30 Phase 25: Thoughts and voices

Colin couldn't believe it at first.

"Yip." Shiro went up to May and wagged his tail politely. He offered his paw. "Yip."

"Hello again, Shiro." May bent down and shook paws with the wolfcat. "Would you like to meet my mom?"

"Yip." Shiro nodded.

{But… Scarlet… she's… a witch, isn't she…? Someone said that… someone… Fanny. Yes. Fanny said 'that witch'… but… is she really…?}

"Your mom…?" Colin blinked slowly.

Shiro went off with May and shook paws with Scarlet too. She seemed pleased to meet him.

{Shiro seems to like Scarlet… }

Michi's words came back to him. {To the lost, I gave one to help him find his way…}

"Scarlet's not a kidnapper…?" Colin whispered. "And she didn't destroy Hot Sands?"

"No. She didn't." May told him. "She could have prevented it, but she was angry with dad. Mom and dad have been having a very long quarrel. She said he broke his promise."

"What promise?" Colin frowned.

"His promise to go Traveling with her. She said he's too obsessed with that stupid village." May said softly. "So when she saw what the Gardener did to the dam, she didn't say anything. She thought if the village was flooded, maybe dad would finally keep his word."

"Oh."

"Dad kept insisting I stay with him." May went on. "They had the biggest fight yet last night. I didn't understand what was going on at first – they didn't tell me about their quarrel. I was shocked when mom was so angry when she came to get me. I thought she was the one who planted the Creeper. But that's not mom's style at all."

"Your mom practically blew up the Arena." Colin remembered.

"That's right. Mom wouldn't do something that would take so long to work. That's the kind of thing the Gardener would do. Flooding the village wasn't her idea." May thought. "And I can't say anything bad about what she's done, because, well…"

"She did it for you." Colin said softly.

"Yeah." May agreed.

Scarlet had finished greeting all of Colin's Comrades now, and turned to him. "You're the one who was running with May last night, weren't you?"

"She told me to run." Colin replied. "I ran."

"What were you doing in that forsaken mess of a village anyway?" Scarlet asked grandly.

"I was looking for someone." Colin said.

"Did you find him?" Scarlet asked.

"Yeah." Colin replied, but didn't say who. Despite what May said, he still wasn't too sure about Scarlet.

Best to keep Satrox a secret from her.

"You look half burnt. Sorry about that." Scarlet said. "The Phoenix's Awakening is very hard to control, even for me."

"Most of us survived. I think Chief Trainer Dylan was the only one who really died." Colin replied.

"That's good." Scarlet said. "Have you eaten?"

"Uh, yeah…" Colin began.

"Oh. Never mind then." Scarlet thought, then turned to May. "Is he a good friend of yours?"

"Well… we only met last night." May said.

"I see." Scarlet said, then turned to the window. She glanced back at Colin. "Nice meeting you, young man. I'll see you around some day. All the best with your future tournaments."

"And you." Colin replied politely. "I'll see you around, May."

"Come battle me when you reach Green Badge!" May said. "And call me if there's anything!"

Colin's watch twitched. May's contact info had been entered into it the moment she told him to call her.

"And you call me too." Colin replied, giving her his contact. "Good night."

"Good night."

***

Satrox was outside the Hotel when Colin saw him again.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Colin growled.

"Tell you what?" Satrox asked.

"That Scarlet is her mother! I feel like an idiot!"

"She's WHAT?!" Satrox jumped.

"Her mother." Colin said plainly. "Scarlet is May's mother. She had a fight with May's dad, Mayor Henry."

"So that's why…!" Satrox groaned. "But to destroy a whole village?!"

"May says it's not Scarlet's work. It's the Gardener's work." Colin answered. "Scarlet usually blows things up."

"That's… true." Satrox frowned. "Blast it… Mayor Henry said… Ugh!"

Satrox marched off. He tapped his watch. "Larissa! Call it off! Scarlet's innocent! May's her daughter! I say again, ABORT! There has been no kidnapping!"

"Are you sure, Satrox?" Larissa asked. "I got together my Defender of Justice costume and everything!"

Colin choked. Her… {what?!}

Satrox glanced at Colin. "As sure as I could be. I've been wondering why May seemed so happy about being kidnapped. The information comes from Colin."

"Colin wouldn't have reason to lie…" Larissa said. "And he's not the sort to be greedy. This is the second time I've seen him win an event and give the prize to Rita. But still… are you sure?"

Satrox sighed. "It explains too much to be a joke. Larissa, Scarlet and May are having supper in the Grand Sunrise Hotel's Coffee House. She's eating ice cream."

"It doesn't sound like a kidnapping." Larissa admitted at last. "And kidnappers don't normally go around winning tournaments and letting everyone know where they are."

"Next time I see Mayor Henry, I'm going to give him a piece of my mind." Satrox growled. "Anyway, the mission's off. I'm going to call Abby."

Abby sounded just as surprised. "So, the Lady Scarlet is May's mother… and she didn't do anything wrong… mm hmm… mm hmm…"

"I feel like an idiot." Satrox told Abby. "She was a Justice Knight herself, after all."

"She was. But she was too hotheaded." Abby remembered. "Still, it's good to know she hasn't turned bad. Take care, Troxy."

"Take care, Abby." Satrox replied, and ended the call.

***

Colin gave Satrox a very, very flat look.

"What?" Satrox asked.

"She was a Justice Knight?!" Colin growled. "And you thought she turned bad?!"

"She's powerful." Satrox answered. "People who are powerful sometimes get too proud. When they do, they tend to do selfish things."

Colin paused. "Is that why you keep doing what you do?"

"Doing what?" Satrox questioned.

"Give away your Comrades? Abby said it wasn't the first time you've dropped in ranking because of that."

"Maybe." Satrox shrugged. "Maybe."

"But Lady Scarlet didn't go bad." Colin added.

"Not this time, no." Satrox said. "But the reason why we believed it so easily, Colin, was because she had done something like that in the past."

"What?!"

"Scarlet…" Satrox sighed. "She destroyed a village. She said because the people there were too corrupt. Because of that, she was kicked out of the Justice Knights and we made her pay compensation. She was very angry about that. It's easy to believe she turned bad."

Colin frowned. "She punished bad people and you punished her for it? It sounds like you're the bad ones."

Satrox gave him a sharp look. "There are different ways of punishing people. Making them pay for losses is one thing. Destroying a whole village is something else. What Scarlet did was too much."

"Was it?" Colin frowned.

"Are you doubting me, now?" Satrox asked.

Colin shook his head. "I don't know who to believe any more."

Satrox sighed. "I can't blame you, after all that. We all make mistakes, sometimes, even the best of us. But really, why are you angry with me, and with the Justice Knights? Shouldn't you be angry at yourself? Most of our information came from you."

"I…" Colin trailed off. "I AM angry with myself."

"I see." Satrox said simply.

"I am so angry…" Colin growled. "And it's my fault! That's the worst part!"

Satrox didn't say anything.

Colin marched off, simply walking straight in whatever direction he faced at the moment, and didn't slow down or turn back. His Comrades went with him.

Satrox watched them go, and said softly, "Good night, Colin."

***

Colin went on marching, thinking back again and again of how he'd simply made assumptions and got everyone involved to do the wrong thing.

It was, as he'd said, mostly his own fault. He was the one who told Satrox about it, him and Mayor Henry. Mayor Henry would make it sound terrible, of course – he had lost his village and his daughter in the same night and he'd blame his wife, Scarlet, for all of it. But Colin was the one who put the nails in the coffin and hammered down.

{Why didn't everyone else say something?}

Except that they were all angry too. Everyone had lost their houses, and even if Scarlet didn't do it herself, she could have stopped it.

But she was angry at Mayor Henry for choosing his village over keeping his promise. If the village was what made him break his promise, then… why not let it be destroyed?

Mayor Henry was a good mayor. He cared so much about the village. Didn't that make him a good mayor?

Maybe then it was Mayor Henry's fault, for breaking his promise and therefore, causing Scarlet to allow the village to be destroyed… Mayor Henry's fault for telling Satrox and everyone how bad Scarlet was…

So that he could get his daughter back.

In the end, all Mayor Henry really wanted was to get his daughter back. Could anyone blame him for it?

Colin groaned. "I don't know whose fault it is any more."

But thankfully, they hadn't done anything wrong.

They didn't end up breaking in to a private room and kidnapping May from her mom or attacking Scarlet and destroying the Hotel in some huge fight that was all because of wrong information.

The only thing that had saved them was the fact that May had come down the elevator along with her mom. If she'd stayed up in their room, Satrox would have gone up after her while Colin kept watch on Scarlet.

But May {had} come down, and she'd recognized Colin all at once. He'd learnt the truth and the mission was called off.

Just in time. What would have happened if Satrox had gone up? What would have happened if he'd gone there and found May? What would May have done? Would she even recognize him? Or would she think he was a kidnapper and scream for help?

Colin wondered about that.

Then, he turned to the sky and yelled.

"Why am I even thinking about all this?!"

***

The sky did not reply, but all the same, Colin felt someone respond.

[Who are you?]

He frowned, and looked around. "Where am I?"

And then he realized which road he'd been following and just how far away from Sunshine Town he had come.

He was on the West Sunshine road… the one headed for the Airport.

And he was almost there.

***

That voice… the one that asked 'Who are you?'…

{Where did it come from?}

Colin looked up at the sky. "Who's that?!"

[I asked first.] came the reply.

"I'm Colin." He said.

[I'm Lynn.]

Colin blinked. "Uh… well… sorry to disturb you, Lynn… whatever you are."

[Do you not know of me?] Lynn asked him.

Lynn… that sounded familiar…

Colin stood on the road, and scratched his head.

He glanced up at the sky again. "Hey, Lynn! Are you a bird or a spirit or something?!"

Lynn replied with amusement. [No, Colin. I'm a Dreamer in Nakama World using a Psi-Comm headband. You're talking to me using my Psionic Frequency. How did you get my number?]

"Your number? Lynn, I'm just talking to the sky!"

[Well, that makes a bit of sense… I'm flying on board a plane. But still… what kind of Psi-phone are you using?]

Colin looked around. "Lynn, I'm not using a Psi-phone. I'm not using anything. I'm just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. No headband, no commset, nothing."

[Colin… if that's true… then…] Lynn was silent for a while.

"Then what?" Colin asked.

Lynn took a bit more time to answer. [We shall see… one day. If you're really who I think you are, we will meet.]

"Are you sure?" Colin was doubtful. "You sound like someone very rich and powerful. I'm just a yellow-badge."

[If you are who I think you are… we will meet.] Lynn's 'voice' sounded like it was getting farther and farther away, and it should, since she was on a plane flying somewhere, but still, Colin heard her last words clearly.

[That's a promise.]