Jaret King belongs to aggies2015

Viola Almach belongs to Ariesbird

Juliet Grey belongs to Dolcebrio

Seria Day belongs to Kittynip

Ryuu Sinclair belongs to Tendou Souji (Kiwami no Sengoku)

Cody Frost belongs to Hodge Podge '97 (Kozak Keegan)

Victoria Reed belongs to Lord Farquaad

Honovi belongs to Jentus (Writing Duo)

He should've told them sooner. Maybe they would've been better prepared. Maybe they'd be at his side now. Maybe Jaret wouldn't have lost himself and vanished. Perhaps Seria would've still been alive and just maybe Juliet would've been his.

None of that had happened, and they had all fallen apart like pieces to a broken mirror. It was impossible to even think that things could go back to how they were. Seria had been dead for some time and freshly tallied to that were half the gym leaders in Johto. Bugsy, Clair, Jasmine and Chuck were the ones left alive. Forever stained to that tally was Viola and to a certain degree, Honovi. He hadn't known Honovi much outside of her lineage and her fast friendship with Seria, but Viola…

Viola was the second one he had met and only hours after he had met Jaret and became something pivotal. She was the sharp one, and that let him relax. She was steely in her will and would complete anything she set her mind to. She paid much attention when he paid none at all. She kept him civil when he needed to be and in a way, showed him how he really felt about Juliet. Her professionalism was a world apart from his emotion and how they could fume.

When faced with the possibility of losing Juliet, he panicked. He had no idea what to do, or what to say even. Lucario may have been able to help had he thought of it, but the fact remained that he had been terrified. Viola on the other hand, had already separated her emotions, already thinking of the best possible way to help the girl. That had been a better course of action, no doubt. Still, the fact that Viola had been so methodical had made him angry, and he had never stopped to think that the fact she had even taken the time to assess Juliet's wounds had been a warm gesture to begin with. Despite that glaring difference, Virgil considered the two of them quite close, especially after the happenings just before he had gotten to the tower. He may have actually ended up attracted had it not been for Juliet. He snickered forlornly then.

Juliet Grey, the Scion of Sunyshore.

Miss Grey of the Elite.

Juliet, the Flirt.

Juliet, his Best Friend.

The Traitor.

The thought made him even more dour. She should've fought her and never held back. He should've fought her like her meant it. He had done nothing but lose all of his fights he had gotten in, and in one so important, he decided to hold back.

Her Luxray, Tux, left him with no such mercy. The lion left quite the impression, one that made Virgil shiver with disbelief. Juliet hadn't uttered a single order, and the Pokemon, on his own, had dismembered his Azumarill without mercy, and had brought Dewott to his knees effortlessly, even more efficiently than Jaret's Arcanine did during the Silver Cup last year. Ampharos had been the only one to stand against Luxray for even a few moments, through sheer will. Virgil remembered the glare in the lion's eyes and it was something of the same nature as Victoria's Kingdra. Those were two Pokemon who exuded absolute power.

Tux had ripped through his Pokemon and had even cut into Virgil, tearing into one of his legs before Juliet had uttered anything, and that was the single order for Tux to stop. Virgil hated the slight hobble that appeared in his gait sometimes when he walked. It was a constant reminder that he should've fought her, and fought her seriously. Another snicker and grin crossed his lips.

But how could he? The way she made him feel and the way she made his chest thump and head swim turned him into little more than a schoolboy with a crush. She had been one of the most important forces that made him realize and accept his friendships, and brought him into tune with his own emotions. She had become just as important to him as Viola or Jaret.

Still, he should've fought her with all of his might. He had held back and she hadn't. Perhaps that alone had rattled him. She did seem conflicted, though it never reflected in her choice to send Tux after him, and her internal conflict certainly did nothing to deter her wild Luxray from making a mess of things. Virgil huffed at the thought. Didn't he mean anything to her, like she did to him? Was the prospect of getting her sister back more important than any of the friends she had that were living?

"Am I just all body to you?"

"Virgil I don't want to die…"

"What happened to the Virgil from the alley?"

"There's more to me than meets the eye."

He muttered her name under his breath. Why like this? Why did he trust her? When, exactly, did he fall in love with her? She was just a rich girl with a wild streak he had met in a Violet City back alley, and strangely, she had turned out to be his kind of girl. The whole thing was kind of a contradiction when he thought about it.

Virgil took a deep breath to compose himself. He remembered hearing collisions shake the sky. He also remembered seeing lightning, fire and water spill from over the top of the tower. It had taken him only a bit to get to where he was, to see everyone lying still on the tower rooftop. The fact that the Ecruteak enforcement weren't there could only suggest that Marus had wiped them all out in the beginning.

He recollected familiar faces and for each one, Virgil felt a familiar pang of guilt. He saw the face of elderly Pryce,of Falkner and Whitney who seemed out of place for having died so young. Viola's words came to Virgil then.

"Marus is his own person..." She was right about that. Still, Virgil found it difficult to separate himself from the weight of responsibility. He caught sight or Morty, and then turned away almost immediately. Virgil's first encounter with Morty had been somewhat violent. Marus, in all of his anger had seized control of him, forcing Virgil's mind back so that he could take to the fore and kill Morty, whose reverence of Ho-oh upset him. Marus had found a way to split from Virgil then, and nearly killed him, which had spurred on a slight development in him, though Virgil had tried his best to staunch it.

Virgil was reminded bitterly that he perhaps should've told them sooner. Seria would still be here, none of the leaders would've had to die, and everyone would still be as they were. They wouldn't have to be like this, he thought.

Ryuu.

Honovi.

Viola.

It was just him now; he was the only one left. He had even seen Cody and Victoria's bodies among them. Whatever happened a top the tower, Marus hadn't spared even his own hired muscle. The only body he didn't see was Juliet's. That meant she was still with him, and still alive. At least, that was a sad hope in Virgil's heart, despite recent events.

Something wrapped around his ankle weakly then, and Virgil yanked his foot away, leaping back with a ball at the ready.

Galvy, you're all I got left… Virgil watched his location closely; one of the bodies moved, sluggishly. He watched even more closely. The voice was hoarse, way different from what he was used to hearing.

"Hey, Virgil…take it easy…" It was Victoria. "I got a few things to tell you…" Virgil could only watch her with wide eyes, and the girl laughed at him for it. "Come on, scaredy cat. Help a half-dead girl to her feet, will you…?" Virgil remained put, managing only to shake his head.

"V-Victoria…?" He had made out her full figure, and for the most part, she seemed fine. A stab wound was apparent in her shoulder. Blood was strewn across her face, and her lip was cut open. She seemed a kind of tired that was also present in Juliet when he had seen her.

"Come on," she croaked. And Virgil was surprised that she was standing and walking, stumbling really, towards him. She tripped completely then, into Virgil chest. "I have a lot to tell you…" She really was exhausted. "I'm…on your team now…" Her weight deadened against him. Virgil took a deep breath again. He was very hesitant to trust her, but what other choice did he have? He straightened himself. His body was sore, but he lifted Victoria up into his arms.

She was still breathing.

"Alright," he mumbled. "I'll take your word for it…"

A/N: Alright. This marks the end of Pt. 1 of Phoenix. If I did a remotely good job, the second half of the story is going to take place in Sinnoh. However, I've decided to take a bit of a break from the "Project Phoenix" or whatever you want to call it. I have a few other things I need to finish (Such as Playboy) and other short stories I'd like to get out. Heck, maybe even explore some other fandoms. (Because we all know how stagnant Pokemon is...) But I promise that the second half will be coming sooner than you think. I appreciate everyone whose read this part from beginning to end and have even given me advice on how to better improve my craft and all that jazz. You guys are golden. Special thanks for all of you that submitted characters, and Super Special thanks to Kittynip, who actually helped me quite a bit with certain aspects of the story.

Until next time,

~Reknownst