Chapter 10: Kidnapping Sandra
The next morning, Loudred's bellow snapped Team Legend awake and made them leave their cozy room to do their cheers. Once that was done, Joy turned and walked back into their room…only to be stopped by Carlos grabbing her tail.
"What is it, Carlos?" she asked.
"I have to tell you something tonight. Don't forget to remind me, okay?" Carlos said.
"Sure," the Raichu nodded. "I'll remember! Do well on today's mission, guys!"
Carlos nodded and let go of Joy's tail, watching as she hopped back to their room to take care of the egg. Turning, he and his friends faced Chatot as he approached them. "What's today's mission?" Carlos asked.
"I see Joy isn't with you. Taking care of the egg, I assume." Chatot noted. "Anyway, your mission today is to escort a Nidorina to the fifth floor of Drenched Bluff to meet her lover, Nidorino. This mission is 20 points, which will put you at 95 points total."
"Right! Let's do this, guys!" Carlos cried.
Team Legend left the Guild and headed to Treasure Town to prepare for their first escort mission. Once they were ready, the trio headed to the crossroads and met Nidorina. She was overjoyed to see them and thanked them for agreeing to complete her request. After she was through hugging them, they set off for Drenched Bluff.
While they wandered through the first floor of the mystery dungeon, Carlos decided to bring up the subject of telling Joy about his true identity to Sandra. "Do you think it's a good idea to tell her? You know, about the whole human thing."
"Why not? She's our teammate. If we didn't tell her, it'd be like we didn't trust her." Sandra reasoned. "If she really cares about us, she'll still treat us the same despite that fact. Don't you think so, Carlos?"
Unaware to the group, the ghostly figure from the previous night was silently following them. Come on, come on! Which one of you is human? It can't be the Raichu, if what they're saying is true. Which is it?
"But what if she doesn't treat us the same, Sandra?" Carlos asked. "What then?"
"Well…I don't know." Sandra muttered. "How would you react if I told you I was human, Carlos?"
The Ghost-type Pokemon froze and slowly smirked. It's the Eevee! The Eevee is the human! I can't believe it! Now to lure her away from her friends… He phased through the wall behind him to set his plan in motion.
"Hey, there's the stairs!" Nidorina cried. "I'm one step closer to you, my love!"
The four Pokemon climbed up the stairs and were instantly forced to battle two Lileep. Sandra tackled them both and Nidorina tossed in a Scratch, knocking them out. As they continued along the second floor, Lucar used Force Palm to knock out an Anorith lurking in the water nearby and Carlos electrocuted a pair of Shellos. Upon finding the stairs, Nidorina scratched a Chingling that tried to jump Carlos from behind, knocking it out.
"Hey, even girls need to fight." Nidorina giggled.
"Yeah," Sandra nodded.
Reaching the third floor, Team Legend took out a Shellos and an Anorith immediately. Halfway through the floor, a Lileep managed to nearly knock Nidorina out and Lucar used up their last Sleep Seed in a last-ditch effort to escape. Once they got away, Sandra gave the Poison-type one of their Oran Berries to heal herself with.
The moment they set foot on the fourth floor, disaster struck. They ended up in a big room that had three Shellos, one Chingling, and two Lileep in it. As they battled their way through the enemy Pokemon, a Lileep shoved Sandra into the water. It wasn't until the fight was over that Team Legend noticed they were down one teammate.
"Sandra? Where is she?" Carlos asked.
"I can't sense her aura nearby. She must be at least on the other side of the mystery dungeon." Lucar said. "We should search for the stairs. We'll be reunited then."
"Okay!" the Pikachu nodded. Sandra, please be okay! We'll be there soon!
On the other side of the fourth floor…
Sandra coughed, the air racing out of her lungs as she sank in the water. Her body had locked up, preventing her from escaping her watery prison. She felt like screaming but held it in. Now what? How did this happen? Am I going to die? Carlos isn't here to help me this time! Someone…help!
A black hand suddenly plunged under the water and grabbed her paw, hauling her out of the water. The moment she touched the ground, the Eevee coughed out all of the water and gasped for air. She put as much distance between herself and the water as she could.
"Are you okay?" a voice asked.
"Y-Yeah," Sandra nodded, coughing. "Thanks for t-the help."
"No problem."
Sandra finally looked up to see a strange marionette-like Pokemon standing before her. A yellow zipper-like mouth was pulled into a smile as large red eyes watched her. It took her a second to recognize the species. It was a Banette.
"W-Why did you…help me?" Sandra asked.
/As I'm sure you all know, Banette are the spirits that live within abandoned marionettes and haunt the ones who abandoned them. They live in dark, cold places where few dare to venture, even the bravest. You can understand why I was so confused to see one at Drenched Bluff, let alone why he was there in the first place./
"Isn't it polite for a man to help a lady in need?" the Banette asked. "You needed help, so I helped you. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I need to find my friends. They're a Pikachu, a Riolu, and a Nidorina. Can you help me find them?" Sandra asked.
"Hmmm…I know the best way. They'll be up at the next floor soon, right? Why don't we wait for them there?" the Banette said.
"Huh?"
The Banette suddenly began floating up to the ceiling, bring Sandra with him. The Eevee instantly panicked, kicking outwards and yelping. Her cries were muffled when she and the Banette went through the ceiling…
Near the stairway on the fourth floor…
Carlos and Lucar panted for breath as they reached the stairway. "We looked…everywhere for her…" Carlos panted. "Where could…she be?"
"Let's just…go upstairs," Lucar suggested. "We'll find…her then…"
"Sure," the Pikachu nodded.
With Nidorina in the lead, the trio climbed the stairs and reached the fifth floor. Waiting for a moment, Carlos put on a smile for when Sandra appeared. After nearly five minutes passed, the smiled faded. Carlos began to get a bad feeling.
"Lucar, where's Sandra?" Carlos asked.
"She should be here." Lucar replied. "If she got defeated, we would've all been thrown out of the dungeon."
"Maybe she got lost." Nidorina suggested. "We'll find her soon. My love is waiting for me."
With a heavy heart, Lucar agreed. "We'll find her once our mission is complete, Carlos. Let's go."
"…Okay," the Pikachu muttered.
The trio wandered through the fifth floor in search of Nidorino, keeping a constant eye out for their wayward companion. But the Eevee was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, Nidorina squealed with joy as her lover came into sight and ran into his arms. As the couple hugged and kissed, Carlos wandered away to search for Sandra.
"Mission 1 completed!" Lucar said, watching as the duo vanished in a flash of light. Turning, the Riolu ran after his leader. "I'm sure she's here somewhere, Carlos. Should we split up?"
"No," Carlos shook his head. "We stay together."
"Okay," Lucar nodded. He's afraid I'll get lost, too, Lucar realized. Oh, Sandra. Where are you?
"Carlos! Lucar!" Sandra's voice cried.
"Sandra! We're coming!" Carlos shouted, taking off in the direction of her voice.
"Wait up!" Lucar was on his heels, using his aura to locate the Eevee. He found her, but he also found a dark aura with her. "There's somebody with her, Carlos!"
"Is it Thrax?" Carlos asked.
"No, it's too weak to be him! It's somebody else…but that doesn't mean they're not dangerous!" Lucar warned.
"If we need to fight, we'll fight!" Carlos said.
The duo entered a large room and spotted Sandra standing near the center of it, happy to see them. Standing beside her was a Banette, who was eyeing them suspiciously. Sandra bounded away from him and into Carlos' arms.
"Carlos! You're okay!" she cried.
"Are you okay? Sandra, I'm so sorry!" Carlos apologized. "I didn't even know you were missing until the fight was over!"
Sandra? The Banette thought. That's the name of Lune's little sister. Could it be…?
Suddenly, Lucar sensed an Anorith attacking from behind. Turning, he prepared a Force Palm…only to have a ball of black energy beat him to it and knock the Anorith unconscious. Lucar turned and realized where the attack came from: the Banette!
"Shadow Ball is a great TM move, isn't it?" the Banette chuckled. "Little Eevee, would you happen to be the younger sister of Lune?"
"Yeah, that's me! Why?" Sandra asked.
Bingo, the Banette thought. "Your sister sent me to fetch you."
"But…my sister went missing." Sandra muttered.
"She did? I happen to know where she is," the Banette said. "I'm an old friend of hers and she sent me to bring you to her. She has something very important to tell you."
"What is it?" Sandra asked.
"I don't know. I'm just the messenger. Will you come with me…or not?" the Banette questioned.
As Sandra stepped forward, Lucar held out a paw to stop her. "How do we know you're not lying?" he demanded. "Your aura doesn't seem very trustworthy to me."
"Oh, that's the thing about Ghost-type Pokemon's aura. It never seems trustworthy to your aura-sensors. Those Gastly and Misdreavus have left horrible stereotypes on all of us Ghost-type Pokemon. It isn't very fair to most of us," the Banette said.
"Well…" Lucar couldn't help but feel sorry for the Banette. "Okay,"
"You tell your sister 'hi' for us, okay?" Carlos asked.
"Don't worry, guys! I will!" Sandra promised. I can't believe it! My big sis is okay! I'm going to see her again! "Okay, Mr. Banette. I'm ready."
"Good," the Banette said. "Hang on to me tight, okay? Wouldn't want you slipping and falling when we leave, right?"
"Yeah!" Sandra gripped his arm tightly.
"Here we go!" the Banette cried.
The Banette soon phased through the floor, bringing Sandra with him. He gave Lucar and Carlos one final smirk before he vanished. Taking out their badges, Lucar and Carlos teleported back to the Guild…without Sandra.
After they untangled themselves, Carlos and Lucar received a Pecha Scarf and 500 poke from their clients. Once Nidorina and Nidorino left, Chatot came up to them. Almost immediately, he noticed Sandra's absence.
"Where's Sandra?" Chatot asked.
"A Banette saying he was a friend of Lune's came and took her to where Lune's team was located. He said Lune has something very important to tell Sandra." Lucar replied.
"My, that's odd. I never knew that Lune had any Ghost-type friends." Chatot muttered. "Well, at least we know she's safe. So, Team Yami-Hikari is no longer missing? Where are they?"
"I don't know. That Banette never told us where he was taking Sandra." Carlos said.
"Oh…" Chatot sighed. "Well, dinner should be done soon. You two better check up on Joy. I haven't seen her all day."
"Right," Carlos nodded.
Carlos and Lucar headed downstairs and through the hall until they reached their room. Stepping inside, Carlos was relieved to see Joy humming softly as she held the egg. Hearing them enter, Joy opened her eyes and smiled at them.
"Hey, guys! You're back already? Where's Sandra?" Joy asked.
"A Banette that's friends with her older sister came and took her to Team Yami-Hikari's location." Carlos replied.
'You mean they're back?" the Raichu asked.
"I guess so," Carlos said, sitting in his bed. "I'm glad for Sandra. Her older sister is safe."
"Still…" Lucar sat down in his bed, too. "Something doesn't seem right about this. Chatot mentioned Lune not having any Ghost-type friends. And that Banette didn't seem to know that Team Yami-Hikari was missing. Isn't that odd?"
"Maybe you're thinking too deep into this, Lucar. That guy didn't seem too bad." Carlos said.
"Neither did Drowzee," the Riolu growled.
Carlos flinched. Lucar's right. Drowzee didn't seem all that bad until I got those visions. Then we saw his true colors at Mt. Bristle. What if this is the same thing?
Lucar suddenly stood up. "I'm going upstairs for a moment. I'll be back!" Turning, he ran down the hall and out of sight.
"My, you guys had a busy day today. I missed all the fun." Joy sighed.
"Um…Joy, I have something to tell you. How would you react if I told you I wasn't really a Pikachu?" Carlos asked nervously.
"Well, I'd say you're pulling my leg. You look like a normal Pikachu to me." Joy said.
"But what if I wasn't? What if I was turned into a Pikachu, but I was something else before?" Carlos questioned.
"…Carlos, now you're scaring me. What is it?" Joy demanded.
"I'm…I'm not really a Pikachu. I'm a—"
"Carlos! I was right!" Lucar shouted, bursting into the room. He shoved a piece of paper into the Pikachu's arms. "I was right, Carlos! That guy isn't Lune's friend! He's a criminal!"
"Huh?!" Carlos yelped.
Carlos looked at the piece of paper and gasped. The Banette's face was on it! Skipping past his bounty, Carlos read through the Ghost-type's previous crimes. Thievery, kidnapping, violent attacks… Carlos' heart stopped on the last one.
"Carlos, what's wrong?" Joy whimpered.
"This guy…he's wanted for murder!" Carlos cried.
"What?!" Lucar yelped. "I should've asked Bidoof what this guy's crimes were before I took off! Stupid, stupid me!"
"It's not your fault, Lucar!" Carlos said. "There's nothing we can do tonight. He's after Sandra for something or else he wouldn't have put on that show for us. We'll look for her tomorrow, okay?"
"I'll come, too!" Joy volunteered.
"No!" Carlos argued. "You have to take care of the egg, Joy. Lucar and I will handle this. We'll get Sandra back no matter what, I promise!"
"Carlos…" Joy felt tears sting her eyes. "…Okay. Just please be careful, you two."
"We will," Lucar promised.
"Let's get some sleep, guys. We have a long day tomorrow." Carlos muttered.
Team Legend got very little sleep that night. The silent threat of Sandra's possible death hung over them, making sleep nearly impossible. After a ton of tossing and turning hours later, they finally fell asleep. But nothing could prepare Carlos for the nightmares he had that night.
/Keep that murder in mind, would you? It becomes very important soon. This Banette will end up helping us into understanding why criminals do things and that mistakes can truly tear lives apart. It's actually scary how many Pokemon we meet who have similar problems to this guy./
Near the bottom of Deep Spacial Rift…
"Are we there yet, Mr. Banette?" Sandra asked. "I'm tired."
"Almost, but I guess we can rest here." The Banette sat down and sighed. This place should be perfect. I just hope the boss gets here soon. But I wonder…how did a human end up in our world? I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Hey, how did you…?"
Sandra had already fallen asleep. Groaning, the Banette leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. Never mind. I'll ask her tomorrow, he decided. Sighing, he slowly fell asleep despite the roars of wild Pokemon in the high-level mystery dungeon.
