DISCLAIMER: Does anyone honestly come to this website looking for content made by the people who own the intellectual property in question?

Chapter 10: Plus or Minus

"Plah? Plaplah?" squeaked the Plusle in the cage.

Rui didn't reply. She was too busy trying to cut the ropes without removing her fingers, which was a bit harder than it might sound.

She twisted around the scissor-like wire cutters she'd found in the toolbox, trying to line them up with the bonds. Finally, she managed to do so, only to realize that she couldn't reach the handles from that position.

This may be a little harder than I thought.

Footsteps. Far away, on stone. But getting closer. Fast.

Rui twisted her wrists again, finally getting the wire cutters into a position that could work. In a few more seconds, her hands were free. Again.

This time, I am not being recaptured.

The footsteps grew louder as Rui ripped open the knots around her ankles. She quickly stood up and then nearly fell over, steadying herself on the table.

"You silly boy." A female voice echoed from the chamber beyond, where Mysterious Breloom Guy had been.

There was laughter. Rui started looking for a weapon.

"Did you honestly think you could take on Miror B. with such pathetic pokémon?" said another, similar, female voice, which was definitely getting closer.

Rui glanced at the Plusle in the cage, but it was sealed with a padlock, and there didn't seem to be any way to open it.

"You just wait! I'll run all of you out of town!"

A different voice. Male. Sounded kind of young. Probably not friends with the other two voices.

"Ahahaha! Of course you will!"

They were almost there. Quickly, Rui reached into the toolbox, grabbed a wrench, and she slipped across the room towards the door. She almost collapsed again.

If this comes down to a fight that lasts more than three seconds, I am doomed.

Luckily, whoever she would have to fight would have to walk past her before they saw her, and she could take them from behind.

And they probably don't know I've escaped yet.

The Plusle was standing up in its cage and staring at Rui, puzzled.

"Plah! Plaaah!"

Rui winced and really hoped that wouldn't give her away. Three people came into view, one, a young man with silver hair being dragged by the other two, both women, one red hair, one purple.

"Shut up, you little electric vermin" spat the purple-haired woman to the Plusle, which pouted indignantly, but seemed to realize that further protest would lead nowhere.

They still hadn't seen her. Rui started moving towards them, as quietly as she could, her wrench raised.

The red-haired woman turned to her captive.

"Hey little boy, Miror B. has a message he'd like to give to Duking. You'll deliver it, won't you?"

"I'll never do anything for you!" shouted the silver-haired guy, whose hands and feet were bound similar to how Rui's had been.

The two women laughed and dumped him on the floor in front of them.

"Here it is" said Red-hair.

She reached for a pokéball. Rui knew that one pokémon on the opposing side would mean defeat and recapture for her. She raised her wrench above Red-hair's head.

Purple-hair seemed to have noticed the cut rope under the table.

"Hey, Reath? Didn't Folly and Trudly leave that girl in here?"

Purple-hair whirled around as Rui answered her question with a wrench to Red-hair's head. She collapsed. The Plusle in the cage cheered.

"Reath!" shouted Purple-hair as she reached for her own pokéballs. Rui lunged and swung at her, but missed, the unwieldy wrench swinging to the side and throwing Rui even more off balance than she was.

"Not today, sweetie" said Purple-hair as she struck Rui in the jaw with a backhand strike, sending her tumbling to the floor and causing her to drop the wrench, which slid out of reach. Rui's head slammed into the hard floor for the third time that day (assuming it was still the same day).

Purple-hair smiled.

"Kind of feisty, aren't you?"

Rui tried to get up and clear the spots from her eyes.

Focus! Get it together!

The most-definitely-not-her-natural-hair-color minion sighed.

"Unfortunately, you hurt Reath. I can't let you get away with that."

Purple-hair held up a pokéball and prepared to throw it.

"No!" cried the silver-haired boy on the ground. He lashed out with his still-bound feet, knocking Purple-hair's legs out from under her, causing her to pitch forward, dropping her pokéball.

Purple-hair landed on her stomach and immediately started to get to her knees.

Rui kicked her in the face as hard as she could.

"Ow!" screamed the minion, clutching her nose. Silver-hair lept at her as well as he could, with his arms and legs still tied together.

Rui started to try and get up again, but she was still too weak.

"Pla! Plaaplah!" cried the Plusle in the cage as it did what looked like a little dance with what space it had. Rui could swear it was glowing, and for a second, she thought she was too. She wrote it off as hallucination due to repeated concussions.

Suddenly, Rui found her strength returning. Unsure as to why, but not willing to waste the chance, Rui stumbled to her knees, then back to her feet. Unsteady, she grabbed the table for support.

Purple-hair threw Silver-hair off and stood up as well. But Rui used her new found strength to charge, slamming into her opponent with as much force as she could muster.

Purple-hair fell back in surprise, but recovered fast as she kicked Rui in the stomach.

Rui fell back to the ground, yet again. Purple-hair stumbled a bit, but caught herself by grabbing the bars of the cage.

The bars of a metal cage with a very irritated electric-type pokémon inside it.

"Plaa...suuuuule!"

Purple-hair wasn't even able to scream as electricity traveled through the bars to her hand to the rest of her body. For a second after it ended, she just stood there.

Then, she joined her friend Red-hair on the ground, unconscious.

So, here's another chapter. I'm sorry it's been so long. I've been distracted and unproductive and so forth.

We're finally back to Rui's part of the adventure. And the first person who can say who this silver-haired guy is gets five dollars. Five Zimbabwean dollars, which have an exchange value of around 300,000,000,000 Z$ per US$, but still.

I actually think I'll send in more chapters soon. I've got a 3-day weekend due to President's Day.

Until next time!