Pokemon - Evil Reborn

Chapter 34 - Blood Money

I sat up and rubbed my eyes as light poured into the room from outside. Beside me, Nelly stirred and yawned. "Hey." I smiled.

"Hello." She replied with tired eyes.

"Did you sleep well?"

"It was the best sleep I've had in a while." She sat up.

"Me too. Are you ok?"

"About what?"

"About what happened last night." I shrugged.

"It's fine, Toby. I believe everything you said. Really, I do." She smiled.

"All right, that's good." I nodded. "I... I love you."

"I love you too." Nelly ran her hand down my arm and stood up, stretching. "I suppose we'd better meet up with the others."

"Do you know where they are?"

"They should be in the lobby, I think."

She went to walk away, but I shuffled to the edge of the bed and grabbed her hand. "Wait."

"What is it?" She turned back.

"I... It's getting dangerous. I don't know what's gonna happen next... It's not safe here. Nelly, please, go back home." I begged her.

"Not a chance." She shook her head.

"But why?"

"You and I both know that if Tobi gets what he wants, then nowhere will be safe." Nelly looked me straight in the eyes. "But you'll find a way to stop him. You've always been able to before."

"But what if I can't?" I swallowed. "This is bigger than me. I can't handle it... Nobody can... He wants me, that's all. If you go home now, you'll be safe."

"Toby... None of us are going to leave now." She smiled. "We all know you can't do it alone. But who said you had to?"

"Huh...?"

"We'll think of a way to beat him. Together. All of us." She squeezed my hand. "I know we will. Because we have each other. And Tobi has nobody. That's where he's weak. That's where you're strong."

Nelly leant forward and kissed my cheek. "I believe in you." She smiled.

"Thank you..." I nodded.

With that, Nelly let go of my hand and picked up her clothes. She carried them to the bathroom, opened the door, but paused. With her face turned away from me, I couldn't tell what emotion she was trying to express. "Toby...?"

"Yeah?" I looked up again.

"If... If something happens to me..."

"Nothing will happen to you. I won't let anything bad happen, I swear." I told her.

She stood there quietly for a few seconds, then she breathed in. "But if something does happen to me... Please... Don't be upset. Move on... Try and be with Lydia. If I can't be there for you, then... She's the only one I trust to take care of you..."

"Nelly..." I stood up. "You're going to be all right. I promise... Nobody else I care about is going to get hurt. You're not going to die. Trust me..."

She looked back at me and smiled, with what looked like the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Ok." She said the single word, before going into the bathroom. The door shut behind her, and I looked around.

"I'd sooner throw my life away than live without you..." I sighed.

*

On the ground floor of the hotel, everyone was waiting in the lobby. They had a corner to themselves, with several sofas around a glass table. Skyra and Liv were sat next to each other on one, with Holly at the other end. Victor and Xene had both taken individual armchairs. Darragh and Janus, who had arrived the day before, sat on the other sofa, both of the men looking at the table with faces of concentration. Finally, N was standing beside the window, looking out at the sky. It was grey, threatening to rain, or even worse, start a storm. Rays of light poked down irregularly, little consolation in the awful conditions.