Chapter 53: Counterbalanced - An Unovan Tale

WARNING - From now on, if you haven't read the rest of the chapters yet,
I strongly suggest reading those first. There are important things happening/coming up in the story,
and reading those before the rest of the story just isn't as much fun as the other way around.

Counterbalanced - Chapter 53

Alex was innocent.

She knew it. She knew it. She knew it.

But as Yena watched the scene above her head unfold, there was little time to feel relieved.
In the Dream Mist-memory, she could see how Alex barely escaped from the burning house.
Her waking up in the hospital. Blinking against the bright lights, trying to move, to talk…

Then Yena heard Nicholas’ threatening, vengeful words.
The man’s voice sounded furious, and echoed ominously through the Hall of Visions.

“How dare you, surviving the fire…? You’ve made a complete mess of my plan…
I’ll get to you later, mark my words…”

A chill ran down Yena’s spine.
She put one hand on her bag, ready to unleash the Pokémon it held.

…This wasn’t over yet.

---

…
…
…

…It was the throne.
The strange material he was sitting on.

…
…
…

…Quinn couldn’t focus.
Before, he had been looking up, into the Dream Mist.
Now, he caught himself staring down, at Alex.

…
…
…

He blinked. Almost in slow-motion.
…It took him considerable effort to open his eyes again, afterwards.

What was this strange feeling…?
Caitlin hadn’t warned him against this.

The stone material was glowing comfortably.
He felt his breathing slowing down, and the muscles in his shoulders relaxed.

He sighed.

…Drowsy.

…
…
…

Whenever he stopped fighting it, he felt himself sinking further away.
It was… like… like… falling asleep…

…
…
…

He blinked again, but this time, his eyes remained closed, and he felt himself go into a lower state of mind.

…
…
…

Sinking away…

…
…
…

Fear.
Shock.

He breathed in deep, but then realised that these feelings weren’t his.

…
…
…

…Alex.

A strange sensation went through him, as he realised he could feel her emotions.

…
…
…

The platform and throne were somehow connecting the two of them.

…
…
…

There…!

Somewhere in front of him.
He… He could see her, even with his eyes closed…

…No.

He corrected himself.
He wasn’t really looking at her, but he could clearly feel her energy.
And as he focused on her more, her energy stirred, as if she’d lifted her head to look around.
Could she feel him, too…?

…
…
…

He wanted to get her attention. Tell her he’d protect her.

And without physically moving, he reached out to her.

…
…
…

‘…Alex.’

…
…
…

Her energy moved again, stronger this time, as she grew aware of him.

Surprise, followed by a sense of overwhelming relief.

He hadn’t actually said a word, but he knew she’d heard him.

…
…
…

A whispered word in his head, just for him.

‘…Quinn.’

With that, she turned to him fully.
…And then he could see her.

…
…
…

All of her.

…
…
…

Her strangling fear.
Her reckless courage.
Her wild love. Her deep hatred.
Her blinding anger. Her stubborn pride. Her heartbreaking loneliness.
Passion. Depression. Hope. Desire. Sorrow. Panic. Shock. Gratitude.
Curiosity.Horror.Guilt.Grief.Despair.Jealousy.Frustration.
ExcitementPleasureAnxietyRemorseWonderEuphoria…
…
…

This strange, exciting girl, who challenged, confused, endeared and bewildered him, was showing herself.
And her emotions were overwhelming.

The connection between them was as intense and as intimate as the night they’d spent together, and equally addictive. And even if his mind was struggling to keep up with her, Quinn dove in deeper, surrendering himself to the experience.

…He really loved her.

Yes. He was sure of it now.

…And in the process of realising that, Quinn almost lost himself in Alex’ energy.

…
…
…
…
…
…

---

“Hey…! You! Aren’t you-…”

…An angry voice, close to where they’d entered the Hall of Visions.
Yena turned her head towards the noise, but couldn’t immediately understand what was going on.

There was movement in the crowd, when more voices joined the first one.
…A man’s frustrated scream, and alarmed cries from onlookers as he tried to get away.
More tumult, moving towards the platform this time.

…Yena took one step back when a man was roughly pushed out of the crowd, for everyone to see.
It didn’t take long for Yena to recognise him.

…This had been one of Nicholas’ helpers, on that fateful day, two years ago.
The one that had kicked Zigzagoon.
Someone from the crowd had been alert enough to recognise him.
And now, he was scrambling to his feet, casting a dirty look at Yena and the platform behind her.
His eyes were wide, and had a crazy look in them.

“You will regre-…”

He started to speak, but was interrupted by Officer Jenny, who angrily pushed him back to the ground, and forced his arms to his back. The police woman was in no mood for nonsense, and immediately started:

“You are arrested on the suspicion of conspiracy to the murders of William and Charlotte Kauri, and the attempted murder on Elizabeth Kauri. You do not have to say anything. But it may harm your defense if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say…”

But as Officer Jenny was putting handcuffs on him, the struggling man had one more trick up his sleeve.
He wildly lifted his head, and called out to the crowd:

“Come onnnn…! What are you standing around for? Follow the instructions…!”

And when there was no immediate response, he screamed, even louder this time:

“NOW…!”

Maybe Nicholas’ accomplices had needed that little bit of extra energy.
Yena quickly turned her head as a wild scream sounded among the people on her right.
And another one, in the far left corner. Then more. More ominous screams.
Yena’s eyes grew wide as she realised what she was up against.
There seemed to be a whole army of Nicholas’ men present.

…She wasn’t the only startled person in the Hall of Visions.
Not wanting to get hurt, bystanders’ scared cries could be heard all through the large space as they tried to make their way out, immediately clogging the Hall’s main entrance. Panic went through the crowd as people started to forcefully squeeze their way through, even pushing others to the ground in the process.

…!

Her mind on high alert now, Yena’s eyes shifted from left to right, and back, fast.
Causing panic had been part of Nicholas’ plan, she was sure of it.
He’d made it very clear that he wanted another chance at taking his sister’s life, and he was creating the perfect opportunity to do it, by instructing his men to cause as much chaos as they could. The police was doing the best they could to calm people down, and to unclog the entrance, but what happened next made the situation truly unmanageable…

BRRRRMMMM…!

Yena nearly fell over as an earthquake shook the Hall of Visions.
…When she looked up, she realised that someone had summoned a massive Pokémon.
The giant, snake-like Pokémon slowly raised its head.
There were strong, square teeth sitting in its massive jaw.
And when it angrily turned its head towards the platform, Yena knew that the enormous Pokémon was definitely not an ally.

Throughout the Hall of Visions, more hostile Pokémon were appearing.
Many of them were already jumping towards the platform, occasionally knocking over people that got in the way, and causing the panic to get completely out of hand. People were now constantly running into eachother, in their hurry to get to the exit. The police, no longer a close unit, had been swallowed by the crowd. She could no longer rely on them for protection.

Breathing fast, Yena finally turned her bag over.
What was Nicholas’ plan…? Getting them all killed in a stampede of angry Pokémon…?
Her eyes shifted back and forth, nervously scanning the Hall of Visions.
Where was he…?

Where was Nicholas…?

Alex was at her most vulnerable now, sleeping on the platform, unable to defend herself.
She had to wake the girl up, and get her out of here, fast.

As the six Pokémon she’d been carrying appeared in a flash of light, she kept her instructions short:

“Defend us! Stop those Pokémon…!”

Something had to be done about the giant, gray Pokémon, because it was getting closer.
Trying to use the logic Alex had taught her, she took a good look at it. Because he seemed to be made out of rocks, she figured he was either a Ground- or a Rock-type. Oshawott turned his head, as he received a more specific command:

“Oshawott! Attack that big Pokémon, there! Use your Water Gun attack, as much as possible!
And Sandshrew…! Stay close, don’t get caught up in a fight…!”

Her youngest Pokémon had her own purpose. Within seconds, she had disappeared underground, and the effects of her efforts were soon clear, when a charging Pawniard suddenly fell and disappeared into a deep hole. With Tauros scaring most attackers away for the moment, and the other ones deflected by Zebstrika, Zigzagoon and Emolga, Yena could finally focus on getting them all out of here, to a safe place.

She turned her head towards Quinn, wanting him to wake Alex up.

…
…
…

…She gasped.
Quinn was unconscious.
His eyes were closed, and his head had tilted forward, causing his chin to rest on his chest.

She rushed closer to his throne. What had happened to him…?

“Quinn…!”

Musharna was still hovering next to the platform, and Yena immediately realised her Pokémon was exhausted. Hardly emitting any more Dream Mist, and now only inches above the ground, Musharna didn’t even respond to Yena’s presence.

“Make them wake up, Musharna! Now!”

…No response.

It hadn’t been Yena in charge of the hypnosis, but Quinn.
…And so, it had to be him stopping this session.

She spotted something fast from the corner of her eyes, as it moved towards her.

“Ah…!”

Yena barely managed to duck away as a Pokémon was sent flying right over her head, crashing into the giant cave’s wall. By the sound of Tauros’ angry cry behind her, it had been his attack.

The six Pokémon she’d sent out were truly putting up a great fight.
But one glance over her shoulder told her there were too many opponents for them to chase off.
She grit her teeth. Things were getting more and more dangerous fast.

They had to get out of here, before they were all overpowered.

She quickly turned back to Quinn, trying to ignore how an another earthquake shook the Hall of Visions when the Steelix launched an attack. She wanted to look how Oshawott was doing, but there was no time. Praying that someone would help her small Pokémon, she persisted, and soon, she was looking up at her unconscious friend again.

The throne was glowing, and she didn’t have the courage to touch it, let alone climb up.
But she could scream.
Hoping it would wake him up, she took a deep breath, and…

---

…
…
…

Everything had clicked into place.

…
…
…

For the first time in a long while, Alex felt sure of her memories.
Yes, they had shocked her, and she’d feared for her life when she’d relived them.
In fact, she’d been filled with absolute horror…Until Quinn had shown himself.

…
…
…

Now, she basked in his presence, free of stress, and feeling incredibly safe.
No one could harm her now, not like this.

He’d made her forget about everything going on around them.
And in this complete silence, with him, she was filled with intense happiness.

…
…
…

“…nn!”

…
…
…

…There was sound, somewhere.
They both shrugged it off, reluctant to think about anything else.

They were the only ones here, and it was perfect.

…
…
…

“…inn!”

…
…
…

She was the first one to take notice.
Quinn’s energy was still incredibly close.

…
…
…

“Quinn…!”

…
…
…

It took Alex a moment to realise who was calling out.
Somewhere, far away from her moment of shared bliss with Quinn, she remembered…

…
…
…

‘…It’s Yena.’

…
…
…

It took him too long to respond, so she put more effort into it.

‘…Go. It’s Yena. She’s calling for your help.’

He stirred, and she gently pushed him up, towards the surface…

…
…
…

---

…
…
…

Yena stumbled back as Quinn suddenly lifted his head, gasping for air.

-- Pokémon crying out, people screaming.
Flashing lights and fast movements. --
-- The earth is shaking.

Everything mercilessly thundered down on him, a harsh contrast to the peaceful silence he’d just experienced.

Not able to grasp what was happening, he stared down at the scene with wide eyes.
There was a Steelix in the Hall of Visions, roaring as a strong jet of water hit the side of its head.
He could hear Zigzagoon’s ferocious bark, when the Pokémon headbutted a Trubbish, sending it flying. Then, Alex’ Pokémon leapt on, snarling at a hostile Gothorita.

His eyes shifted fast, and next thing he knew, Quinn was looking at his own Zebstrika, fighting for its life against a large Krokorok, whose teeth had sank down into its neck. Sparks were flying from the Electric-type Pokémon, but the Krokorok was unimpressed, slowly dragging Zebstrika down to the ground…

In a reflex, Quinn removed the last Pokéball from his belt, and hurled it at the two struggling Pokémon.
Still recovering from the shock, his voice sounded a bit shaky and strained as he called out:

“Pignite! Arm Thrust…!”

The Krokorok immediately let go of Zebstrika, when Pignite appeared on the scene. Jumping back to avoid the Fighting-type attack, he quickly disappeared from Quinn’s sight. Zebstrika neighed once, shaking its head. Then it focused on fighting again, kicking at a Scraggy that got too close. Pignite ran in the same direction as Krokorok had gone, determined to teach the Pokémon not to mess with its friends.

“Quinn! Are you okay…?”

…He’d completely overlooked Yena, standing near the platform.
Now, he tried to focus on her, despite the ruckus around them.

“Yeah, I was just…”

His eyes strayed on, to Alex.
Her hands and legs were twitching occasionally, and Quinn knew… he sensed…
…She was desperate to wake up.

‘What’s going on…?’

Her question sounded softly in his head, and his heart jumped.

The connection between them was still there!

Maybe not as intense as when they’d both been sleeping, but he could feel her presence.

…It would be really easy to be pulled in again, to go back to sleep…
Yena called out to him, and he used her voice to stay awake.

“We have to get ourselves out of here, Quinn…! Wake Alex up, and we’ll-…”

…That’s all Yena got to say.
The next moment, before Quinn could even warn her about it, a horde of people and Pokémon pushed forward, to the platform. Some of them were met by Tauros’ horns, others were delayed by Emolga’s Thunderbolt attack, Zigzagoon’s sharp teeth or Sandshrew’s traps, but…

…Yena screamed and stumbled back, when a particularly nasty-looking Galvantula jumped at her, its fangs open wide. She managed to dodge its first attack, but got cornered when a Heatmor appeared on her other side.

It slashed at her with its sharp, yellow claws, making Yena fall back, against the platform.
The blond girl held her breath and closed her eyes as the Anteater-Pokémon prepared for another attack…
…
…
…

A shockwave went through the air, as another Pokémon forcefully collided with the Heatmor.

Yena opened her eyes when she was dragged to her feet a second later.
A blond, young man with a lot of freckles on his face and arms was giving quick commands to his Pokémon, a fast-moving Mienfoo. She couldn’t remember seeing him anywhere, before.

“What…”

But the question was left hanging in the air as she caught a glimpse of long, white hair on her left.

“Lily…!”

Her friend from the Gray Guardians grasped Yena’s hand as soon as she reached her.

“Yena, are you okay…? C’mon, we’ll get you out of here…”

Some other people were following her, and now, Yena started to recognise a couple of older kids she’d met at the Gray Guardians. Lily seemed to be one of the people in charge of this group, as she made them chase off more hostile Pokémon.

“Elise, Oliver… There! Fight off that group on the right!”

Two of her followers instantly responded, running in the direction she’d sent them, their Pokémon following closeby.

“Sophia… Secure the platform, make sure no one wants to get closer to it…!”

An ash-blond girl with short hair sent out her Pokémon, revealing an impressive Zweilous.
The Dragon-type creature instantly started to snarl at the nearest Pokémon, and at its trainer’s command, its double, savage Roar attack caused many Pokémon to hurry back to their owners.

Then Lily turned to the freckled young man next to Yena.

“Rick, let Mienfoo help Sawk with that Steelix. And see if you can put Audino to use here…”

A quick gesture of his hand was enough to make Mienfoo jump away.
Yena watched it go, and noticed the giant snake-like Pokémon was twisting wildly, as it tried to get rid of Chase’s Sawk, that was punching its head and neck repeatedly. She let out a sigh of relief as a series of water jets were fired off from the ground, next to it. Oshawott was still standing strong.

But Rick was reluctant to send out his Audino.

“I can’t use Audino now, Lily. Not with Sophia’s Zweilous around, using Roar.
Audino is too sensitive to sou-…”

He abruptly stopped talking as Quinn shouted something to them from the throne.

“Watch out…! That Pokémon over there is dangerous…!”

A peculiar Pokémon and its trainer were eyeing the small group near the platform.
Yena instantly recognised the man as Nicholas’ second accomplice, two years ago.
He had a determined look on his face, as if he had an important role to play.

His Pokémon was glaring at them, as well.
Its whole appearance reminded Yena of a Pokéball with reversed colors.
And as they were watching it, the Pokémon started to roll forward, in their direction.

Yena exchanged worried looks with the others.
Sophia instantly told her Pokémon:

“Zweilous! Chase that one away, now…!”

For a moment, Yena could hear the two-headed Pokémon breathe in deep, before they unleashed a fearsome, deep roar, that echoed across the Hall of Visions. It caused many Pokémon to yelp in fear, and even the Steelix flinched at the sound.

…But there was absolutely no effect on the round Pokémon, rolling towards them.
And when Zigzagoon headbutted it, in an attempt to chase it away, it even started to make an ominous, buzzing noise. Yena took a step back, as she noticed the rolling Pokémon was actually picking up speed.

“What is that thing…?”

Quinn was climbing down from the throne fast. This was an incredibly dangerous situation.
He knew exactly what that Pokémon was.
He’d seen it in a documentary on tv once, that covered the subject of ‘Most Deadly’.
These Pokémon exploded in response to even the tiniest of stimulations, and even just for fun.

“It’s an Electrode…!”

He jumped to the ground, as soon as he could without breaking his ankles.
His voice sounded somewhat hysterical.

“We have to get out of here! Now! It’ll explode…!”

Yena immediately turned around to him, wide-eyed.
So this was it. The plan. Nicholas was going to blow them up.

One look at Alex was enough to make Quinn realise what to do.
He had to wake her up, even if there was no time to make a dash for the platform.

With everything he had, he breathed in deep, and screamed at her.
And with his loud words, he sent out strong thoughts, hoping to strenghten his message.

…
…
…

‘Alex…! Wake up, fast!’

…
…
…
…
…

---

…
…
…
…
…

Alex found herself dragged to the surface in a blinding speed.
And when she finally opened her eyes, there was a cacophony of sounds washing over her.

What was going on…?

Gasping for air, she tried scrambling to her feet.

…Too fast.
Her senses were overwhelmed with everything going on in the Hall of Visions, and she lost her balance.
There were people and Pokémon everywhere, running around, fighting…
And this place… It was immense!
She couldn’t… couldn’t immediately understand…

“Alex…!”

It was Quinn. She turned her head instantly, and found him.
People were moving away from the platform, and dragging him with them.
His eyes were wide, and he was screaming… something… something…

“n…!”

…

“un…!”

…

“…RUN!”

Once she heard him, the word filled her head.
It must’ve been a remnant of the hypnosis that helped her respond fast.

She had no time to fully register the red and white Pokémon, rolling towards her, but one look was enough to make her realise that this was the threat everyone was running away from.

Quinn’s voice had never sounded this frightened.

“GO…!”

Suddenly, her body was on the move, turning around, and jumping off the other side of the platform with a big leap.
Away from the dangerous Pokémon, and away from the hordes of people and Pokémon.

As soon as her feet touch the ground, she started running.

There! In the cave wall!

There was a small passageway there!
A dark hole formed an opening, very different from the Hall of Visions’ regular entrance, and probably leading to other, more secluded sections of the Victory Road.

--_-- __---- BBBBBBBBRRRRRRRRRMMMMM…!! --_---___---_

Now running at full speed, she cried out and covered her ears as an explosion blew up the complete platform she’d been lying on. Pieces of stone material were flying through the air, blowing holes in the Hall of Vision’s reflecting walls.

Who was trying to kill her now? That hadn’t been Nicholas’ Pokémon…

The adrenaline and fear had given her a burst of energy, and soon, she was sprinting through a poorly-lit tunnel.

Run. Run. Run.

Getting as far away as possible, was the only thing on her mind.

Run. Run. Run.

Holes in the ground occasionally made her stumble, but she persisted, running as fast as she could.
Whenever she encountered a crossroad, she randomly dashed in a new direction, and as a consequence, she soon had no idea where she was going anymore, or where she’d come from.

Run. Run. Run…

Her damaged lungs were strongly protesting against it, but she refused to stop.

Until…
…
…
…


…Something suddenly lit up, on her right.

Her heart dropped.

Hypno.

“N-no…!”

She’d seen the Psybeam attack from the corner of her eyes, half a second before it hit her.
A heartbeat later, the large, multicolored beam abruptly struck her in the ribs, and slammed her into the tunnel wall.

A small cloud of dust rose up into the air as she helplessly fell to the sandy cave floor.

Dazed, Alex coughed once, and a sharp pain immediately went through her torso.

“Ahh…”

…She groaned, slowly lifting her head.

---

…
…
…Nicholas voice echoed through the tunnel.

“There you are, Elizabeth. And you’re all alone. How considerate…”