Author's Note 1: Congratulations. You chose the "correct" ending! Chapter 55 was the story's first alternate ending: a bad end, no less. This chapter will wrap up the Kalium City arc and bring us to the start of the Hydrargyrum City arc! Based off discussions with some of my beta readers, that arc will be a separate file-meaning this one will be marked as "Complete" and we'll begin the new arc on December 30!

Author's Note 2: The song that plays in the alarm clock scene is a real song: Листья (Leaves) by Чёрный кофе (Black Coffee). If 1980s Soviet heavy metal sounds like something you'd be interested in hearing, check them out on YouTube!

Author's Note 3: Special thanks to seiauton for (once again) doing a much better job than Google Translate with a random bit of German. You're awesome, Julia!

…

Before Cyrus even said anything, Cynthia anticipated running. Staying put made no sense. Even if Zed managed to call the police, it would still take a while before an officer arrived at the Trainers Lodge. And while they sat there and waited for help to arrive, Jet and his Pokémon would have a slew of opportunities to neutralize what he perceived to be a threat.

Defending themselves probably wouldn't work well, either. Neither one of them went to the Pokémon Center after their gym battle, so all they could do was medicate their teams with their limited supplies. Both of their Eevees were at full health, but they wouldn't last long against Jet's team.

Cynthia's body felt like a jack-in-the-box: like every last muscle in her legs was coiled up and ready to spring loose. She could run pretty damn fast, and she knew where the Metro Station was. She'd passed it on the way to the Kalium Library. All they had to do was—

"Hide us."

Dumbfounded, all Cynthia could do was gawk at Cyrus. That decision had caught her completely off guard. When she finally managed to collect herself enough to speak, all she managed to stammer out were two words. "You're sure?"

In resignation, Cyrus slowly nodded his head. When he looked back at Cynthia, his eyes were very apologetic. "I don't like this, either; but I have to be realistic. I don't know if you can outrun Jet; but I know for a fact that I can't." To prove his point, he gestured toward his chest and arms. Beneath his clothes were a multitude of half-healed injuries, most of which Cynthia had already seen. "If I aggravate my stitches, they could rip open."

For a brief moment, Cynthia's panicked brain insisted she could outrun Jet. She banished the thought because that would mean leaving Cyrus and Campanella behind; and she was not about to do that. Only a selfish, spineless, bus-throwing piece of garbage would leave her friends behind to fend for themselves.

"…okay." It took forever to say it, but there it was. "I trust you."

Zed hurriedly gestured for both of his guests to follow him. "This way! And don't worry about your things right now. I'll bring them later! Oh ho ho ho ho hoooooo gahahahahahaaaaaaahd…"

By this point, Cynthia honestly couldn't tell if Zed was laughing or sobbing. She also couldn't tell if his face was wet with sweat or tears. Maybe it was some combination of the two. Whatever it was, she could smell the fear on him.

Cynthia held on tightly to Cyrus's hand and made her first steps out of the attic. Right behind them, she could hear poor Zed continuing to make his distraught laugh-cries. "Oh dear," he kept muttering. "Oh dear oh dear oh dear…" If she stayed put for too long, he'd nudge her to keep walking.

Zed kept his frantic mumblings to a low volume, but the noises coming from the attic were so loud that everyone on the top floor could hear them. Porcelain and glass shattered. Wood splintered. A heavy piece of metal came into contact with the floor and furniture. Campanella shouted panicked profanities as she waged war against Jet's Croagunk. Naturally, all of that made it near impossible for the other tenants to sleep.

A guest in one of the private rooms cracked opened his door and leered at the people in the hall. Half his face was covered in a crazy nest of dark teal curls, but one purple eye was visible. He squinted at Zed, then noticed the teenagers. "Zed?" The next time Campanella shouted, the man frowned deeply and asked something in a language Cynthia didn't know. "Was zum Teufel ist da oben los?"

Another door opened and an old man in an ankle-length nightgown stepped out. "It's much too early in the morning to be doing construction, comrade! Think of your poor guests!"

"Ist es ein Einbrecher?" the foreign man asked. "Oder ein wildes Pokémon?" When Zed didn't answer right away, the man's disturbingly long nails began to dig into the wood door frame. "Deckt die kinzonische Versichung Einbruchschäden ab—"

"IT ISN'T A BURGLAR, RUDOLF!" Zed's voice had gone from quiet and frantic to high-pitched and desperate. "EVERYTHING'S FINE!" But even as he said that, Cynthia could hear him starting to cry. There were few things in the world more awkward than seeing a large man cry—but she couldn't exactly fault him for it. He'd done nothing wrong, and yet this thing was trashing his home.

Just before Zed could offer another far-from-convincing reassurance, the foreign man with the curly hair pointed at a puddle forming on the ceiling. The soaked wood turned dark and began to dissolve, mixing together with the purple muck. Some of the substance dripped onto the floor. When it made contact with the rug, the fabric began to erode.

"That does it!" the old man in the nightshirt barked. "I'm calling the Kalium City Police. Whatever is terrorizing your friend upstairs, Mr. Levin, needs to be dealt with by the professionals."

"Thank you! You're a saint!" Zed grabbed both children by the backs of their coats and gave the old man a big, pleading smile. "Would you be so kind as to help me with one other favor? The thing upstairs is after my young friends and—"

"I apologize, but no. I'm fine with calling the police. I'm not fine with getting involved."

Zed let loose another laugh-sob. This time, Cynthia heard his voice crack. He didn't say anything to the other guy: Rudolf. He just looked at him with big pleading eyes…and made another sad noise when the door slammed shut.

Cynthia looked back up at Zed. Her entire body was going pale. "That's your plan!? You want us to hide in another room and put more people in danger?!" She turned back toward Cyrus, trying her best to keep her nerves in check. She was starting to hyperventilate. "And you're…y-you're sure you can't run…?"

"I can try," Cyrus offered, but he didn't sound too convinced. "But if we do that, we won't have time to go upstairs and grab our things. We'll have to leave with nothing but what we have in our pockets. If you're fine with that, then—"

"PLEASE? HELLO? ANYONE?!" Zed hadn't given up on this. He pounded on the different doors, face as red as an apple. "Pleeeeeeease! It's an EMERGENCY! I won't even bill you for tonight if you'll just OPEN UP and HELP us!" One by one, he made the rounds. Every time he knocked on a door, it was shortly followed by the sound of someone locking the deadbolt.

One second more and Cynthia would have told Cyrus to bolt. The only reason she hesitated was because a door opened. At the very end of the hall was the green-haired Unovan man she'd spoken with that morning. "You're going to keep screaming until someone caves in to your demands. Aren't you, Zed?"

Zed didn't answer right away. He just proceeded to shove both of the teens toward the open door and let loose a near-hysterical laugh of relief. "I'm so sorry about this, Mr. G! Just please, please, please take them! And unless I ask you to open this door again—"

"Don't." The man moved out of the way, giving Cynthia and Cyrus a split second to dart into his room. "I do expect to be compensated for this. I have a big day tomorrow."

Zed's head nodded so fast that Cynthia was half afraid he'd pull a neck muscle. He made a mad dash for the attic, called out Campanella's name, and shut the door behind him. Even as the thumping noises and profanities intensified, she still heard the green-haired man sigh.

"So…" the man groaned as he locked his room's door. "Would one of you be so kind as to tell me why the Lodge Owner was in such a panic? What's going on out there?"

Unlike Cynthia and Cyrus's private room, this one had no windows: only wall-to-wall metal shelves stuffed to the brim with books, magazines, and various touristy knick-knacks. There was a snow globe of Katarina Square, a postcard from the wax museum, and even a cute set of hand-painted matryoshka dolls made to look like the different evolutions of the Eevee line. Even the mini-refrigerator in the corner was covered in kitschy magnets advertising some of Kalium City's biggest attractions.

The room only had one bed, which neither kid planned to ask "Mr. G" if they could use. If they somehow managed to calm down enough to sleep, they'd be doing so on a banged up sofa and its matching threadbare recliner. Something with sharp talons and big teeth had nearly clawed the entire back side of the chair to shreds.

In the far corner were two large rolling suitcases: both of which were embroidered with what appeared to be a coat of arms. Other than Mr. G's toiletries and a change of clothes for tomorrow morning; he had already packed everything back into his bags. Like everyone else in the Lodge, he'd been ready to leave Kalium City for days.

Cyrus took a moment to get Cynthia situated on the couch and then offered to help their temporary savior push a desk in front of the door. He didn't have much upper body strength, but he could at least make an effort. "Somebody's after us."

'Not me: us.' That distinction wasn't lost on Cynthia. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue on Cyrus's part, but maybe there was some truth to it. Jet didn't strike her as sloppy (or stupid) enough to leave a witness behind. Silencing Cynthia meant silencing anyone who could contradict Jet's claim that he killed the bomber. They both knew the truth—as well as the name and face of the person responsible—but it wouldn't do them any good.

Now she wasn't even sure if talking to the Kalium City Police was a good idea. They'd just follow Jet's lead, wouldn't they?

"Oh?" After one strong, powerful nudge; the desk was flush to the door. Even something as powerful as a Hariyama would have a tough time breaking past that. Just to test that theory, Mr. G rattled the desk with his good arm a couple of times and it barely budged. "What for?"

Now that she was starting to feel safe again, Cynthia realized she was no longer choking on her words. "The Gym Leader thinks I bombed the train, but I didn't. We know who did, but I'm worried that the police won't believe us. We're Sinnohan, so—"

"You're right. They won't." The man yawned and proceeded to make his way back to bed. He tossed a couple of quilts to Cyrus, but the boy missed. "And believe it or not, this awful country is even more xenophobic up north. You're lucky this happened in south Kinzo, children. Sure, these people hate your people; but the south hates their western neighbors even more. Everything after Hydrargyrum City…heh…"

Laughter was supposed to make people feel more at ease; but Mr. G's low, growl-like chuckling made Cynthia feel like a trapped Pokémon. With that desk in front of the door, she couldn't escape even if she tried. While she doubted her exasperated host wanted to hurt her, his bitterness was palpable: a very present miasma in what was already stale, acid-laced air.

"If you're crazy enough to challenge the fourth Gym Leader and beyond, you'll be in for a world of hurt."

That wasn't very comforting to hear. Cynthia coughed, only to realize she could taste some bile on the back of her throat. The soup from earlier didn't agree with her anymore. "You've been up there?" Just how bad did things get?

As much as she wanted to know this, she could tell this man wasn't in any mood to humor her with too many questions. "No," he answered as he pulled up the covers and returned to bed. All he wanted was to go back to sleep, and he couldn't be any more obvious about that if he tried. "I've been fortunate enough to avoid Kinzo until now, but some of my colleagues have no sense of self preservation. The things they told me disgusted me; but at least I'm Unovan. They aren't fond of us, either; but it'll be a whole lot worse for the two of you."

Darkness swallowed the room when he shut off the lamp. Cynthia could feel Cyrus curling up beside her on the couch, so she shared the blanket and scooted closer. Feeling his body next to hers was comforting. Although she didn't feel any safer, at least she knew she wasn't alone.

Mr. G yawned, made himself comfortable in bed, and turned his back to his unwanted guests. "You're Sinnohan, so all these people will see are the descendants of their oppressors. It doesn't matter how nice or polite you are to them. They'll hate you so much that they'll be inclined to hunt you, chase you, and possibly even kill you. I could say more, but I'd rather not. If it's all the same to you, I'd rather rest…"

Sleep sounded good, but all Cynthia could bring herself to do was lie horizontal and watch the thin strip of light beneath the door. She didn't hear any more footsteps, nor did she see any legs pace back and forth…but the fact that she might made it difficult to do the one thing her body craved.

…

Around sunrise, the room's alarm clock turned on and started playing music from a local radio station. The song started off soft and gentle, with lulling Kinzonian lyrics over a soft guitar. It didn't stay that way for long.

Нет ни братьев, ни сестёр,
Он один на весь простор,
Он пьянеет от свободы
И пылает, как костёр.
Он один на весь простор.

The song was enough to wake Cyrus up. Once the singer's dulcet tones escalated into passionate shouting, he started nudging Cynthia in an attempt to get her up. It didn't work. Every time he tried to shake her shoulder or tap her back with a finger; all she did was curl up and nuzzle her face deeper into his bony chest.

Nudging wasn't going to be enough, it seemed. Very well. He'd just get up.

As soon as Cyrus sat upright, Cynthia's head flopped over and made contact with the couch cushions. A muffled groan left her lips, but he could tell that woke her up. "Hn…" She yawned, stretched, and covered her mouth with a hand. "I don't even remember dozing off. I wasn't too clingy or awkward last night, was I?"

"Do you want me to be honest?" That, as well as the fact Cyrus's face was somewhat pink, was an answer in and of itself.

"I'm sorry, Cyrus." From past trips with other friends, Cynthia knew she had a habit of cuddling things in her sleep. She tended to sleep with a pillow or a Pokémon in her arms, just so she wouldn't instinctively reach for another person. Still, sometimes it couldn't be helped. She'd woken up with her arms around June before, too. That didn't make this any less embarrassing.

When Mr. G rolled over to turn off the alarm, Cynthia heard him grumble something under his breath about "goddamn Sputnik music." When he sat up, both kids heard several of his joints pop. "Well, good morning. Did you two manage to sleep at all?" When both of the teenagers nodded their heads to confirm, the Unovan man yawned. "I'm guessing you'll be taking the 7:00 AM Metro to Hydrargyrum City?"

"7:00!?" Cynthia's heart skipped a beat when she noticed the time on the alarm clock: 6:02 AM. "Oh no…" It was getting hard to breathe because her panic was building up again. Jet had very clearly warned her that trying to take any train later than 6:00 AM would result in bodily harm, possibly even her death. "We can't—"

"Why not?" Mr. G interrupted. She could tell from his tone that he was starting to lose his patience.

"Jet threatened to push her in front of the train," Cyrus answered firmly. "Sir, the Metro's not an option for us anymore. I don't think we have enough money to pay a taxi to take us all the way to Hydrargyrum City, either." He was kind of at a loss for what they could possibly do, but he didn't want to scare Cynthia any further. If anything, he wanted to calm her down before this escalated into a full-blown panic attack. "We'll probably have to ask Zed if he minds making a day trip, just to drop us off."

But Mr. G was shaking his head, unkempt green hair going everywhere. He had the worst bedhead Cyrus had ever seen. It curled, coiled, and frizzed in every which way. "If you respect Zed, don't do that to him. If he leaves the Lodge for too long, an inconvenienced guest could report him to the higher ups and get him in trouble."

"What should we do, then?!" So far as Cynthia was concerned, she felt like this exhausted all their viable options. "It's not like we can walk there! And most of our friends don't have cars. They're using the Metro, which we can't do! The only other person I can think of who has a car is Renata. Cyrus, do you think she—why are you shaking your head?"

"Renata left yesterday. I don't know how she managed to do that, but she did." Cyrus hated being the bearer of bad news, but Renata Cordova was long gone. "Maybe we can call the Hydrargyrum City Trainers Lodge, just to see if she's there. If she is, we can ask if she's willing to make the drive all the way back here to get us."

Renata was a good friend and had a very caring heart. If Cyrus told her they were in danger, he was certain she'd make the trip; but he still didn't want to do that. It would be a major inconvenience for Renata and would probably put a strain on their friendship. That was still preferable to the only other alternative he knew about. He'd rather deal with a temporarily annoyed old woman than risk getting lost and killed in the Kalium Catacombs.

"What about the ferry?" Both teens turned around to look at Mr. G in complete shock. "Don't look so surprised. Kalium City has a harbor. Wouldn't it make sense to have boats going to nearby cities? You can ride a ferry to Hydrargyrum City, Plumbum City, or Natrium Town."

This revelation was a godsend! When Cynthia explored the riviera with Isaac's gang, there were many boats in the harbor. Most of what she'd seen were cargo freights and small fishing boats; but there had also been a cruise ship out there. It hadn't even crossed her mind that there would be ferries to other cities, but it made sense. Now she felt a little stupid for not realizing that was an option.

"When the city closed off the Metro, they also closed off the ferry. Now that the KSP have lifted the lockdown order, it should be open for business."

Although the ferry sounded like an answer to their prayers, there was one small thing that could make or break this plan. Cynthia took a deep breath, already worried that this would be yet another false hope. "Do you have to pay to ride it?" They were nearly broke. Anything that cost money was a no go.

When Mr. G nodded to confirm, her heart sank. But then he did something she didn't expect. "If I buy your tickets and let you ride with me, would you mind doing me a favor?"

"What do you want us to do?" Considering their only other realistic option was the catacombs, Cyrus didn't even hesitate. He grabbed Cynthia's hand protectively and tried to make himself look tougher…not that it really worked.

The man got off the bed and began running a comb through his long, wild-looking hair. "I didn't come to Kinzo to challenge their League. I'm here to represent my company at the Annual IPAA Conference. I'll be there all week, but I didn't take my Pokémon with me. There wasn't much point, seeing as I'd be gone before they made it out of quarantine anyway."

Just yesterday, Cynthia had talked with Mr. G about this. The IPAA conference was the annual gathering of regional professors, tech moguls, conservationists, breeders, and many others to talk about all things Pokémon. She would love to attend something like that, but she wasn't about to volunteer until she knew for sure that Cyrus was also on board. The last time she made a decision for the both of them, it ended in a fight.

"If the two of you don't mind shadowing me at the conference, we'll call it even. If you still insist on paying me back for the tickets and the hotel fare; a week should be more than enough time to challenge and beat the Hydrargyrum Gym Leader. So…do we have a deal?"

Cynthia could barely contain her excitement. Maybe Professor Rowan would be there, or Professor Sycamore! It would be more than Professor Myrtle, that was for sure! "I'm game if Cyrus is!"

"I'm fine with it." To Cyrus, this truly did make the most sense. Every other option was either too dangerous or too big an inconvenience to other people. "Thanks, Mr. G."

"Gropius, actually," the man corrected him. "Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius. Poor Zed had so much trouble pronouncing my name that I gave up and told him Mr. G was fine. Anyway, go ahead and freshen up. Once you're ready, I'll call a taxi and get us a ride to the ferry."

They didn't have to be told twice.

Cyrus's morning routine took all of ten minutes, twenty if he had to dress up for an important function. Since he slept in his travel clothes and boots, he was ready in less than five. All he had to do was quickly run a comb through his hair and brush his teeth. Once they were at the hotel, he'd take a shower and change into his spare change of clothes.

Cynthia's hair was a good bit longer, so she ended up taking more time. Most mornings, she also put on a little bit of makeup: just enough mascara to darken her blonde eyelashes, a little concealer to hide any pink spots if she popped a pimple, and a lip stain to add some color to her face. There wasn't any point in doing any of that today: at least not until they made it to the next city.

"I don't know about you," she muttered to Cyrus, "but I'm looking forward to sleeping in a hotel bed."

The Trainers Lodges were okay, but they weren't exactly fancy. According to Professor Rowan, the IPAA always hosted their conferences in five star resorts. It was kind of hard to imagine a nation like Kinzo having luxury resorts; but the country did have a lavish past. For all she knew, this hotel could be a converted dacha or an old resort from the tsarist era.

"I'm more excited about taking a hot shower," Cyrus confessed, hoping a little small talk would lighten the mood. "And once we have things squared away; I can call Zed and let him know to mail our stuff to the hotel."

"What about Campanella? You don't think she'll be too mad that we're staying in a hotel without her, do you?"

The only part of this plan that worried Cynthia was where Campanella fit into it. She was still angry about what happened at the wax museum; but Campanella had also risked her life to keep them safe last night. Jet's Croagunk never tried to break into Mr. Gropius's private room, so it stood to reason that Campanella either beat it senseless or warded it off.

Leaving Kalium City without her felt wrong, so Cynthia wanted to ask their new (temporary) employer a question. "Um…Mr. Gropius? We have a third person in our party. Would it be okay to have her stay with us?"

"I don't need three bodyguards," Ghetsis replied. "If I'm being honest; I really only need one. I don't care if she stays in the suite with you, though. Is she in as much danger as the two of you?"

Right before Cynthia could say yes, Cyrus spoke up. "No. Jet never saw her with us. We'll let her know where we're staying once we're out of Kalium City."

Judging from how loudly Campanella had screamed last night, Cyrus wouldn't be surprised if that Croagunk hurt her badly enough to merit a trip to the hospital. Each minute he and Cynthia stayed here was another minute Jet could move forward with his threat. As much as he hated making this decision, he knew this was what they needed to do. He also knew Cynthia would be too sentimental to make this choice.

"Grab your things, then. We're leaving."

…

It took less than ten minutes for Ghetsis to secure a taxi. In that time, the two kids hurriedly wrote a thank you note to Zed and Campanella, then placed it behind the front desk. When they woke up in the morning, Zed would find it right beside his computer. Cynthia wished they could have done more, but time was of the essence.

Their cab driver was a college-aged woman with fuchsia hair and a lot of piercings. She also didn't talk very much. While Cynthia was mildly disappointed that it wasn't the same driver who gave them the scenic tour yesterday, Cyrus was privately relieved. He didn't want to see any more familiar faces in this city, nor did he ever want to come back.

The morning sun spread its light across the blocky, graffitied buildings. For everyone who didn't have a target on their backs, this meant that curfew was over and the city was once more free to explore. As they drove past; neon lights in storefronts began to light up, indicating the owners were ready to accept patrons. Cyrus recognized a few of the words as they passed: bakery, convenience store, pharmacy. Cynthia also spotted Café Khismatullina was open. She could even see the owner sweeping the sidewalk.

To everyone else, this was just another day in the City of Second-Rates. To them, this was good riddance to a lot of bad rubbish.

Since all three travelers were in the back of the cab, seating was rather tight. Cynthia was the most petite of the three, so she'd offered to take the middle seat. Rightly or wrongly, she felt a bit safer with Cyrus to her left and Ghetsis to her right. It meant that if something tried to spy on the car, it would be that much more difficult to spot her. She kept her hood up, crouched down, and just let Ghetsis do all the talking to the driver.

In order to get to the harbor, the driver had to go past Katarina Square. Yesterday, Cynthia had wanted to explore every part of the square and learn more about the city's history. Now all she could think about was how the most beautiful building of them all housed a man who wanted her dead.

The gym's lights were already on. Even from the car, she could hear music blasting at full volume to notify everyone in close proximity that Jet Melkadze was awake and ready to accept new challengers eager to earn a Potassium Badge. The worst part was that she could even hear his voice singing along to the lyrics of some old, bombastic imperial march.

The lyrics were Kinzonian, so she had no clue what Jet was saying. It didn't matter. Just the blast of the trumpets and trombones paired with his aggressive tone made her feel threatened. She leaned a bit more tightly into Cyrus, hoping he didn't mind the contact.

"Please say something if I'm being a bother," she murmured. He kept quiet.

The taxi finally stopped less than half a kilometer from the Rivera boardwalk. "This is the docking station for the Hydrargyrum City ferry," the driver informed Ghetsis. "This is where you wanted to go, да?"

"Correct." Ghetsis pulled some PokéDollars out of his wallet and handed them to the driver, thanking her for getting them here safely. He even gave a couple of extra dollars as a tip. Instead of getting out of her car, the driver popped the trunk so everyone could grab their luggage. Once the trunk shut, she took off without another word. "That's one thing I'll give the Kinzonians. Their cab drivers are friendlier than ours."

Cynthia could attest to that. She hadn't ridden too many taxis in Unova; but the cab she'd taken in Castelia City was dirty, smelly, and piloted by a way-too-chatty driver. It would have been one thing if that guy had wanted to talk about the city's history or some of the cool things she could do in the area. The fact he was old enough to be her father and kept asking her if she had a boyfriend just made the whole ride feel sleazy, uncomfortable, and gross.

Yes. At least Kinzo's drivers weren't as nosy.

The moment the car drove off, Cynthia felt a pair of eyes staring directly at her back. She shuddered, but was too afraid to turn around. She picked up her pace, refused to let go of Cyrus's hand, and followed Ghetsis's lead onto the ferry. As he promised, he bought all three tickets and gestured for the two teens to sit beside him on one of the benches.

Even this early in the morning, the boat was crammed to near-full capacity with displaced and frustrated tourists. Every last one of them had wanted to leave Kalium City days ago, but couldn't. They chatted among themselves quite loudly, announcing how relieved they were that the KSP figured out who bombed the train. Others complained about the Metro being so badly packed that overflow had to pay extra to use the boats.

Cynthia didn't recognize most of these people, but she spotted a few familiar faces from the Kalium Lodge. Most of them, she hadn't talked with enough to catch their names. She'd really only seen them at dinnertime or in the lobby. The only person whose name she knew was Rudolf, but that was only because Zed screeched at him last night. She had no interest in talking to him, assuming she even could. He didn't seem to speak the language.

She didn't want him to see her, either. The less attention she attracted to herself on the boat, the better.

While she would have preferred to sit somewhere in the middle, those seats were already taken. The only place where they could sit together with their luggage in a group of three was in the back. "Don't let me get up for any reason," she told Cyrus. "I don't even care if I have to use the bathroom. Don't let me out of your sight."

Until they were safe at the hotel, her nerves wouldn't calm down. For all she knew, Jet could have paid one of these strangers to push her into the water. She held onto her friend, trying her best to stop shaking. 'It's over,' she kept telling herself. 'You're almost out of the city. He can't hurt us here…' Or could he?

More than once, Cynthia had to shake away those awful thoughts. Her attention instead turned toward the dock, waiting to see if anyone else would come into focus. While she saw no sign of Jet's Croagunk or any of his other Pokémon, she did see a few frustrated trainers shaking their fists. They shouted, demanding that the driver turn around to accommodate them.

Among them, with blood-soaked bandaged hands and several bruises on her aching body, was Campanella. They were still close enough for Cynthia to briefly lock eyes with her. In them, she had expected to find relief in knowing her two traveling companions were safe. Instead, Cynthia found something rather soul-crushing.

Campanella may have told them to go on without her, but she never expected them to actually do it.

…

Author's Note: This chapter marks the end of the Kalium City arc. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it! The Hydrargyrum City arc will pick up in the next chapter. In this next arc; you can expect additional character growth, the return (and introduction) of some other important recurring characters, and even Professor Myrtle's backstory!

If you want a sneak preview as to what this city will be like, Hydrargyrum City was based off a real city in the former Soviet bloc: Yalta, Ukraine. Some of Yalta's most famous landmarks (Villa Ermengarde, Swallow's Nest Castle, and the Druzhba Sanatorium) will be appearing under new names…and with a twist!

See you in Hydrargyrum City!