June, me, and Captain Billy had been quiet following the New Year’s celebration that occurred earlier today.

The police had shown up and tried getting everyone safely away from the long dock and off of the large ship, but in the midst of the partying, fireworks, and excited or otherwise drunken crowd, things went bad quickly and it became hectic. Once people began to see the smoke and fire from the island nearby, panic took over and everyone was trying to either get a closer look or run away into Nimbasa City. Many people were injured and arrested that night.

June and I got out of that mess unharmed, but only because we ducked down and pushed our way through the crowd as everyone started to get reckless and upset.

The fire was put out after boats and helicopters arrived on the island, and an investigation had begun.

June, Captain Billy and I were questioned by the police, and while I didn’t know what my friends had told the police, I was certain our stories had to be the same. In the midst of the several hours of intense, angry questioning, yelling, and demands, I wasn’t sure any of us were ever going to get out of there. The police had called Dana, the Cenumerus Island Gym Leader, and verified that I had been there for a battle, which may have been a huge help in getting us out of the police station a little quicker. The three of us finally met up outside of the police station when the interrogations were over.

Less than an hour had passed of us aimlessly walking around, the three of us not saying much, briefly mentioning what had happened to us at the police station before we stopped at a crowded Pokemon Center where June and I silently left our Pokemon.

I was still trembling from what I had gone through in the police station, my heart beating rapidly, and the other two didn’t seem to be in a much better state.

Captain Billy seemed very down about what had happened today, understandably. He’d lost his boat, and had just been yelled at by a room full of police officers accusing him of being responsible for a large group of Exeggutor that had been burned alive on an island, all right before New Year’s Day.

According to what the police had told us, many other Pokemon also lived on that island. Some of the Flying type Pokemon seemed to have gotten away, while some of the Pokemon who could swim got into the safety of the water. Other Pokemon were trapped and didn’t make it out.

Captain Billy shook my hand strongly, and then gently grasped June’s. Forcing a weak smile, he wished us good luck and walked away, leaving June and I in the Pokemon Center with a large crowd of other people who were chatting loudly, presumably about what had occurred earlier.

I soon found myself waking up, lying down on a bench in the Pokemon Center, scrunched up in a tiny spot.

June was awake, sitting next to me, staring down at the floor, lost in thought. She didn’t even seem to notice I had just woken up, and only turned to me when I sat up, groaning.

Neither of us said a word, looking away from each other.

It was a little after two in the afternoon, my eyes focused on the floor, and I let out a breath of air, thinking about that island with the trapped Exeggutor on it, black material wrapped around their bodies. What was that? I wondered. An article of clothing? Some kind of sign of them having a Trainer? Do all the Pokemon normally wear that on that island? I wish we’d been given more information on what they’d found there. This couldn’t have been an accident. Was that thing around them holding them captive? Who would do such a thing? My eyes closed tightly as a fearful thought popped into my mind, and I shook my head hard. No! I shouted angrily in my head. It’s all over!

“You okay?” June asked.

I turned to her and nodded. “Yeah.”

We sat quietly together for a few minutes, our eyes looking at the floor again.

“I really wish we knew more,” June said quietly. “There’s no way that was an accident.”

I didn’t want to reply to her, so I just stayed silent and continued to stare at the clean, white floor.

“Somebody did that intentionally,” June continued. “What do you think?”

“I think we need to get outside and get a little bit of fresh air,” I answered, standing up. “I think we should take our minds off of all of this for a while and try to relax a bit. We hardly got any sleep and I don’t really feel like taking a nap.”

“I can’t just take my mind off of this, Gary,” June said, a fearful look on her face. “You didn’t hear those screams from the Exeggutor the way I did. I’ll never forget it; those pleas. Ever! It’ll haunt me for the rest of my life. I’m sure of it. Whoever did that to them, has to be found, and stopped! It’s like something Team Sol-”

“Shut up!!” I screamed at her angrily. “Just shut up already, will you?!!”

The entire Pokemon Center got deathly quiet.

June’s eyes were wide, shimmering with tears.

My arms were shaking hard. I tightened up my fists to stop them, but it didn’t help. I turned away from June quickly and stormed out of the building, everyone’s eyes on me. Leaning against the front of the building, I let out a loud, weary sigh and crossed my arms in front of me.

A strong breeze blew against me, the air very cold. The sun was behind a set of gloomy clouds, trying to break free, with no luck.

People were entering the Pokemon Center, walking around it, and filling the streets with smiles and conversation.

The buildings in this city promised nothing but entertainment, and I walked forward several feet as I pulled out my Town Map curiously, spotting where I was and trying to spot landmarks.

“Gary, where are you going?” a voice called out to me.

I turned and saw June walking quickly towards me.

“Brrr. It’s really cold.” She pulled down on her baby blue coat and stopped next to me. “Where are you going?”

“I was looking at the sights,” I said, ruffling up the Town Map. “There’s a lot to see here. Musicals, sporting events where you can watch games or even play against a partner, there’s a Ferris wheel, and-”

“Ferris wheel?” June asked, her eyes widening.

Ugh. Why did I say that? I began to wonder.

June’s face was lighting up with hope.

June’s been through a lot, I told myself. Especially since arriving here. Be nice this once, Gary. Give her this at least. I sighed. “Yeah, there’s a Ferris wheel.” I swallowed hard. “If you want to go…”

June squealed with excitement and smiled excitedly. “Do you mean that?”

“Um, I guess. Sure. Why not? It’ll be nice, I suppose.”

June’s eyes glimmered beautifully. “And you’re gonna join me, too?”

I looked away from her dazzling, overjoyed appearance and down to the ground. “Yeah. I guess.”

She pulled me into a tight hug and kissed my cheek. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best!”

I squirmed in her grasp. “Just don’t do that again!” I complained loudly, wiping my cheek.

June snatched the Town Map from my hands and looked down at it quickly. “We have to catch the train! It’ll be faster.” June folded up the map and gently grabbed my hand, pulling me after her as she ran into the crowd of people in the city.

Great, I thought glumly. Just great.

It didn’t take us too long before we were running down a stairway leading underground, the walls around us painted brown, looking clean to the touch and very smooth. June led me past a couple of groups of young kids standing by a tall, concrete pillar, laughing about something, and around a stand selling snacks and other goods, to a tall machine that stood next to three other machines that looked just like it. The machines were dark silver with a large screen in the middle, several sets of buttons underneath it. June set her large bag on the ground and pulled a small, red wallet from it, swiping her credit card into the machine, and after several presses on the touch screen, a small, white, plastic card slipped out from a slot. June put her wallet carefully in her bag, zipped it closed, and slung it over her shoulder before snatching the white card from the machine. She grabbed my arm as she led me to the turnstile. She waved the white card over a transparent section on top of the turnstile that had a red light shining through it, and with a beep, June shoved her way forward, pushing to the other side. “Here.” She reached back over and swiped her card again, and I followed after her to where she stood.

“Now what?” I looked around.

The floor we stood on was a shiny white, with several more stores lined up continuously for a surprisingly long stretch. There were several stairs leading down to the trains below.

“This way, Gary! To Central Nimbasa! Come on!” June gripped my arm tightly and we ran down a set of stairs together.

On either side of us stood a shiny train, the doors closed. Crowds of people were waiting outside of the doors, while groups inside of the train were waiting to exit. The doors opened, and those inside of the trains filed out, separating as they made their desired turns, some running to catch the train on the other end of the track.

“This one, Gary.” June pulled me to the right, and we made our way onto train as crowds of others in front and behind us scurried inside. She sat down on one of the long, blue benches and happily pulled me down next to her. “This is so exciting, isn’t it, Gary?”

I nodded, rolling my eyes. “This is alright, I guess.”

“Are you sure you want to this?” June asked, her smile fading. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“I know that,” I said impatiently. “I said I will because I want to, okay?”

June smiled. “You’re sweet. Thank you so much.” She rested her head on my shoulder and squeezed my arm tightly.

“Too far, June,” I said quickly, leaning away from her, lightly shaking her off of me, looking at the ground. “Ease up.”

“Gah,” she responded angrily, and let go of me.

The train had begun to move, and we were traveling quickly through a dark tunnel, occasional flashes of electricity grabbing my attention from the outside of the window.

“Hey, Kai!” June suddenly cried out, turning to me.

“What?! Where?!” I leaped to my feet and looked around frantically.

“No, no. I mean, I just remembered something Kai said,” June explained.

“Oh!” I let out a loud sigh and sat back down, avoiding the stares of everyone on the train. “Geez. Explain yourself better, will you?”

“Sorry,” June smiled. “I just meant, this is where she wanted to go and see Ingo and Emmet. They’re the Subway Bosses or something like that, right?”

“I don’t know much about them,” I replied. “And personally, I don’t care to see them if Kai is hoping to run into them. In fact, all the more reason why we should get out of here sooner. Right after I get my badge from here, we’re going to the next city.”

“Okay, okay. Fine.” June gently bumped me with her shoulder.

“How long until we get to the Ferris wheel?”

“Next stop.”

After a couple of minutes, the train pulled out of the tunnel, and I heard a mechanical voice announce that we were arriving at Central Nimbasa.

June and I got off of the train as the doors opened, and June held my hand as she eagerly ran up a set of stairs. We ran through a slightly smaller floor full of stores, ran through a turnstile, and then, up another set of stairs leading outside.

“There! There!” June clapped, letting go of my hand, and ran away from me towards a large Ferris wheel that towered behind a blue and orange archway that sat on top of the entrances to a large amount of other attractions within.

“June, hold on! I thought we were going together!” I ran after her.

Three men sat behind their own individual blue counter under the archway, guarding their own entrance to the amusement park. June stopped at the blue counter in the middle and dug through her bag for a moment, pulled out something and turned around, pointing at me. The man eyed me briefly as she handed him something and then he gave her something back, and she ran past him.

“June! Wait!” I hurried after her, stopping at the man behind the counter.

“Here you are, sir! Your girlfriend bought you this ticket. Enjoy!” He handed me a yellow piece of paper.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” I grumbled angrily, and I took the ticket from him before chasing after June again.

A large rollercoaster, several food stands, trees planted individually many feet apart, and lots of young people, some older than me, some much younger, made up the area before me. The Ferris wheel towered a little further down the way.

“June!” I called out. “Juuuuune!!”

“Gary!” I finally saw June, waving at me excitedly, and then she turned and disappeared around a corner.

“You idiot!” I said angrily. “Don’t just leave me like this!” My feet pounded into the ground hard as I chased after her. “June! Hold on, will ya?” If she wants to go on this thing with me, she shouldn’t be running, I thought, further irritated. I don’t even wanna be on this thing. I was just being nice. I want my Badge and that’s it!

June ran up a small set of stairs, bouncing on her heels in front of a man who was in front of the Ferris wheel. She pointed at me and urged me to hurry up as she climbed inside of the capsule.

Panting as I reached the man and showed him my ticket, I climbed inside of the little white and red compartment with June, and the glass door closed above us. The seat was comfortable, made of a soft, brown cushion that was smooth to the touch.

“This is gonna be so wonderful, Gary. Thanks again.” June was literally glowing like never before.

“Sure, sure,” I nodded, keeping my eyes on the floor, my heart dribbling like a basketball low to the floor.

The Ferris wheel began to move forward, and we were soon ascending into the air.

“Here we go!” June grabbed my hand with her two hands.

As our capsule rose gently, I could see the entire city.

It looked like several parties were going on at once, with people moving through all areas of Nimbasa City with some level of excitement and smiles.

The capsule reached its peak before diving back down again, and I could see the people below pointing at the Ferris wheel happily. As it got lower, I stared at the middle of the Ferris wheel, at the metal bars and nuts and bolts that held this contraption together. After a quick swoop down, June and I were rising up again.

June giggled with delight and squeezed my hand even tighter as we ascended high, seeing all of Nimbasa City once again.

My hand inadvertently squeezed June’s hands and then loosened. Damn it! I thought in a panic. Why did you do that? Stupid hand! Stop it! Relax! Calm down.

“Gary, this is so beautiful!” June said in amazement. “Look at it all!” She gasped. “We should come back at night! That would be so wonderful, don’t you think?”

“I think I…” I paused. Don’t ruin it for June, I told myself. Be nice. Be nice. “I’m… sure it would be nice.”

June burst out laughing, taking me by surprise. “Oh, Gary.” She shoved me gently, smiling.

“What?” I looked at her as if she were crazy, which wasn’t exactly the wrong word for her sometimes.

Often times.

“You’re trying so hard, aren’t you? I’m not going to force you to take another ride with me at night, but I will say that you trying right now is definitely one of the most sweetest things I’ve ever seen you do.”

“Well, thanks. I guess,” I muttered, leering at her. “Just thought we could take some time and have a bit of fun, or something.”

“Aww. You’re just too thoughtful today, aren’t you?” She pulled me into a hug as our capsule dove down again.

I reluctantly returned her hug and rubbed her back quickly.

“This trip was so worth it. Just for this moment, Gary,” June said softly.

The capsule started to slow down as it reached the ground, slowing further as it began to rise.

Oh, boy, I thought with a sigh. Here it is. I dreaded this.

The Ferris wheel slowed down even further, coming to a stop.

“I guess we didn’t get to the top, huh?” June said with light laugh. “Oh, well. This is really nice, too.”

Our capsule wasn’t too far off of the ground, but high enough to reach the top of some of the low structures, like a tent that held a sign for psychic readings.

“This is still really romantic. Just wonderful,” June said in a sweet voice, looking over at me.

“Um, yeah. Sure.” I looked away from her, out the window near me.

June lifted my hand and I could feel her gaze on me. “Gary? Are you okay?”

I nodded, not looking at her, and swallowed. “I’m fine, thanks. Are you?”

“Of course I am! I feel wonderful, because I could be here, with you.”

I refused to say anything to that.

“Gary.”

“What?”

“Will you look at me?”

My heart was beating even faster now. Why is she being like this? I wondered. What does she want from me exactly?

“Please?”

How could I continue to ignore her with her begging like that? I turned around to see her looking at me, doe-eyed and filled with emotion. “June?”

She scooted closer to me, even though we were more than close enough already.

I leaned back a little bit. My lips parted. “June...” I uttered hesitantly.

June’s hold on my hand tightened as she nervously licked her lips and looked down before looking back up at me. Her mouth opened slowly as she took in a breath, preparing to speak.

We both stared at each other silently.

I was getting more uncomfortable the more she hesitated to speak what was on her mind.

Her eyes were filled with desperation to say what her mouth was refusing to.

With a jolt, the Ferris wheel suddenly started to move again, causing June and I to gasp. It moved backwards this time, taking us back to the ground, and then ascending into the air, spinning in the opposite direction it had been going in before.

“Oh! It’s going backwards now,” June laughed nervously, releasing my hand.

“Yeah,” I muttered, grabbing my hand and staring out the window. I focused on the sights and hoped that June wouldn’t make another one of those awkward moments for us for as long as I lived. I nearly died there. I actually wished I had died, because now we’d have that strange, confusing moment between us for the rest of our lives.

The Ferris wheel ride ended a few minutes later after a couple more turns of spinning, June and I quiet for the rest of the ride.

I got out of the capsule and helped June out.

“Thank you so much!” June told the man who operated the Ferris wheel.

“You’re quite welcome,” he smiled at her, and then looked at me.

I nodded and looked away, turning my head to the rollercoaster.

“A rollercoaster,” June said. “I’ve never been on one before. I’ve never really been to an amusement park in my life.”

“Really?” I stared at her.

June nodded. “Have you?”

“Yeah. I went with my parents a while back. My mom hates roller coasters, but my dad loved them. He took me on my first one. I wanted to go on it, but when I got on, I covered my face the entire time, peeking out from behind my fingers a couple of times. I didn’t scream. I was a little scared, but more thrilled than anything. I even ducked down at one point and the floor of the car me and my dad were in had a tiny hole in it, and I could see a bit of the tracks of the ride through there. It was kind of funny. I rode on it twice, peeking through my fingers to the hole of the floor of the car both times, and haven’t been on one since.”

“Was it in Unova?” June asked.

“Nah. I can’t recall where it was, but it wasn’t Unova. I’ve never been to Unova before.”

“It sounds like your dad was a nice person.”

“Yeah.” I sighed uncomfortably. “I guess we should find out where this Gym is at.”

June pulled out my Town Map from her pocket and stared at it for a moment. “Ah! It’s another train ride to get there, just another couple of stops deeper into Nimbasa.” She folded up the map and handed it to me.

“Great.” I put the Town Map away.

“Our Pokemon are still at the Pokemon Center, though,” June reminded me.

“Then let’s head back,” I nodded.

We both headed out of the amusement park together.

“We hope you enjoyed your stay! Come back soon!” the man behind the counter called out to us.

June and I waved at him and soon we were heading downstairs to the trains. We walked through the turnstile, June swiping her card twice, once for her, and then again for me, and we made our way downstairs again, waiting for a train.

The platform had a lot of people on it and was identical to another one across from us, with two sets of tracks on both platforms, people leaning over the tracks to see if they could see their train. Black, rectangular concrete pillars between the platforms stood about a foot apart from each other, reaching from the ceiling to the floor, about a foot in width.

June sighed and smiled, looking up at the ceiling. “We’re about to meet Elesa herself. I really cannot wait! This is the best day of my entire life! Ever! Ever!”

“This will be my fourth badge. I’m ready for this!”

“Good luck, Gary. But Elesa isn’t my idol for nothing. You’re definitely not gonna pull off an easy win with her. Elesa is experienced, skilled, and hot stuff, both in battles, and her attractiveness!”

“Fine with me. This should be a good one, then.” I began to image what Elesa might look like as visions of beautiful faced, incredibly shaped women filled my head. She’s probably toothpick thin if she’s a model, I thought in dismay. Meh. She’s probably still hot. June says she is.

The rumble of the train made June and I turn our heads and see the lights shining inside of the tunnel. It shot by us, a burst of wind blowing into everyone before it slowed down and came to a smooth stop, and June and I got on board once the passengers had gotten off, taking a seat next to each other.

“Do you know who you’re taking to battle her?” June asked as the doors closed.

“Excadrill is definitely coming with me.” My heart was beating fast with excitement as the train moved forward, carrying us back to the Pokemon Center. “I don’t see a problem with Cottonee, either. Elgyem should be just fine, but Darumaka is a great battler, too. Either one will do well.”

“I can’t wait to see how Elesa gets around her weaknesses,” June said eagerly. “In fact, I’m pretty sure I already know what she’ll use. You should definitely be prepared.”

“What will she use?” I asked curiously.

“Gary, I used to be a Gym Leader. I can’t just reveal my fellow Gym Leaders’ secret battling techniques and Pokemon.”

“I guess. But, geez, you sound like you want me to lose!”

June shook her head. “No. I don’t want you to lose. I just know Elesa won’t go down easily. I expect she will win, just to be honest. She is tough, Gary. I promise you. The Pokemon you mentioned are nice choices, but it won’t mean a thing once the battle starts.”

“Don’t count me out,” I warned her, feeling a little bothered by her words. “I did well in the Pokemon League. You’ve seen me battle countless times. You know I-”

The train suddenly screeched to a sudden stop, a group of people sitting next to me thrown into me, forcing me into June, squishing her against the wall at the end of the bench.

June cried out in pain.

People standing up were thrown strongly to the floor as other passengers who were sitting were either thrown out of their seats or amongst each other. Everyone started muttering and mumbling, groaning and complaining.

“What was that?” a man yelled angrily.

“What’s going on?” a woman exclaimed.

“Why would the train just stop like that?” another woman cried.

Everyone was confused and upset as many people got to their feet while others in their seats moved away from the people they had been tossed on top of.

“Sorry about that,” an older woman smiled at me, laughing lightly as she slid off of me, moving down on the bench.

“It’s fine,” I shook my head, smiling back, removing myself from June.

A voice from the speakers came on after a bit of static. “Good afternoon, passengers, this is your train conductor speaking. Sorry for the sudden stop but we have a problem on the tracks right now. It appears there is an Aron on the tracks. Please remain calm and we’ll be moving shortly. Thank you for your patience.”

“Who’s Aron?” I whispered to June amongst the murmurs from the passengers.

June snickered and shook her head. “Aron is a Pokemon. I think it’s usually native to Hoenn, or maybe it was Johto. I forgot.”

“What’s an Aron doing in the subway of Unova?” I asked, pulling out my Pokedex.

Aron. The Iron Armor Pokemon. Found in mountains eating iron ore it digs up, sometimes food becomes sparse and it travels away from its natural habitat towards civilization to eat bridges and rails. With a strong enough charge, it can destroy a dump truck.

The crowd was now murmuring at what my Pokedex had said.

“Oh, my,” June muttered, shaking her head.

“Maybe they’re fixing the issue. The guy said that we’d be moving shortly, right?” I put my Pokedex away, gazing around as everyone started to chatter nervously about what was going on.

The conductor’s voice kicked in over the speaker with a crackle of static. “Passengers, it appears that there is indeed a problem with the tracks at this time and we will be unable to provide service. The doors to the trains will be opening shortly and you will be guided by our workers to safety. We warn you to avoid the third rail as it will give you a nasty electric shock. I apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for cooperating.”

The train was now filled with angry groans and yells.

“I don’t believe this! These damn Pokemon, always ruining everything!”

“I remember one bit me once. I didn’t even see it and it just nipped right at my ankles!”

“This is ridiculous!”

“I’m not going to walk through a dark tunnel! Are they crazy?”

“I have to get my daughter home!”

June and I exchanged fearful glances as the passengers started to get even angrier.

“I guess we’ll be walking to Nimbasa’s Gym,” I whispered.

June nodded quickly.

The train doors opened at once, and I could see bright lights, like from flashlights, waving around outside of the train. Suddenly, the train shook hard with the sound of a loud noise echoing in the tunnel.

“Whoa,” I muttered, looking around.

The train shook hard once again, the loud sound heard for a second time.

The crowd in the train got quieter, a few whispering in fear.

The people outside of the train with the flashlights started calling out to each other. “Hey, George! What is that?”

“Is that the Aron?”

“Nah, it can’t be! It sounds freaking huge, whatever it is!”

“Gary, I’m scared,” June whispered as she held my arm, the train rumbling again, the loud noise stomping closer.

“We’ll be okay,” I told her calmly, though my heart was in my throat.

The noise got louder, closer, the rumbling stronger, making the train rock harder with each loud bang.

“Is that… footsteps?” the older woman next to me asked slowly.

My eyes widened in shock.

June gasped next to me.

The men outside of the train suddenly screamed.

A loud roar tore through the tunnel, echoing, making us all scream in fright.

With a huge BOOOOOOOOOOOOM the train began to rock hard as it felt like we were in the middle of an earthquake!

Everyone in the train shrieked as we were thrown around, the entire train feeling as if it had just been tossed aside. People were slamming into people, flying through the air, rolling around on the floor helplessly.

I struggled to stay in my seat, gripping it tightly with my hands, but they slipped and I was tossed out of it, flying helplessly into the air.

There was a loud CLANG! as someone’s head slammed into a metal pole in the middle of the train.

The lights flashed on and off repeatedly.

The workers outside of the train shouted out in terror.

My shoulder bashed into the door at the end of the car and I screamed out painfully as I collapsed to the ground, landing on it.

The train seemed to slam to the ground and remained still.

Breathing heavily, my eyes closed tight as my right shoulder throbbed, I struggled to move. “Help…” I croaked weakly.

All I could hear were the weakened moans of people everywhere.

“Mom!” a man called, and I heard stumbling footsteps approach me.

“June?” I whispered weakly, shaking hard.

The footsteps of very few people able to get up and walk about were heard. Names were called out. Pained voices responded.

My eyes opened and I could see the other end of the car. “Ugh…” I closed my eyes and shook my head, confused at a particular sight. My eyes opened to squint in the fluttering light at the seats of the train near my head. My shoulder throbbed as I forced myself to my feet, stumbling around as I realized that the seats of the train and the windows were underneath me! What? I looked up at the ceiling, where more seats were now at. My eyes widened. “Whoa! What?” As I looked around, I began to realize that the train was actually on its side! “June!” I called out weakly, looking about.

People around me were either on the floor by themselves, or with their family and friends, holding them close. Many people, mostly the younger kids, but plenty of adults as well, both women and men, were crying.

Another loud roar tore through the tunnel, making every scream in horror.

“June!” I yelled, seeing her sprawled out on her back, blood running from her mouth to the ground. I ran towards her as fast as I could and knelt down by her side, shaking her carefully. “June, we have to get out of here, now! This isn’t safe! Something’s after us all! Get up!”

June mumbled something, and her eyes tightened before popping open with surprise. She reached up and grabbed my coat. “Gary,” she gasped.

“June, we have to run!”

“It’s a… It’s a… Pokemon,” June choked out in a whisper. “She’s mad. She’s mad!”

“A Pokemon?”

“Hill! Please wake up, Hill! Please!” a woman begged to a man as she grabbed his large coat and tried to shake him awake.

The man wasn’t reacting.

The lights in the train continued blinking, making my eyes hurt.

“Gary, we’re not safe here,” June whimpered. “She’s really mad.”

“Who is? What Pokemon is it? Why is she mad?” I demanded.

“Her baby. Her baby!” June screamed at me.

I didn’t understand what June was talking about, but I gently lifted her up by her arms. “June, listen to me.”

Another loud roar tore through the tunnels and we both looked ahead in fright.

“June, we’re out of here! Now!” I looked at the floor, where the doors to the trains now were, and then looked up at the ceiling, where the other set of doors were. “June, you climb up there, and I’ll go after you. Come on!” I cupped my hands and knelt down.

“Gary, are you sure?” June asked, her voice trembling.

“We can’t stay here, June! We’ll be killed!”

With another roar, the heavy footsteps of the Pokemon got louder and closer.

“Oh, no!” June looked at my hands, and then put one of her sneakers into them. Her hands grabbed my shoulders as she stepped her other foot into my hands, and I carefully, shakily, hoisted her up, my shoulder throbbing even harder, but I didn’t stop pushing her upward. She gave a sharp cry and made a frantic, sloppy jump for the opening above. Her hands gripped the sides of the opening, but one hand slipped and she screamed, the people by me gasping, quickly surrounding me in case she fell down, reaching up for her. Grunting loudly, struggling, she reached her arm up and kicked her legs hard, gasping, and managed to get out of the train. “I did it!”

“Good job, June! Can you see anything?” Something was wrong with my shoulder. I rubbed it, but that only seemed to make it worse, but by not rubbing it, it continued to burn painfully, so I just rested my hand on it as it continued to pain me severely as I looked up after June.

The footsteps got closer, louder, the train shaking hard. Another roar beat against my eardrums.

June reached down towards me with a shaky hand. “Gary, jump!”

“June!” I shouted, and leaped for her arm, grabbing it with both hands.

June grunted and pulled, struggling to pull me up.

I screamed in agony as my shoulder exploded with pain, but I couldn’t stop now. We had to save everyone. We all had to make it up here before that Pokemon got here and killed us all. I gasped as I felt a strong push from underneath me, and I looked down in shock to see that the passengers were shoving me upwards! I smiled broadly as June gave me a strong pull, and the passengers gave me a hard shove, and I tumbled out of the train, on top of June.

“My shoulder!!” Painful tears ran down my cheeks as I rolled off of June and grabbed my right shoulder, screaming loudly.

“Gary, what’s wrong?” June asked in fear, blood still falling from her mouth.

“Never mind!” I groaned, getting to my knees. “We have to get them, too!” I scrambled back to where I had crawled from and gazed down at the people inside. “Alright, let’s do this like in the movies. Women and kids first.”

Before anyone could say a word, the roar came, and I saw a bright light flash in the tunnel. The light looked really familiar, and I squinted at I tried to recognize what it was.

“HYPER BEAM!!!!! RUUUUUNNN!!!” June shrieked at the top of her lungs, and kept her head low as she ran away.

The crowd beneath me screamed in a panic.

“Damn it!” I scrambled away from the poor passengers as a loud explosion rang out in the tunnel. “OW!” I screamed as I ran, my head slamming into the ceiling above, so I kept my head low, running, leaping over the gap in between the train cars.

Passengers in the cars June and I ran on looked up, pointing and screaming, calling out to us, many people with bloody faces, some laying on the floor, seeming unable to move, everyone terrified for their lives.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a loud, long series of explosions that rang out in the tunnel as June and I ran, trying to get off of the train that was now exploding behind us. I refused to look down into the cars anymore. It was too painful to see all of the people that we had no choice but to leave behind to die. I could feel the heat of fire rushing through the tunnel after us, and I began to feel that this was the end for us both.

“Gary, it’s the exit! Don’t stop running!” June begged me.

The light up ahead was a comfort, commanding me to run, but could we possibly make it in time?

The monster behind us continued to roar angrily, and I heard another explosion rock the tunnel, causing a continuous echo, shaking the train underneath us.

June leaped off of the top of the train as she got to the end of the last car, and I leaped off of it right after her.

The last thing I saw before jumping was a man, woman, and baby, huddled in the corner in the car I was jumping off of, the man with his arms around the woman, the baby in the woman’s arms.

I landed on the ground and ran as fast as I could force myself to move, my teeth forced against each other, my eyes shut tight, tears flowing. My right shoulder bumped hard into something, and I shouted in pain, grabbing it tightly. June cried out, and I heard something that made my heart drop. My eyes opened and I saw that I was right by the platform. It was completely empty. Another step and I could climb out to freedom! But that sound I heard made me freeze. It was an undeniable sound.

The sound of June falling.

I turned around quickly and saw June scramble to her feet, running hard through the tunnel as a huge wave of fire chased after her!!

“JUUUUUUNE!!”

“GET OUT!” she screamed frantically at me.

I turned around and took a strong leap, scrambling up the platform, and turned around to June, reaching out for her.

June was only about three feet away from me. She reached out.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A fresh explosion forced June forward, through the air, out of my reach, and I pulled my hand back at the last second as the fire roared behind her, keeping chase as she screamed. She flew off to the side, through one of the little spaces between the concrete pillars. The wall of fire blocked my view as she soared to the other platform.

“JUUUUUUUUUUNE!!!!!”

The wall of fire burned, and I couldn’t find a way around it to see where June had landed.

“JUUUUUUUNE!!!!! JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNE!!!!!!”

The fire wall died down slightly, but the tracks on my side of the platform remained on fire.

“JUNE!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!” I could see above the fire now, but I couldn’t see her. “JUNE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” She might have fallen in the tracks on the other platform, I feared. She isn’t on the platform! “JUUUUUUNE!!! JUUUUUNE!!!!”

Loud, heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs near me, and I turned to see several firefighters! They all stopped and stared at me. “WE HAVE ONE ALIVE!” one of them shouted.

Footsteps from the other platform made me turn around and I saw even more firefighters running down the stairs! They turned to me and pointed, shouting out something.

“Kid, are you okay?” one of the firefighters near me said, roughly grabbing my left shoulder.

“June!” I shouted at him. “I’m fine! June isn’t! She’s on the other side! She’s still alive! She has to be! You have save her!”

“Okay, kid, don’t worry. That’s why we have our guys on the other side. We’ll get her. You have to come with us.”

“Save June! Please! There’s a Pokemon in that tunnel! We have to stop her!”

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Gary!”

“Gary, are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine! Just my shoulder hurts, but, June! Please, save June!”

The firefighter bent down and lifted me up, carefully laying me over his shoulder.

I winced in pain from my shoulder and held onto the man, looking at the firefighters on the other platform as they all leaped into the tracks that weren’t on fire.

“June,” I whispered. “Did they find her?”

A set of firefighters walked past me and the firefighter carrying me.

As the firefighter carrying me took me towards the stairs, I saw a firefighter from the other platform climb out of the tracks, carrying someone under her arms, over his shoulder.

Someone in a baby blue winter coat.

“JUNE!” I screamed, struggling, ignoring the pain of my shoulder as it erupted in searing agony.

“No! It’s okay!” The firefighter struggled to keep me in his arms. He was far stronger than I was, and kept a strong grip on me as he carried me upstairs.

I saw June’s red hair, her blood soaked face, her baby blue jacket, burned and torn, streaks of blood on it.

She wasn’t moving.

She vanished from my view as the firefighter took me further upstairs.

“JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNE!!!!!!!!!!”