The Professor's Secret

35. A World of Crimson

Charizard ran the empty Lumiose streets in his slow, heavy pace that echoed through tall buildings. I looked around – An apocalyptical air lurked the city like thick fog in winter mornings. If I didn't watch myself, I'd let in a dreadful feeling of being the only person alive in the world; and though I knew that apprehension was senseless since the weapon had not yet been fired, I could still wonder on whether I was the only one roaming that city. Wherever people were hiding, they were hiding well... not a sign of life ventured out to prove me I wasn't caught in sick dreaming.

I thought Calem and the rest must know where the ancient weapon was being held, and regretted not having collected the information when I had the chance. My hands moved automatically to the space usually occupied by my bag... but to no use, I reminded myself with disappointment: I didn't have the chance to bring it with me as I escaped with Charizard. Even his pokeball got left behind, along with the rest of my Pokémon and any means of fast communication I could use to contact my friends.

...How would I even be able to protect Charizard if I had to, without a pokeball to retrieve him into? ...I was sort of glad I left my Pokémon behind – at least they had a shot at surviving, if...

Charizard huffed, his pace progressively slowing down as he got tired. He flapped his wings in a single vigorous and broad movement, swiftly pulling his feet from the ground. Smoothly, then, he hovered with me on his back, keeping a small distance from the asphalt with my indecision weighing him down. I got hooked back to the reality of how hard he was trying – of how hard all of them were right now, probably. When this far from Calem's dumb determination, it was easy to let Sycamore's logical pessimism sink into me... but I wouldn't allow it! I wouldn't need to protect Charizard, because we would destroy the weapon!

We reached Lumiose's desert gate number 5 through roaming alone. Charizard stopped, awaiting new instructions. I jumped from his back, deciding he had carried me long enough, and gazed through the gate's opening, wondering which way I should go. It was while we waited that Charizard's body tensed.

"What is it?!" I inquired, noticing he stared directly into the gate.

He grimaced and bent forward, expecting someone. I looked ahead and narrowed my eyes: a shadow approached through the invading light of the bright, open flower fields beyond Lumiose.

Before I had time to worry about a battle with only Charizard by my side, the shadow revealed itself too short for any of the Team Flare members... It was also too familiar, too close to my own... Charizard's expression lightened up, recognizing a friend. I ran forward.

"Calem!!!" I sighed in relief, stopping right before him.

He looked at me funny again – the distance was there, as if it had never been forgiven: too careful, too undecided upon my trustworthiness... Of course he was: I had disappeared again!

"Thought I might find you here..." he put his hands inside his pocket, uncomfortably hoping for a good-enough explanation to sooth his passive anger. I smiled with a curious mix of relief and joy because this time I had one.

"Those Team Flare assholes got me good, but we've escaped and it's okay now..." I petted Charizard's neck, acknowledging his role.

"You... what?!" Calem gasped, widening his eyes. I giggled.

"What went on in that factory?"

"We got to the president without too much trouble... but I was worried about you!" he lowered his eyes, hiding some distant trace of sorrow: possibly the memory of how many times I had led them down before.

"Well, I'm right here now..." I reminded with a faint smile.

Somehow, I felt his reassurance grow like a dim, warm light. It was comforting for me to see that his heart could be so easily won back. That we could all go back to just being friends when that was over.