Chapter 16: Chapter 13: Scarlet’s Confession

        “Miraidon, let me see him.” With her hand on her arm, Sada struggled to her knees. Feebly smiling at Miraidon, she said, “I won’t forget you,” and her eyes moved over to Arven. “Please. He’s my son.”

        “Agias. Agias,” Miraidon protested, shaking his head.

        Sada glared at him.

        “Gias,” Miraidon whimpered. He sighed and moved away from Sada.

        At the sight of the opening, Arven was quickly on his feet. Mabosstiff snuck up on him from behind, but Arven paid him no attention. He sprinted for Sada but tripped on a tree root and fell. Arven crawled the rest of the way to her.

        Scarlet, who watched the whole thing, covered her mouth with her palm. “Oof,” she said in a low voice. She heard rustling in the bushes behind her.

        Slither Wing and Koraidon emerged from deep within them. Leaves and flowers stuck to the Pokémons’ coats. Not only that but Nemona and Penny dangled from Koraidon’s back because he had been running so fast.

        “Koraidon, did you seriously have to cut through the most overgrown part of the thicket?” Penny wanted to know. She looked like she was about to be sick.

        “Are you kidding? That was awesome!” Nemona cheered. “Penny, I thought you liked riding Koraidon.”

        “I do, but not when he gets leaves in my hair. I mean, look at this!” Penny rolled off Koraidon and rose to her feet. Running her fingers through her hair, she plucked leaves from it. She made sure she was leaf-free before she jogged to Arven and Sada.

        For a long while, the two friends said nothing. They merely stared at one another, with lightning flashing between them.

        Finally, Arven spoke. “Penny.”

        “Arven,” she said back. “So… your AI mom broke her arm?”

        “We were ambushed,” Arven explained. He wrapped his arms around Sada and pulled her close to him. He had to keep her safe. She was dozing off. “Can you just fix her, Penny?” he asked. “I can’t lose her. Not again.” Why did he feel so sad all of a sudden?

        Arven’s bottom lip twitched. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, and it pulled him down like an anchor. From out of nowhere, it became hard to breathe.

        Noticing his shift in behavior, Scarlet hopped off the log. She rushed to Arven and clutched his arm. Scarlet started to pull him away from Sada, but Arven freed himself.

        “No!” he snapped.

        Nemona placed her hands on her hips. “It’ll be fine, Arven,” she promised. “Penny’s the best when it comes to fixing things. After all, she’s hacked a whole classroom’s worth of smartphones before for her Team Star business.”

        “Oh shush, Nemona,” Penny, a little bashful, said. “Give me some time, Arven. It’s okay. I forgive you from before. But I will need some space to work on Sada.”

        Scarlet gave it another go. She gently tugged Arven away from his mom and turned her over to Penny. Scarlet rubbed his back and led him toward a small river in the distance. A combination of the setting sun and the brook’s clear water made the area quite picturesque, but Arven did not admire the scenery.

        Halfway to the brook, he stumbled and dipped his shoulder into Scarlet. He collapsed to one knee.

        “It’s okay. It’s okay,” Scarlet whispered, turning on a brave face. She helped Arven to the ground. “It’s okay to cry.”

        And Arven did. He burst into tears and sobbed the hardest he had ever had in his sixteen years of living. He cried so much that he soaked Scarlet’s school uniform. “I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe,” he gasped, smacking his hand to his chest.

        “Deep breaths. Deep breaths,” Scarlet said. “You’re doing great. Just let it all out.”

        “Why did my mom have to die?” Arven yelled. Freeing himself from Scarlet, he pointed at Miraidon, who stood next to Penny. “You did this! You killed her, you murderer! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!”

        “Gias.” Miraidon’s instincts kicked in. He hurried to Koraidon and hid behind him.

        “You killed her!” Arven shouted again.

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        “Whoa! Whoa!” Scarlet lunged for her friend and grabbed him before he could attack Miraidon. “Arven, come with me.” She quickly got him away from their friends.

        Penny and Nemona had frozen, and their eyes widened. They had never seen Arven that angry before. Shivers ran up their spines.

        Penny removed one hand from AI Sada and tugged Nemona’s tights. “Ne-Nemona?”

        “Yes, Penny?” she shakily inquired.

        There was a moment of silence, and then Penny admitted, “That was scary.”

***

       “Here. Drink up.” At the brook’s edge, Scarlet removed a water bottle from her backpack and handed it to Arven. He just lost his whole lunch in it, and now there was a bad taste in his mouth. He took the water bottle from Scarlet and unscrewed its cap, drinking it in one gulp.

        “I-I’m sorry,” he shakily apologized. “I don’t know what came over me.” His eyes followed the movements of the Goldeen and Magikarp in the river. Arven rested his hand on Mabosstiff, who had stretched his furry body across his lap.

        Next to him, Scarlet hugged her knees to her chest. “Grief comes in waves, Arven,” she explained. “But once you push past them, you’ll feel better.”

        “I’m not grieving,” Arven argued. “I’m just… tired.” He peered up at the treetops and admired the reddish-orange sky between their branches.

        Letting her legs go, Scarlet crossed them. She glanced at her friend, but he refused to make eye contact.

        “Arven, I was you once,” Scarlet admitted. “My father died when I was ten. He was a sailor. He visited every other region before he finally found Paldea. Dad fell so in love with it that he promised to take me on a sail around it for my 10^th birthday. All I wanted was to watch the Finneon light up at night. But… he had an accident when he took the boat out for a test run, the day before we were supposed to leave.”

        Arven finally looked at his friend. It wasn’t like her to talk so much, but her words and soothing voice comforted him. His hand froze on Mabosstiff’s head.

        “Mom and I were devastated when Dad died,” Scarlet added. “But in time, we learned to accept it, which is what you have to do. You’ll never forget your loved one, but you will be able to finally move on. Believe me.”

        Scarlet gave Arven a weak smile. She patted his thigh and stood up. Scarlet went to the brook and sliced the water with her hand.

        Lost in thought, Arven stared at the ground.

        Mabosstiff whined, but it wasn’t long until he wagged his tail and licked his trainer’s cheek.

        “Thanks, Mabosstiff,” Arven said, chuckling. “I needed that.”

        “Hey, Arven!” Penny jogged to her friends, with Koraidon next to her. She gestured behind her and said, “She’s fixed.”

        Sure enough, Arven saw AI Sada sitting up in the tall grass, wide awake, with a bandage tied around her arm. It did not twitch or spark anymore but stayed steady, which was enough for Arven.

        A grin stretched across his weary, tear-stained face, and he got up. “Mom!” Without wiping the dirt from his pants, he threw himself into Sada’s arms. “Mom, you’re okay!” He had to enjoy this while he could.

        “Arven.” Sada returned his hug. She patted the back of his head and closed her eyes. “I’m imbued with your mom’s memories, and I can’t get over what a wonderful young man you’ve grown into.”

        Penny, Scarlet, and Koraidon joined the reunion, as well as Nemona and Celebi.

        Nemona bumped Scarlet with her hip. “Well done, Scarlet.” She crossed her arms. “I think you’d do pretty well in the student council.”

        “I’m just doing my duty as a friend,” Scarlet chuckled. Nevertheless, her smile vanished when she checked the area and didn’t see Miraidon anywhere. “Wait. Where’s Miraidon?”

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