Love in the Time of Tropics

Chapter 24: A Frenzy

Shorter chapter, but that's all right! Thanks to everyone this story has exceeded 500 reviews! I hope that number continues to grow! For now, however, let's enjoy Chapter 24!

Chapter 24

A Frenzy

Serena almost felt like screaming, but she wasn't, by any means, scared. The same could not be said for Lillie, who was beside her, kneeling on the tremoring ground with her hands on her head as she did so. Nebby popped out, screeching and squealing all of the sudden, like he was in pain. All around them, the cacophony of screams echoed in the air.

"What's that portal?" Ash asked, looking towards Clemont, as though the boy would know the answer.

"I...I'm not sure," Clemont answered with sudden trepidation. Another tremor was sent through the city, though this one felt different. It didn't feel like the whole air was being disturbed this time, but more like a thousand hooves were stampeding at once. "It's something, though..."

"Clemont, what do we do?" Bonnie screamed. Serena grimaced, holding to Ash just a little. She looked down, making sure her egg was still safe and intact, glowing lightly. Wishing for its safety, she slipped her bag off and placed it inside, hoping to keep it secured. Memories triggered into her brain: of the Kalos League, and the Kalos Team Tournament.

"Rotom will observe!" Rotom cried gallantly, seeming to run a scanner. It began to float off towards the portal in the sky. A sudden thrill of danger shot through Serena, one that Ash clearly shared as well.

"No!" he shouted, lunging across the seat and grabbing Rotom, pulling it back. Rotom struggled for a bit. "It's too dangerous."

That was for sure. Serena didn't know what that portal in the sky was, but it emanated nothing but danger for all of them. She tried to steady her breath and block the flow of images that were now assailing her brain unwillingly. Looking up, the portal sparked a tinge of familiarity in her mind, like she'd seen something like it before. Whatever it was, though, there was a great sense of danger seeping out from it.

More tremors, this time similar to the ones that had started all of this. Only this time, it was followed by a loud cracking and creaking. The tubes that made up the Tunnel Course from earlier suddenly split apart, crashing down onto the already broken stage. More screams, and then Serena felt herself pushed to the side from a fleeing citizen. She landed on the ground, but immediately pushed herself up.

"Everyone's starting to panic," she groaned out. Her head turned back, looking to Lillie, who had covered her eyes. Nebby was still acting up, screeching his "pew"s as loudly as they could be.

"I'm not surprised," Ash said, shaking his head. Nor was Serena, but she hadn't wanted to say it out loud. They had been through enough crises by now to know that people never wanted to actually listen and simply calm down when the terror first started. Even for most of them, that kind of terror almost always gripped them for at least a fraction of a second. "But they're only going to make things worse."

"It might just seem worse here," Clemont observed as the tremors continued to shake his body. They appeared to be growing more intermittent and calming, but they had yet to stop. More importantly, the mass exodus suddenly issuing forth from the stands was all-consuming. Some people were in such a rush that they knocked others aside. Then there appeared to be the Pokémon issue, a number of them screeching or others looking lost, searching for their trainers as they got lost in the crowd. Clemont's words of reason and wisdom, however, appeared to have given Ash some idea.

"Then let's get outside," Ash said. He secured himself around Serena's hand once more, pulling her up. She reached over and grabbed Clemont's until they were in a long chain. The only one holding out was Lillie, who seemed too frightened until Bonnie nudged her. She looked up, sniffling with slight fright, but eventually reached forward to take the hand. "We try to stick together, okay?"