those helicopters,” she said. “ Would you be able to hurry?”

“ This would have only taken a second if you hadn’t all wanted to gasbag!” protested Paddy vehemently.

He pulled a small velvet bag from his coat pocket and placed it on the table before them.

“ What happened last night was terrible, traumatic,” he said quickly, “ but no militaristic siege is going to stop me declaring winners for my very first Fairfax Contest!”

Lisa jiggled on the spot. Hurry up!

“ Now, the attendants for the contest told me that you, Lisa, and your friend Gavin, and Daniel and Nova were the only people to pass the final checkpoint and reach the summit of Mt Fairfax. Unfortunately, the first prize for the contest, the new Solara Buggy, was set alight by the Union in their attack last night!” He frowned. “ Which leaves only second and third prizes available. Now, I don’t have a means through which to verify who arrived first, so I will let you choose between yourselves.”

With that, he pulled loosened the cord around the top of the velvet bag and tipped the contents onto the table. Four small items fell out: two were identical, platinum-coated, state-of-the-art pokédexes; another was a blue and silver pokéball; the fourth, a tiny glass bottle filled with a purple liquid.

“ Second prize is a two-of-a-kind, luxury new pokédex each; the Dive Ball and Max Repel go together as third prize.”

Lisa eyed off the pokédex. In the background she could hear her father calling out for her above the roar of the nearby helicopters; there was simply not a second left to waste.

“ Oh, Daniel, the pokédexes would be SO cool!” gushed Nova enthusiastically. “ That is, if you don’t want them, Lisa.”

“ Fine, take them!” Lisa bellowed frantically; she grabbed at the Dive Ball and Max Repel and shoved them into her backpack. She gabbled a hasty thankyou to Paddy, who looked taken aback, and rapidly scribbled down her email address for Daniel and Nova so that they could keep in touch. Then, she was sprinting – away from the contestants, away from the bar … Mum and Dad were standing by the door, looking frantic. When they saw her, they each grabbed one of her arms and hauled her out into the grounds, in the middle of which were stationed the two helicopters.

It was obvious that the choppers were not going to linger: one had clearly already been loaded up with patients and was preparing to take off. The second still had its doors wide open: a medic was pushing Gavin through on a stretcher; Emma stood just inside the helicopter, clutching her clipboard tightly as her auburn hair flew around wildly in the eddies caused by the rotor blades.

“ Oh, thank God!” she nearly screamed when Lisa and her parents appeared by the entrance. “ Get in, quickly, we need to go!”

Lisa wasn’t quite so sure why there had been such a rush until she and her parents were safely in the cabin, the door had been slammed shut and they had begun to lift off. Through the wide glass window at the side of the cabin she could see a throng of reporters and cameramen descending down the slope from the inn, cameras and microphones held aloft as they ran, as though they expected the vehicle to wait for them.

Lisa turned away from the window. “ I wonder why there’s so many jour–” she began to her parents, before she fell silent in total shock.

Dad, Mum, Emma, Gavin, one of the co-pilots and three other medics were staring, transfixed, at a stretcher that had been tucked away in a safe position just inside the door.

It contained not a patient but a silent black body bag.

A square of white paper taped to the end of the stretcher bleakly proclaimed:

Victim: Professor Samuel Oak.

Time of Death: 4.30 am, 06/03/2003.

Cause of Death: Stabbing.

Lisa stared in numb silence, like all the others present, at the body bag in the cabin beside them. The man within was the man she had been looking for; the man who had given her answers; the man who had bravely fought against – and died at the hands of – the Union. Yet, in the presence of the dead Samuel Oak, Lisa found that she did not feel as shocked as she ought to have.

Something in her heart had hardened. And something in her brain had made her recognise the brutal reality.

This was war. And in any war, there were invariably casualties. Some were knowing soldiers, willing to put their life on the line for the cause they believed in. Some were innocents, cruelly caught in the crossfire of something beyond them. But there were always casualties, and Professor Oak was merely the first of what she knew would one day become many.

And as Lisa Walters reconciled herself with the dark truth of her changed world, the helicopter rose sharply through the air and began its fierce flight away from Mt Fairfax, and into the burnt red light of the setting sun.

END OF BOOK II

[mr_pikachu]

Ah, the end of Book II! Good to see it here at last. ^_^

Y'know, this was admittedly a filler, since all that happened was that we bridged the gap from the hospital awakening to the end of Lisa's stay. Still, it was good to see Lisa and Gavin (somewhat) okay and able to talk again. Gavin's right; when they began their journeys as Pokemon trainers, they never could've expected this. Good use of their respective disappointments in what their lives have now become.

Maybe I've just come to expect too much from you - that's out of the deep respect I have for your writing, by the way - but this didn't really seem strong enough for this book's conclusion. I'm not sure whether it was because this was a filler, or because it was much shorter than the previous chapter, or because there was some vague weakness in the writing style, but it just seemed weak considering its importance in this epic.

I had a few grammar things to mention, but I think the bigger concern is the strength of this chapter. It seemed a little short, and I thought more could've been made of certain moments. (For instance, I couldn't help but think of the memorable premonition from LVH that was used to such great effect when I saw the part about Lisa's wishful dream. I think that could've been expanded and utilized further.) It just seemed like it could've had a little more.

But still, this was a strong chapter, way better than I would expect from many other writers, myself included. The scene with Paddy was effective, as we really got the full sense of franticness, and it was fairly sobering to see Oak at the end. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what you've prepared for Book III! See you then!