Bright Future

Chapter 13: Gary?

Gary helped me to the Pokemon Center, where we were able to rest for the night. I couldn't sleep that well though. I got up in the middle of the night and walked out into the blinding sunlight.

"Kat?" I turned and saw Umbreon standing there as well.

"Couldn't sleep either huh?" She shook her head.

"Want to go for a walk?" I nodded. We headed towards the ruins of life once again for some reason. I sat down with her on the hill overlooking the beautiful horizon.

"Do you think we should really go and save Lusamine?" I asked her calmly. I had been thinking about it a lot but it was all because of Lusamine that Umbreon and I were separated to begin with.

"I think that everyone deserves a second chance at a fresh start. I know she has done terrible things, but think about Lillie, this is someone she truly cares about. Do you think it's fair to let her never see her mother again?" I sighed.

"I guess not, I mean I got a second chance to start over with my family and I guess I understand what it means to have a parent who was dead-set on taking over the world...I just...It's hard to forgive her for what she's done."

"You don't have to forgive her, you just have to let her start fresh with Lillie. You don't have to forgive her for the things she has done, because I know I will never forgive her." I looked at Umbreon to see she was staring off into the distance thinking hard about something.

"What is it?" I asked quietly.

"Did you suffer a lot while I was gone?" I flinched a little at that question.

"W-what do you mean?"

"How bad?" She still didn't look at me.

"Pretty bad..." I muttered looking at the horizon as well.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"But I wish there was something I could have done that would have gotten me home sooner. I know there are things that could have been done...we just didn't know about them until you came here." I shivered a little as a cold breeze came.

"Umbreon, I did some bad things when you were gone. I shut out everyone, I tuned out my abilities so I couldn't hear everyone. I didn't want to have these gifts anymore. I allowed any pain to come to me because it was the only time I truly felt anything and now..."

"And now?" She pried.

"Gary loves me. He has for a while now, but I...I can't love him back, I wish I could, but I can't. Not after Steven, not after Lusamine, not after everything that has happened in the past two years."

"Kat..." Umbreon was thoroughly surprised by my words.

"I can't love anyone anymore, I can only trust my partners and myself. I can't trust anyone else..."

"We can fix that, together." I shook my head.

"We can't." I said firmly. "You can't fix something that's been broken for two years. I can't be the way I used to be...I wish I could be, but we have both seen things that changed us forever." I got to my feet. "We should head back." I said without any emotion.

"Kat, you're right we have seen things that have changed us forever but that doesn't mean we can't start over and try to be who we were once." I chuckled painfully.

"If that's what you want to do, then go ahead, but I can't. I won't open my heart to more hurt."

"Kat..." I walked away from her and we headed back to the pokemon center where Gary was looking around outside for us. When he finally saw us I saw the tension in his shoulders relax.

"You scared me, I thought you had disappeared." I shook my head.

"We went for a walk."

"Is everything alright?" He asked seeing the sad expression on my face.

"Yeah, just been a rough couple of days that's all." I lied and walked past him.

How could I tell you the truth Gary? How could I tell you that I want to love you, but I know my heart will never open to anyone again...There's only one thing I can do right now and that's to...lie.