Broken Souls

Him.

I stumble down the stairs and see that Miki and Morty are already up and have finished breakfast. While Morty flashes me a smile, Miki's gaze is cool. "We need to be going." she informs me.

I rub my eyes. "Really? Where to- Oh." My heart drops, remembering the mission for today. Some part of me keeps trying to forget any of this is happening, but I've been remarkably unsuccessful.

Miki interrupts, "No, not where you're thinking, though there will be time for that. We need to procure you the Master Ball first." She hands me a bag of berries. "Eat."

I eat a few Oran Berries, thinking of my still sleeping team all the while. I bite my lip. "You have food for the team, right?"

"Yes. Obviously." Miki snaps. "Stay on focus. Now, Lance is going to meet us at the Whirl Islands near sundown, just in time for a proper ceremony, but he sent us an assistant to help with the process in the meantime... mainly for transportation. I can return to my Pokeball, as can your Pokemon, and that should leave enough room for Morty and you on our ride."

"Our ride? Who? Wait, Miki has a Pokeball?" I know that she was by technicality Morty's Pokemon, and he had helped to raise her when he was a trainer (making her far younger than she appeared), but somehow the idea still disturbs me.

Miki's cheeks burn.

"Just for transportation. It's a Premier Ball, so it's pretty weak. If anything happened, she'd be able to break out." Morty explains.
    "Forget it," snaps Miki.  "Let's get on with the journey- your Pokemon can eat before our trip to Whirl Islands. We'll have to travel to New Bark and the Whirl Islands in one day. Even for Bella, this will be a taxing trip."

"Bella's here?" I ask. Though I don't know the Dragonite well, having her sheer power on our side is quite the asset. It's reassuring to know we'll be packing her muscle and calm intelligence along for the ride.

"I told you Lance sent us an assistant, didn't I?" True to her word, when I glance out the window, and Lance's trusty Dragonite is there with its entire snout pressed up against it. Her nostrils flare and steam fogs up the glass until it looks frosted. "Now, let's go." She hands Morty a large bag, which Morty stuffs into his incredibly dorky travel backpack, and then she turns into a Flareon in a blaze of fire.

"I'll get my Pokemon." I tell them before rushing up the stairs. I throw the door open and the team stares back at me, hardly awake. Minerva is actually sitting right on top of Fang, whose ears flop sideways in mild disappointment. Ten is preening himself and Reginae is staring out the window pensively. "Hey. Today's going to be tough... but no matter what happens, we need to keep it together. It's going to be okay."
    "Are you going to be okay?" Reginae asks, turning.

I try to smile but I can't quite manage it, not today. Instead, I just nod. "For all of us with hearts of gold, right? We're family. That includes him. If worst comes to worst..."
    I don't know what to say. No one does. Ten casts me a knowing and sad gaze and all four of them disappear back into their Pokeballs. It's no use sitting around here feeling sorry for ourselves. There's a world to save.

Pokeballs stuffed neatly into a zipped portion of my bag, I swing down the stairs and arrive next to Morty, just outside. Bella sniffs me and then exhales, blowing my hair up around me. Her eyes are bright gold.

"Can you see us, Lance?" I ask, pressing a hand to the Dragonite's snout.

Bella nods.

"You can do it at a distance like this?"

Morty shrugs. "I can't. Lance, though, he's on another level."

And he failed too. That makes it even worse, somehow... knowing all these qualified people have all had their asses handed to them by Red. I narrow my eyes. Morty climbs onto Bella's back and reaches a hand out to pull me up into a saddle on her back. That's not the problem today. Focus.