Chapter 15: Facing an Army

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Clemont knew something was wrong the moment Nurse Joy arrived at their table. Even before he saw the concern and fear that shone in the woman's eyes, he could sense what she was about to announce. "Bonnie..." he breathed, his eyes darting around the center and his mind forming the realization that the little girl was nowhere to be found. 

The others grew quiet as he spoke, all eyes turned toward him in surprise and shock, all thoughts of plans and preparations gone at a single word.

 Nurse Joy nodded slowly, her gaze dropping shamefully to the ground.

Clemont stood up quickly. "Where is she?" He struggled to keep his voice calm. He could have kicked himself for being so stupid. This was his little sister, the most important girl in his life, and he hadn't been protecting her like a big brother should have been! How could he have let her go? He should have stuck to her like glue! No, as something stronger than glue. "Where is she?" he repeated when the pink-haired nurse didn't respond right away. "Nurse Joy, please. She's my responsibility. I have to take care of her, so won't you tell me where she is?"

"I'm sorry," Nurse Joy whispered. "I only turned away for a second, but when I looked back, she was already gone."

"Gone?" Serena gasped. "What do you mean, gone? Do you think she ran away?"

"But why?" Ash asked, scratching his head in confusion. "She knows how dangerous it is out there by herself, doesn't she?"

Clemont felt as though he'd been hit with a million of his exploding inventions all at once. He knew what she'd done. It was so like Bonnie to try such a stunt. He remembered well the last time she'd almost run away when Team Flare had been hunting Squishy. She can be so passionate about things, he reminded himself. But she has no idea how dangerous situations can be when approached in the wrong way.

And this situation had been handled entirely wrong.

He inhaled a raspy breath, feeling the pain in his chest flare up again like an inferno. He pushed it aside. They had more pressing matters to attend to. "She's gone to rescue Korrina."

They did not take too well to the news. Serena's eyes widened to three times their normal size, Ash practically fell out of his chair, and Elizabeth looked mostly irritated that the little girl had messed up her plans.

"But...but that means...Takito..." Serena struggled to hold her words together. "He's probably already..."

"I know," Clemont said grimly.

"Why would she run away?" Ash repeated. "Especially with Takito out there."

"I think..." Serena began as though she was unsure she should reveal her suspicions to them.

"Go on," Clemont encouraged. He wanted to see if she'd come up with the same conclusion as he.

"I think it's our fault," Serena continued with a glance toward Elizabeth. "We were talking a while back, about taking Bonnie someplace safe when we found Takito. We didn't want her to get hurt. We thought someone was eavesdropping. Bonnie must have overheard us and ran away so we wouldn't do just that."

The boys just stared at them. This was not what Clemont had anticipated to hear. He felt anger start to replace the fear. "You were going to take Bonnie away without even mentioning it to me?" His voice was dangerously soft, but there was no mistaking the way his hands shook as he curled them into tight balls. 

"It was to protect her!" Elizabeth interjected when Serena appeared to have no response to his accusation. "We didn't want to distract Hasent from his mission!"

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