Pokemon Adventures: Soul Ch26 Soul's Solace!

Chapter 26: Soul's Solace

I slowly opened my eyes, as consciousness beckoned its way back into my body. My vision was blurry at first, but as time went on I could see that I was laying down on a bed, in some PokeCenter Human Division room. I tried to move, but there was a sharp pain on my chest. I removed my scrubs just enough to see that there was a huge burn mark in the center of my chest, that hurt like hell. I lightly ran my finger across the scab, just to see if it would hurt if I touched it. I jumped in shock from that slight pain.

The television, located in the top left corner of the room, was on, and a replay of my battle with Volkner was playing on the Trainer Watch TV channel. I looked up instinctively, and started watching.

"What did you think when you saw him jump in?" asked Gabby, in an interview while the battle played out.

The battle was taken off screen for a moment as it panned over to Red, who was sitting down with the reporter in a fancy lounge.

Red smiled, "It's to be expected of you" he began, "As a trainer, you risk your pokemon's health and life in sometimes very dangerous battles. If you can't handle taking at least some punishment from your opponent's attacks yourself, then there is no way you can really "master" the world of competitive battling."

Gabby nodded in agreement, "Let's replay that battle, from the point of impact" she said, signaling with her hand to roll the tape.

The image on the screen cut away from the duo, proceeded by the video of Volkner and my battle once more. The video began right after I took the Discharged Bolt Strike from Volkner's Electivire. I could hear so clearly the loud chants from the crowd, as they cheered my name. Goosebumps spread across my entire body, as I remembered the pain and the excitement I felt at that moment. Although I could barely move, although I could barely call out Titan's last attack, I could never have felt more alive in that moment. I actually enjoyed that battle, and putting Vokner's Electivire down made it all the more rewarding. I continued to watch the stream, as I called out for Titan to use his EX Close Combat. With some devastatingly impressive blows, Titan completely ran over Electivire like a truck. Before Electivire went down, however, I watched as I dropped to the ground first. I didn't get back up. Titan returned to my side afterward, shaking me to wake up, but to no avail. The crowd cheered, but as Titan slung me over his shoulders, I couldn't help but notice…The judge hadn't ruled the match yet. I watched more intently, as to my horror, Electivire stood up again. Electivire and Volkner glared at Titan intensely. The camera zoomed in on them, revealing that Electivire's eyes were soulless. But he stood nonetheless.

"No…!" I growled.

"Yea…I won the match."

I turned my head in shock. Volkner was sitting by my side the entire time, watching the television with me. The judge ran over to check my consciousness, and he feverishly waved his arms to call the match. A medical crew rushed onto the stage soon after to take me away. I bowed my head in shame and contempt.

Gabby and Red reclaimed the screen, as they both stared into the other's eyes.

"It's a shame, but Electivire was very much on his last legs. The fact that he could even stand up in that moment was astonishing. Titan's attack was definitely powerful, and he felt the entirety of Titan's weight with every blow," Red said, shaking his head.

"How do you think he could stand up then?" Gabby asked.

Red looked up, pondering for a moment.

"Volkner's spirit. He barely sustained any damage in the fist fight with Soul. He's older, and much more seasoned as a professional. His pokemon could draw from that energy, and find the strength in him to stand up. Although, at that point, if Soul could withstand for even a moment longer, I am quite sure that Electivire would not be ready for another bout. Titan had a lot of energy left in himself. This battle was truthfully a nail biter."

The television was suddenly shut off at that point, as I turned to Volkner. He held the remote in his hand, as he stood up from the chair next to my bed. I didn't look up at him, as I kept my head bowed, nor did he ever turn to look at me. We sat in silence.

"…you know," Volkner began, "You are a very impressive trainer, and your pokemon are quite strong. You will go very far in your career."

I gritted my teeth in anger, "But I lost! Yet again, I lost to a worthy opponent! If I can't beat the trainers that matter, then nothing matters!"

Volkner remained silent for a bit, as I shook in anger.

How could I have lost!? How could I be so weak!?

"Kid…look at the table to your left."

I rose my head in shock, and glanced at my night stand. My eyes widened, as the Sunyshore gym badge rested on its surface.

I turned back to Volkner quickly, "I don't need your pity! Take this badge back!"

I reached out to grab the badge quickly, but my body throbbed with pain. A streak of pain ran down my spine, and I shuddered, pulling my hand back.

Volkner smirked, "Spirit said you'd say that," he laughed, "I know exactly how you feel, believe me. But you need to understand something. Winning isn't everything. Losing is just as important as winning your battles. I'm sure you've heard that somewhere before, and I hate to be cliché" Volkner frowned, rubbing his neck.

He then turned to face me, "As a gym leader, we push trainers to their peak. We test your links with your pokemon and your ability to give commands in desperate scenarios. Think about it, if we were to battle in traditional format, the winner of this match might have been clearly different."

I shook my head in anger, "No! there is no point in dabbling in hypotheticals. We agreed to those rules. I…lost" I said angrily, clenching my fists.

Volkner sighed, "What did I just say man? Listen, you proved something to the world in our battle. We knew that you were strong, we knew that you can lead a team in a tough spot, we knew that you are fearless, determined, the list goes on and on! You proved that time and again with all the tough gym leaders you fought and your confrontations with Syndicate! But what we know now, is that you care for more than just yourself. You put your pokemon's safety before your own. You know how to not only be the king on the board, but to be the pawn as well. That alone merits your credibility to participate in the league."

I stared at Volkner, as his words resonated with me. He's right. I have always claimed that my pokmeon were my family. I always said that they were my partners. But for the first time, I actually showed it through my actions. Not with just my words, but with my mind and body.

Vokner shrugged, "You earned it in my eyes" he said, as he began walking out of the room.

"Hey," I said.

Volkner turned back around.

"…We have a score to settle. I won't accept defeat next time" I said, glaring at him.

Volkner smiled, "Heh, those are the eyes I want to see! Truly gets my blood boiling! Don't Worry, we can battle again after the league. I'll be waiting."

As Volkner walked out, Spirit conveniently walked in, with her jaw dropped. A single tear fell from her cheek.

"Soul?!" she gasped, as she ran at me.

"Spirit, no…wait!" I stammered as I watched this girl jump out at me.

She grabbed me into her arms and bossom, squeezing the life out of me. My body felt like it lit up on fire as the pain flared about my body.

"ARGH! Get the hell off of me!" I growled in pain.

Spirit began crying, "How can you say that!? You've been out for three days! I was worried sick! You scared the heck out of me!" she bellowed.

Suddenly, with multiple puffs of smoke, the pokeballs on Spirit's waist burst open.

Emperor, Hellfire, Huntress, Nightwing and Flora surrounded me, joining with Spirit in flinging themselves upon me.

"ARGH! DAMMIT COME ON!" I growled in pain some more.

Everyone was talking all at once, I could barely make out their words.

"You were unconscious for so long! Are you hungry!?" asked Hellfire, sounding like my mom.

"Man, you got knocked the FUCK out!" Emperor laughed.

"Emperor shut up! Soul, are you okay!? Can I get anything for you!?" Huntress asked in tears, "I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough to protect you!"

"Sir! You should have used me in battle! I was more than enough to handle thy foe! Surely next time you shall consider me, your loyal assassin!" declared Nightwing.

I wearily looked around the room, as chaos surrounded me. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Titan staring at me from afar. I struggled to raise my hand up, and everyone became silent.

"Soul? What's up?" Spirit asked.

"Titan…" I said.

Everyone turned to Titan, whom became flustered with the sudden attention.

"What!?" he stammered.

We all began to laugh. We laughed, and laughed.

Titan grew angry, "Shut it! Who said you can laugh at me!" he growled.

"Titan, come here man! Join the family," Emperor said, gesturing for him to come forward.

Titan hesitated.

"Titan…" I began, "no…All of you"

Everyone looked back at me. "You guys are so strong, I'm so proud of all of you. And we might have "lost" that battle, but we've been given the opportunity to grow even stronger!"

I reached out my hand, and took the gym badge, raising it for all of us to see.

"From here on out, we make our Championship Debut. We won't fall, we won't break! We'll set out like we always planned, and decimate anyone who stands in our way!"

Emperor and the others cheered, as Spirit smiled at me.

"We have some time to train hard. The League Championship is not for another couple of months, and as of today, we were able to beat out Platina's 40-day record! All that's left is to claim our crown, and take on the champion's banquet!" I said coolly, "But be warned. We lost that match with Volkner. IF we lose a single match in the league, we are out. We have to make sure that does not happen at all costs. We also need to make a bold statement in the preliminaries and round one. We need to show the world that even though we were granted the badge as a courtesy, that we can still stand on the pier with the best of 'em."

As I said that, a light knock could be heard at the door. A nurse walked into the room, with an empowering smile on her face.

"My! It's so lively in here! I'm glad to see that Soul is awake!" she began, beaming at me, "Okay everyone, it's time for me to check up on his vitals, among some other things. Spirit, can you bring the pokemon out of the room for now?"

Spirit nodded, as she got off of the bed, giving Titan enough room to walk over to my side.

"Soul. I am thankful for your actions…However! I don't need you to do things like that for me! I can handle myself!" Titan growled.

I grinned, weakly lifting my fist up.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya" I said in a mildly cocky tone.

Titan lifted his clenched-claws, and gave me a fist bump.

Spirit leaned back over real close to my face.

"Come meet me…at the beach" she whispered in my ear.

Spirit then returned all the pokemon to their respective pokeballs, bar Emperor, and walked out.

I sighed, "Alright doc. What's my damage?"

The nurse walked over to me, and began taking my pressure.

"Your body should be in shock at the moment- er, no pun intended!" she stammered with a smile.

"You will be feeling numb and pain for a while. Also, it may feel as though you can't move every once in a while, due to some existing paralysis. But with time, this should pass. Furthermore, there is a huge amount of mild burns throughout our body. Most of that damage healed up nicely, but your body will take some time to fully recover from the severe burn on your chest. Relax for a few weeks, and don't do anything hasty. Give your body time to rest, okay?"

I nodded in agreement, and the nurse began to leave my room.

"Oh! One more thing!" said the nurse said, "That girl, Sprit, has been by your side since you were checked in. She refused to leave you hear alone, and she personally took the time to feed you, even though we insisted that our nurses here could do it. She changed you, and even bathed you. You owe her some kind of thanks for that. I know a lot of girls who wouldn't even do that for their active boyfriends. Maybe treat her to a nice dinner, or even a kiss!" she finally finished, blushing.

I began to blush in return, "Wh-what!? No! Why did you let her do that!?" I said with embarrassment.

The nurse giggled, as she left, "Take care!"

Some time passed, as I checked out of the PokeCenter. I know that the nurse told me to rest, but, how could I? I had so many thoughts swarming my head; about Volkner, about Spirit...about our future. I headed straight for the beach, where my team and Spirit were waiting. Seeing Volkner this morning, and having that conversation really put my mood up there. So far, my track record has been pretty good, but suffering defeat from both Red and Volkner opened my eyes up.

I need to train harder, I thought to myself, get back on track with our regimens and practice. We need to become even stronger in time for the league!

As I finally approached the beach, I could see Spirit staring out at the sea. She looked majestic, as her hair swayed in the breeze that blew by. I thought about how she must have felt, being at my side for the last few days. I put her through a lot on our time together, and maybe I should try to be nicer to her…

When I got close enough, I shouted out to her.

"Hey…" I said coolly.

Spirit turned to face me, with tears still resting in her eyes. She let out a weak smile, and gestured me to come to her. Emperor stood close behind her, and he gave me a silent nod.

My body was still pretty tense, and I could feel the electricity still surging through my body in every step I took to her, still unable to move my body exactly as I wanted.

I walked up to her, and stood by her side, looking out at the sea as well.

"Hey…I know we've been through a lot together, and I want to say…Thank you for everything."

Spirit shook her head, "you don't have to thank me, Soul. I wanted to help…" she replied.

"No. Honestly, it's not okay." I said, scratching my head. I turned to Emperor, and gave him a nod to step back for a bit, to give us some space to talk. Emperor nodded again in return, stepping back into the trees.

Spirit exchanged a confused glance with me.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

I took in a deep breath, and looked up into the sky.

"I…I'm sure you know that I'm an orphan. You oddly know a lot about me. I don't even remember my mom. And my dad just…he was gone while I was still young. I was there at the fire, when that whole Team Galactic fiasco went down. He saved me first, along with a few of his peers. But that wasn't enough for him. He was so strong, so admirable. He went in again and again, extracting people left and right from their fiery graves until their graves became his own. And I stood by. Helpless. I mean, I get it. I was a kid, I really couldn't help him. The same way I couldn't really help my mom at birth. These kinds of things aren't in my power or hands to be controlled, that's just how life works. But still…I can't help but feel the way I do; feel responsible. So, useless. Pathetic."

I paused, looking down at the sand.

"That pain rested in me over this for years. Moving into the lab with Prof. Rowan was a bit of an escape at first. But school happened. And I became the laugh of the grade. I lived in a lab, with some old man. They poked fun at me, without even knowing who I was or what I've been through. And I developed a less than friendly outlook on people. And to be honest, even after you…I still feel the same way about people. That doesn't just change overnight; people will always be cruel. However,"

I turned to Spirit, who was now crying; tears rand down her cheeks relentlessly. I reached out to grab her hand, and wore a serious, brave face.

"I have to say that my time with you has been…enjoyable. I…like the fact that you've been around. I know I'm stubborn and can come off as cruel, but you stood in my corner nonetheless. Without question. And you've helped me grow just a bit with each day that passed. So really, I owe you a lot."

I let go of her hands, then faced the sea once more.

"I want to find out how our relationship would be if we actually made something of it. But, please understand that I want to become the best, so I can obtain that power I need to make sure nothing bad like that happens to me or the ones I love ever again. That used to be just myself and Prof. Rowan, but that circle has grown exponentially. You, your mom Hope, Lani, Susan and Peter, Heart and Core, Cynthia, Mikail and Sharah, My entire Team and even Psyche. I want to become the kind of man who has the strength to protect those people. Even if it costs me my life. Just like my old man."

Spirit gasped, taking a step back. She began to sob, placing her face in her hands. I turned to her, not knowing really what else to say to comfort her. She quickly stopped sobbing, as she walked forward toward the sea and a part from me. She crossed her arms over her chest, as the wind began to blow.

"You know…water is so beautiful. It pushes and pulls, as the tide raises and falls. I wish I could stand here forever, and just admire it. All the time, every day. It's so free to do what it wants, but everyone has their part in destiny. We can't always be together or the same all the time…"

I became confused.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I said sternly, "Aren't you the one who always tells me that we have a future together?!"

"…I wish I had been…more truthful with you. But I couldn't bear to tell you."

Spirit faced me once more, handing my pokemon over to me. She even gave Flora's ball to me.

"Take care of Flora, please. At least until…"

"What's happening!? We didn't even start dating yet, and you're already running away?!" I growled.

"Oh, soul. I'm not running…I would never. I'm going to be…leaving for a while, and I may not be the same person that you remember when I get back. It will take some time, but your love for me will change the new me into something that resembles me today. You see,"

Spirit turned back to me, "The woman of my family all have their powers given to them, but their activation requirements are always directly intertwined with their soulmates. My mothers before me have gone through their lives searching for their soulmates, some with success and some without. And our abilities are different between each of us, but they cannot activate without the presence or life of our soulmates. My mother, Hope, had the ability to cure sicknesses, but after my dad died, that power completely disappeared. The years of her using those powers finally caught up to her, which is why she's so susceptible to catching colds and other sicknesses. My ability is to read your future, Soul. My future…my abilities can't tell my own future. So, I don't know what exactly will happen to me. But it's within you that I can see my own future. That's how I know that we will one day be together…"

At that moment, the winds all around us grew intense. The sand spread around lifting up clouds of sand everywhere. A chopper revealed itself from above, teleporting in through what appeared to be a dimension hole!

"What the-!?" I called out.

"So you see, Soul," Spirit cried out, "This is the part in our story where I am captured. You will be unable to prevent this, and I think you should run away for now. You will find me in the future, and you will be able to save me later, so please! Don't get caught up in the moment, just let this happen, okay?" Spirit turned away from me, as she approached the chopper.

The door to the chopper flew wide open.

"As we already established, we could teleport in, but we have to fly the rest back! You have 15 minutes before the commotion draws in the police! MAKE SURE YOU GET HER!" Yelled the person behind the wheel of the chopper.

As I looked up, to my horror, I could see a stocky man drop out of the door. He wore a familiar red and white mask. The collar was lined with a large amount of red fur with a jet black lycra and spandex body suit. Greigar.

"'Ey ther' lassie. It seems yer savin' yerself the headache, and makin' this easy for me?" he said in a joking condescending tone.

Spirit turned to me, "Soul, it's okay. Let this happen. I promise, everything will work out in the end. Trust me, please!" she begged, as she backed up slowly toward Greigar, still facing me.

I shook my head. What the hell was happening? She's choosing to go with them!? To Syndicate!?

"I don't know what the HELL you're thinking, but there is one thing that is NOT happening!" I growled with malice, as I reached out for my pokeballs.

"You are NOT leaving! Not without further explanation, or with these guy's period!"

Griegar laughed loudly, as he stepped forward. Greigar withdrew a device from his pocket. He began to laugh maniacally.

"Yer think this will be a fair fight?!" he scoffed. He then pressed a button on the device, that let out a short ranged electrical blast that burst out like a wave. The electricity surged all around us, as it reverberated off of the helicopter, which had formed a shield to protect itself from the blast. The pokeballs on my waist began to surge with electricity, and malfunction. Smoke then erupted from them, as they short circuited.

"What!? The EMP!?" I growled, "But that should be safe with Prof. Oak right now!"

Griegar laughed, "You thought that old geezer coul' hide from me? My associates followed him to that lil base where Rowan and that other woman was! We ambushed them, took them and the device!"

My eyes widened in fear. Just like in my dreams from before, Syndicate had finally made its move!

"Seems like the weapon is weak, it only works in such a small range! We can still stop what'ever you're planning!"

"Yer woul' think that," Grieger replied, "But this 'ere is but a small taste! We made this specifically to put yer out of the fight…now," he said, as he grabbed Spirit, "I'll be taken the lassie and be on ma way!"

"No you won't! EMPEROR, TAKE HIM!" I called out, pointing at Greigar.

Emperor rushed out from behind the trees, shooting out a powerful scald attack!

Griegar was taken by surprise, but he dodged behind the copter just in time to avoid our attack! The scald attackled clashed against the copter's forcefield.

Grieger laughed once more, "THER' IT IS BOYS! That's IT SOUL, MAKE THIS HARD FER ME!" He bellowed, as he released his Aggron from its Pokeball.

With a puff of smoke, Aggron appeared before us. It roared loudly. As it began to glow. Greigar walked forward once more, and there was a watch on his wrist that reacted to Aggron's energy! I grimaced as mega went into its Mega Evolution!

"No way…" I stammered.

"Aggron! Use yer Earthquake!" Greigar cried out, as he grabbed Spirit and Shoved her into the copter.

"SOUL! GET AWAY!" she screamed. But it was too late.

The ground shook with such an intensity that I couldn't even stand. The pain in my body throbbed from the earth's vibration, as the ground and sand erupted everywhere. Emperor tried to get closer to me, but the earth split open, tearing us apart.

"ARGH!" I cried out as I fell into a crater.

Just in time, Emperor was able to make it to me, grabbing me before I could fall into the opened ground. The chopper pulled off, and began making their way over the sea. The paralysis in my body was keeping me from moving, and the pain was severe. I glanced at Emperor, who was also damaged by the Earthquake's attack.

"NO! NO, NO. NO! Emperor!" I called out.

"I GOT YOU!" Emperor called out, as he pulled me up, and slung me over his back. We could hear the sirens rapidly approaching us, but we couldn't let Greigar get away! Not like this!

Emperor ran across the now distorted beach, leaping into the water. I clenched onto his back, as he swam across the sea's surface like a motor boat. We burst forward with such speed, that it was difficult for me to hang on.

"Soul! Are you okay!?" Emperor asked, as we rushed forward.

"Forget about me! Just catch up to them!" I growled.

We chased the chopper down like a pair of hounds looking for wanted men. We caught up rather fast, and I desperately thought up a plan.

"ICE BEAM!" I barked at Emperor.

Emperor immediately fired blast after blast of ice beams, trying to force the chopper to slow down.

"We're under fire!" exclaimed the pilot, "and they're gaining on us too fast! I can't Shake them!" he yelled to Greigar.

Greigar glanced over to Spirit, whom sat in silence, buckled into her seat.

"Yer really aren't fussin, eh lassie?" he questioned.

Spirit shook her head in silence, "This has to be done…for now…" She said calmly, but in a saddened tone.

"Soul! They aren't slowing down!" Emperor said anxiously.

My blood began to boil. Why would she go with them!? I thought to myself.

I could feel my anger bursting inside of my chest. This girl thought I was gonna let her get away! She has another thing comin'!

"Emperor! Can you feel that!?" I said.

Emperor's crown began to glow, "Y-Yes! This power!"

Our energies began to merge, as Emperor's aura brimmed brightly.

Emperor dove into the water, as deep as he could go. I held my breath, as we sank. Then with a burst of energy, Emperor spiraled upward, back toward the surface with a blinding speed.

Right as we broke the surface, I felt our energies strengthen even further!

We shot out like a torpedo. The water spiraled around us, as we formed a giant wave that would overtake and consume the chopper!

"Pull up! Pull up!" Greigar yelled, as the chopper rocked hazardously back and forth. The pilot managed to narrowly escape our attempt to bury them, but wave crashed against the belly of the chopper. CRASH! The water impacted with such a force that both doors on each side of the chopper flew open, as the pilot slightly lost control of the chopper!

"Not so FAST!" I screamed.

I used Emperor as a platform, and leaped off of his back with all of my might. I stretched out my hand, and grabbed the stepping rail of the chopper. Greigar saw me attempt to climb in, and rushed over to the door to stop me.

"Yer pesky bastard! Die already!" he growled, as he stomped on my hand.

"ARGH!" I cried out in pain.

As Emperor began his free fall, he carefully aimed his attack, and fired off a powerful scald at Greigar! The force of the attack was so strong, that Griegar flew out of the other side of the chopper.

"ARGH! FER FUCK SAKES THAT BURNS!" he cried out as he fell.

I successfully climbed into the chopper, and proceeded to unbuckle Spirit, who seemed to be in complete shock.

"Soul! What…You shouldn't be here!" she said, tears streaming from her eyes.

Tears enveloped in my eyes as well, as pain reverberated in my heart.

"I don't understand…After what I told you! How I felt…How did you think I would let you get captured!? You think I would be so weak as to watch you just go away!? No! Not like this!" I barked at her.

I grabbed Spirit out of the chair, and turned to the door. As I turned around, Grieger was standing before me, hovering over me like a bad omen.

"Ugh! I don't have time for this!" I exclaimed, as I turned back around to jump out of the other door. Just as I turned around, I fealt a shrp pain in my back.

"ARGH!?" I growled maniacally.

A syringe stuck out of my back like a dagger. Greigar pressed the button, pushing the liquid contents of the syringe into my body.

"Time ter sleep!" he said in a sly tone, laughing as my knees buckled.

My body throbbed, and I could feel the paralysis throughout of my body. The pain was unbearable, and I started to faint. With the last bit of my strength, I shoved Spirit out of the chopper.

"NOOO!" she cried out.

"SHIT!" Griegar called out as well.

He jumped after her, but narrowly missed his opportunity to catch her. Greigar grabbed onto the stepping rail. I took my belt, holding all of my pokeballs and Flora's as well, off of my waist, and threw them out of the chopper after Spirit, with a brave smile on my face.

I did it, I thought as the drugs began taking effect. I was able to protect something I loved, with my own strength…And I collapsed.

. . . . .

As I fell, I watched the chopper fly further and further away from me. Tears of confusion flew like raindrops from my eyes.

Dammit Soul! I can't…I Can't see now! I thought. I looked up and saw Soul's belt falling in the distance. I looked down, and saw the open ocean all around me. I narrowed my eyes out, and saw that Emperor was on my tail faithfully.

"Emperor!" I shouted, trying to get his attention.

Emperor and I made eye contact, and he used his strength to leap into the air. He caught me on his back, squalling at me as if I could understand what he was saying.

"I don't know! I don't know!" I said anxiously, as we began our dive into the water.

We swam about the ocean for at least 15 minutes, until Emperor and I were finally able to recover Soul's belt with his pokeballs, before returning to Sunyshore Beach. We were greeted with tons of police officers and reporters, all trying to find out what was going on.

"Excuse me miss! Miss!" said one female reporter, rushing over to me to get the latest "scoop."

I ignored her, as I kept attempting to use my power to peer into Soul's future. I could feel my mind working on the images, but whenever I tried to use my power, only darkness showed. I became flustered, and annoyed, and started crying again.

Soul! You idiot! Everything ould have worked out fine! We would have won! You would have been able to save me later! You would have beaten syndicate! But now…I glanced into the palms of my hands, tears still streaming. I was soaking wet, and I could feel the cold air of each breeze on this beach. I have never been so cold in my life.

Finally, a police officer came over.

"That's enough! The girl isn't in a mindset to respond right now!" said a familiar voice.

I looked up, and saw that Falkner was standing beside me.

"Get behind the yellow tape! This is now a crime scene! Nobody passes this point, men!" He called out, barking orders to the other officers.

Falkner once again turned his attention to me, holding out his hands to help me up.

Emperor kept squaling at me, like a madman, but I couldn't understand. I looked him in the eyes. Surely, he was just as worried about Soul as I was.

I hid my face from him, bowing in shame.

"I'm sorry Emperor, I don't know…" I said.

Falkner looked perplexed, "You need to tell me. What happened to Soul!?" he asked in a worried tone.

I quickly whipped my tears away, and turned to them.

"Not here, and only with people I can trust. We need Looker, Psyche, Heart, core and Cynthia here, right away." I said in a serious tone.

Falkner nodded, as he covered me with a blanket.

"I hope this isn't a bad sign…did something seriously bad happen?" he asked, as we began walking back to the city.

"I don't know…" I responded solemnly.