***Serena's POV

I step out the door and look off into the distance.

The sun is barely rising over the horizon.

I return Charmander into his Pokeball, and I walk over to where Jason and May are standing.

"Are we ready to go?" I ask.

"Yeah, just give me a second," Jason says, taking off his jacket. I see his arms press tightly against the black fabric of his t-shirt.

"Whoa."

I turn to see May, who's just as suprised.

"What's wrong?" Jason asks, tossing his jacket in his bag.

"Uh, nothing!" May and I both say in unison, our faces flushing red.

"For two people who like each other, you both really try to hate each other," He says, tossing a Pokeball out. The flashing light forms into Charizard.

"What! I don't like her!" May yells, pulling out her own Pokeball. She unleashs a large bird Pokemon.

"Pidgeot!"

"I didn't know you had a Pidgeot," Jason comments, climbing on to Charizard's back.

"What did you think I was doing last night?" She grins, getting on Pidgeot.

"Serena, who are you riding with?" Jason asks.

I take a quick look at May, and she responses by giving me a dirty look. I walk towards Jason and his Charizard.

"Oh, before I forget, here," Jason says, as he hands me a Pokeball.

"Who is this?"

"Minun."

"Why? She's your pokemon!"

"Yea, but after hours trying to understand what she was saying, she wants to be with you. She likes you a lot, so why not? Besides, we'll be traveling together, so I'll still get to see her, and I know you'll take good care of her."

I stare down at Minun's Pokeball.

Why are people keep giving me Pokemon? Do they think I can't catch any on my own?

And why does he think that? It's not like I lost my best friend or anything.

Before I can even response, Jason grabs my chin and lifts it up so we're making eye contact.

"Now, before you can say anything about your starter, just know that you told me to go back, and I didn't listen. It's not your fault. It's mine. I put you in that situation in the first place. Just believe in yourself, and focus on the task at hand," he says, as he turns around.

"Alright May, follow me! We're off to Pewter City!"

I hold Minun's Pokeball to my chest. I open my mouth to say something, but the words don't come out. Next thing I know, we're up in the sky, on our way to find out what is going on.

...

After about an hour or two of flying in awkward silence, we land on the outskirts of the city.

"Thanks Charizard," Jason says as he recalls his Pokemon. May does the same.

"What now?" May asks.

"We go to the gym," Jason says, as he leads us down a road leading into the city.

Pewter City is a small city. It all seems very plain to me. Alot of the buildings are worn down, and need a new coat of paint. Dirt roads make up all the street.

"This way guys," Jason says, turning a right off the main road. Luckily, there aren't too many people out yet, so we quickly get throught the streets.

"It should be coming up very... shortly."

I gasp when I see red stains on the ground in front of the building made out of stone. The red stains lead inside, doors wide open.

"Jason!" May yells as he runs inside. We quickly follow behind him.

It's pitch black inside.

"Jason?" I ask.

"Sh! Be quiet! Whoever did this could still be here!" May whispers. Just then, the door closes behind us.

Great.

Suddenly, a light turns on, illuminating a battlefield. There, scattered all over, are rock Pokemon. A Geodude is missing an arm. A Graveler is split in two, and I see an Onix missing half its face. In the middle of the battlefield, I see two bodies on the floor, a couple feet away from each other with pools of blood underneath them. Jason is already there, checking on them.

May and I quickly rush over, careful not to step on any Pokemon.

"Oh my Arceus."

I gasp, as I see one of the body's arm completely crushed. Shattered pieces of bone and muscle are on the floor.

"I think I'm going to be sick." May says, falling to her knees.

Jason is checking the body closest to the door.

"He's still alive!"

I quickly rush over.

This man has cuts, burns, and bruises all over his body. He has brown skin like Jason, and even has similar black hair, but he seem to be squinting. He groans in pain, trying to move.

"Take it easy bro. Relax." Jason says, holding his head.

"I... hm.. uh.." The man managers to sputter out.

"What's your name?" Jason asks.

"B-B...r...ock."

May's head shoots up.

"Brock! Oh, no no no!"

She crawls over and looks at his face. Tears fill her eyes.

"Brock! Please be ok!"

Brock slowly tries to sit up. Jason helps him gently.

"May? Wha-what are you doing here?" Brock says weakly.

His shirt has been burned, and you can see his chest, all raw and bloody, as if someone shocked or burned him.

"That doesn't matter right now. All we need to focus on is helping you get better!"

"May. W-w-we all know, I'm not gonna make it."

"Don't say that!"

Tears begin running down her cheek.

I feel my eyes get watery as well.

"Who did this to you?" Jason asks, with a straight face

"A-a-,hf, ah, k-k-" Brock struggles to speak. His body begins to go limp.

"Brock! No!"

May grabs his hand.

"You can't leave! No!"

"May, I'm glad I got you see you again." Brock said with no problem, until his whole body just stops working, and just lays there, lifeless.

"No!"

May's body flops over on top of Brock's, her tears rushing down like waterfalls. Her whole body shakes as she mourns the death of her friend.

I slowly go over to May, kneel next to her, and put my hand on her back, rubbing it slowly. I say nothing, in fear that I won't be able to hold back my emotions either.

***Jason's POV

I walk over to the other body. His arm has literally been crushed. His chest has been slashed, and his fingers are black with soot. He looks like an older version of Brock, but with white hair.

"I'll be damned." I say, sighing.

Father and son fighting, and dying together.

What a world we live in.

I turn back over and I see May sobbing. She just completely lost it. Serena is trying to silently comfort her. I can't help but smile a little. They're going to be great friends, but they don't realize it yet.

"Crying over some spilled blood, are you?"

I jump, reaching for a Pokeball.

Where did that voice come from?

Serena looks at me, her faced filled with worry.

May continues to cry.

"Don't you worry darling. You'll be seeing him soon enough."

The lights all flash on at once. Once my eyes finally adjust, I see the masked-man who attacked Serena standing between me and the girls.

"Did you miss me?"

"What do you think?" I respond, tossing the Pokeball.

"Grovyle!"

"You know, I'm surprised I didn't recognize you last time we met, but I'm starting to think that you're following me Jason," the masked man says, unleashing Aggron. The metal monster roars, shaking the whole gym. Serena shakes May to snap out of it, but she keeps crying.

"Not at all. Considering since you're the one who seems to find me."

"Heh. Your ignorance humors me. I'm sure you don't even know who I am."

"How about you take the mask off and refresh my memory?"

What does he mean I know him? He's just the murderer and I'm trying to stop him.

"I can't make it that easy for you, can I?"

I can feel him grinning under his mask.

"Now, if you excuse me, I have a promise to keep." He says as he turns around to face May and Serena.

"Aggron. Metal claw."

Aggron roars, rushing towards his target. His right claw begins to emit a bright white light.

No. Not again.

"Grovyle, Bullet Seed then Leaf Blade!" Grovyle jumps in the air, unleashing his accurate attack. It hits Aggron as he winds up to unleash his fury. Grovyle then dashes in front of Aggron, unleashing a barrage of Leaf Blades. Aggron growls in pain, and is slowly forced backwards, away from the girls. He tries to counter with Metal Claw, but Grovyle is too fast, and easily dodges and continues his attack.

"Serena! Take May and get out of here!" I yell.

"There's no point to try to hide. If she wants death, she will get it," the masked man says.

"Aggron! Push through the pain! Use Take Down!"

Aggron take advantages of how close Grovyle is, and drives his left shoulder into Grovyle, knocking him off his feet and into the ground with a hard thump.

Aggron continues his attack by stomping on Grovyle's body. Grovyle shrieks in pain, trashing in vain to get up.

"Curse all you want Groyvle, your end is here," The masked man says.

He can understand Pokemon?

"Aggron. Iron Head."

The two long, metal horns on his head begin to glow.

What do I do?

"Blaziken! Blaze kick!"

A Blaziken comes out of the air, delivering a fiery kick to Aggron's torso. Aggron roars in pain as he hits the ground from the super effective attack.

May is standing a few feet away with Serena, hate consuming her eyes.

"You will pay for what you did to Brock!"

The masked man slowly turns to May, and starts laughing hysterically.

"You think I did this? Ha! I'm sure your friend wishes I was the one who ended him."

That doesn't make sense.

"If you didn't, who did?"

"I'll give you a hint," the masked man says, as he reaches under his coat, brings out a red baseball hat, and tosses it on the floor. It slowly floats in the air as it makes its way to the ground. Serena gasps.

May stares in terror at the hat.

"Not so brave after all? And I thought I would get a decent fight from you. Oh well. Flygon!"

The roof is blow inward, rubble falling in.

"Serena! May!"

"Blaziken, don't let him get away!"

Once the rubble stops falling, and the gust clears, the masked man and Aggron are gone. Blaziken is on the floor, wet from a water attack. Serena and May are both staring at the red hat, sitting next to all the rubble, with the bodies buried deep below it.

Author's Note:
Happy Fourth of July! As a little present, I'm updating today as well as Wednesday and Friday because why not? Please comment & vote if it's worthy of one. & as always,
Happy Reading :)
-EV04