My thanks to Dark Angel of the Underworld and QUEEN EEVEE PRINCESS PIKACHU for making me update. Sorry for the wait, guys.
Wes crept out of his hiding place hours later, slightly stiff. He hadn't meant to, but he had fallen asleep. Silently, he berated himself. Sleep was something you did when you were safe and secure.
Hiding from a homicidal Gonzap in a dumpster didn't exactly fall into that category.
Despite that, the rest had been something Wes had needed, and he was feeling much better now. Gonzap, Venus, and Miror B. seemed to have given up on him—their van was nowhere in sight—so he deemed it safe to slip out of the alleyway.
His senses on high alert, Wes started for the entrance of Pyrite. Just because Gonzap was gone didn't mean he had sent in a few Grunts to keep watch. As long as they didn't jump him, Wes was confident he could deal with them. If they were actually here.
Wes reached down to the two Pokeballs on his belt beneath the red coat, drawing the one that contained Espeon. He released the lavender Pokemon, managing a brief, small grin when the Pokemon rubbed against him in relief.
He squatted down next to Espeon, putting a hand on the Pokemon's back. "You know what I need you to do."
He had been working with Espeon for some side-abilities; apart from the battle-moves and attacks. No one had ever tried it before, but Wes had done loads of things other people had never done before or were too afraid to try.
There had been mixed success, but he they had succeeded in accomplishing something that was similar to Teleport.
Espeon sat down beside him, the red gem on his forehead gleaming brightly. The familiar blue glow of the psychic powers the Pokemon possessed sprung up around them both as Espeon concentrated his power.
The entrance to Pyrite was suddenly empty.
…………………………………………………
Back at the Shadow Pokemon Lab, Shady dumped the still-sleeping redhead in front of Ein and Gonzap unceremoniously, looking up to give them a bored look.
"You told me to hurry it up," he said flatly, "So here I am. With the girl."
Gonzap laughed, throwing back his head. "Perfect! She'll wake up and see you working for me, and—"
"Just find a place to put her," Ein interrupted, turning back to his computer. "Preferably in the old Shadow Pokemon cages. I have enough clutter in here with you idiots around, and I don't need more."
"Wes will come running when he finds out we have the girl," Gonzap hissed, looking the happiest he had been since he had been able to nearly tear Wes apart, "He'll be easy!"
Shady just grabbed one of the unconscious girl's arms and dragged her from the room, leaving Gonzap crowing in triumph and a seriously annoyed Ein.
"Alright!" snapped Ein, turning around again a few minutes after Shady had left. "Get out of here and prepare yourself! You know Wes the best out of all of us—he'll be looking for any loophole we might have left open. If you're going to blackmail him, do it properly."
Gonzap grinned wildly. "Oh, I have the perfect way of going about this. The little shit won't be able to refuse."
"That would be the point," grumbled Ein as Gonzap left the room, nearly putting a dent through the wall with a fist from his excitement. "Idiot."
………………………………………………
May and Brenden were sitting on the front steps of Rui's porch, slowing growing more and more worried as no one showed up. May was on the verge of contacting whatever police Orre might have—despite Brenden's pleadings not to—when Wes showed up.
"Wes!" May leapt to her feet, running up to him as he appeared very suddenly in the driveway, Espeon at his side. "Where have you been! Where's Rui?"
Wes gave her a sharp look. "Where's Rui?" Espeon gave a soft hiss.
Brenden joined them, looking bemused. "We figured she was with you. Guess not. What's with the red coat?"
Wes turned away briefly to hide his frustration. They were too late. Espeon gave a low growl.
"Wes…?"
He turned around to face the two Trainers from Hoenn calmly. "The person you rescued from the lab wasn't me."
"What do you mean?" May asked, though she sounded slightly nervous. "Of course it was you."
Wes swallowed his impatience. "No it wasn't. It was this guy Shady…He looks exactly like me—I don't know how or why. But they traded him with me." He motioned to his red coat. "This coat is his. He's got my blue one."
May looked worried. "But…then…"
"We left Shady with Rui," Brenden, growing slightly pale, "Last night. Rui thought he was you, too. And now she's missing."
"I bet I know where she is," Wes said grimly, turning away and starting down the driveway. "Come on, Espeon."
"Wait!" called May as Espeon bounded after his master, "We want to come too! They seem intent on taking you out. We can help you. And Rui's my friend—I'm not going to leave her to some gang of criminals!"
"Suit yourself," Wes said, his tone growing slightly cold. "But this isn't going to be pretty."
"We're here to help, dude," Brenden said as he and May came to a stop next to Wes. "In whatever way we can."
Wes just nodded. It was good that they wanted to help, but he had a feeling in his gut that this wasn't going to end with the happy ending the two Hoenn Trainers seemed to have in mind.
He looked down at Espeon. "You know where we're going," he told the little Pokemon as the blue glow enveloped them, "Back to the Shadow Pokemon Lab."
……………………………………………
Rui stirred, her consciousness slowly drifting back. Her arms and legs all felt heavy, as if they were being weighed down by some invisible force, besides gravity. Her eyelids were heavy, too, and her head hurt. She laid still, trying to remember what had happened while she took in her surroundings sleepily.
She was lying in one of the thick-glass cages she remebered that used to hold Shadow Pokemon. So she was in the old lab...
And suddenly, memory hit her. She had been at a restaurant, happy and content. She had been with Wes. Everything had been going well; he and May had been safely rescued from the Shadow Pokemon Lab and no one was hurt.
But then...Wes had led her out of the restaurant, and into a gloomy alley. She had been a little nervous about what exactly he was doing, but she trusted him completely—Wes was her hero, anyway. But then he had called out a Venusaur, and had ordered it to attack her! And now she was trapped in the Shadow Pokemon Lab, all alone...
Rui's eyes threatened to water. Why had Wes done this to her? She was his best friend, his partner. She thought he liked her. And where had he gotten that Venusaur? Had he Snagged it from someone? She hadn't had enough time back in the alley to examine the Pokmeon's aura—there was a chance that it was a Shadow Pokemon. But why would Wes have it attack her?
Her heart sank. What if it hadn't been a Shadow Pokemon, and Wes had Snagged it from an innocent Trainer?
Had Wes returned to his old Snagger ways?
……………………………………………
Shady lounged back in Ein's chair near the computer lazily, watching as the genius scientist worked quickly to put together some sort of tranquilizer—according to Ein, Wes should be arriving at the lab any time in pursuit of the redhead, and it was vital that he was quickly "taken care of" for everything to go smoothly.
"So why is this brat so important?" rumbled Dakim from his position across the room, standing with his arms folded. "Why can't I just rip him apart?"
"Because he knows where our last portable Snag Machine is," Ein replied absently, carefully measuring out three drops of some sort of green-looking liquid into the vial he was using for the tranquilizer. "That machine is Cipher's property and Master Evice would like it back."
"Why not just make another one, Ein?" Venus asked coyly, batting her eyelashes. She was nearby, watching Ein with rapt attention.
At first Ein didn't answer. It was true that it would have been much easier to just construct an entirely brand-new Snag Machine: it would have been faster and much less of a hassle. But what Master Evice wanted, he would surely get...
"Master Evice demands that we get the one the little brat has hidden," he answered at last, stirring the contents of his vial briefly. "And Master Evice wantsWes to make a special Snag for him. I will admit that Wes has the skill that will be needed in order to Snag the Pokemon Master Evice desires. Was he not the best of Gonzap's Team?"
"What's the Snag?" Shady asked, ignoring the question.
"Even I haven't been given all the details," Ein answered icily. Their questions were distracting. "Master Nascour has only told me to have my Shadow Pokemon devices ready—whatever Pokemon Wes is to Snag will be made into a Shadow Pokemon."
The door slid open and Miror B. leapt into the room, his afro bobbing wildly. "Our little darling is here!" he announced with gutso. "He's just triggered the sensors at the entrance!"
Shady pushed himself to his feet, stretching.
"The rest of you move into position," Ein snapped, adding one last ingredient to his vial. "You know what has to happen. I'll be ready in a few moments."
"Oh, the musicshall play on!" Miror B. clapped his handsand then twirled out of the room, nearly clubbing Venus with his afro as she followed him out. Dakim shuffled out, bending slightly in order to fit under the doorway, followed closely by Shady.
Ein stirred his vial one last time, before carefully pouring the contents into the waiting doctor's shot he had lying out on the counter. He slipped the shot into one of his labcoat pockets, setting the now empty vial down. Wes needed to be contained before he reached the girl, so Shady could do his final act.
Once Dakim had Wes down, Ein could slip the needle into the boy's arm, with a most satisfying result...
He hurried out the door, footsteps echoing off the halls as he went to join Dakim. It wasjust a matter of time, now.
……………………………………………
Wes and Espeon appeared right outside the entrance of the lab, along with Brenden and May. As always, the entrance was silent and unguarded. Espeon sagged slightly, tired from the use of his psychic powers. Wes gave his friend a little pat of thanks, before returning the little Pokemon to hisPokeball for a rest.
He glanced at the two Hoenn Trainers. Their faces were set with determination as they waited to follow Wes's lead. They were ready.
Wes took in a breath, and then headed into the lab. The Shadow Pokemon Lab; a place where he had once promised himself that he would never return to.
Only for Rui, he thought grimly as they stepped inside; out of the heat of the desert and into the cold air conditioning. Only for Rui.