HOME | DD

Description
After arriving at the prison Jenna, Sam, Luke, and their Pokemon were all subjected to an hour long and quite thorough search for any dangerous objects. Afterwards they were all brought into a large high ceiling-ed white room. Metal tables with uncomfortable looking chairs were spaced haphazardly around the room giving it the look of a school lunchroom.

Ever since they had entered the prison Marlowe had kept a tight hold of Sibelius, greatly concerned for the safety of not only his physical well being but also his mental well being. He didn't know how well Sibelius was going to handle seeing Matthew in such a sorry state. He didn't even know how well he was going to be able to handle it. Still he was going to do his best to stay strong for Sibelius.
After a short wait a heavy metal door on the far side of the room opened and a pair of Magnezone exited followed by two guards holding shotguns and finally a single guard holding a chain that was connected to manacles on Matthew's ankles and neck.

The second that Matthew entered the room Sibelius let out a loud chirp of delight and started to head towards him but Marlowe got hold of his son's wing lest the guards perceive him as a threat. For his part Matthew looked exceptionally happy to see his brother and nephew along with several other ranch Pokemon and his master.

Both groups looked at each other wordlessly as Matthew was slowly led towards them. At a distance of three meters the guard holding the chain stopped and looked down at Matthew. "No funny business alright? You stay in my sight the entire time and we won't have a problem. Got it?" Matthew nodded his response as the guard released the chain but kept the manacles in place as Matthew started to hobble over to his family.

He had barely taken a single step when Sibelius broke free from his father's wings and grabbed his uncle in a hug. "(Uncle Matthew!! I'm so happy to see you. We were all so worried about you, even Scratch and Morrigan although they didn't want to let it show and...and...I...)" Sibelius came to a stop as his voice began to quaver with every word. "(...I don't want to lose you uncle Matthew)" He finally broke down into tears.

Matthew gently wrapped a wing around him and hugged his nephew close while slowly hobbling over to the others. Speaking soothingly to his distraught nephew as he did so, the others remaining silent until he had calmed Sibelius down.

"(It's alright Sibelius. I'm not gone yet and I intend to spend the time that I have left with my family. And wouldn't you rather spend that time with me and your father happily rather than mourning over events that haven't yet happened?)"

Sibelius sniffed a few times and looked up at Matthew, his eyes red from tears as he tried his best to put on a strong face for his uncle. Matthew smiled down at his nephew as he brushed the feathers on top of his head with his wing. "(There we go, now how about we spend some quality time living in the present and stop focusing on the future of which we have no control.)"

Matthew turned to the rest as a smile, or at least what passed for one among bird Pokemon, crossed his beak as he walked over to Jenna and Marlowe and embraced them both with his large wings.

Jenna wrapped her arms around Matthew, holding him tightly as if she let go he would suddenly vanish. Matthew could almost feel the pain that his master was going through through her fingertips as she dug them into his feathers, trying to keep her emotions in check as best as possible.

Finally after what seemed like hours but was actually less than a minute Jenna and Marlowe released Matthew from their embrace. Jenna took a moment to compose herself before clearing her throat and speaking to Matthew for the first time since the end of his trial.
"It's wonderful to see you Matthew. How are you holding up?" Matthew just gave a slight shrug as he took a step towards her, suddenly stumbling as he did so. Jenna reached out and helped Matthew to steady himself as she suddenly took notice of two thin cuts on the back of his leg.

"Matthew! You're hurt? How did that happen? And...where is your anklet?" Matthew's expression instantly changed at he mention of his missing anklet and Jenna could see the pain evident in his eyes. She decided that for the time being it would be better to just let the issue pass as she helped him over to one of the tables in the room and sat him down.

"Here I should take a look at that. In the mean time the others were really eager to see you." Jenna took the four other poke balls off her belt and opened them. After the flashes faded Veruka, Leopold, Elizabeth, and Melissa. Before Jenna had chance to look at Matthew's wound or before she could even sit down all of them had rushed forward to greet Matthew and offer him their condolences.

Matthew was a little taken aback at the sudden outpouring of goodwill from his family and friends. That being said it wasn't like he was unappreciative of it and quickly embraced all of them individually, receiving a rather bone crushing hug from Leopold that left him breathless.

Finally after all of the greetings were finished they all sat around the table as Jenna began to bandage Matthew's leg while Matthew and the others began to talk.

They spent the next hour deep in conversation. All throughout Matthew held Sibelius close as the young Chatot listened, rarely speaking. Next to him Elizabeth gently caressed his wing, nervously fiddling with a cigarette that she knew she couldn't lite. Like Sibelius she barely spoke. Not knowing what to say to Matthew especially with everyone else around.

The first thing that everyone wanted to know was how Matthew was doing and if he was being treated well. For his part Matthew tried his best to belay their fears without lying. However, this quickly proved pointless and he found himself opening himself up to their questions and answering to the best of his ability.

When they heard about his treatment and the fights going on in the yard they were all stunned to say the least. Leopold in particular was disgusted and immediately wanted to confront Calcifer over this but Matthew quickly informed him that the matter was passed confronting Calcifer over his crimes, of which they had no proof to show, would do little good other than get the rest of them in trouble.
Leopold angrily nodded as their conversation drifted to the ranch. Matthew wanted to know everything that was going on. How was everyone holding up? How were the kids doing? And most importantly was there a plan to deal with their financial problem.
Veruka was just about to answer his next question when suddenly the door at the far end of the room opened and the guard came in with three Magnezone.

Matthew immediately noticed something different about the guard. It was the way that he looked at him. He had a rather somber look on his face, a look of pity for the Honchkrow sitting before him surrounded by his loving family and friends. Slowly he approached Matthew and let out a deep sigh before turning his attention to Jenna, unable to look at Matthew.

"Miss Canelli. I'm afraid that I have some bad news concerning your Honchkrow." He turned and looked at Matthew. "Perhaps it would be better if spoke in private."

Jenna stood her ground as Sam and Luke slowly approached. "Whatever you have to say you can say it to all of us. We are a family and whatever this is we are going to deal with it as such." The guard let out another deep sigh before removing his hat and speaking.
"Miss Canelli I'm sorry to inform you that the execution date of your Honchkrow as been moved up. To midnight tonight to be specific. I-" The guard didn't get any further before a raucous of voices came from all of Jenna's Pokemon, Jenna herself, as well as Sam and Luke.
After several seconds of this one voice rose above all of them and yelled out. "ENOUGH!!!" Everyone was shocked at how loud Jenna had been as she turned to the guard with a mix of anger and fear burning in her eyes.

"How did this happen? I thought that we still had several weeks left?" Despite her best efforts her voice still had traces of fear in it as the guard answered her query. "I'm not totally sure but something like this can only happen if the warden makes a request to the Sinnoh governor. As for why the warden would make such a request I don't know. But from what I've heard he doesn't particularly care for your Honchkrow. Again I'm sorry but there is nothing that I can do."

Jenna bowed her head and gritted her teeth. Trying to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes as well as the rage burning in her chest. "I...who can I speak to about this?" The guard shrugged. "I just work here Miss Canelli. The one you would want to speak to is warden Calcifer and he's not much of a conversationalist. The only other person I can think of who you could speak to would be the governor and frankly I don't see that happening. Again I'm sorry but there really isn't anything that I can do about this."

Jenna's anger and fear continued to fight against one another in her mind. Both struggling to gain control of her present emotions. After several seconds her fear finally won over and she bowed her head in understanding, at least for the moment. Slowly she looked over at Matthew. It had always been a little difficult to read the big Honchkrow's emotions and feelings but Jenna could tell that he was conflicted as he held Elizabeth and Sibelius close to him as they both tried to comfort Matthew despite their own internal struggles.

Finally she turned back to the guard and under the pretense of cleaning her glasses wiped the tears from her eyes. "Can we be with him until..." Jenna trailed off. Not wanting to say it out loud. The guard looked over at Matthew as he and Elizabeth held each other close before looking back at Jenna. "That's perfectly alright. And if you want there is a terminal linked to the storage system in the other room. If you would like you could bring in some of your other Pokemon to see him if you would like. There is also a phone if there is anyone you would like to call." Jenna let out a deep and somewhat shaky breath.

"Yes, that would be best. Also I would like to have a word with this warden Calcifer." The guard swallowed hard. "I...I'll look into that Miss Canelli but I won't make any promises. He isn't bound by any law that says he has to see you or give you reason for why he requested the change." Jenna again nodded her understanding. "I get that but I would still like to try." The guard looked at Jenna and then at her Pokemon before turning on his heel. "Very well then. I'll take you to the computer and then I can bring you up to the warden's office and see if he is willing to speak with you."

Jenna looked back at Sam and Luke. "You two mind keeping an eye on all of them until I get back?" Luke stepped forward. "Not a problem Jenna. You just take care of this and don't worry. I'm sure that you are going to find a way through this." Jenna didn't say anything as she followed the guard. Luke's words ringing hollow. For the first time since this whole thing had began a thought that she had done her best to keep repressed pushed it's way to the forefront.

Matthew was going to die.

...

As soon as Jenna left the room her Pokemon exploded into conversation. Leopold and Veruka immediately took control before things got out of hand and did their best to try and calm everyone down.

"(Alright listen everyone. We need to stay calm and try to find a way-)" Veruka was interrupted by Elizabeth who immediately jumped up and approached her. and

"(STAY CALM!!!! Vhat right do you have to tell us to stay calm?! Matzew iz going to be killed tonight and you vant us to stay calm!!!?)" Elizabeth gestured at Matthew and then back at her. "(You have no idea vhat he haz already gone zrough. Vhat he haz lozt. And now he iz going to be un-juztly killed!!!)" She swung her arm around again. "(Inztead of your pacifizt approach I zay ve break Matzew out and deal vith ze conzequences later!!!)"

All of them looked at her in shock as their eyes moved to the Magnezone that were still ringing the room as they turned their attention towards the group. This was not lost on Matthew and he quickly got to his feet and approached Elizabeth before she could go off on another tirade.

"(Elizabeth enough! What you are suggesting would only have one result and one result only. It would get master and the rest of us in trouble. Do you want to have everyone here thrown in jail over my life? Is destroying this family really worth that to you?!)" Elizabeth turned to Matthew and he could see the intense fear in her red eyes.

"(Yes Matzew! It iz vorth it. You are going to be murdered and ve can-" She didn't get any further as in one motion Matthew handed Sibelius off to Marlowe and without warning slapped Elizabeth across the face. It wasn't a hard slap, barely more than a tap considering how strong Matthew was. And yet it shocked everyone in the room into silence. Elizabeth looked at Matthew in shock before he lunged forward and embraced her in a tight hug.

"(I know that you are afraid Elizabeth. I know that you don't want to lose me. And I can tell just how absolutely terrified you are of that prospect. But there is no need to mask your fear with indifference and anger. You need to let that go or you will be miserable for these last few hours that we have together and I don't want the time I have left with my family and friends to be spent with them miserable. I want us to enjoy what we have while we have it.)"

He continued to gently rub her back as tears flowed down Elizabeth's face while the others just remained quiet.

"(Elizabeth?)" Elizabeth sniffed a few times and looked at him. "(Yes...Matzew?)"

Matthew smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "(Elizabeth we have known each other for years. We have faced many adversities together and have always come out alright in the end. But this time fate has not handed us a happy ending. But just because this story doesn't have a happy ending doesn't mean that we have to be miserable until then. We should make the absolute most of the precious time that we have.)" Matthew pulled back a little and looked deeply into her eyes.

"(Please Elizabeth. Please just let go and live in the moment. I can't stand to see you in such pain and suffering. So please just let go of the future and live in the present.)"

Elizabeth looked back at Matthew for several seconds as she tried her best to compose herself, her claws digging into his wings as she held him tightly. "(I...vill try Matzew. For you.)" Matthew gently brushed his wing against her face. "(Thank you Elizabeth. Now how about we take some of this time and see about ending this nasty habit of yours.)" Matthew took the cigarette that she had been nervously clutching and crushed it under foot as he slowly began to hobble back over to the others.

Elizabeth watched him go. Despite her calmer outward appearance inside she felt like she was going to explode. She didn't want this to happen. She wanted to try and do something to help Matthew, to get him out of here, to break him out of this hellhole no matter the cost to Jenna and her Pokemon. On the other hand the more rational part of her knew that this was not a reasonable course of action and that it would never work with all the guards and the damage that it would do to so many lives besides her own and Matthew's.

She let out a deep sigh and started to slowly hover over to Matthew. There was one other thing that was pressing on her mind. Something that she knew she had to tell Matthew. Something she had wanted to tell him for years now but had never been able to muster the courage to do so. She knew that she had to tell him and soon. And she was running out of time.

They all were.

...

Jenna returned less than ten minutes after she had gone. Much to Sam and Luke's surprise. As soon as the two of them saw her face they immediately knew that she had not managed to make any headway with the warden. The look on her face was one of utter horror and defeat as she slowly trudged back into the room and collapsed at the table.

The two men quickly went over to her and could see in the defeated expression on her face that the meeting had not gone well. After several minutes of total silence Jenna finally spoke.

"He's a monster!! I swear that Arcanine is a soulless monster! Just the way that he views Matthew and the lives of the Pokemon here. It's... it's sickening."

Sam and Luke both looked at each other as Luke came forward to comfort her. Sam, not used to dealing with people in emotional distress, made a somewhat offhand comment to try and lighten the mood.

"So I take it that your conversation with the warden didn't go well?" Jenna rolled her eyes in annoyance as she looked over at Sam. Her bloodshot eyes behind her glasses a clear indication that she had been crying before she came in.

"That's putting it mildly. The warden, surprisingly enough is an Arcanine and as I mentioned before he is...he's a dick. I walked in and he point blank told me almost as soon as I entered that Matthew was getting what was coming to him for being, and I quote, 'A cowardly, disrespectful bastard with a dead wife boner'." Jenna shook her head. "And then he goes on to tell me that Matthew's sentence being pushed up is to protect the other prisoners from him. From Matthew!!" She let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. And to top it all off when he was done telling me that he shooed me out of his office and had this Vulpix prisoner sent in. And by the look that he was giving her I'm pretty sure he was about to force her to get really private with him."

Sam's eyes got wide. "Okay...yeah that is pretty messed up. However, from what you've said I really don't see how your little chat helped us in anyway. It's not like he is doing anything illegal. At least not openly that we could use to reverse this in a timely manner. And then there is the matter of trying to reach the governor which I also see as a lost cause seeing as how it would take days to get a hold of him and he would have been the one to sign for Matthew's sped up execution in the first place I get the feeling that he is probably going to take Calcifer's side in this."

Jenna looked back down at the table and clenched her fists. "It's just not fair!! Why did all of this have to happen?! Why?!" She yelled while slamming her hands down onto the table. Sam and Luke both took a step back to give her some space while her Pokemon all looked over at her, surprised at their master's sudden outburst. Most prominent among these was Matthew who quickly came over to her side. Jenna felt him place a wing against her shoulder and looked up at him. There was no trace of fear in his eyes. At least none that she could detect. In fact he looked almost like he was at peace.

Slowly Jenna opened her fists and wiped her eyes. Matthew was set to die in a matter of hours and he was totally calm. While she, his master, was on the verge of having a breakdown. What kind of image did that convey to her Pokemon? She knew what it showed. Weakness. At a time when they were expecting their master to be strong for them she was showing herself as weak and emotional.
Jenna looked at Matthew who gave her a subtle nod before taking a deep breath and standing up. She had already broken one promise to herself, to not let her Pokemon see her cry, she would not let them see her have a total meltdown. With renewed vigor in her step she walked over to her Pokemon.

"I'm sorry that you all had to see that. But I promise from now on I will be strong. For all of you. I know that it feels like there is no end to this nightmare in sight but I am going to do my damndest to make sure that this team, this family stays together no matter what is thrown at us." Her Pokemon all looked at her solemnly. They were brave words, but right now they seemed to ring hollow with her team. They had all been through so much already and the latest news with Matthew and now seeing their trainer on the verge of a breakdown had just been too much.

She understood what they were feeling as she looked at their eyes. While not broken their spirits had been badly bruised. And no words were going to help with that kind of pain. Jenna approached them and bowed her head. "I know...it's just been too much to deal with." With a heavy sigh Jenna turned. "I'm going to go and see about transferring some of the others here and let Ina know what is going on."

She looked over them once more before adding. "Stay strong." The words had never sounded so meaningless to her.

...

While Jenna was busy frantically trying to get as many of her Pokemon as possible to the prison to see Matthew before his execution as possible Luke had taken Sam aside.

For several seconds he said nothing, just watching Jenna's Pokemon as they kept Matthew company in his last few hours of life before turning to Sam. A look of extreme determination evident in his eyes.

"Alright Sam you mentioned back at the ranch that you had a possible plan to help Matthew out of this. What was that?"

Sam blinked a few times in surprise. "That?! That plan was a long shot at best. And impossible now due to the changing circumstances." Luke looked even harder at Sam. "I don't care that the circumstances have changed I want to know what you had in mind." Sam placed his hands in his pockets and let out a breath between pursed lips before speaking.

"Remember how I mentioned at the courthouse that I thought the judge was paid off? Well the more I thought about it the more that thought just continued to stick in my head. How did Wilson win so easily when there was so much evidence stacked against him? And why? What does a little brat like him have to gain by destroying Jenna and Matthew? He doesn't need the money and revenge seems like a waste of time for someone as rich as he is. For that matter why go to such extraordinary lengths for said revenge? None of it adds up as I'm sure you and Jenna already figured. But here's the thing. When you and Jenna were preparing to defend Matthew how much did you actually find out about Wilson beforehand?"

Luke thought about that for a second. Now that he thought about it he and Jenna hadn't really focused that much on Wilson. They had looked up a few things on him and what they had found simply showed him to be a rich egotistical brat. They had been so heavily focused on trying to prepare their defense for Matthew they really hadn't put much more thought into it.

"Not much. Just the basics really." Sam nodded. "Exactly. While on the other hand Wilson dug up mountains of dirt and information on you, Jenna, and Matthew in order to destroy you. While you and Jenna found out very little about him."

Luke was starting to get impatient and began to tap his foot. "What are you getting at Sam? If you're saying that we should have found some dirt on Wilson and used that you're a little late to the party and for that matter Jenna is too honorable to do something like that." Sam raised a hand. "I was not chastising you and Jenna for not looking up dirt on him. For that matter I don't think that you would have found much even if you looked. After the trial I did some reading on Wilson myself. There is almost nothing out there about him. He's a bit of a mystery. Doesn't attend a lot of high class social parties. Not a lot of information on where his money came from. And almost no one has ever seen his parents. He's a ghost."

Luke's annoyance was reaching a boiling point. "Would you get to the point already Sam while Matthew is still alive!?" Sam hesitated a second before answering. "What I was going to propose we do is try to find out what really happened at that trial. Do some digging and find out if the jury, the judge, or anyone else had been paid off or threatened to ensure that trial went Wilson's way. And maybe find out what he get's out of this. But that plan is useless now. It would have taken weeks to dig up that kind of information and we are out of time now."

Luke's expression soured. "You're right. There isn't time for something like that now. And even if there was who knows if we could even find anything."

Sam seemed not to have heard him. He had a thousand mile look in his eyes. Suddenly his head snapped back down and he looked Luke hard in the eyes. "Tell me something Luke. How far are you willing to go to help Jenna and Matthew?" Luke looked at Sam quizzically. "I don't understand what do you-" Sam interrupted. "Would you be willing to break the law, risk going to prison for a very long time if it meant there was a chance to help Jenna out of this?"

Luke looked at the hard edge in Sam's eyes and thought long and hard about what he had just said. Luke was a Pokemon nurse with a small ranch and a fair number of Pokemon. If he went to prison he would lose all of that. However, if Jenna and her ranch were saved then she would probably take in all of his Pokemon. They would be taken care of. And as for his job he really didn't see himself going anywhere in that area. For that matter he felt like he owed Jenna a great deal. She had done so much for him over the years in so many ways. She had helped him out of so many jams. But the question still remained. How far was he willing to go?

He pondered this for a good minute and a half before turning to Sam. His eyes now sharing the same hard edge. "Yes, I would. Now what is this about?"

Sam looked around again nervously, as though the walls had ears. "There may be another way to get the information against Wilson that we need through less legal means. It would mean breaking into Wilson's mansion of which I know the location and finding something that we could bring directly to the Sinnoh governor to get him to overturn the verdict of the trial. Mind you this would be blackmail of the highest order and if we were ever found connected to it we would rot in prison for the rest of our lives. Or worse. Wind up dead in some back alley."

Luke absorbed what Sam had just said. What he was suggesting was a criminal act of the highest order. At the same time though it seemed like the only course of action that had some degree of success, bar breaking Matthew out of prison and ensuring that she and her Pokemon would be fugitives for life. This, strangely enough, seemed like the safer option.

Sam and Luke remained silent for a few seconds before Sam finally broke the silence. "If you don't want any part of this then I understand. Just know that I am going to try. If I fail I know that my Pokemon will find their way out and I will have done my best to help Jenna. But if I succeed and get out of this scotch free then I will know that I saved a life and a family from ruin."

Luke pondered Sam's words for a few more seconds before making up his mind.

"Alright. I'm in." The two men shook hands as Sam went off to let Jenna know that they would be leaving for an hour or two but would be back as soon as possible. Leaving Luke with a feeling that he had not known in months.

Hope.

Description
After arriving at the prison Jenna, Sam, Luke, and their Pokemon were all subjected to an hour long and quite thorough search for any dangerous objects. Afterwards they were all brought into a large high ceiling-ed white room. Metal tables with uncomfortable looking chairs were spaced haphazardly around the room giving it the look of a school lunchroom.

Ever since they had entered the prison Marlowe had kept a tight hold of Sibelius, greatly concerned for the safety of not only his physical well being but also his mental well being. He didn't know how well Sibelius was going to handle seeing Matthew in such a sorry state. He didn't even know how well he was going to be able to handle it. Still he was going to do his best to stay strong for Sibelius.
After a short wait a heavy metal door on the far side of the room opened and a pair of Magnezone exited followed by two guards holding shotguns and finally a single guard holding a chain that was connected to manacles on Matthew's ankles and neck.

The second that Matthew entered the room Sibelius let out a loud chirp of delight and started to head towards him but Marlowe got hold of his son's wing lest the guards perceive him as a threat. For his part Matthew looked exceptionally happy to see his brother and nephew along with several other ranch Pokemon and his master.

Both groups looked at each other wordlessly as Matthew was slowly led towards them. At a distance of three meters the guard holding the chain stopped and looked down at Matthew. "No funny business alright? You stay in my sight the entire time and we won't have a problem. Got it?" Matthew nodded his response as the guard released the chain but kept the manacles in place as Matthew started to hobble over to his family.

He had barely taken a single step when Sibelius broke free from his father's wings and grabbed his uncle in a hug. "(Uncle Matthew!! I'm so happy to see you. We were all so worried about you, even Scratch and Morrigan although they didn't want to let it show and...and...I...)" Sibelius came to a stop as his voice began to quaver with every word. "(...I don't want to lose you uncle Matthew)" He finally broke down into tears.

Matthew gently wrapped a wing around him and hugged his nephew close while slowly hobbling over to the others. Speaking soothingly to his distraught nephew as he did so, the others remaining silent until he had calmed Sibelius down.

"(It's alright Sibelius. I'm not gone yet and I intend to spend the time that I have left with my family. And wouldn't you rather spend that time with me and your father happily rather than mourning over events that haven't yet happened?)"

Sibelius sniffed a few times and looked up at Matthew, his eyes red from tears as he tried his best to put on a strong face for his uncle. Matthew smiled down at his nephew as he brushed the feathers on top of his head with his wing. "(There we go, now how about we spend some quality time living in the present and stop focusing on the future of which we have no control.)"

Matthew turned to the rest as a smile, or at least what passed for one among bird Pokemon, crossed his beak as he walked over to Jenna and Marlowe and embraced them both with his large wings.

Jenna wrapped her arms around Matthew, holding him tightly as if she let go he would suddenly vanish. Matthew could almost feel the pain that his master was going through through her fingertips as she dug them into his feathers, trying to keep her emotions in check as best as possible.

Finally after what seemed like hours but was actually less than a minute Jenna and Marlowe released Matthew from their embrace. Jenna took a moment to compose herself before clearing her throat and speaking to Matthew for the first time since the end of his trial.
"It's wonderful to see you Matthew. How are you holding up?" Matthew just gave a slight shrug as he took a step towards her, suddenly stumbling as he did so. Jenna reached out and helped Matthew to steady himself as she suddenly took notice of two thin cuts on the back of his leg.

"Matthew! You're hurt? How did that happen? And...where is your anklet?" Matthew's expression instantly changed at he mention of his missing anklet and Jenna could see the pain evident in his eyes. She decided that for the time being it would be better to just let the issue pass as she helped him over to one of the tables in the room and sat him down.

"Here I should take a look at that. In the mean time the others were really eager to see you." Jenna took the four other poke balls off her belt and opened them. After the flashes faded Veruka, Leopold, Elizabeth, and Melissa. Before Jenna had chance to look at Matthew's wound or before she could even sit down all of them had rushed forward to greet Matthew and offer him their condolences.

Matthew was a little taken aback at the sudden outpouring of goodwill from his family and friends. That being said it wasn't like he was unappreciative of it and quickly embraced all of them individually, receiving a rather bone crushing hug from Leopold that left him breathless.

Finally after all of the greetings were finished they all sat around the table as Jenna began to bandage Matthew's leg while Matthew and the others began to talk.

They spent the next hour deep in conversation. All throughout Matthew held Sibelius close as the young Chatot listened, rarely speaking. Next to him Elizabeth gently caressed his wing, nervously fiddling with a cigarette that she knew she couldn't lite. Like Sibelius she barely spoke. Not knowing what to say to Matthew especially with everyone else around.

The first thing that everyone wanted to know was how Matthew was doing and if he was being treated well. For his part Matthew tried his best to belay their fears without lying. However, this quickly proved pointless and he found himself opening himself up to their questions and answering to the best of his ability.

When they heard about his treatment and the fights going on in the yard they were all stunned to say the least. Leopold in particular was disgusted and immediately wanted to confront Calcifer over this but Matthew quickly informed him that the matter was passed confronting Calcifer over his crimes, of which they had no proof to show, would do little good other than get the rest of them in trouble.
Leopold angrily nodded as their conversation drifted to the ranch. Matthew wanted to know everything that was going on. How was everyone holding up? How were the kids doing? And most importantly was there a plan to deal with their financial problem.
Veruka was just about to answer his next question when suddenly the door at the far end of the room opened and the guard came in with three Magnezone.

Matthew immediately noticed something different about the guard. It was the way that he looked at him. He had a rather somber look on his face, a look of pity for the Honchkrow sitting before him surrounded by his loving family and friends. Slowly he approached Matthew and let out a deep sigh before turning his attention to Jenna, unable to look at Matthew.

"Miss Canelli. I'm afraid that I have some bad news concerning your Honchkrow." He turned and looked at Matthew. "Perhaps it would be better if spoke in private."

Jenna stood her ground as Sam and Luke slowly approached. "Whatever you have to say you can say it to all of us. We are a family and whatever this is we are going to deal with it as such." The guard let out another deep sigh before removing his hat and speaking.
"Miss Canelli I'm sorry to inform you that the execution date of your Honchkrow as been moved up. To midnight tonight to be specific. I-" The guard didn't get any further before a raucous of voices came from all of Jenna's Pokemon, Jenna herself, as well as Sam and Luke.
After several seconds of this one voice rose above all of them and yelled out. "ENOUGH!!!" Everyone was shocked at how loud Jenna had been as she turned to the guard with a mix of anger and fear burning in her eyes.

"How did this happen? I thought that we still had several weeks left?" Despite her best efforts her voice still had traces of fear in it as the guard answered her query. "I'm not totally sure but something like this can only happen if the warden makes a request to the Sinnoh governor. As for why the warden would make such a request I don't know. But from what I've heard he doesn't particularly care for your Honchkrow. Again I'm sorry but there is nothing that I can do."

Jenna bowed her head and gritted her teeth. Trying to hide the tears that were forming in her eyes as well as the rage burning in her chest. "I...who can I speak to about this?" The guard shrugged. "I just work here Miss Canelli. The one you would want to speak to is warden Calcifer and he's not much of a conversationalist. The only other person I can think of who you could speak to would be the governor and frankly I don't see that happening. Again I'm sorry but there really isn't anything that I can do about this."

Jenna's anger and fear continued to fight against one another in her mind. Both struggling to gain control of her present emotions. After several seconds her fear finally won over and she bowed her head in understanding, at least for the moment. Slowly she looked over at Matthew. It had always been a little difficult to read the big Honchkrow's emotions and feelings but Jenna could tell that he was conflicted as he held Elizabeth and Sibelius close to him as they both tried to comfort Matthew despite their own internal struggles.

Finally she turned back to the guard and under the pretense of cleaning her glasses wiped the tears from her eyes. "Can we be with him until..." Jenna trailed off. Not wanting to say it out loud. The guard looked over at Matthew as he and Elizabeth held each other close before looking back at Jenna. "That's perfectly alright. And if you want there is a terminal linked to the storage system in the other room. If you would like you could bring in some of your other Pokemon to see him if you would like. There is also a phone if there is anyone you would like to call." Jenna let out a deep and somewhat shaky breath.

"Yes, that would be best. Also I would like to have a word with this warden Calcifer." The guard swallowed hard. "I...I'll look into that Miss Canelli but I won't make any promises. He isn't bound by any law that says he has to see you or give you reason for why he requested the change." Jenna again nodded her understanding. "I get that but I would still like to try." The guard looked at Jenna and then at her Pokemon before turning on his heel. "Very well then. I'll take you to the computer and then I can bring you up to the warden's office and see if he is willing to speak with you."

Jenna looked back at Sam and Luke. "You two mind keeping an eye on all of them until I get back?" Luke stepped forward. "Not a problem Jenna. You just take care of this and don't worry. I'm sure that you are going to find a way through this." Jenna didn't say anything as she followed the guard. Luke's words ringing hollow. For the first time since this whole thing had began a thought that she had done her best to keep repressed pushed it's way to the forefront.

Matthew was going to die.

...

As soon as Jenna left the room her Pokemon exploded into conversation. Leopold and Veruka immediately took control before things got out of hand and did their best to try and calm everyone down.

"(Alright listen everyone. We need to stay calm and try to find a way-)" Veruka was interrupted by Elizabeth who immediately jumped up and approached her. and

"(STAY CALM!!!! Vhat right do you have to tell us to stay calm?! Matzew iz going to be killed tonight and you vant us to stay calm!!!?)" Elizabeth gestured at Matthew and then back at her. "(You have no idea vhat he haz already gone zrough. Vhat he haz lozt. And now he iz going to be un-juztly killed!!!)" She swung her arm around again. "(Inztead of your pacifizt approach I zay ve break Matzew out and deal vith ze conzequences later!!!)"

All of them looked at her in shock as their eyes moved to the Magnezone that were still ringing the room as they turned their attention towards the group. This was not lost on Matthew and he quickly got to his feet and approached Elizabeth before she could go off on another tirade.

"(Elizabeth enough! What you are suggesting would only have one result and one result only. It would get master and the rest of us in trouble. Do you want to have everyone here thrown in jail over my life? Is destroying this family really worth that to you?!)" Elizabeth turned to Matthew and he could see the intense fear in her red eyes.

"(Yes Matzew! It iz vorth it. You are going to be murdered and ve can-" She didn't get any further as in one motion Matthew handed Sibelius off to Marlowe and without warning slapped Elizabeth across the face. It wasn't a hard slap, barely more than a tap considering how strong Matthew was. And yet it shocked everyone in the room into silence. Elizabeth looked at Matthew in shock before he lunged forward and embraced her in a tight hug.

"(I know that you are afraid Elizabeth. I know that you don't want to lose me. And I can tell just how absolutely terrified you are of that prospect. But there is no need to mask your fear with indifference and anger. You need to let that go or you will be miserable for these last few hours that we have together and I don't want the time I have left with my family and friends to be spent with them miserable. I want us to enjoy what we have while we have it.)"

He continued to gently rub her back as tears flowed down Elizabeth's face while the others just remained quiet.

"(Elizabeth?)" Elizabeth sniffed a few times and looked at him. "(Yes...Matzew?)"

Matthew smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. "(Elizabeth we have known each other for years. We have faced many adversities together and have always come out alright in the end. But this time fate has not handed us a happy ending. But just because this story doesn't have a happy ending doesn't mean that we have to be miserable until then. We should make the absolute most of the precious time that we have.)" Matthew pulled back a little and looked deeply into her eyes.

"(Please Elizabeth. Please just let go and live in the moment. I can't stand to see you in such pain and suffering. So please just let go of the future and live in the present.)"

Elizabeth looked back at Matthew for several seconds as she tried her best to compose herself, her claws digging into his wings as she held him tightly. "(I...vill try Matzew. For you.)" Matthew gently brushed his wing against her face. "(Thank you Elizabeth. Now how about we take some of this time and see about ending this nasty habit of yours.)" Matthew took the cigarette that she had been nervously clutching and crushed it under foot as he slowly began to hobble back over to the others.

Elizabeth watched him go. Despite her calmer outward appearance inside she felt like she was going to explode. She didn't want this to happen. She wanted to try and do something to help Matthew, to get him out of here, to break him out of this hellhole no matter the cost to Jenna and her Pokemon. On the other hand the more rational part of her knew that this was not a reasonable course of action and that it would never work with all the guards and the damage that it would do to so many lives besides her own and Matthew's.

She let out a deep sigh and started to slowly hover over to Matthew. There was one other thing that was pressing on her mind. Something that she knew she had to tell Matthew. Something she had wanted to tell him for years now but had never been able to muster the courage to do so. She knew that she had to tell him and soon. And she was running out of time.

They all were.

...

Jenna returned less than ten minutes after she had gone. Much to Sam and Luke's surprise. As soon as the two of them saw her face they immediately knew that she had not managed to make any headway with the warden. The look on her face was one of utter horror and defeat as she slowly trudged back into the room and collapsed at the table.

The two men quickly went over to her and could see in the defeated expression on her face that the meeting had not gone well. After several minutes of total silence Jenna finally spoke.

"He's a monster!! I swear that Arcanine is a soulless monster! Just the way that he views Matthew and the lives of the Pokemon here. It's... it's sickening."

Sam and Luke both looked at each other as Luke came forward to comfort her. Sam, not used to dealing with people in emotional distress, made a somewhat offhand comment to try and lighten the mood.

"So I take it that your conversation with the warden didn't go well?" Jenna rolled her eyes in annoyance as she looked over at Sam. Her bloodshot eyes behind her glasses a clear indication that she had been crying before she came in.

"That's putting it mildly. The warden, surprisingly enough is an Arcanine and as I mentioned before he is...he's a dick. I walked in and he point blank told me almost as soon as I entered that Matthew was getting what was coming to him for being, and I quote, 'A cowardly, disrespectful bastard with a dead wife boner'." Jenna shook her head. "And then he goes on to tell me that Matthew's sentence being pushed up is to protect the other prisoners from him. From Matthew!!" She let out a deep sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. And to top it all off when he was done telling me that he shooed me out of his office and had this Vulpix prisoner sent in. And by the look that he was giving her I'm pretty sure he was about to force her to get really private with him."

Sam's eyes got wide. "Okay...yeah that is pretty messed up. However, from what you've said I really don't see how your little chat helped us in anyway. It's not like he is doing anything illegal. At least not openly that we could use to reverse this in a timely manner. And then there is the matter of trying to reach the governor which I also see as a lost cause seeing as how it would take days to get a hold of him and he would have been the one to sign for Matthew's sped up execution in the first place I get the feeling that he is probably going to take Calcifer's side in this."

Jenna looked back down at the table and clenched her fists. "It's just not fair!! Why did all of this have to happen?! Why?!" She yelled while slamming her hands down onto the table. Sam and Luke both took a step back to give her some space while her Pokemon all looked over at her, surprised at their master's sudden outburst. Most prominent among these was Matthew who quickly came over to her side. Jenna felt him place a wing against her shoulder and looked up at him. There was no trace of fear in his eyes. At least none that she could detect. In fact he looked almost like he was at peace.

Slowly Jenna opened her fists and wiped her eyes. Matthew was set to die in a matter of hours and he was totally calm. While she, his master, was on the verge of having a breakdown. What kind of image did that convey to her Pokemon? She knew what it showed. Weakness. At a time when they were expecting their master to be strong for them she was showing herself as weak and emotional.
Jenna looked at Matthew who gave her a subtle nod before taking a deep breath and standing up. She had already broken one promise to herself, to not let her Pokemon see her cry, she would not let them see her have a total meltdown. With renewed vigor in her step she walked over to her Pokemon.

"I'm sorry that you all had to see that. But I promise from now on I will be strong. For all of you. I know that it feels like there is no end to this nightmare in sight but I am going to do my damndest to make sure that this team, this family stays together no matter what is thrown at us." Her Pokemon all looked at her solemnly. They were brave words, but right now they seemed to ring hollow with her team. They had all been through so much already and the latest news with Matthew and now seeing their trainer on the verge of a breakdown had just been too much.

She understood what they were feeling as she looked at their eyes. While not broken their spirits had been badly bruised. And no words were going to help with that kind of pain. Jenna approached them and bowed her head. "I know...it's just been too much to deal with." With a heavy sigh Jenna turned. "I'm going to go and see about transferring some of the others here and let Ina know what is going on."

She looked over them once more before adding. "Stay strong." The words had never sounded so meaningless to her.

...

While Jenna was busy frantically trying to get as many of her Pokemon as possible to the prison to see Matthew before his execution as possible Luke had taken Sam aside.

For several seconds he said nothing, just watching Jenna's Pokemon as they kept Matthew company in his last few hours of life before turning to Sam. A look of extreme determination evident in his eyes.

"Alright Sam you mentioned back at the ranch that you had a possible plan to help Matthew out of this. What was that?"

Sam blinked a few times in surprise. "That?! That plan was a long shot at best. And impossible now due to the changing circumstances." Luke looked even harder at Sam. "I don't care that the circumstances have changed I want to know what you had in mind." Sam placed his hands in his pockets and let out a breath between pursed lips before speaking.

"Remember how I mentioned at the courthouse that I thought the judge was paid off? Well the more I thought about it the more that thought just continued to stick in my head. How did Wilson win so easily when there was so much evidence stacked against him? And why? What does a little brat like him have to gain by destroying Jenna and Matthew? He doesn't need the money and revenge seems like a waste of time for someone as rich as he is. For that matter why go to such extraordinary lengths for said revenge? None of it adds up as I'm sure you and Jenna already figured. But here's the thing. When you and Jenna were preparing to defend Matthew how much did you actually find out about Wilson beforehand?"

Luke thought about that for a second. Now that he thought about it he and Jenna hadn't really focused that much on Wilson. They had looked up a few things on him and what they had found simply showed him to be a rich egotistical brat. They had been so heavily focused on trying to prepare their defense for Matthew they really hadn't put much more thought into it.

"Not much. Just the basics really." Sam nodded. "Exactly. While on the other hand Wilson dug up mountains of dirt and information on you, Jenna, and Matthew in order to destroy you. While you and Jenna found out very little about him."

Luke was starting to get impatient and began to tap his foot. "What are you getting at Sam? If you're saying that we should have found some dirt on Wilson and used that you're a little late to the party and for that matter Jenna is too honorable to do something like that." Sam raised a hand. "I was not chastising you and Jenna for not looking up dirt on him. For that matter I don't think that you would have found much even if you looked. After the trial I did some reading on Wilson myself. There is almost nothing out there about him. He's a bit of a mystery. Doesn't attend a lot of high class social parties. Not a lot of information on where his money came from. And almost no one has ever seen his parents. He's a ghost."

Luke's annoyance was reaching a boiling point. "Would you get to the point already Sam while Matthew is still alive!?" Sam hesitated a second before answering. "What I was going to propose we do is try to find out what really happened at that trial. Do some digging and find out if the jury, the judge, or anyone else had been paid off or threatened to ensure that trial went Wilson's way. And maybe find out what he get's out of this. But that plan is useless now. It would have taken weeks to dig up that kind of information and we are out of time now."

Luke's expression soured. "You're right. There isn't time for something like that now. And even if there was who knows if we could even find anything."

Sam seemed not to have heard him. He had a thousand mile look in his eyes. Suddenly his head snapped back down and he looked Luke hard in the eyes. "Tell me something Luke. How far are you willing to go to help Jenna and Matthew?" Luke looked at Sam quizzically. "I don't understand what do you-" Sam interrupted. "Would you be willing to break the law, risk going to prison for a very long time if it meant there was a chance to help Jenna out of this?"

Luke looked at the hard edge in Sam's eyes and thought long and hard about what he had just said. Luke was a Pokemon nurse with a small ranch and a fair number of Pokemon. If he went to prison he would lose all of that. However, if Jenna and her ranch were saved then she would probably take in all of his Pokemon. They would be taken care of. And as for his job he really didn't see himself going anywhere in that area. For that matter he felt like he owed Jenna a great deal. She had done so much for him over the years in so many ways. She had helped him out of so many jams. But the question still remained. How far was he willing to go?

He pondered this for a good minute and a half before turning to Sam. His eyes now sharing the same hard edge. "Yes, I would. Now what is this about?"

Sam looked around again nervously, as though the walls had ears. "There may be another way to get the information against Wilson that we need through less legal means. It would mean breaking into Wilson's mansion of which I know the location and finding something that we could bring directly to the Sinnoh governor to get him to overturn the verdict of the trial. Mind you this would be blackmail of the highest order and if we were ever found connected to it we would rot in prison for the rest of our lives. Or worse. Wind up dead in some back alley."

Luke absorbed what Sam had just said. What he was suggesting was a criminal act of the highest order. At the same time though it seemed like the only course of action that had some degree of success, bar breaking Matthew out of prison and ensuring that she and her Pokemon would be fugitives for life. This, strangely enough, seemed like the safer option.

Sam and Luke remained silent for a few seconds before Sam finally broke the silence. "If you don't want any part of this then I understand. Just know that I am going to try. If I fail I know that my Pokemon will find their way out and I will have done my best to help Jenna. But if I succeed and get out of this scotch free then I will know that I saved a life and a family from ruin."

Luke pondered Sam's words for a few more seconds before making up his mind.

"Alright. I'm in." The two men shook hands as Sam went off to let Jenna know that they would be leaving for an hour or two but would be back as soon as possible. Leaving Luke with a feeling that he had not known in months.

Hope.