(Misty)
That's right. All I could do now
was to move forward. Looking back would not change anything, would not make
anything right again. It was irrelevant why it happened. What was important now
was that these monsters would be stopped. That would serve justice and prevent
further disasters.
I had already resolved myself to
that path. It would not have been something I might have chosen before... No,
even after hearing about it from Leaf, before the attack, all this had seemed a
little unreal, something not quite concerning me. Not anymore though. It was a
welcoming thought. That I would be able to make a difference. That I... That I
would never be so helpless again.
It had hurt. For all my ability,
for all the acknowledgement I had gotten over the years, in the end it had made
no difference at all. I couldn't prevent any of this from happening. I couldn't
save anyone. And if Leaf hadn't shown up, both Aisha and I would have died here
as well. What good was it to be Gym Leader if you could not even protect
anyone? I never wanted to feel this way again and I didn't want to ever have
other people feel like that either. That's why I would follow this crazy
prophecy and I would do it gladly...
Still, regardless how much I
tried, coming back here was something I could have easily done without.
Everything was filled with memories. Memories that were a fresh reminder of my
failure, of my weakness. It was better to get this done with as soon as
possible. There was nothing left here to do aside from what we came for.
At least I thought so until I saw
a convoy of people. Some clearly medical personnel, some carrying food and
supplies. It made me stop and look, wondering. That didn't look like they were
here for those working at clearing away the rubble.
Cynthia must have noticed my
interest as the Grand Champion spoke up. "Ah, here and there some people
who were trapped in collapsed houses or similar are being found. Some are quite
weak or injured, so we are giving first treatment here before moving them to a
real hospital or where their families are."
I hadn't known that. I thought
the whole area had been cleared out. So there really had been more people left
aside from those that had been rounded up by Team Rocket. Perhaps...
"Are you still searching for
more survivors?" May asked, looking around skeptically. "It has to be
hard to find anyone in all this." Especially if they were trapped
somewhere under a building or such, was probably what she really meant to say
but didn't. I appreciated the sentiment, however, it wasn't like I couldn't
make the connection myself.
"Teams have been combing the
city for awhile but at this point, if there is someone left that hasn't been
found, it probably is too late already." Cynthia was a bit more blunt
about it but frankly I could live with that more. It was getting on my nerve,
having everyone tiptoe around the truth and trying to be considerate.
Besides...
"I'd like to see them."
The group stopped and I had to suppress a sigh of irritation at the startled
looks from everyone. Did I really look like I would snap any moment or
something? This was still my city, my responsibility, regardless of how little
I had been able to do. And the real reason for wanting to see them was a more
personal one anyway.
Cynthia seemed hesitant at what
to do. Normally I would agree that we should focus on what we came here to do,
but this was really something I needed to do, needed to know. It might only be
a small hope but perhaps...
"I agree. Let's have a look.
There probably isn't anything we can do but I think it would be a good
idea." I shot Ash a grateful look, seeing Dawn nod rapidly as well. I
really couldn't read Mew at all. She probably would have rather wanted to move
on but it was really hard to tell. The Legendary could hide her emotions
perfectly, often behind a gentle, playful nature or so it would seem. However,
no objection was forthcoming and Cynthia seemed to take this as a sign of
unanimous agreement.
The walk did only take a few
minutes away from the path to our original destination. The makeshift shelter consisted
of a large tent that could easily hold perhaps up to a hundred or more people.
There weren't nearly as many and most of them were League personnel, medics and
other workers. The group of 'survivors' was small. There was a man who had
obviously hurt his leg but I couldn't quite tell how bad it was. A small family
being treated for burns and smoke exposure. The only person I recognized was
the kind owner of the ice cream store, making me exchange a brief nostalgic but
also relieved look with Leaf. The older woman hadn't been among the original
group of survivors and it was good to see one more familiar face safe. Yet...
As expected it had been too faint
a hope to be true. Just as I thought, Aisha's family wasn't here. I should have
known better than to think otherwise. There truly had been no point in wasting
our time here. Apparently these people were being taken care of and there was
nothing I could do that would make a difference.
Damn it. Why didn't I order them out of town? I probably could have, even if Aisha would have been
upset. She was stubborn but if I really had insisted... That was foolish
thinking, of course. At that time the most I had been concerned about had been
my assistant's wellbeing. None of us had imagined Cerulean itself would become
a target and on this great scale too. I hadn't even thought about anywhere
beyond the two of us at this point.
A gentle hand on my shoulder
pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked up into concerned brown eyes. It
seemed all I had achieved was making everyone concerned about me. "I'm
fine," I told my girlfriend before she could make a comment. I was sure
she knew exactly what I had hoped to find. "We should move on."
"Don't you want to talk with
these people?" Dawn asked, uncertainly looking into the tent, indecisive
about how to proceeded. Part of me envied that. That girl was really a gentle,
empathic soul. Ash had chosen well. She would probably make it far with these
powers she would be getting, too. And that's why I really couldn't be annoyed.
There was no point in pulling anyone else down. There would be enough time for
reflection when this was all over.
"No. I just wanted to
confirm something. We've come here for a reason. Let's not forget about
that."
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