Chapter no.18

Brock was startled awake and felt immediately out of place in his environment, or at least he did before the memories began to flood back into his mind. Brock was jolted back into consciousness. Each image that flashed through his mind became a heavier burden on him until they obliterated any semblance of relief that his rest had brought him.

"I really did see people pass away...

I have personally witnessed several Pokémon being used to kill people "He spoke in a mumble.

No matter how much he hoped it wasn't, what he had witnessed was a genuine occurrence in the world. The evidence was everywhere around him. It could be found in the tufts of fluff that had escaped from the seat cushions. in the dings and scratches on the metal. And perhaps most revealing of all, in the pink stains that were found on the floor.

Another jarring reminder of what he had just witnessed was provided by the howling wind that ripped through the holes in the walls. The fact that he had not dreamed during his sleep meant that he was unaware of what was happening in the outside world, and this made him question why he had bothered to wake up in the first place.

"You understand why. They require your help." The aspect of his mind that dealt with parenting was quick to remind him.

Brock took a look around the room and pondered the length of time he'd been absent for. It appeared as though Dawn was continuing to relax on her side atop the inflatable dinghy by rolling into a ball and resting on her side. Brock couldn't say that he was surprised by her desire to return home.

Even though he hoped that the gruesome scenes of the Muk attack and the death of Ambipom would not leave any permanent scars, he knew that this was highly unlikely. The coordinator did nothing but remain still while perched atop her makeshift bed. Given her condition, it was difficult to tell whether she was faking sleep, actually asleep, or was even still alive. The only sign that she was still alive was a slow and even rise and fall of her chest, which accompanied each breath she took.

Brock murmured to himself as he watched the sleeping girl, "When I woke up...everything that we saw...when she wakes up...every second I can keep her from going through what I just did is another second she doesn't have to suffer," as he watched the girl. "When she wakes up..."

Ash had moved from his previous position by the window and was now seated on the floor in the space between the rows of seats. This allowed him to keep his line of sight level with the seat that Pikachu was occupying. His head was propped up on the edge of the seat, and he snored softly over his cap, which was positioned so that it lay on top of his lap.

"I guess we must have all been really tired if we were able to sleep in these conditions," Brock thought as he carefully lifted himself off the chair. "If we were able to sleep in these conditions, we must have been really exhausted." He kept a low profile as he moved through the ship and eventually found himself standing in front of the door leading into the cockpit. Brock examined the craters in the metal; James had informed him that Carnivine's Bullet Seed was responsible for making them. Brock pondered their origin.

If even the most basic moves are executed like this... Brock shook his head and deliberated over whether or not he should knock first or open the door by himself. After a brief pause, he decided that the former was the best option and slid the door open just a little bit. Almost instantly, a strong gust of wind rushed through the opening. He opened the door a crack wider, just enough for him to squeeze through, and then he shut it behind him. It didn't take long for Brock to figure out that the James and Jessie's section of the ship was actually noisier than their own section of the ship.

Jessie had tucked her legs under her and was fast asleep in the narrow hallway, using an inflated life vest as a makeshift pillow. She had pulled her legs in beneath her. James's face was concealed from view by a pair of goggles and an oxygen mask, but he maintained his upright sitting position throughout the entire ordeal. A light touch to his shoulder was all it took to startle him into turning around to look at Brock. James stood up, and as Brock moved back to give him space, he noticed a pink tint on the back of his white trousers from where he had been sitting.

"Everything okay?" James inquired as he took off his goggles and oxygen mask and placed them to the side.

"In a way. I was able to fall asleep, and when I woke up, I was curious as to how long I had been out "In response, Brock said.

"Well, if it's any indication, we just went by Mount Coronet," the speaker said.

"How were you able to accomplish that? I was under the impression that we needed to stay under one kilometre."

"I took control of the ship and was able to navigate it through the mountains to where the passage was. It's hard to believe, but the route I took actually goes through the same spot where we tried to steal that Probopass from one of the twerps you were with earlier."

The thought of Alan and his Probopass popped into Brock's head right away, causing him to crack a wry grin.

The breeder smiled to himself as he thought, "Funny how some things work out," but the smile quickly vanished as he wondered where the boy was now and whether or not he was dealing with the same things that they were. "Funny how some things work out," he thought to himself.

"How much longer will it be until we reach Twinleaf?" James had just sat back down in the pilot's seat and was looking at the displays all around him as he started putting on his oxygen mask when Brock asked the question.

"Not too much longer," was the response that he gave. "GPS says we're coming up on Oreburgh in a minute—" the end to his statement never came as his eyes widened and he slammed his hands onto the controls, which caused the aircraft to veer to the right. "We're coming up on Oreburgh in a minute." The abrupt change in direction flung Brock into Jessie, who had already begun to awaken prior to the collision. Jessie was about to yell at her partner when suddenly, to the left of the ship, a golden column of energy obscured their view of the sky and the earth.

As James directed the ship into a dive, the Hyper Beam disintegrated into minuscule particles of light, but it was immediately replaced by another one. The sensation of Brock's heart being trapped in his throat, on the verge of exploding, was accompanied by his hands frantically searching for something stable to hold onto until he finally settled for the edge of the chair. Brock's heart was in his throat. Jessie was forced to use the only other available handhold, which was his back, and she clung to it for dear life. James cussed under his breath as he struggled to steer the ship while simultaneously putting on his goggles and oxygen mask while simultaneously uttering expletives. The atmosphere was filled with a screeching roar. one that every one of them was capable of recognising on some elemental level.

James's voice could be heard through the static of his oxygen mask yelling, "You've got to be kidding me!" They were chilled to the bone because the anxiety they felt at the prospect of what they were up against drained the warmth from their blood.

Jessie muttered under her breath, "Of all the Pokémon we had to run into!" She moved towards the door and opened it with some effort once she was there. Ash had one arm around Pikachu's waist, and the other had a death grip on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. Dawn was standing right next to him, mimicking his actions and holding Meowth in the arm that was free.

"What the heck is going on?!" Dawn let out a scream. Her pupils drew further apart as she witnessed the world outside the windows being swallowed up by a river of golden energy.

Ash shakily responded, "It's an Aerodactyl," without an ounce of doubt in his voice. His close encounters with that particular Pokémon had made it impossible for him to forget the sound of its cry. "It's an Aerodactyl," Ash said without an ounce of doubt in his voice.

"Don't let go!" Before ducking back inside, Brock yelled something out of the doorway of the cockpit. When Jessie felt the g-forces pulling at her body as the ship began to accelerate, she was almost afraid to ask why they would need to when she realised that they would need to. Dawn and Jessie's screams were unable to be heard because the fuselage was making rattling and grunting noises, and the combined noise of the thrusters and the rotor blades had reached an unbearably high pitch.

Before continuing, Brock made another appearance through the doorway, this time with a solemn expression on his face.

"Brace yourselves, because this is going to get worse."