Chapter 10
~third person~
"The name's Lance." he jumped down from his perch atop the cave, no longer hiding his identity in the shadows of the night, cape fluttering majestically behind. He then landed to shake both of their hands. "Are you two the top apprentices of Clair?"
"No," interjected Clair, somewhat bewildered. "They're trainers that I met the other day- Jimmy and Marina. They were supposed to stay back at the gym, but I guess they wanted to come along for the ride."
Marina stood speechless, as she had finally met her long-admired hero: the one she had looked up to since she was a slip of a girl.
"This is a serious matter," Lance tensed, no longer reflecting a welcoming demeanor, but instead raising his voice. "If anyone else were to get involved in this, they could end up never seeing the night again." He pried into them with his fierce hazel eyes, and after a moment of silence, relieved his tension with a sigh. "I don't blame you. When I was your age, I too starved for adventure; it was this that built me into the man I am today."
"You were more of a rebel than an adventurer," remarked Clair.
Lance made a slight wink at his cousin, then became solemn again. "I'm not entirely sure if I can ask you to get involved with this, but we don't have much time. I need all of the help I can get."
"What's going on?" pressed Jimmy.
"An unknown entity has planted sticky-bombs throughout the Dragon's den."
"What?!" gasped Marina.
"Yes," said Lance. He pulled out a hand held apparatus that blinked an electric green light. "The bombs are configured to set off at 12:00 AM. It is 9:45 now. We need to work very carefully without rush."
"Wouldn't it make more sense to get in there quickly, detach the bombs, and get out of there as fast as possible?" asked Jimmy.
"There's more to it," continued Lance. "According to this, the bombs are also programed to set off when detecting sudden movements. This means that detaching the bombs will require us to have keen stealth and deft touches. We're not entirely safe until we exeunt with all of the bombs terminated and limbs still intact."
"I see," replied Jimmy
"The sacred Dragon's Den has populated hundreds of Pokemon for over 3,000 years."
"That's right, Clair." nodded Lance. "Eradication of the Dragon's Den is not admissible, neither is that of the pokemon who inhabit it."
"So what's the plan?" asked Jimmy.
"We need to split up. Marina, you go with Clair to the eastern wing."
"Alright!" agreed Marina. "Sounds good."
"Jimmy, you'll be coming with me. We will enter the west wing."
"Gotcha!" concurred Jimmy. "How do we deactivate the bombs?"
"There's a switch on the back of each that stops it from blowing up at its set time."
"That doesn't sound so hard."
"Wrong," said Lance to Jimmy. "Unfortunately, the bombs are still explosive when they detect swift motion, that is, until all 14 of them are deactivated."
"We should get started," announced Clair as she headed off to the east-wing entrance. Marina followed swiftly behind.
"Are you prepared for this?" asked Lance.
"As prepared as I'll ever be." responded Jimmy.