Know to Understand.

Chapter 10: A new plan.



(Ferali's POV)

Once Krystal and I were done talking, she only nodded and went back out the door quickly. She seems really out of it like she didn't want to talk to me. I think I shouldn't have been so stern with her about Rebecca. But I can't have everyone fighting each other when the enemy (my father) hasn't been dealt with yet.

For now I can only take her word for it and move on. Later I'm going to have to talk with Rebecca and everyone else for that matter, to see if everyone is on the same page.

Suddenly not even a minute after Krystal left my mother walked in. She still looked the same since I saw her when I was a human. I really do hope she have a plan for stopping father, because everything hinged on that idea. It's what Squirts gave his life for.

"Max dear, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"Much better now that I know you're here."

She only nodded as she walked past me and sat on the bed. She looked at me intently while clasping her hands tightly with each other. The cold stare that she had on me was a bit of a frightening one. "Max I want you to tell me how Sasha and Squirts died."

I'm pretty sure she could read my mind and get the info she wants. I think she just wants to hear it from the horse's mouth, I guess. They were both her Pokémon and if I'm not mistaken Sasha was the new comer, but was very powerful nonetheless. If she have had more training like Squirts I wonder if that would have matter any? For that matter why how did she wound up with Rebecca in the first place. I know once I finish telling her everything I'm going to have to ask her a few questions of my own.

It felt like an hour had come and left before I was able to finish explaining everything. She seems to take everything in great stride and maintain her composure. Once I was done, she had the look of someone in great thought. If only I were psychic I could just read her mind, but unfortunately I wasn't blessed with that ability.

"Okay then...that's all I needed to hear." She said with very calm tone...a little to calm for someone who just heard how their Pokémon's were just slaughtered.

"Max, I'm only calm because the situation requires me to be." She said reading my mind. "Remember this, 'the first reaction to a bad situation is often the wrong one.' Right now I'm not going to focus on how to save him anymore, but to kill him Max."

I think I'm a bit more terrified of how calmly she put that. My mother has never talked about killing anyone before. Hell I can barely remember the last time she used a foul word. She has always been one to forgive and forget, but I guess even she has her breaking points. And I can't say I blame her.

"Okay mom, but tell me how do you plan to this?" I asked her.

"I'm going to tell this to everyone, but first I believe you have some questions for me?"

With a little pinch of annoyance I bit back my sharp retort and simply asked, "How did Rebecca end up with Sasha if she was originally yours?"

She sighed dejectedly as if to recall something bad that she didn't want to remember. "Okay, do you remember the day that your father told you to come to The Lake of Rage?"

I only nodded. I had no idea where she was going with this.

"Your father..." She took a deep breath to swallow an emotion. I couldn't tell what it was, but I'm pretty sure I didn't want to know. "He made that suit for Rebecca and made her wear it. She didn't know that it was for mind manipulation as soon as she put it on. Once it was on her she was out of my grasp." She closed her eyes to reminiscence about what happened on that hellish day. "I wasn't there at the time because I had Pokémon league business to attend to in Cianwood City. But I felt her mental distress coming all the way from Olivine City. By the time I arrived back they were already gone."

Mom then stood up from the bed and walked over towards the window which beamed brightly from the other side. "I decided to use my Flygon to try and get to you guys faster, but they were using those damn suits. I don't think I need to remind you on how fast they are."

She most certainly didn't, I mean I still can't believe how fast the suit would allow a person to move. Just by uttering a small phrase of a move that a Pokémon would use.

"They had already made it to you by the time I had neared the lake. I had seen what he did to you and what Rebecca was doing to help. I originally thought that she was completely gone to her father. And there was no way for me to beat them both the way they were."

I know my mother may seem like an invincible woman with no flaws. But even she has her limits and I can't blame her for weighing her options. I know I would have done the same. There is no point in recklessly throwing one's life away needlessly.

"I don't understand how Sasha got involved with them though. As I said before she almost killed me and I her." I said.

"Lemme finish." She said turning her head slightly towards me. "After witnessing what they had done it was then I knew that I was going to need to get back up. I was going to have to pay a visit to Alphonse Silvers. With the beta type suit schematics still in your father's lab, I was able to convince him to help out. But before I went back home I had to make a few tough calls." She then sighed once again.

I beckoned her to continue the suspense was starting to kill me.

"Still as impatient as ever...anyway I called Sasha out and implanted a thought into her mind."

"What the hell are you talking about 'implant a thought'?"

"Language...you see Rebecca is a psychic and would have detected whether or not Sasha had a conversation with me or not. So I placed a temporary mind block on her and implanted a purpose into her mind. I needed Sasha to keep watch over Rebecca until I had returned. At that time I didn't know whether you were alive or not."

Now I was becoming angry. It wasn't the fact that she just gave up on me like that that was pissing me off. It was just how she thought manipulating the minds of others to be so trivially. Fuck, she isn't any better than Rebecca or Dr. Shine. Thanks to that fucked up notion of helping, ended up killing Sasha. But for now I kept my mouth quiet and continued listening.

She simply shook her head abruptly. I hope it was because she was reading my mind. That way I don't have to tell her...

"I'm assuming Sasha must have gain Rebecca's trust or she must have been captured. Afterwards I had received a vision about those two boys, Brandon and Brian being in trouble in the Unova Region. But before going to Blackthorn City to meet with Alphonse there I saw Krystal heading towards the same direction as you guys. Again I knew that I couldn't stop to deal with her, so I had to leave more Pokémon behind."

She must be talking about Squirts and Phoenix. That is the only thing I can thank her for. If Krystal would have caught up to Dr. Shine she would have definitely been killed. But still Squirts was killed in the long run...I don't know I think I'm being too hard on her. I don't think I'm agreeing with all of the mind control, psychic transplanting, or the Bio-suits. All of it seems to be the root of this problem. I think I just need to get away from them all.

"So, then you went after Alphonse, rescued those boys and came back here, to put it mildly."

"Yeah...you're absolutely right. Max I just want to let you know that I-"

"Mom, save it," I said frustrated I didn't want to hear any excuses of hers. "I don't want to hear it. I've already decided once this is all done, I'm going to live in seclusion for the rest of my life." I could feel the tidal wave of emotions building up in my face. "I'm so tired mom. I'm tired...and I want to rest. I'm tired of all this death. I'm tired of all this hatred. If anyone would have told me my life would have ended up like I think I'd probably snuffed it out long ago."

"Max, you can't mean that."

"Hell at this point anything that come out of my mouth, I'm pretty sure of. I'm a monster now with no body to return to only thing I can do with the rest of my life is just being by myself." So I took a moment to think long and hard over what I was going to say next. "I want to see my father dead, after that I don't want to see any of you people again. That includes Krystal as well. I can't live my life happily with her anyway so there's no point in trying to trick myself to believe something was going to happen."

She only remained silent as she continued to stare out of the window. I'm sure that she read my mind and the emotions were there. I was serious about all that. At this point I don't care who she tells or what she says, I just want to be left alone after this.

She began making her way pass me towards the hallway and stopped in the middle of the door way. "We're all going to talk about our next plan of action in an hour." She then disappeared into the hallway.

By the look of her face I could see that she was about to cry. Again I don't like making girls cry (especially my mother) but she needed to hear my true feelings. After all I've been through I'm just tired...dammit I think I was a little too rough with her though. She did just hear her son say that he wanted nothing to do with anyone anymore. Which pretty much in her ears was like me telling her I no longer wanted to be a part of this family.



I remained in that room for an hour to recollect on what just transpired. And gave myself a moment to think about whether or not I was making the right decision. In the end with every fiber of my being...it was.

I was sitting in the bed with my short legs and feet dangling just above the ground. I jumped down and landed softly on my feet, but for some reason I almost fell over. Catching myself, I tried understanding what just happened. That's when I felt it...it was my heavy broken heart that was trying to pull me down. I wasn't going to give into it though. I understood the meaning behind it and if this is something that I must bare for the remainder of my life...then so be it.

Snapping myself back to reality, I quickly made my way out of the room and into the hallway. I could hear a number of voices emanating from its distant.

I started walking down the hall I could make out the certain distinct voices of the people they belong to. Krystal, Phoenix, my mom, those two boys, and...even Rebecca. I guess she must've awakened sometime earlier. Their voices were all mix and jumbled together so I couldn't make out what they were saying. But I guess all that really matters is that they aren't killing each other.

Upon reaching the living room where everyone were; I was greeted with some unwanted looks. Especially Krystal, though to be honest I didn't really have much to say to her anyway. Pretty much everyone had went mute once I was in there. My mother was standing on the opposite end of the room. She didn't even so much as give me the slightest hint of a glance. My sister was standing to my right near the front door of the house. I notice that she was still wearing her suit, but she isn't attacking anyone so I think it must not be working. Tristan was nowhere in sight. Now that I'm looking around the only Pokémon that was out was Phoenix.

All of its fine by me, it's nothing but reaffirming what I'm going to do after all this is over. Its best I start cutting my ties with these people.

"Now that we're all here we can get started." She started pacing back and forwards as she spoke. "For those of you who don't know by now that this town is completely abandoned there is a reason for that. Thanks to a certain benefactor we have this place to ourselves. It's not for relaxing though we're going to be training here." She stopped to let her eyes sweep pass us all. "Most of us in this room have lost something to that man...my husband, some more than others. But we're united here to put an end to all that." She then smashed her right hand into her left palm and added, "We're going to kill Dr. Shine."

Krystal was the first to speak up, "that's good and all but how do you purpose we do that professor. If you didn't know the man now have Lugia wings now..." Krystal bit back saying something, most likely to Rebecca. "Anything he touches erases from existence, he has a psychic barrier that floats around him, not only that he can divert attacks before they even reach him."

Krystal sounded upset. I think it was partly because of the fact that she knows that she won't be able to do anything with those protections around him.

I could hear some exasperated sighs coming from the direction where to two boys sat. Phoenix sat at the other end of the couch near where my mother was. She shook her head at the two boys.

Krystal quickly picked up on this, "Well then smart asses tell me how you two retards plan on dealing with him. I think you might have to get your finger nails dirty and oh yeah be careful there may be some mud."

I could only join Phoenix as I to shake my head in disappointment in their behavior.

"We can take this outside right now, bitch!" Brian yelled as he stood up from his seat. His brother tried grabbing him by the hand to sit him back down.

"Brian, chill bro remember this only temporary."

Krystal stood up as well while placing a hand on her small hip. Her emerald eyes burned with hatred within them. "Yeah listen to your brother. You don't want your white suit to get stained with your blood."

My mother didn't say a word. I guess this is just a way of letting everyone blow their steam out before we start training. Come to think about it actually better this way. When we actually start the physical training they're most likely going to try and kill each other. Those guys may have been able to pull that little stunt on Rebecca and get away with it. But Krystal is a beast very uncanny and powerful she'll most likely kill them.

Brian then just huffed and sat down. Not taking his eyes off of Krystal he lifted his left hand up while wagging his index finger back and forward.

"Anyways," My mother continued, "For starters I want to see what everyone in this room can do and build on that from there. We're going to have to work as a team in order to bring him down, that also mean we're going to have to utilize all of our Pokémon as well."

I gave a simple nod. Not really sure what she would want me to do, but anything in the slightest I'll be more than willing to do. I don't care what happens to me I just want that bastard to pay for he had done.

My eyes then drifted back towards Rebecca. She was actually walking from out of the room and outside. I decided that I needed to talk with her anyway. My mother started talking again, but I didn't pay it any mind, I already knew what she was going to talk about. Basically she wanted us to train and get stronger and try to complement each other's weaknesses. I wanted to talk to my sister before we got started to see how she is doing.

Making my way out of the house I quickly caught up to Rebecca. Her steps seem tired as her legs were being dragged behind her. Just from looking at her from behind she reminds me so much of mother. I couldn't what was going on in her mind or what mom had did to her.

"Max," She muttered suddenly stopping, "mom got rid of the mind control device that was integrated into the suit. Come to find out there were only three programs in it: Capture or Kill you, Kill Krystal, and preserve fathers' life."

"Rebecca, don't worry about that anymore." For some reason I didn't know what I was feeling. It was like my mind and body were conflicting with each other. I didn't want any harm to come to Rebecca, she's been through more than any of us here. I don't want to see her suffer anymore. She, just like me, has been manipulated by this family. "Rebecca if you don't want to do this, I will completely understand. I can only imagine what you must be going through, so if you want to leave I won't stop you."

She shook her head, "No, I won't leave. Max and I won't leave the people I know and love either."

I could tell what she was getting at. She must have read my mind or mother must've told her that I was going to leave. Either way I'm not changing my mind. I was dead set serious about getting away from people. Just live out the rest of my life in the wilderness where I belong.

"Yeah well that'll be one of us. Either way..." I said walking closer to her. She started shying away from me. "It's good to see you again." I said pulling her into a deep hug.

She wrapped her small arms around me as best she could as she said with a whimper, "Max, please...please forgive me."

"Rebecca no matter what happens I could never hate you." Looking up into the setting sun while bathing in its warmth, "Besides we have a new plan."