~And the Thunder Rolls~

Year 19...

Thunder rang through the air of the black sky. A streak of blue illuminates the grey world below. Rain and wind beat the cabin walls as lights flicker inside the cabin. Hollers and screams echo on the inside before all is silenced by a voice...

"I already told you, I'm leaving!" Thunder shook the small home. The rattles of plates and chairs rang through my ears. My feet made it impossible to walk in a straight line; I stumbled toward the door, dragging my feet against the wooden floor. Nervous, trembling claws wrapped around my small wrist, yanking me back with force.

"And I said 'you're not'!" his voice rumbled in my ears as I tried to pull away from his strong grasp. A growl escaped through my compressed jaw as I scowl back at his golden irises.

"Hmph, like you're going to stop me." With a whip of my head, I turn back toward the door; my long curly brown hair fell past my shoulders as I ripped my gaze away from him. I walked forward, an instantaneous feeling of nausea sweep over me. His paws scrunched up from behind my collar, draining the air from my lungs with a forceful yank.

"You're not going anywhere!" he strained, lifting me off of my feet. With the faint sound of tearing fabric in my ears, he threw me to the floor. I shut my eyes tightly as I skid along the floor, knowing I was now farther from the door. The patter of his paws ring throughout the room as he moves around me. As a soft whimper escaped my mouth, I quickly look over my red and blue checkered shirt; as my eyes trail the tear along my back, a small draft runs along my spine.

"This was my favorite shirt and you just ruined it!" I yelped, puffing out my cheeks. Heat grazes along my skin as I gawk at him.

"You look like a Pikachu there, kiddo; try to remember that when you puff out those cheeks," he mocked, earning a subtle hiss through my grinding teeth. As I stagger to my feet, he crosses his arms over his body, his golden stare directed at me.

"Don't call me that." I muttered with clenched fists. As my gaze locks on him, a black aura swallows the tips of my fingers, running along the base of my palms. His narrowed eyes gleam for a brief moment; my eyes widen as I hastily look away, grimacing the incident.

Shit, not now!

The inhale of cold air does little to calm my rapid heartbeat. My heart thumps along my rib cage violently, hoping to escape his curious glance. I pull my gaze up from the floor, fearing his disapproval in my lack of self control. A faint scoff escapes his closed mouth, blinking as he watches a frown roll across my cheeks.

"No point in hiding that from me; I already know it's getting worse," he replies swiftly, gaining my attention. My eyes scan him, yelling as he remains unfazed by the true danger we are dealing with.

"If you know, then you shouldn't stop me," With haste, I push up from the floor, hoping to pry him away from the door as I extend my arms toward him.

"You don't have to be so drastic!" he grunted, thrusting me away with great force. My shoes slip across the floor as I tried to regain my balance. I turn, running at him again, flying into an open embrace that didn't seem to regard damage.

"You have to understand! I have to do this! I..." I struggled against him, screaming before trailing off. For a moment, everything is silent, and my forehead gently rests against his shoulder. I pull my eyes up to him, finally fixing on his golden gaze. Locked away in his bullion eyes was the hard truth. They knew more than I was willing to admit.

"Just give me a real reason; that's all I'm asking for," I hastily looked away, not allowing myself to answer. With a forceful shove, he slammed against the wall behind him once more with a grunt. Lacing my fingers together tightly, I attempted to use his weight against him. He pushed back, and I dug my heels into the floor, trying to stop him from dominating my movements. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the black aura return, looking a bit stronger than it had before.

"It's getting worse; this has to stop, and this isthe next step!" I yelled, pushing him as hard as I could, ramming him into a wall. He abruptly stopped, slowly opening his eyes to meet my gaze. Shimmering slits of gold gazed at me, still trying to plea with me.

"I don't understand; isn't there another way? Erasing yourself from existence and finally being rid of her, will it really make you happy? If that's the case, just leave," he whispered in a hushed voice, pulling away. He averted his gaze from mine. My elevated shoulders depressed, my clenched grasp loosening on his pinned arms. Without another word, I quietly and slowly pushed off his body and slowly turned toward the door.

"It's not just that," I whispered lightly, curling my hair behind my ear. I turned, biting my lip as my fingers traced along my arm. I could see the door across from my immediate gaze, sighing as I just remained in place.

"Then what is it? Who are you really trying to save here?" he asked, finally breaking the silence. His voice strung together the most important question, the one he had been dying to ask.

"I'm not worth saving anymore, not the way I am now. But-" I swallowed, stopping mid sentence, swallowing the nervous lump that sat in my throat.

"They deserve a life worthy of their shining spirit," I muttered weakly, shaking lightly. I could see his reflection in the golden knob as I reached out to turn it with my nimble fingers. My teeth grinded against each other; I wanted to stay, and wanting made it harder to leave.

"You don't have to go; you can do this another way. We still have time. We still haven't tried-" I would have laughed at the irony of time, considering it no longer existed. With a shake of my head, I began turning the knob. He was hoping to give another suggestion, a hopeful plea to allow us to remain together.

"It doesn't make a difference; this is it. I'm sorry, and goodbye." With those words, I ripped open the door and bolted out into the rain. The warm tears streamed down my face, mixing with the icy drops of rain. My heart ached inside at the realization that this would be the last time I would see him.

My feet came to an abrupt stop as I turned back for a quick glance to see him. He stood in the doorway; his golden eyes peer against the dark night. He stood, glaring at me as a frown rolled across his face. My ears perked to the sound of him sigh; my eyes trail him as he slowly shut the door. I had crossed the last person who trusted me, and I knew I couldn't go back.

The cold water dripped off my brown hair, slipping across my face as I gained distance from the house. My torn shirt was soaked, clinging to my skin as the wind made me shiver with regret. My head was pull back toward the house, seeing the chimney puff warm smoke and ash through the air. I let out a defeated sigh; this sucks.

The wind mercilessly beat against my wet skin as I walked through the forest surrounding my destination. A flash of lighting startled me as I stood in place, gripping my drenched skin as I waited for the lighting to calm.

My lungs heaved out panted breathes as I pressed on. The sting of struggling muscles burned as I climbed higher. My calves burned against the nips of the icy wind, and I fell to my knees, exhausted. My eyes glance to my fingers, which look a pale blue underneath the light of the moon. I couldn't control the shaking— the uncontrollable shaking—which failed to cease, much like the raging storm.

Keep going; you want to get rid of me, don't you?

I shut my eyes, trying to block out the voice that mocked me. As my knees wobbled, attempting to regain my stance, my arms attempted to protect my face from the sting of the chilling wind. The trees were dead; their leaves crunching under the weight of my feet. My eyes glance forward, spotting a glowing light in the distance. I made it.

This faint glow seemed so soft and gentle. My fingers curl toward it, only to hesitate as I turn toward the direction I came; Smoke still continued to rise from the distance. His face came to mind.

I told him I was doing this. He'll get over it.

I turned back, a small smile crawls on my face as my fingers curl toward the ball of light. Something about this seems right. Something about this brings peace. Something about this seems to make all of my other worries drift away.

"So you really were serious about this; good thing I showed up when I did," I froze in place upon hearing his familiar voice.

"W...what are you doing here!?" I spat, my eyes narrowing upon him.

"I was being serious before when I said you were not leaving; what part of that did I not make clear?" he remarked, waiting for me to answer. I blinked, sure I was seeing things, but I was shocked to see that he was still standing.

"What the hell are you talking about? You let me go! And I was serious too. I'm not going back, this burden has to be put to rest," I forced out; the warm breath escape from my mouth to create fog as I spoke. My teeth clinked together as the hair on my arm stood straight up, my nose burning as the cold nipped away at it.

"You're going to catch your death out here, please; let's just go home. We can talk about how to fix you another time," he huffed as his stance swayed slightly. I felt myself shake my head, refusing to accept his proposal.

"I'm not leaving. A-And you're either with me, or against me," I stuttered, closing my eyes for a quick moment. I opened them seeing his extended paw had dropped. He stood there, his lip quivering; a frown rolled along his cheeks.

"I don't want this to come between us," he mumbled, struggling to speak; they seemed so truthful, so honest. His words lingered with a broken voice.

"I'll go by myself then," I justified, turning back to leave. I tried to step forward, but I looked back to see he had my wrist. I heard him sigh, and he stared into my eyes.

"You can't, you know why you can't, it's too much for you to handle alone," I patiently waited for his answer, but his face dropped. After a moment, he looked up at me with his soft eyes and I cringed. He blinked his gold eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking.

"I will go with you," The words ran across the sky and it took me a moment to process them. I stood there silently as he held his breath.

"Really?" I asked, trying to smile. He smiled back, holding out his paw once more.

"Really, I'll help you fix this," I reached out, touching his paw and gripping it in my hand. He smiled, standing beside me. We were ready to leave. I could feel the anxious feeling in my stomach.

"Together?" he said, gripping my hand tightly. His sudden question caught me by surprise; regardless, I gave him a reassuring squeeze, nodding my head for the answer.

"Together," I said stepping forward into the soft light. It burst, enveloping us. I shut my eye tightly, noticing how things were beginning to feel different. As we began to travel, our feet hovered over the floor. I looked over to him and he sighed.

"The shining spirit that you mentioned earlier, will it live on? Even after, you know…" he mumbled softly before trailing off.

"It's going to live on in the people you touch; If you can make a difference— no matter how small— you will live on in the people around you. That's how you prove that you were even here in the first place," He pondered the thought for a moment. As he opened his mouth to comment on it, his eyes quickly glanced around.

"We aren't alone!" he ushered, pushing me behind him. I had seen what he noticed. He was black, seemed to have black cloak-like skin and deep set in blue eyes. A crooked smile rolled along his lips. A chuckle rolled off his tongue. My friend's eyes trailed him, but the creature would disappear then reappear in another spot.

It was all too fast; I couldn't keep up with his sharp movements. He appeared behind my friend, chuckling at his opening.

"Time's up!" The creature yelled, shooting a ball of darkness at my friend. He could take it, I knew he could. But it didn't stop me from saving him. I pushed him away from me, taking the hit as the dark-cloaked figure faded away into the darkness. My friend held his breath as I curled into a ball, a new dark energy surging through me.

"You shouldn't have saved me! After everything you struggle with, you know that was a horrible idea! I could have taken it! Why!? Why did you save me?" he forced out a voice that was almost mechanical, as if in shock. His paw grabbed my hand, trying to hold me closer as the wind got more violent around us.

"I-It doesn't hurt that bad," I said, trying to reassure him; raising my voice so he could hear.

"You have no idea how that's going to affect you!" he shouted. His claws dug into my skin, clinging to the shirt he had ripped before. The sound of my teeth grinding rang in my ears as I attempted to hold in a scream.

"It'll be okay, I've got your back remember?" I felt my mind go blank, my head starting to ring. Something was off; everything seemed to be fading, blurry, foreign even.

"Yeah, but why? Answer me!" he screeched at the top of his lungs, shaking my arm. I looked up at him, giving him a sly smile.

"Because you are the difference I'm going to make with my life. You are the one who is going to save the future," Tears glossed over his eyes, horrified at my words. He was always babysitting me. He was always fixing my problems, so what's the world?

"But, you're my best friend. We are in this together, remember? I-" His tearful glance widened for a moment, gazing at me with a terror I had never seen.

"Grovyle, what do you see?" I hesitantly ask; his golden gaze quickly darts from me; his grasp still strong.

"Nothing you can't handle," His words of reassurance sounded shaken, afraid for my sake. My eyes widened at the realization that what he saw could have only been one thing.

It's just the boost I need to throw you over the edge.

"Remember what I said, please!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, feeling my finger tips slip from his grasp. I felt my arm slip further from his grasp. His golden irises fixed on me, unable to comfort me this time.

"No! Don't let go!" I heard him cry out, his grip tightening on me. I winced at the pain, opening my eyes to see how sad he had become. His eyes filled with water as my grip loosened further. I wouldn't have much time left.

"Come on, just a little bit farther!" he yelped, his voice reaching me through the loud noise of the howling wind. I couldn't hold on to him any longer; this was going to end.

"N-no, I can't hold on!" I cried out, looking back up at him. A single tear rolled down his face; I had never seen him cry. His tears dripped down his face and landed on my cheek.

"I'll find you again...I promise." I felt my hand release. I shut my eyes tightly, screams fading away to slumber, and the sounds of waves.