Sorry it took so long...been working on three different chapters for three different stories, none of which are done, and needless to say it it making life very complicated. This chapter itself (excluding my notes at the beginning) has a word count totaling at almost 4,200, for those of you who are interested. For me, that's a pretty long chapter. Enjoy!
I wake up and know instantly that I've slept too long. I know because my stomach is rumbling at a volume that is obnoxiously loud, but also because I can hear the Sableye crashing through the trees. My heart ices over in fear. How did they know that I'm here? I try to calm myself down, because panicking about something that might not even be happening is not a good thing to do. You don't know that they think you're here. You don't even know that they know you're alive.
Slowly, steadily, I climb out of the tree as quickly as I dare. I wince and take in a sharp breath of air as something inside my bag clangs hollowly against the tree. 'Clang'? Gonna have to check what that is, I think, before I'm running again. As I dash along the path, I dig through my bag until I find what I'm looking for: a Petrify Orb. There is an excellent chance that I might have to use it; if not against Dusknoir and his cronies, then against wild Pokemon aiming to finish the job the three Ghost-types and the Explosion Trap started yesterday.
The Sableye's voices are fading, and I take that as a good sign as I take cover in a hollow space at the foot of a large oak tree for breakfast. Pulling out another Apple, I'm a bit annoyed to see that much of my Apple supply is beginning to become deeply bruised. If I don't take it easier on the handling of my bag and all the supplies in it, then I might be down to a bunch of shattered Wonder Orbs and a large glob of applesauce at the bottom of my bag.
Still, the Apple is sweet and juicy, and the juice works wonders on my parched throat. A single thought hits me. Water. I need to find a water supply, otherwise I'm really not going to make it. I dig through the bag and finds a water bottle filled a quarter-way with the clear liquid. But there's only one, and this one seems to have sprung a small leak. Brilliant, I sigh and roll my eyes, cursing my luck. Can things possibly get any worse? I immediately turn around and knock three times on the tree trunk, something my mother taught me to do to ward off bad luck. I'm not usually superstitious, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I continue on, hoping that with time being frozen, the effects of dehydration will be delayed as well.
No such luck. Soon my head is pounding and I'm finding it hard to see straight. My tongue is a dry wad of sand in my mouth. I stumble over a tree root seemingly appearing out of nowhere, and unlike the other three times, I'm having a difficult time convincing my body to stand back up. Oh, just let them find me, I think miserably. Please, Arceus, if you're not going to help me, then just make it fast and let me die right here and now. I don't want to eat another Apple, because then I'm diminishing my food supply as well. I don't know where any water is, and even if I do there's no way that I'll be able to keep myself moving until I find it.
"Well, things are certainly looking bleak," I say aloud, shocked at how hoarse my voice is. It feels like with every word I say, that's one word scraping my throat raw. This is awful, I think simply. This is really, horribly awful.
I lie there for what feels like several "technical hours" before the sound of heavy footsteps jolt me out of me half-dead stupor. I look up to see a pair of tough, black, military-grade boots in front of me, their fronts criss-crossed with black laces and about as tall as the midway point on their wearer's shins.
The man looming over me kneels down to my level. His face is obscured by the shadows cast by his hood, which I don't quite understand. How can there be shadows when there is no light to cast them with? Then he pushes back his hood, and I gasp in shock.
The man looking down at me is in his mid-thirties, with coarse stubble on his face and a long, crimson scar slicing across the right side of his face. His icy blue eyes stare intensely into my cobalt ones, and his greasy black hair hangs limply in front of his face.
"Anima, I presume?" He asks.
"Y-yes," I stammer in shock. I didn't even make it to the Wigglytuff building, and already he's found me. Sometimes I truly cannot believe my luck.
"Celebi told me that it might be a good idea to come meet you halfway. I see you barely even made it that far," He says, and I can tell where this is going.
"My water ran out," I explain, not wanting to appear incapable of surviving out here, or anywhere, without help."I didn't want to use up all my food, and...this is the result of that," Wilbur nods, although he doesn't seem convinced. I sigh, knowing that the amount of time he's spent in the Underground is vital to knowing whether or not he sees any potential in me, dehydration or not. If he's just starting out, he won't be used to the rules I've heard about, which means that any human he comes across is a good candidate. Of course, knowing my luck, he's spent years in the rebellion and thus has seen many recruits more capable than I am. Older than I am.
He extends a leather-gloved hand towards me, and I take it, allowing him to pull me back onto my shaky feet.
"You're about to collapse," he notes dryly, and I can't help but wonder if he's just noticed the state I'm in. "Here...climb on my back," I haven't ridden on someone's back since I was five, but it's not like I have any options. I climb onto his back without any arguments, although I feel embarrassed that he thinks I can't handle everything out here.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
"The Wigglytuff building. Used to be a guild for exploration teams of the Pokemon variety, but now it's a rest stop of sorts. I didn't bring any provisions along," I am surprised by this. Why would an Underground veteran not bring any supplies if the rest stop was a day's journey away? Unless...the idea hits me. Unless it wasn't a day's journey away.
"I thought it was supposed to take a day or two," I say, and there is genuine confusion in my voice.
"Celebi underestimated your traveling capabilities," Wilbur says gruffly, stuck carrying both my weight and that of the bag slung across my back. "She assumed you were going to be petrified by fear half the time and have to eat every time your stomach growled,"
"Sounds like she severely underestimated me," I growl. "Because I'll have you know I haven't eaten any more than two Apples in the past day and a half." My stomach rumbles again, and I can tell from the shaking that follows that Wilbur has felt it through his thick cloak and is holding back laughter.
"I fail to see the humor in this," I say dryly as the Wigglytuff building comes into view.
"We'll be there in a little bit," Wilbur says. "Once we're there, you're getting all the food and water you can stomach and twice as much of than into your pack. Understood?"
"If I'm going into the Underground, doesn't it sound like a bad idea to get me used to large amounts of food that will probably never come to me?"
"Where on earth did you hear that we hardly have enough food?" Wilbur asks in surprise.
"I've been listening to the reports," I say. "You're supposed to be on your knees from hunger," Wilbur laughs. His laugh is deep and gravelly, as if his throat is lined with pebbles. I have to wrap my arms around his neck as he doubles over laughing.
"So they bought it..." He wheezes as soon as he gets his breath back. "The stupid shadowfaces have really bought it..."
"You mean the Ghost-types?" I ask.
"Yeah, exactly..." Another laughing fit catches me off guard, and I go tumbling over him and onto the ground. "Ohh, we fed them that pack of lies ages ago...but I'm surprised that they actually believed that our food supplies are close to none,"
"So you're not starving?"
"No, we typically have enough food to go around. Except when times are really tough...or tougher, rather," He reaches his hand back out to me, but this time I refuse it.
"I can handle it," I insist. "It's just up these stairs,"
"Yes, but those stairs are steeper than a Numel's backside," I've never understood that saying, and that still applies right now. But as soon as I head up the first ten steps, I see that he's right. They're difficult, much harder than the stairs humans built. But I hide my fatigue from Wilbur, determined to show him that I can handle a few stairs, even though from my perspective they seem to go up to the edges of the frozen sky. At one point I misplace my foot and teeter slightly, almost careening down the stairs. By some extraordinarily incredible miracle I manage to right myself before that can happen, and I meet Wilbur's amused glance with a mingling of determination and chagrin.
"Steven! Keith! Hit us up with some food and water!" Wilbur shouts as he heads inside, strutting in like he owns the place. He might, I think as I follow closely behind, not wanting to be on my own in a place filled with such a rough crowd.
"Sure thing, Wilbur! Oh! Is this...the Anima you were telling me about?" A man with teal blue hair replies. He has soft hazel eyes and is wearing a waiter's outfit. The man next to him looks exactly the same, except his hair is a mahogany color that I have never seen before.
"Yep. Celebi sure can pick 'em, huh?" Wilbur says sarcastically. Steven and Keith snort with laughter.
"Really! That Pokemon's a total nut!" Keith laughs. That's the last straw for me. They can pick me apart all they like; it'll hurt, but at least I can use it as motivation to outdo myself. But if they're going to start commenting on someone they know nothing about...someone who saved my life...that's a whole other card game.
"Knock it off," I whisper, finding it difficult to stand up to people twice as tall, heavy, and loud as I am. They obviously have not heard me, because they continue on with their childish remarks.
"Time Travel Pokemon, indeed! I tell ya, sometimes I wish the Sableye would catch up to her. At least then we'll stop hearing from her," Steven says, earning a "Hell, yeah!" and a slap on the shoulder from Keith.
"Knock it off," I say, louder and with a bit more venom. Wilbur casts a sideways glance at me, and I know then that he has nothing to do with what these two are doing. But then again, he isn't doing anything to stop it, either. Steven and Keith continue on making their immature comments without even noticing.
My hand dives into my pocket and I whip out a newly-acquired item that I found in Dusk Forest: a bundle of Iron Thorns. I cut myself on one of them, and from the feel of it it's pretty bad, but I pay no heed as I clamber onto a barstool and hold one out in front of me. My every word dripping with fury, I snarl, in a way that is almost comical coming out of a child's mouth,
"Are you deaf? I'll say it one more time before I forget my manners: Shut. The hell. Up." Steven and Keith look at me with a mixture of dumb amazement and fear on their faces, and suddenly, to my surprise, they start laughing.
"Wow! Got a fiery one, this time!"
"Like a Seviper! This one has quite the tongue!"
"Not always," I say, putting the Iron Thorn away and returning to my normal voice. "Just when I'm genuinely upset,"
"Well, still! What a find! Celebi knew what she was doing after all!"
"For once," I groan and wonder if I'm wasting my time with these two idiots.
"Leave Celebi alone," I say at last, struggling to keep my temper in check. "She saved my life, and I owe her for that,"
"All right, all right...so, Wilbur! What'll it be?" Steven says before addressing his friend.
"A sack of Big Apples...a dozen water bottles...Anima, pick something for the road," I look up in surprise; I haven't been expecting him to include me in the determining of our food supplies.
"Half a dozen of Oran, Pecha, Rawst, Nomel, and Cheri Berries. And a handful of Stun Seeds for defense," Keith looks at Wilbur questioningly.
"Do as she asks," He says calmly, although he seems surprised at my menu choices.
"Why the berry blend?" Steven asks, genuine curiosity in his voice. I have to say I find him much more pleasant now that he's not making snide comments about Celebi. "Do you cook?"
"Not well," I admit. "But well enough so that people don't die eating it," Steven bursts out laughing.
"May as well admit it, right?" He asks. A faint smile twitches my lips.
"Right," I say. "Although I've never really cooked on a portable burner before," I still remember my initial shock when I uncovered that unexpected find in my pack, along with a few small but functional pots, as well as some silverware from the kitchen back at home.
"First time for everything," Keith groans, handing Wilbur a large canvas bag filled with the provisions he ordered. He hands me a paper sack that I quickly tuck into my own bag. I look at the emblem emblazoned on Wilbur's bag and don't find anything about it that stands out. Wilbur obviously recognizes it, though.
"A Treasure Bag! This must've cost a fortune! Keith, how in the name of Arceus did you manage to get this?"
"I bought it off a drunken traveler who came waltzing in here. Well, I say 'bought', but..." Wilbur slaps a hand to his forehead, all traces of wonder vanishing.
"I feel bad for the Pokemon this originally belonged to," He muttered at last. "They're rare oddities nowadays,"
"Hey, you would've been falling to your knees in wonder if you saw how I snuck that thing right out from under his table! It was amazing! I was the best thief the world has ever seen! Oh, the stealth I employed...I came and went like a shadow!"
"Real modest, aren't you?" I ask sarcastically. Keith cuts off from his monologue, his face turning slightly red.
"Quiet down, there," he says at last, his ego deflating. "Where'd you get your Treasure Bag?"
"What?" I ask, looking over the bag. The emblem is gone, but now that I look at it, I can see the faint outline of where it once sat.
"I...I don't know. My father gave it to me before I ran. Dusknoir was coming, there was no time for questions,"
"D-does he know you were involved in that?" Steven stammers in a quiet voice as the door opens behind me. An oppressively dangerous tension forms in the air almost instantly, and instinct tells me who just walked through that door.
"No," I whisper back, making sure nobody but him can hear me.
"Good. Because if he knew your face, you'd be dead right now,"
"No whispering in the presence of Lord Dusknoir!" A Sableye snaps, lashing out at me. I barely dodge his attack on my ankles before another hits me from behind, leaving two long, bleeding cuts on my left cheek.
"Coward," I mutter inaudibly as the two retreat back to their ranks behind Dusknoir himself. I have seen him from a distance, but up close I can feel fear ice through my veins, stopping my blood cold.
"And what would two humans be doing with such large bags filled with supplies?" He asks himself, looking over me and Wilbur and, more importantly, our luggage.
"Just taking a trip. Is that against your master's wishes, as well?" Wilbur snaps. An odd look comes over Dusknoir, and as I watch I see a black sphere forming in his hand.
In that moment, I forget what Celebi warned me about. About not giving him a reason to make my face stand out among all the other humans he sees every day.
"Stop it!" I yell, throwing an Iron Thorn at the projectile in his hand. It pierces right through and keeps on going, slamming a good two inches into the wall behind it. The would-be Shadow Punch has been dissolved, but I get the feeling that now I'm in even more trouble than Wilbur's large mouth had gotten us into. My suspicions are confirmed as Wilbur shoots me a glance that clearly says What have you done?.
"Hmm? What have we here...?" Dusknoir asks, speaking more to himself than anybody else.
"A girl who obviously has no respect for her superiors!" A Sableye screeches in a tone of voice I never want to hear again.
"W-with all possible respect, Lord Dusknoir," I say, hating addressing him like that but knowing that if I can at least pretend to respect him then my chances of survival are sharply increased. "I just didn't believe that it was a good idea to launch an attack like that in such a...crowded area," Dusknoir seems to consider my lies. At least, that's what I hope he's considering and not how easy it will be to kill me right here and now. Or as soon as we walk out the door.
"You have a point. I will excuse this behavior for one time only, but if we meet again and your attitude has not improved, I can guarantee that you will not be walking away alive."
"Yessir," I say, hopping down from my stool. The Sableye seem to flinch forwards a bit, as if suppressing the urge to attack. Wilbur follows me as I lead the way out of the rest stop, watching the Ghost-types out of the corners of my eyes the whole time.
"Well...that was close." Wilbur says as we head down the stairs. I take a long drink of water from one of the water bottles.
"Yeah, it was," I reply.
"I'm surprised that that actually worked...no offense,"
"None taken. I didn't think he'd buy it, either," I pause for a moment before continuing, in a quiet voice that he can barely hear, "So...where's the actual Underground?"
"I'm going to tell you something, Anima, before I take you there," Wilbur says, kneeling down to my eye level. "At first, I wasn't sure that I was going to recommend you to be a member, simply because you almost dehydrated yourself. You've managed to change my mind, but I'm just warning you that the rest of the Council, the head honchos of the Underground; are extremely picky. If you can't get at least four of the others to support you, then I'm afraid that you'll be on your own. Do you understand?" I am shocked, to say the least. I had no idea the joining process was that...difficult. After all, hadn't I heard much differently? Or was that a lie, too?
"I understand," I say at last. "Now...can we please go now?" Wilbur chuckles.
"I don't think you have much to worry about...as for where we're going, it's not too far from here,"
"Where is 'here'?"
"In the past, it used to be called 'Treasure Town'. It was a gathering place for explorers. Where we're heading is a place formerly known as Mt. Bristle. We've built an entire structure straight down into the ground; it's at least sixty feet straight down...don't ask how we managed that one, because I still can't figure it out," I nod, although the only ways that I can imagine to build a base deep inside a mountain revolve around explosives or Pokemon. Another part of my mind is focusing on another thought entirely; how Wilbur can talk about the Underground as if it is a hive mind. All these "we"s are beginning to annoy me, and I sincerely hope that I don't start talking like that, too.
"To Mount Bristle, then," I say, because I feel like I need to say something. Wilbur doesn't seem to hear me; he is preoccupied with a building resembling a Duskull.
"This is where exploration teams stashed their Poke," He explains. "It's still a valid currency, and if you can manage to get ahold of a bunch..." He looks into a vault that has been left opened and sighs. "Nothing in that one. I can't figure out how to open the rest of them, but I'm sure there's a ton inside," I look over the locking mechanisms. They're more complex than what I would have expected, but I'm still convinced that I can manage to pop one open.
"Watch my back for me," I say, digging around in my pockets for any junk that may prove useful. Nothing except a few Iron Thorns, which probably are too thick. I groan and fall backwards into the counter, where an audible bang is heard. I must have bumped something, and as I slide it out I find out what.
It is a simple wooden box, but inside is something much more valuable; a skeleton key to the vaults. I let out a little chuckle of excitement as I slide the key into a vault and pull open the door. Inside is a bunch of golden coins stacked up on each other and gleaming. Well, almost gleaming, because without light they cannot truly glitter like this.
"Nice job," Wilbur whispers, and I can tell he's impressed. "Find something to carry it in, and let's go," Something to carry it in. Why didn't I think of that before I opened it up? I shake my head slowly. Sometimes my lack of common sense shocks me.
After a bit of more digging around, I find a few small cloth pouches that will certainly do. It takes six pouches to fit all of the coins inside the vault, but I know when I'm done that I have hoarded close to nine thousand Poke from a single vault. Closing the vault back up, I slide the key into my pocket in case I have to return. Besides, nobody else really knows that there is still money to be gathered, and in case I'm having trouble an extra amount of cash will be good to have nearby.
"Anima, I must say that you astound me," Wilbur says as I climb back over the counter. "But what are you going to do with all that?"
"If the Underground happens to be having financial troubles, and I show up with a bunch of Poke..." I begin, but have to stop because Wilbur is laughing. It is almost silent, but quite heartily, and he is left gasping for breath when he is finally finished.
"Here we have a small, unnoticeable girl who has room to learn, stealth and independence galore, the ability to lie to Dusknoir and get away with it, and 9000 Poke in her bag. How can the Council possibly refuse?"