Anxiety Trials is a Pokemon Special sandbox RP. We are a friendly, no-fuss site where you don't have to worry about posting 24/7, but when you've got the muse. We are based loosely around the Pokemon Special/Adventures manga, though set in a slightly alternate universe. If you're looking for a fun place to explore what life with Pokemon would be like, hopefully we're the place for you!
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As those of you who have been with us for a while can see, we've done some updating on the site. To our new membes, welcome! We've reverted to our original name and are going to move forward with six month! See all our new, updated summaries in the "Need to Knows" section for a full run-down on what has happened!
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With a large exhale, Green sat down on a rock and threw his pack on the ground in front of him. He had been traveling for what seemed like forever, though he knew in the end it would be worth it. He had promised his mom that he would run home as soon as he could, but more importantly...he wanted to check on his grandfather. He pulled out a sandwich that he had packed for himself and began unwrapping it. Slowly he took a bite and his eyes fixated on something on the ground beneath him. How would the others react for seeing him in so long? He knew for a fact that when he saw Red, he was going to know something was different and knowing him, he would guess it immediately. This strange invisible bond between the two of them was uncanny and surprised Green at every turn. He really wasn't used to this whole friendship thing yet...it was different. Rival he could do, but best friend?
He wished he could do the same back at him, maybe with a power like that he could outsmart Red and hide his horrible new secret from him...He was different from the last time he had seen everyone in Pallet Town. Now, he was a Knight, the complete opposite of what he had been the rest of his life. A Dex Holder, someone who was supposed to fight against the Knights and protect those in need. Now? He was training to become a thief. Training to hurt people. He didn't want this. He had to find a way out. Maybe if he could talk to his grandfather about it, he could figure a way out of this horrible situation that he was put in.
No...He couldn't drag Prof. Oak back into his situation. Not now that he had finally gotten him out of it. This was his problem and some how he was going to deal with this the mature way. By himself and as quickly as possible before something bad happened. The only problem was: Once he got out, would he be out for long or would they take care of him immediately after realizing it?
WORDS:386 TAGS:crystal CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!
Last Edit: Jun 18, 2013 11:22:17 GMT 9.5 by Deleted
Crystal had ventured to Kanto on a mission. It wasn't unusual for her to need to get research notes and it had been one of those days. Xatee had thankfully flown her over to the laboratory to collect some of her previous research papers on the legendary dogs and with them in hand she had begun to make the effort to walk back towards Viridian to give the bird's wings at least some relief from the long flights. Her feet fell in the dirt as she trekked, deep in thought and blue twin tails rustling in the breeze.
Thinking about her location had her suddenly worrying about one of her research partners. With Emerald's death she had briefly become a recluse, needing to find a way to stop the bad guys who were taking over her planet. It hadn't worried her in the beginning, not having heard from Green, but the more she thought about it - no news could very easily become bad news and in the current climate she was not looking forward to any news that was less than negative. With new resolve she worked her legs harder to draw her closer to her destination but looking forward she spotted a familiar mop of spiky brown hair and some semblance of relief set in.
However, Crystal had been on the mothering war path - so to speak - and so her emotions were still running high as she jogged up to her friend and research partner and gave him a stern look. "And where have you been all this time withoout word? It's bad enough you leave me with all the research work while you run the gym but without telling anyone where you've been? That's ridiculous!" Crystal's features lowered out of her frown and back into more of a smile as she sat down in front of him, propping herself up on her knees.
"And looking so miserable no less. Buck up and explain yourself, mister." Unfortunately Cyrstal had that mothering way about her and even Green as her elder wasn't spared when it came to how much she wanted to care.
And where have you been all this time withoout word? It's bad enough you leave me with all the research work while you run the gym but without telling anyone where you've been? That's ridiculous!
The voice having startled him a bit, Green sat back a little. He didn't need to look at her. The voice alone made it pretty obvious that it was Crys. She was right. He hasn't said so much as a word to her or to any of the other dex holders since he first left Pallet Town. As of now, he wasn't allowed contact with them. There really wasn't much that he could do. He kept himself quiet though. He wasn't about to let any of his friends know what has happened, especially not Crys. She was just as close to him as Red and Blue were, if not closer. They were coworkers and studied together quite frequently, she was sure to sense something.
And looking so miserable no less. Buck up and explain yourself, mister. The mother in here was beeming now more than ever. She was worried about him, it was obvious and now that he was forced to make contact with her he was going to have to react in some manner.
"It's no real concern of yours. I was busy." He stood, doing his best to move past her. The less she was actually able to see him, the less likely she was going to be able to discern what was wrong with him. The best he could do was try to act a little more secluded than usual. He was there to help with something if she needed it, but that was going to be it. He was too busy other than that. A small sigh escaped from his lips. She was sure to pick up something, but he would do his best to not point her in the right direction.
Green's response instantly made her look up at him and turn her body as he moved past. Crystal had never been afraid of Green - considering they had spent a large amount of time together, she was well aware of what he was capable of and she was certainly strong enough that she could handle him if she needed. Especially if she used her feet in the fight. Reaching out, she attempted to grab at his wrist and look at him with a strongly concerned look - moreso now that he had spoken to her in such a manner.
"It is a real concern to me because you're not just nobody to me, Green. You're my friend and someone I work with. If you're too busy to help out the least you could do is send word." She frowned a little at him, taking a step afterwards so that when he attempted to move away she could be only a few moments behind him at worst. Plus he was being a jerk on purpose and that much she could tell regardless of how well she knew Greeen.
"Well yes, you can, obviously. You can tell me what's bothering you. Or you could come back to work and take some of the weight of my necessary research while I try to take out the Knights. It's not all that easy to figure out a way to take down an evil organisation without much help and there's only so much I can do while I'm doing regular work too." She folded her arms, releasing what grip she had on him.
"Plus I had actually decided I might pop by and visit you or am I not allowed to see my friends any more, hm?" Her voice was alive with concern and question now.
The ability to speak like a mother had come naturally to her as soon as she had hit puberty. A woman born to be a mother and to take care of her friends - she had instantly found herself the ability to get people to open up to her. And Arceus help her, she was going to get whatever it was that had Green pushing past her and trying to avoid her out of him before she let him wander off. She was nosy and serious and she was not going to let him get away with just "busy".
He felt bad. Horrible. He felt really low. He hated talking to Crys like this. Acting like he was a jerk to try to push her away. He had no idea if it would actually work or not, but he had to try everything he could to get people to back off, especially those that knew him best...like her.
"I apologize...if you can't handle some of the work, send what you can to me. I don't have time to spend hours upon hours of research cooped up with you. I have other things on my plate now."
This was going to harder to keep under wraps than he thought. They had only been speaking for a few minutes and he was already feeling it. Crys was one of his closer friends, along side Red, Yellow and Blue, despite being from another region. Their close knit ties to each other with their work definitely hit him a lot stronger than he initially had intended it to have. She was smart, happy, perfect to be around. She was exactly what he needed to have around...even more so now...but that couldn't happen.
He took a deep breath, doing his best to still avoid contact with the girl behind him. "Of course, you see me. Anything else you may need?" His eyes fell heavy on the ground, not sure what else to say.
Instantly there was a sting from Green's words as he criticised her ability to deal with the workload. Though he wasn't necessarily the kindest person she knew, Crystal was not used to something that sounded remarkably like cruelty. He didn't have time to spend researching with her? Well that was just-- almost as soon as her tension had built up she had released it and let out a soft breath of air.
Something didn't sound right. It wasn't regular Green grumbling over a lack of gym challenges or being too busy, it was something though. He had other things on his plate, he said. Crystal had learned enough from training in research and observation from Professor Oak himself to know that there was more to those words. "Don't be an ass unnecessarily, Green." Crystal responded quickly, her eyes now trained on her friend the way they might be locked on a particularly delectable piece of research.
"What is so important on your plate that you won't sit down with me and do some research. It's not like I'd say to take time out to helping me, but sending it to you kind of takes away from 'sharing the load' and being able to bounce ideas off one another, does it not?" Hands perched on her hips - every bit the 'mothering' look that she had mastered over her years.
"Yes, actually. Sit your behind down and have a conversation with me. And get your eyes off the floor, it's rude. Anyone would think you've been taking socialising lessons from SIlver and I know from the past that you're better than that. So unless you've got something to hide, meet my gaze and don't be such a baby."
He felt bad hurting her, but it was something he needed to do. It was for her own protection and for his. He refused to turn around. Refused to look her in the eye. He was going to deal with this and it was going to be on his own terms without any of the other dex holders getting in the way and telling him what to do. This was important and at the range he was standing at it was going to be incredibly dangerous. For now though, this was what needed to happen in order to keep the people he cared about most safe from the knights. He would do what he could, but it looked like he was pathetic for the most part. One foot on both sides. He was a disgrace to their cause and didn't deserve the kindness that they show him. Even now...
With a deep sigh, he answered. "I can't explain what's going on, but I am busy. I just...I can't be distracted from the work I'm doing now. It's vitally important that I keep my mind on this goal and more importantly that I do it away from you and the others. I'm sorry if it inconveniences you, but this is the way it has to be."
He did try to be a bit nicer about it, hoping that maybe that's what it would take to make her stop pestering him about not being around. If no one else, Crystal had to understand that he couldn't be around every time she wanted him to be. Not now. Not if she was going to be in the group that he so dearly wanted to protect.
"I can't explain what's going on. There's nothing to have a conversation about unless you have something specific with our research that you need to speak with me about. I can't be gone long."They'll come looking for me if I am...
"Sorry, Green, but I don't accept that answer." Her response was flat and she looked up at him as he sighed. Now she could tell - especially from his response that he 'couldn't' explain what was going on. The researcher and pokedex holder knew better than to think that it was as simple as nothing. "Vitally important to keep away from me and the others? You expect us to take down the Knights on our own? Because if I don't have your help with research, I won't be able to find the legendary dogs and then I'll be fighting them on my own with no help!"
And that was part of the work she herself was doing. Investigating so that if she found the dogs they would help - and if not, she'd be up against them with her own team. Dangerous as that may be, she knew she could handle it. Well, she hoped. It was for Emerald and the other lives lost.
"What can't you explain, Green? What is so difficult that you can't just spit out the darned words?" Her arms folded and she stood up a little straighter, eyes narrowing a little to scrutinise him. The avoidance tactics themselves managed to make her wonder - perhaps - but no, Green would never agree to do anything with the Knights. That was silly, he was as much a hero as she was, and he wouldn't want to hurt people.
"I don't need you around all the time, but I could definitely use your help to try and figure out where the help might come from. I can say I'd see it working out with the dogs, but I don't even know if it's viable to try and battle with them. They're strong but are they strong enough?" She mused, "I have plenty of things specifically to talk to you about, but now you're brushing me off like we're not even friends. If you think I'm likely to accept that you're obviously a bit daft. Now would you explain what's going on already?"
Crys reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder. "You can't just.. not care about this threat?"
"What part of I can't explain it do you not understand? Just because you ask me once more doesn't change the fact that I can not say a word about it." He had really hoped that she would have given up by now. The harder she pressed the harder it was to keep it from her. It was Crystal. They shared everything with each other and on certain levels they were closer than even he and Red were. This was just...torture...
He knew all about her plan to locate the legendary dogs and have them help out with the demolishing of the knights. It was a good plan. Unfortunately for her, the dogs were not so easily located. They never stayed in one place for more than five minutes and could be half way across the Johto region in the blink of an eye. At this point he was beginning to wonder if it was just easier to go out and find them for herself besides sitting beside a desk trying to discover some kind of pattern. They had been researching it for a long time now and hadn't really come any closer. She was stubborn though, so maybe that would be her strength in the end. That was more than he could say for himself. He had become weak.
"Again I apologize, but if you ever needed my help I'm only a phone call away. I'm not that hard to get in touch with. If he picked up the phone that was. He was aware that Crystal had tried to get in touch with him several times and he hadn't answered thanks to the hell he had been through due to the knights. He wished more than anything that he could talk to her about the kind of things that he had gone through the past few months. Maybe get some kind of help out of her, but...he needed to keep her out of this. If no one else, she needed to be out.
The feeling of her hand on his shoulder sent electricity throughout his body. He was breaking and he knew it. He couldn't. Not now. But...she thought he didn't care? Looking back he was sure that was what it looked like for the most part. He was distancing himself from the dex holders and had been doing less and less for their part and more and more for the knights...
"Of course I care, don't be absurd." He took a silent breath, doing his best not to turn around. "They're a lot stronger than you are aware and capable of more than I imagined. I mean they..." He stopped himself before spilling what happened to his grandfather. He was sure that she was aware of what essentially happened, but that was all she needed to know.
"Fine, don't explain it to me. You're being idiotic though, thinking that you can't. What damage would it do to tell me anything, huh? What would be so wrong with telling me what was going on? You don't have to keep everything all locked up in your head you know, that whole stereotype of being mysterious and sexy is a hoax. You should open up more and you'll find a whole lot of weight is lifted off your chest. But fine, you want to tell me nothing then you can tell me nothing." Crystal grumbled, rolling her eyes at him. She had hoped with enough coaxing, that asking enough, she might have gotten something out of him.
What was there that he could not tell her? There was only a few things that she would think he would keep from her. They shared a lot, having spent so much time in one another's pockets doing research. He knew of her plans, he was one of the first to hear about her different ideas when she had them and they had often bounced ideas off one another - so why was it that suddenly he didn't want to give up the information.
As if she was in his brain, Crystal tightened her hand on his shoulder and steeled her gaze. "You know I tried to get in touch with you. You're not reachable, that's my point. I haven't heard from you in a long while." She stepped closer and moved her hand down to his arm, stopping him from the possibility of leaving. If she held on he couldn't bolt, that was what she could tell herself as she looked him over - still trying to figure out what he was hiding with him simply telling her. If he would just be honest, it would be so much easier. She could help, she knew she could.
After all, that was what partners were for.
"They took out the Pokemon league without batting an eyelid, I know they're stronger than everything we've faced before, they have control over Arceus. But someone has to fight them and with you and Red missing in action, that's left up to those of us still making an effort. I want to do what I can to stop them doing what they did to Oak to anyone else, and right now it feels like you just want to hide in your gym. Where's the hero that you're supposed to be, Green?" Crystal finally released her grip on him, but her gaze remained locked.
She wanted to locked their eyes together. If he was caught making eye contact maybe she could push more of her mothering strengths. "So you care, do you? Prove it. What's keeping you from doing what the rest of us are trying to?"
"This has nothing to do with opening up to you or being mysterious. It's something I have to keep secret or else something may happen. I'm not about to let that get through me again. I can handle it. I know you think you can handle it, but so can I."
He closed his eyes as her hand traced down his arm, knowing exactly what she was doing. He really worried about them together. She was going to be able to read his mind at some point and he was really going to be in trouble. They were so similar it was pretty terrifying. He really just hoped that since he wasn't looking her directly in the eye she wouldn't be able to pick up on anything too defining. "I'm sorry, as I've said I've been very busy. I haven't been secluding myself inside my gym, I've been doing whatever I can to do my part since I can't be with you guys as much.."
When she spoke of Oak, he really tried to keep himself together. The best he could do to keep himself from spilling his guts was placing his hand to his face and rubbing his eyes. He just...he knew he couldn't wipe the pain off his face from the event, but he had to try. He could still remember it clearly. His grandfather, the renown Pokemon professor of the world and his greatest role model, was laying there basically dead and he having no control over the situation and as if someone did their best to make a bad situation even worse, the knight got a hold of him...
"I'm doing what I can...alright? It doesn't look like it but I'm trying..." He just...what else could he say?
Things were becoming more and more complicated the longer she was standing there talking to him. He was sure that he was going to crack eventually if this kept up, but he couldn't very well just run away from her...she was one of his best friends. The feeling of her eyes being on the back of him was enough to make him collapse. He knew exactly the face she was making and knew exactly what she was thinking and was going to think. He was a failure as one of the renown dex holders and the heroes of Kanto and he didn't deserve the recognition that he got.
"You don't have to handle it on your own, Green, and that's the point I'm trying to make. Whatever it is, I can keep your bloody secret. What do you think I'd do, go blabbing to Gold and Silver as soon as you told me something that was bothering you? I want to know because I want to help. Nothing will happen, I'll just be able to help because I'll know what's going on. I don't see anything wrong with that." Crystal let herself sigh exhasperatedly as she took a step nearer. He was still avoiding her gaze, which meant he really didn't want her to know what it was that was bothering him.
Unfortunately for Green that only made the researcher ever-more eager to know, ever-more keen to be let in and to assist. When she was trapped in a loop of research of her own, at least she could try to help her friend. What good was she if even her friends weren't safe, or she wasn't doing her best for them? She'd already lost Emerald, letting Green handle something dangerous on his own - and the fact that he wasn't telling her made her quite certain it was dangerous - frightened her. She didn't want to lose another person she cared about.
Not in this war, not ever.
"You're trying, okay. So let us help you. You and Red are our leaders, without you we're not as good as we could be. You give us strength and with neither of you it's like.. It's like Kanto doesn't care about the misery that's erupting around the world. You're in such a hurry to get away but if you wanted to be around and you wanted to help, you'd stay now. You're with me here, why don't you just stay and try to help me think of a plan?" She breathed, taking a step back to flop down on the log that he had previously vacated.
"Why do you want to get away so badly, Green? You don't think I'm working for them, do you? You wouldn't think I'm working for them, would you? You know I wouldn't, not after what happened to Emerald... I'm worried about you and all the others, and no one wants to talk to each other. They're splitting us down the middle!"
"Yes, I do. It has nothing to do with whether or not you can keep a secret, it's something far more than that. I don't trust them. I don't trust what they may do. I can't..." He let out a growl, keeping the hand to his head. This was becoming ridiculous. He had two choices at this point in time: say something so cruel to her that she leave for good or break down and tell her everything risking her death. Either way, he felt like there was a knife in his heart. He couldn't really take this stress and he couldn't take the pressure that he felt that he had to place on himself to deal with this.
He did his best to compose himself, but he really didn't feel like he was going to keep one or the other in for much longer. What he decided to spit out was going to be difficult to debate between. He really felt like saying what he needed to say was the right way to go...but it was Crystal. She meant a lot more than he was willing to admit and wasn't ready for her to look at him with the eyes that he knew she would use if he crushed her. He just can't handle it right now. The alternative was death...great.
"I'm sorry, but I really can't do much more than I am now. I'm a little tied up at the moment with certain responsibilities that I have to take care of. I know it's important to take care of the knights and that's what I hope that this will end up accomplishing. I have to keep you all in the dark. It's safer for you all and that's what matters." The next thing she spoke of threw him for a loop. She working for the knights? That was ridiculous. She wouldn't dream of doing something like that.
"What they-- so it's something someone else is holding over you. Is it the Knights? Is it someone else? They are holding something over you and you think they'll do something to me if I know. Arceus, I'm not a china doll. I'm not going to break or let some horrid group of evil-doers hurt me, Green." The growl had given away that she was cracking at the surface. Crystal had, on many occasions, managed to irritate one of her male friends to the point of growling. She had a talent for getting under people's skills, for figuring out just by pestering.
Once more, it was the mother in her that gave her such a set of skills.
"So then let me do something. Who is holding something over you, keeping you held to these 'responsibilities'? Hm? Just a name, that's all you have to gie me and I'll figure the rest out. I'm good at that, you know. Thinking. Oak hired me because I'm good at it. I don't need to be protected, you don't need to think I'll be hurt just cause you tell me what's going on. If you don't think I'm a spy or a traitor, then you can tell me. Simple."
Bright blue eyes reached up to look at him triumphantly now. She would have to work past the barriers, certainly, but she wasn't going to give up where she sat. He couldn't deny her logic, all he had to do was give her the name of whomever was holding something over him. "I can act in secrecy, but neither you nor anyone can take out the Knights on their own. We all need to help each other, so let me help, Green. If you don't, it'll only turn out badly, I'm sure of it."
Crystal was, after all, sure she could protect herself. The Knights had already destroyed her home region, all that was left for them to do was kill her and they'd have to catch her first for that.
He let it slip. He took a deep breath and turned to look at her, eyes sad yet burning. "You aren't going to do anything. You're going to let me handle this. I don't want you dealing with them no matter how strong you are He can't believe he let that slip, he's such an idiot. He was really going to be in for it if anyone found out what was going on, but more importantly he didn't want any of them to actually find out that he was part of them now. He was betraying them to the worst extent. He was a knight. Fighting against the friends that he had slowly come around to over the past several years. A traitor.
"There is no name, I'm doing this on my own. I don't think you're a spy or traitor or whatever, I'm not going to tell you. You're just going to have to deal with the fact that I'm not sharing this with you. This needs to be kept from you and the others and you have to understand that some how." He was becoming increasingly mad at how he was handling this. It was almost as if he was getting onto her somehow which wasn't really how he meant for this to turn out, but if it was a good way to attempt to get her away from him and to stop pestering him about it then so be it. Though at this rate, he was going to say something he was going to regret.
He had to do this. If he didn't, his grandfather would be in danger and so would the other dex holders. They could say they were strong and could handle it all day, but one girl against all of the knights was not a ratio he was willing to test. There were more knights than even he had suspected until he had officially joined their ranks and even though his role in their place was still unknown, he was afraid. He would never admit it, but he was. There wasn't a good chance that they were going to keep him alive. He was a casualty that they were willing to lose and that scared him more than anything else.
"I don't expect anyone to be able to take them down. They're just too powerful. You just need to understand that this is the way it needs to be." He froze staring at her for a moment. Once more getting caught up in the way she watched him and that bothered him. He broke his gaze from her and they shifted slowly to the ground. This wasn't a burden he wanted but since he had it, it was better to carry it alone than share it with others. Why risk their lives when his was already in danger?
"Like Arceus I'm not going to do anything and let you handle something by yourself," Crystal responded quickly. No matter how strong she was, he didn't want her dealing with them? That sounded like she was being pushed aside to let the big boys handle a situation and Crystal was not one of the girls to let that happen. She was a go-getter, she had done things that none of the original trainers had done. Part of the reason she'd been selected to help Oak with his research was the fact that though no one else had managed, she had completed her Pokedex in each region. She had learned about many Pokemon and would continue to do so. "You're lying to me and I'm not stupid, so you're going to have to stop keeping it from me. I'm not going to deal with it because I'm your friend, Green. You have to trust me now and then."
Folding her arms, she narrowed her eyes at him and stood once more, walking so that she could stand in front of him again. This time she was not going to let him avoid eye contact, she was going to force him to look at her. Reaching out to put both hands on his shoulders, she planted her feet firmly on the ground and was briefly tempted to shake the contempt out of him. But there was nothing she could do on that front and violence wasn't the answer. "Green," she started, this time softening her voice to one used specifically for her friends, more intimate and caring, "it's not the way it needs to be because you can trust me and you can trust in us as a group. We've dealt with a hundred badguys, we can deal with another lot, but you have to put some faith in us."
She stayed in place, her hands resting more gently now. "Don't expect anything, just hope. It's gotten us through before, you know, and if you think we're going to let more people we care about get hurt we're not. We have to be on the alert, which means you have to trust that we can handle it when it's on the alert... I don't know what you've got yourself mixed up in, Green, but at least let me know so I can help, please? I'm your friend and I don't think you can handle it without at least some support?" It was a different approach than the stern mother, but Crystal realised she wasn't getting anywhere just yelling at her friend. Certainly she had been upset when she hadn't heard from him in quite some time, but there was other things that were just as important.
Oh no, he wasn't going to be tricked by this. He knew how she worked. She used the motherly tone she aquired to her advantage to find whatever it was that she wanted to know from the other dex holders. It wasn't going to work on him. Not with something like this.
"I trust you perfectly well Crys, but that doesn't mean that I'm willing to put your life or any one elses at risk. This is something that I'm going to have to deal with and handle on my own. I know you guys are strong enough to deal with this, but I'm-" He stopped himself, shrugging away from her hold on him and turning his gaze away; it becoming more and more sharp with each passing moment. He refused to let her get the better of him. No matter what she said or what she tried, it wasn't going to happen. He had said all that he was going to say about the matter.
"With something like this...you're going to have to be the one to trust me. I know what I'm doing."At least I hope I do. He had to lie to himself. It was the only way that seemed to be keeping his head above water and not let all of this madness around him suck him back in. He wasn't ready to drown. He had done a good enough job with the knights to know that they were going to keep him around. For what purpose, he really didn't care. Whatever it was, he was going to handle it and at the very last moment, he hoped that he could come up with some brilliant plan to completely throw them back on their asses. Hopefully...
He took a deep breath and looked at her. "I'm not ready to see anyone else get hurt. I've had enough of that." Breaking himself away from her stare once more, he crossed his arms and pulled himself back. He couldn't be as hopeful and bright eyed as the rest of the dex holders were. That wasn't in his nature to begin with and why he stood out from the rest of them. He didn't belong from the start of this journey. Everyone else around him were filled with dreams and hopes and though he once had a dream as well, that was pretty quickly thrown away from him. He was strong at some point, but things didn't seem that way any more. The little flicker of brightness there might have been had vanished when he was forced into the knights.
Grumpily, Crystal let out a gush of air through her nose, folding her arms irritably and stepping forward to show him exactly how annoyed he was making her. He trusted her but he wouldn't let her put her life at risk? Well that was just stupid! For a few moments she stewed on what he had said, glaring at the side of his head as if she was a stubborn child, but quickly she let the irritation fade from her voice and allowed for reason to at least somewhat take hold of her. He was trying to protect her, she just did not want to be protected.
"You're what? You're trying to be a hero and do things without your friends? Guess what, Green, my life is already at risk. There has been at least one kidnapping of a Pokedex Holder, and chances are it won't be the last. We can't afford more losses, or to be divided on this. We're the strongest when we're a team. You of all people should know that." Her eyes shone momentarily with the resolve she contained for when she was trying to inspire someone. She wanted to know what he was keeping hidden - at least, she wanted to know for sure.
The more he denied giving her information, the more the researcher gained her own suspicions. She wasn't stupid, after all, and all this talk of handling things on his own and doing things without involving the others, well, that just made her think about infiltrating the Knights. Is that what he had done? Was trying to defeat them from the inside out?
She couldn't outright accuse him of what she thought he was doing, and she desperately hoped that if he was now part of the Knights that he knew what he was getting himself into. There was so much death and destruction surrounding this new team, so much pain for those she cared about. She did not want to see Green fall to the life-crushing misery of being involved in evil plots.
Briefly, the bluenette's mind flicked to Silver and Blue, whom had been working under the Ice Mask for a long while before they had broken free and worked to live their own lives. Perhaps-- no, Green would not fall to the Knights, he would not agree to work with them even if they tried to force him to.. Not really, right?
Before she could stop herself, Crystal's analytical mind (and tongue) lashed. "You've had enough of people getting hurt.. You're not one of the people hurting others, are you, Green? You're not one of them.. are you?" There was a definite sense of hurt inher voice, and concern. "Tell me that what my mind is yelling at me is wrong, Green, because what else could it be that you won't tell me?"
"I'm not trying to be a hero and leave you all out of the equation. I just want out and I'm trying to find the best way to do that." He could only quietly listen to her accusations...even until the end when she had basically guessed exactly what was going on with him... He could only sigh. "I didn't ask for this. I don't want to be a hero. You guys can have all the spot light you want, just leave me out of it."
He was sick of this feeling. This feeling in the pit of his stomach that made him feel as if he was falling apart from the inside out. Like the inside of him was melting by his own hate and guilt. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to do this. He was protecting the person he cared about most and vice versa. There weren't many people that were there for Green. Sure Crys was here every now and again, but she didn't even live here and he rarely spoke to her unless they were researching something. Red was Arceus-knew-where and Yellow was always gone. The Professor was the only one who was truly there and so he had to step up.
"Look, I don't want to talk about it. Let's just drop it, okay?"
He was ready for this to just all go away. He wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare of him being stuck in the knights and not knowing where to go or who to turn to. But this wasn't the time or the place to do that and definitely didn't need to do that with Crys now. She was strong and extremely smart, he would give her that, but this wasn't something she just needed to barge into. This was something he had been planning for a long time and still hadn't come up with a solution yet. He was trapped.
TAGS:crystal CREDIT:LAIKA OF GS!
Last Edit: Aug 11, 2013 13:26:59 GMT 9.5 by Deleted
"If you honestly think we want the spotlight then you need to rethink your entire perspective on your friends, Green. What we want is what's best for the world and guess what, you come under that? And you know what, I give a damn about you and what you're getting yourself caught up in!" Realising that she had then used herself singularly, she frowned and shook her head, quickly adding, "And by I, I mean we. As in all your friends. We care about you and whatever you're keeping is obviously not all that safe of you'd damn well tell us."
Her face fell a little and she looked down at the ground for a few moments, letting out a soft sigh. "I know we're not close like you were with your other friends from Kanto, like you are with Blue.. But I admire you, Green. You help me figure things out and when we're working together I feel like it's better." She ran her fingers through the pigtails in her hair and fiddled idly with the strands of blue hair.
When it came down to it, Crystal didn't know how to get through to her friend. Sure she was pretty confident that she was right in her assumptions and now believed that Green was invading the Knights but she didn't know what to do. The fact that he wanted her to drop it was proof and she let herself gasp a little, covering her mouth with her hand and staring directly at him. "You won't say no so I've gotta be right, Green. What are you doing? What would possess you to let them take control of you that way?"
She stepped up a bit closer and frowned at him. "And if you have no choice why don't you let me help you? I could do something, I could fight your supervisor or something and make them think you'd died and rescue you, you can't do this on your own and I don't know why you would think you can, no one is that strong.. Green, you have to explain, please."
Green was beginning to lose his temper and as time went by, she wasn't helping that fact. He had been doing his best to keep it under control, but he had to keep her and the rest of his friends away from it. He had no idea how to do that, especially since most of his friends were ridiculously stubborn. "I'm fine with how this turned out. I wanted it to be this way. Crys, I'm right where I need to be. If you guys want to keep fighting, then fine, go for it. I am not part of it any more. I have my own ways of doing things. Nothing you guys are doing seems to be working, so I suggest either stay out of it or try something else."
He stepped closer to her, his eyes sharpening. "There's no reason for you to be in this anymore. I can handle it. And not for the fame or money or to save humanity. I'm doing this for me because they need to be put down."
It was nice to have people around to help out with problems. Like she said, he was a big help to her when she had an issue come up and it was the same for him, but this was different. He was doing this on his own. He had gotten himself caught up in this situation and though it would probably seem hopeless to anyone else, Green had a plan. He knew exactly what he was going to do, all he needed was the time and leverage that he needed.
"If you want to help me, you'll go back home and stay there and stop sticking your nose everywhere. I do not want you to get hurt and believe me, you will. Go home."
"You're kidding, right?" The words dripped with an almost-snarl from Crystal's lips and she curled her upper slightly in annoyance. Did he really, truly think she was just going to stop doing things when it came to this new evil that threatened the world? Did he really think that a simple "don't meddle, I can handle it, I'm the greatest in the world" was really going to be enough to prove to her that there wasn't more to be done.
"If you seriously think that I and the other pokedex holders are going to stand around while you go get your knickers in a knot over whatever is going on, you're seriously deranged. Even if you personally don't tell me what in Arceus' name is going on with you, I'm still going to get involved in other ways. I'm starting my own research and I'm going to work to bring down whatever is going on, because that's what I do. You standing here telling me that you can handle it doesn't convince me, all it tells me is that you're being an arrogant prig about it." Her arms folded across her chest, she let herself puff up and take another step closer so they were practically touching. She would not back down just because he was bigger than her.
He obviously didn't know her well enough to know that, if nothing else. "Go home and stay there like the woman I am, huh? I have to tell you, even if I was pregnant and supposed to be bed ridden, I'd still be out doing something. If you think I'm backing off because you're being all macho, you have another thing coming." She moved her hands to her hips and glared him down. "So you can tell me or not what is going on with you, I'm still going to interfere."
It was becoming more and more difficult for him to stand there and talk to her when she refused to listen to reason. He was trying to help her and wanted her to be safe, but how could he do that when she fought him the whole way. "Crystal, believe it or not I am doing this for your own good. Why aren't you listening to what I'm saying? I'm not trying to come out as some hot shot or whatever it is that you think I'm doing. I can protect you from this. That's all I want. I don't want to cause unnecessary harm on you or any of the others. I finally start to actually watch out for you guys and no one takes it seriously."
He had known all of them for years, some more and some less, but they were part of the same group and spent more than a normal person should with each other and honestly he hadn't really cared for them over the course of the time that he's known most of them. It was different now. He was feeling completely vulnerable in the position that he was in within the knights and it was hard to let anyone see him let alone his friends, especially her, the one person that he felt he was closest to.
"If you want to do your own research or whatever you wanna do, go for it, but I don't want you interfering with what's going on. If you do it could mean something horrible might happen and not only to your or me but innocent people, so stay out of it." If was becoming increasingly annoying that she didn't seem to be even listening to what he was saying. She said she was going to interfere whether he told her what was going on or not so what was the point in telling her? What was the point in continuing this conversation at all when it didn't matter what he said? He could only hope that the realization that innocent people that were important to the Pokemon world, people that needed to continue living, were in danger that it would make her back off.
"I don't have time to deal with this right now, especially if you're going to do whatever the hell you want whether I tell you what's going on or not. I'm leaving." Green turned. He really didn't want to leave, it was nice talking to her again but she wouldn't listen. What else could he do?
Crystal looked at her companion with contempt. She'd spent the last few years of her life as a hero, had been known as the girl who almost caught Arceus in a Pokeball and had taken down the Ice Mask and Team Rocket - well, she, Gold and Silver had, anyways, which was why it bewildered and frustrated her so that he wouldn't share any information. Whatever he was doing, he wasn't telling her and the only thing that secrecy had ever done for her and the others was wind up getting them into more trouble than they'd started out in. Maybe in all of it Green was trying to protect them, or maybe he was working with the Knights.
The fact that he wouldn't tell her anything made Crystal incredibly uneasy and as he began to get more irate, her own annoyance began to fade into a deep disappointment. "Don't get yourself hurt either, Green. If what you're doing is stupid, I can't stop you. The rest of the dex holders are going to work together against the knights, because that's what we do. One person just isn't enough to take down an organisation strong enough to control Arceus. Even Team Rocket lost control of Him. I know, I was there." Her arms folded, but Crystal had already figured out that Green was not about to let her interevene in his plans, so she would have to work on her own.
"But like I said. Don't get yourself hurt either. I care about you, Green. I don't want to get the phonecall one day that you're gone." As he began to walk away she felt the pang of frustration fly up on her face, and she wanted to re-establish a shouting match or something to convince him that he didn't need to protect them all on his own, but he was as stubborn and pig-headed as she was at times. Another reason that they made such good research partners was the fact that when they both set their mind to something, there was no way that it wouldn't come to fruition. Her knuckles whitened as her fists clenched, and she was going to watch him go, at least for a moment.
In one final moment, she reached out and grabbed his arm, throwing her arms around him. "Just be safe. Come back, okay?" The slightly younger girl pleaded, releasing him almost as fast as she'd grabbed him. She couldn't lie and say she wasn't going to get involved, but if he wanted to protect them, then it was well within her own rights to protect him right back. Or at least to ask him to protect himself.
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