Watcher of Arceus

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.

Author Notes:

- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.

xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.

'Character Thought'
(Pokemon speech)

Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.

Co-author: Catsithx

xXx

Chapter 17

Sarah could hear the commotion of rangers calling out things to their pokemon as she hurried along with Juno and the others. She moved as fast as she could carrying Thomas with Rebecca, finally reaching the road again and following it for a while, but always ducking down when a car would pass. They needed some distance and while Juno made sure to express her concerns about traveling along the road, with Thomas out cold like he was, that made things difficult.

The night was starting to get a bit cold as Sarah turned once again to see if she could see anyone around them, but the only thing that caught her eye was the glow from the clearing they had come from. It was still an inferno and she couldn't help but think that she had been involved in it, hoping that all the pokemon got away.

They quickly made it a small abandoned campground, the place having gone out of business years ago. She smiled a bit though, glad that the place hadn't been torn down. She had stayed there a few times in the past while it was up and running and enjoyed the place a lot, but it still brought back some sad memories now that her umbreon was gone.

Juno herded them all to a worn down cabin that was missing one entire wall. She quickly turned to play lookout as she made sure they got into the cabin unnoticed. With them in at last, Rebecca passed a message onto Sarah from Juno asking her to move some of the over turned bunks to block the open wall a bit and hide them further. She was already getting cold herself, but she knew that a fire tonight would only draw unwanted attention for now.

While Sarah was busy building the small barricade to hide them, Rebecca took the time to fully inspect Thomas's wounds, his arms still bleeding a bit as well as his back. There were still a few thorns in his skin from the cacturne's hug, but she was thankful that he was barely even bleeding anymore, the smallest of his cuts not only having scabbed over, they were even sealing up completely now.

Rebecca quickly went about pulling out as many of the thorns as she could. By the time that Sarah was done with barricade, Juno had done a quick search of the area, they were finally alone and she ducked into the cabin before Sarah sealed the last small opening for now. She quickly pulled out her small lantern and set up, before moving to get out her first aid kit and handed the tweezers to Rebecca to get the smaller thorns out of Thomas. She also handed her the bandages as well, knowing that Rebecca needed to be the patch Thomas up for now.

With nothing else to do as she left Rebecca to help Thomas, Sarah called out her pokemon, all of them and gave them their own check up. Somehow, in all the chaos of that fight with the knights, the worst that any of them suffered was a large patch of missing fur on Blaze's side. Other then that, Sarah was thankful that it was mostly just cuts and bruises as she looked them over.

She would love to take them all to the pokemon center, and even pokespa as well for their hard work, but thinking about how easily they had found them in the forest, she knew that it was bad idea. As she finally sat back to slowly calm down. She heard something in her bag, something was moving. She quickly dug into her pack and found her phone case, which was vibrating. Intrigued, she looked it over and opened it up, she had an incoming call.

She gasped as she saw the number though, it was her mother's private cellphone. She quickly answered it. "Mom, how did you get this number, I just bought this phone." Sarah questioned, only to hear her mother screaming over the line.

"Sarah, Sarah, are you alright? I got your call earlier, but all I could hear was screaming and shouting, and then this explosion. The next thing I know I heard sirens and then you hung up." Her mother was frantic with her words, breathing hard, already panting. Her voice was even a bit hoarse, obviously had been crying and yelling all day. "There was this report on the news that a phone shop had been attacked, then it broke out into the streets."

"Mother, mother calm down." Sarah quickly stated pulling up a side panel, she had several dozen missed calls over the day, all from her mother, her phone had been set on vibrate by default since it was commonly used by pokemon trainers. She quickly noticed many other apps that had been downloaded right away onto the unit, include a few news apps, all blinking trying to get her attention with headlines concerning Team Rocket. Sarah knew the truth though, everyone just needed someone to blame over it all.

"I didn't think too much of it until I saw news clip itself and it mentioned an umbreon that had been found dead. There was a quick picture of it and I could tell that it was yours, and you never answered my calls." Her mother continued as she started crying again over the phone.

Being reminded once again of her umbreon, Sarah couldn't help herself as she once again started to cry once more. "M-mother, I'm alright." She said softly. "Umbreon… h-he saved me." She said.

"Wait, what do you mean he saved you, saved you from what?" Angela asked even more concerned now.

"Just… just some…" Before Sarah could finish her sentence, she heard Thomas finally moving on his own.

"What happened?" He asked slowly, Rebecca hugging him deeply

'Thomas, are you alright?' Rebecca asked as he got up and looked around. Sarah quickly dropped her phone, glad to see that he was recovering, she didn't think she could stand any other losses today.

"Where are we?" He asked slowly becoming aware of his surroundings and his own wounds. "Wait!" He quickly darted around a bit. "I can't feel Radara, where is she?" Thomas quickly stated.

Sarah fumbled a bit, quickly handing him his belt. Thomas quickly looked at Sarah very concerned as he noticed the lack of his other pokemon.

'Juno says that she had to deal with Radara herself.' Rebecca told him as he looked to Juno.

"Sarah, Sarah, are you there? What happened? Sarah!" Sarah's phone was suddenly very loud, Sarah having accidentally hit the volume controls when she picked her phone back up.

"I'm fine." Sarah said slowly.

"Tell me, what did your umbreon save you from. Why was that store attacked, are you sure your okay." Angela demanded again.

"Yes, I'm sure I'm fine." Sarah paused for a few. "I-it … it was j-just some team rocket attack." Sarah lied knowing that she couldn't really tell her mother what happened.

Thomas was slowly becoming more aware of his surroundings as he looked back to Sarah, hugging Rebecca a bit tightly. "Sarah… can you come here for a moment, I need to tell you something." Thomas said softly, not wanting Sarah's mother to overhear him.

"Just give me a minute, Thomas needs my help." Sarah said as she set her phone down and moved over to him, despite her mother's voice yelling over the line again.

"Sarah… I hate to say this, especially right now, but you need to make a choice tonight. The knights already proved that they don't care about you anymore, or your pokemon." Thomas said looking down, holding Rebecca a bit tighter. "To them, we are all guilty of crimes against Arceus, they will do anything they can to us, to our pokemon, our families, to make sure that I am killed. You… you have two choices. I can't ever return back to the Falston Manor, not now. You can try to head back home, and pray that knights leave you alone, but I doubt they will. If you leave, I can't protect you, I can't even begin to tell you what the knights will do anymore. As long as you stay away from them, your mother should be safe, your father will see to that, telling them anything they ask about me. If you go back to them, they may try to force you to tell them everything you know about me, and they'll use any means they can to make you talk." Thomas couldn't help but think on the matter now, having forced Sarah to make a choice he never wanted to make himself. "If you want to protect your mother though… you have to tell her to never call you again, to forget about you. I can only so much to keep you safe, but only if you continue to travel with me, and do as I say. If you go back to them, I can't protect you or them. I know it hurts to hear this, but if you truly want to protect them, you have to leave them behind." Thomas's words were firm, but despite this, Sarah could hear the hurt in his voice from even suggesting abandoning her parents.

Sarah just looked at him, even Rebecca gave him a surprised look as he pulled her closer. "T-thomas… y-you can't r-really mean that?" Sarah gasped a bit, shaking a bit at the thought.

"The knights are no longer honor bound to protect the innocent. I don't even think they'll bother trying to protect anyone who doesn't help them. The knights will contact our parents again, and when they do, I know they won't care who they hurt trying to find me anymore. They already know that you've traveled with me for a long time now, and they will use that as an excuse to attack and kidnap you if they have to. Your father still loves your mother, and he'll do everything he can to protect her, his hate of me will ensure that. He'll tell them anything he can about me, which should buy their favor. I'm not worried about Andrew, I know he can handle himself. He always has and unless the knights make a full on assault, he can fend them off." Thomas had to turn his head away from her, unable to believe his own words at first, but knowing that they were true. Not only was he cutting himself off from his foster family, the life he had grown up knowing, he was doing the exact same now to Sarah. He was forcing her to forget about her past, to leave everything behind in the effort to try and protect their families, their loved ones and friends.

Sarah looked at him and how tightly he was holding Rebecca, hurting badly from pulling her into this. She fell back to her knees as she thought about all that he had said. She was torn now, she couldn't just leave her mother behind, not like this. Her thoughts turned to her pokemon though, the knights had already killed her umbreon, she knew that they couldn't be trusted, they would attack her.

At the same time, she couldn't just leave all of her friends, her family… her mother. In order to save them, she would have to abandon them, give up everything she knew. She was being asked so much right now, and without any promised that those she loved would be truly safe even.

She looks at him again, he is still holding tightly onto Rebecca as he looks at her, waiting for her answer. She could tell though that after today, he was right, they would come for her just as they were coming for him. She couldn't go home, not now and even if she did, she would spend it constantly looking over her shoulders, having to tell lies just to protect them from the danger she would put them in. And what if she did go back and they did capture her. She could try to hide the truth from them, but honestly what was there for her to hide from the knights. She knew the real Thomas now, she knew what he was, what his purpose, how he treated others. She knew that his task was to protect the legendary pokemon, but the knights would never listen to that and what would they do to try and make her tell the so called truths they wanted hear.

Just thinking about it so hard, she can't help but think its all just a bad dream still, but deep down, she knew it wasn't anymore. She had no choice, she would have to stick with him, even if it meant giving up so much without expecting anything in return. Coming to that thought, a much bigger thought comes to mind. Thomas, he had been tasked with something so much greater, having to defend the legendary pokemon themselves, and not just once in life, but for his entire life, and the life after that, and so on. For him, it was never ending, he wasn't paid for it, he wasn't helped, there was never any gifts for him, he wasn't even given a thank you for his work. And just to top it off, he had the knights on his trail trying to kill him at any cost any more.

The only good thing he had anymore was Rebecca, a tiny hint of hope in his unending life right now and seeing her there with him. The knights had already taken one of their pokemon and she wasn't about to let them take anymore as she stands herself up, her eyes still wet a bit, but her resolve is sound.

"I… I-I w-will go with you Thomas." She states a bit unsteadily, but nodding firmly. "If you'll let me, I'll join you and help you beat this thing and knights." She says as she looked at him.

Thomas looks up at her in a new light, knowing what choice she had just made. He tries to stand up, but he had lost a fair bit of blood from the cacturne's hug and just standing was a hard task for him right now. That doesn't stop him though as he at the very least, tries to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. For once though, Rebecca actually helps him do something for Sarah though, helping to support and move him towards Sarah.

Something catches both of their ears though as he places his hand on her shoulder, Sarah's mother is still on the phone, shouting out for Sarah to make sure she is okay. Sarah quickly picks it back up. "Mom, I need you to calm down ok and just listen." She says slowly, still having a few remaining doubts. "Before you say anything, just let me speak." She pauses for a few trying to think of what to say, but ultimately, there is no preparing for it and she just starts, knowing that if she never says it now, she might never say it at all. "I need you t-t-to just quit calling me for a while okay… I… I have some, some things that I have to do and I can't come home until they're done." Sarah pauses again trying to ignore her mother, finding a small button that mutes her mother, but still lets her talk. She quickly presses it and holds it while she continues knowing that it would make it easier on her.

"I have to go for a while. Don't worry, I'll be safe, Thomas will make sure I am. It's nothing illegal or anything like, but I just can't come home right now. There are some people after Thomas right now and I want to help him, they'll probably come to you, lying about me and Thomas to try and find him. Don't believe anything they say." Sarah's voice starts to slow again as she holds back more tears. Thomas sees her as she starts to fall apart again and tries to have Rebecca move him closer to comfort her some more, but Sarah just raises her hand to stop him.

"J-Just trust m-me w-when I say I'm d-doing this to protect you and p-please don't call me back…" Sarah finally fell back a bit, Thomas helping to ease her into a sitting position on a rusted bed frame. "I love you." She said right before she hung up and quickly pulled out the battery knowing that when her mother called back, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from picking it back up.

Blaze quickly comes over along with the rest of her pokemon, all curling around her to keep her warm and let her know that she wasn't alone, that she still had them.

Thomas pulls back a bit with Rebecca, giving her a bit room. She had lost one of her beloved pokemon and then he had essentially forced her to leave her mother behind as well. "Rebecca." Thomas said softly, giving Sarah some space. "I need you to quit being childish with her from now on. I don't want you making this trip any harder for her then it already is."

Rebecca looks at him a bit startled by this. 'I have been nice to her, but I…' She pauses as she looks back to him and the look on his face, his aura telling her how much he was hurting himself for getting her caught up in this mess, and knowing that it would only get worse. She looks back to Sarah and her pokemon, Sarah still crying as her pokemon do whatever they can for her. She nods lightly as she once again looks to Thomas. 'I will Thomas.' She said softly.

The night was harsh, but Thomas was thankful for the bad weather for once. With Rebecca's help, he had reinforced the barricade on the open wall, even hanging up some large curtains over the top of it to hide them further and help keep out the heavy rain. Satisfied that they had done a proper job hiding themselves, Thomas decided that they would need a fire, and built a small one in the middle of the room before going into a meditative like state to try and boost the power of his recovery move. Rebecca helped him with her aura and by the end of the night, Thomas was able to walk entirely on his own, with barely more then a few minor scars where the cacturne's barbs have torn into his flesh.

Thomas left Sarah alone for the most part as well, merely letting her pokemon comfort and care for her right now, but still made sure to let her know that if she needed his help for anything, she only had to ask. Finally, Thomas took care of one last thing himself, pulling out his phone. "Hey Andrew. This is Thomas." Thomas smiled a bit, glad to have the answering machine pick up for him. "I hope this message reaches you soon, I'm sorry I can't be there in person, but something has come up. I'm afraid I can't really go into detail about it, but I… can't really… come back to the manor." Thomas paused. Despite having spent the past few months trying to figure out what to tell Andrew, there was really nothing he could say, but at least he had known this was coming. "I've got to go for a while and I don't think I'll ever be coming back. I'll be leaving with Sarah and I'm hoping that you can help keep an eye on her mother for me, make sure that she's okay with Sarah leaving like I am. I won't lie, things will be rough for us. Just try to help her mother understand that it really is for her own protection. I know they've contacted you already, a group of people asking questions about me, making me look bad, trying to convince you that I've wronged them in someway. Whatever you do, don't trust them, they are worse then Team Aqua and Magma combined and the only thing they care for is getting to me." Thomas stopped again, sighing a bit as he looked around, Sarah had finally fallen asleep, leaning back on her arcanine while her other pokemon all curled up around her to keep her warm. "I'm sorry for leaving like this, but I'm doing everything I can to protect you. I'll be getting rid of this phone and Sarah's in the morning, so please just forget about finding me. You know how well I can hide when I want to, and this time, I have no choice but to hide."

Thomas saw a small shadow outside the curtain of the cabin when another flash of lighting lit up the area and he quickly dropped his phone, picking up his blade and charged the barricade. He growled a bit, rather annoyed to just find that the winds had blown a worn and torn umbrella past the cabin. He quickly returned to the phone and picked up his phone again. "Andrew I'm really sorry for this, but…" Thomas never got a chance to finish, a voice on the other end had picked up.

"Thomas, is that you?" Andrew asked.

"Andrew?" Thomas was rather surprised. "You're still supposed to be Kanto, why are you back home?"

"Never mind that, Thomas. What is this about you leaving. What's going on?" Andrew asked very worried.

"I can't say…" Thomas replied as he bit his lip, he had really hoped to avoid this. "Look, just listen to me. Those men who've contacted you about me, just never let them in. You know who I am and I want you to remember me that way."

"Thomas, those men, who are they. Are they with that man who told us you kidnapped Sarah at the Cloyster. And what's all this about remembering you the way you are?" Andrew demanded

"They are some very fanatical people, and they will say anything to try and convince you that I'm not who you think I am." Thomas stated. "I promise that I'll take care of Rebecca, treat her the way she deserves to be treated, and I'll do the same for Sarah. They've already killed her umbreon and they've tried to kill me as well,... because I'm different." Thomas said slowly, his voice starting to lack any emotion now.

"Thomas, what is going on? Tell me, I can't help you if you don't talk to me." Andrew was very impatient, hardly letting Thomas finish when he didn't get his question answered.

"My father kept a journal, I've kept it hidden in my dresser. It won't make much sense, but it will explain things. There is a small list of pre-paid safe deposit boxes on the last few pages and the keys for them in my father's old back pack in one of the side pockets. Do me a favor and collect their contents please, but just the ones in Hoenn. It would mean a lot to me, I'm sorry for never telling you about them." Thomas said as he turned to look back at the rain. "Andrew… I've got to go. I'm getting rid of my phone, so it won't do any good to call back." Thomas's final words were flat in tone as he looked up to Rebecca.

"Now Thomas, hold on." Andrew shouted finally having a chance to speak. "I don't know what kind of trouble-" Thomas cut him off before he could finish though.

"Tell the others that we'll miss them." He quickly let a charge flow through his arm, frying his phone before he moved to the barricade and threw it out into the rain. He looked back to Rebecca as she stood there, while his face was blank, she could tell in his aura, he was no better off then Sarah though.

xXx

When morning came, Thomas packed up everything they needed, but left a few things behind intentionally. Having already fried his phone, he did the same to Sarah's phone, as well as their PokeNavs and PokeDexs. Sarah knew that it had to be done, but still couldn't help but think about what all she was losing.

Radara was finally awake once again as well, and that was a good thing. Thomas would need her powers today a lot, he had a lot of things that needed done, and Radara would be the only one able to hide their footsteps as they moved. Thomas knew that they couldn't stay in Kanto, or the surrounding regions for that matter, not with the knights so close behind them. One place came to mind though, but Thomas personally had never been there, although several of brothers and sisters had told him about it. Of course, that was long before the days of the traitor.

His first order of business was of course getting them further away from the knights, he had no way to know how close they were, they had already found and attacked them, in a single day no less. He quickly packed up their things and left. Thomas normally hated a chilled foggy morning, but given what had happened, it seemed perfectly fitting, even providing some extra cover.

Thomas quickly set their course, he had a few last minute stops he would have to make, they didn't have much cash on hand to just travel to another region, and a distant one at that. The fact that they had cut themselves off from their parents also meant that they didn't have a backup cash supply if they really needed it. Thomas knew it was time to go collect some more of his hidden stashes, and they would need to change themselves as well.

Thomas lead the way right through the heart of the forest they were in, and it was a tense trip. Their losses from yesterday still hung over them. Thomas knew that they had to hurry, and Sarah knew it too, but she wasn't use to losing someone. Thomas wasn't really use to it himself, but it wasn't a new thing for him and he just pressed on, he knew that there was no bringing them back, and it was no use for him to think how things could have been different. He did his best to help comfort Sarah and try to have her keep up with him, but he did take it a bit slow for her at the same time. They took cover even at the slightest sound, always staying alert.

They finally reached a small travel plaza, the halfway point for a freeway in the middle of the forest. Thomas had Sarah hang back with both Juno and Blaze guarding her while he went to get them a few things. He quickly found the largest hooded sweatshirt he could find in their packs and put it on, covering his face.

He went in with what cash he had and Radara quickly went to work. Thomas even did the best he could to hide their presence, using whatever simple tricks he could to cause as much misdirection as possible. He was very selective in what he got though, some markers, a few quick and easy meals, new coats and hats, and most importantly, a pair of thick sunglasses and a walking cane, which he was quite surprised, and very thankful to find there.

He quickly paid for his things, Radara distracting the clerk for him as they paid and then left. He quickly met back up with Sarah and they quickly left again. Thomas refused to stop even after the sun started to set, but still took it slow with Sarah, finally stopping well after the moon had risen. They set up a very small camp, but no fire, merely using there new coats and some blankets to keep warm. Thomas did set up a partial cover over them though, taken several fallen branches and making a quick cover for them to sleep under. Thomas still tried to make things up with Rebecca though, letting her sleep with him that night, and the next for having to keep her in her pokeball all day.

xXx

The next two weeks were roughly the same. Thomas suddenly trusted no one, never stayed put, and took the most direct to the last few stops he had to make. Along the way, he collected that few stashes he had, most of them prepaid safety deposit boxes, and eventually they traded off all of their original gear for different gear. At last, they were ready to leave the region, taking the one route that he knew the knights wouldn't think of covering because he would have never of taken it before. They were leaving by plane. They were travailing the one way that Thomas feared more than any thing ,flying high in they sky. Thomas cheated though, having Radara hypnotize him just before he boarded the plane.

Sarah looks out the window of the small charter plane. Looking at the forest as it slowly becomes a a blurr and then it just shrinks slowly as they rise into the sky, quickly followed by the entire kanto region. She wonders when she will finally get to return home to her mother. Even though she deeply wanted to just quit and see her mother, she was still very firm with her resolve though, clenching her fist knowing that she will get stronger. Not just for her own sake, but for her pokemon. She would not let another of her pokemon die defending her while she just stood by. She would protect them just as they protected her this time, and she would help to protect Thomas and his pokemon as well. She looks over to Thomas, sleeping quiet peacefully, with Radara in the seat next to him, and Rebecca on his other side. Thomas has paid good money for this plane, strictly because it allowed pokemon to sit with them, to let their trainers keep them calm, or in this case, to help keep him calm. Radara had explained to her that it was better for Thomas to sleep during then trip, rather then stay under her control, so he wouldn't fight her for control if things got just a bit rough. Looking at him, she could help but wonder what he was thinking about, quickly coming to the thought that he was probably thinking about all of them.

Sarah smiled a bit as she looked at him, thinking about how peaceful he was, but she knew that no matter how peaceful he looked, this was far from a vacation. They need to get away just for a while, to regroup and recover for now.

xXx

The alakazam floats on the edge of a cliff near the Indigo Plateau with the others all around him.

(Is it time to attack them yet?) The machamp is flexing his mucsles, obviously bored and tired of waiting.

The alakazam sighs wearily. 'The watcher still has time to make his choice, and it is better if we leave him be, leaving the region. She still protects her thoughts from me though, or at least she tries to.' The alakazam smiles thinking of Radara. 'No, they are not our concern for now, she is following as we speak. We have our new orders here.' He nods as he turns to the elite four area. 'Have you gathered the humans for our cause?' He asks as the lucario joins them.

'Yes, they are easily bribed by that green paper and shiny stuff. They are all willing to follow us, though some of them to be taught that they would not be in charge. Even if they resist, they will learn soon enough.' The lucario grins as he looks over his blood spattered paws and chest spike.

(So, I assume we will be just causing trouble then?) The blaziken states leaning against a tree, his arms crossed over his chest.

'Our master said it's time to make the watcher chose his job protecting Arcues is more then important then stopping us. We are just going to make him chose sooner then he thinks. Though I do hope for him to fight, just so I have to a reason to rescue my love from him.' The alakazam smiles.

'Either way, its time to flex our power and set this world ablaze. Those who do not bend to our lord's will will fall and be crushed.' The lucario begins to laugh as the machamp joins him, the alakazam smiles knowingly. The blaziken just stands there impassively knowing all to well what is about to happen.