Chapter 28: Five Yards

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Cenric managed to convince the guard to let him take the window seat by vomiting on his shoe. After all, there was no way he could escape from a car moving at 50mph when he was handcuffed.

Through the dark, tinted windows he watched the pines blur past as the car took the mountain road's curves. His guards, occupying every seat in the car save the one he sat in himself, stayed silent so only the hum of the engine, faint AC, and the sound of rocks being crushed be the tires beneath them filled the emptiness.

These grunts were smarter than his previous guards. The Commander had taken care of those idiots after his last escape attempt, replacing them with his current set. Still, they underestimated him. Trying to look casual, Cenric twisted his body so his back, and by extension the hands cuffed behind it, were facing the door, allowing him to feel around without the guards seeing.

The grunts didn't even have pokémon on them. Did she really think she'd broken him that far? Well, she was wrong. Dead wrong. Cenric felt the door lock, wrapping his fingers around it. He burst into a fit of fake coughs, using the noise as a mask for him pulled at the lock. He felt it click open.

The Reliance recoiled at his spray of saliva, prodding him in the shoulder with their batons. The grunt driving the car watched Cenric through the mirror, and he froze. They hit a pothole and his attention returned to the winding road. Cenric took a deep breath, playing with the door handle.

Here it was. A curve coming up and he'd be on the inside of it. Do or die.

The driving Reliance grunt cranked the wheel, slowing to take the curve. Cenric wrapped his hands around the door handle and threw his entire weight against it. He flew out of the vehicle, hanging in midair for a moment in time before smashing into the dirt road. He rolled to a stop, panting heavily as his body tried to catch up with his mind.

He didn't feel any pain. That wasn't a good sign. He heard tires screech and knew he didn't have time to question this blessing in disguise. Pushing himself to his feet, he sprinted off the road and tore through the forest. He heard the grunts shouting close behind, but the only thing that filled his mind was "run".

He spotted roofs in the distance and ran faster. Faster than his abused body ought to be able to go. He didn't feel his breaking legs or bleeding stomach or the branches as they slapped and tore at him as they passed. All he could feel was his heart beat raging against his chest, screaming "faster" "faster".

Cenric broke through the trees to find himself in a calm town, but the grunts behind him were gaining. He had to find a place to lose them! The corner of a warehouse poked through the trees and he veered towards it. Arceus, where were Hilton and Noël? They said they'd be here right? Where were they?

He grabbed the doorknob, trying to yank the door open, but it was jammed. The grunt's shouting was getting louder. He took several steps back and ran forward, throwing his shoulder against the metal door. It gave beneath him, swinging inwards as Cenric stumbled inside, trying to catch his balance. Having difficulty adjusted to the lower light levels, Cenric paused, heart still racing.

Silence filled the hot, empty warehouse, creeping around the tall towers of crates and palettes. The sound of Cenric's own breathing sounded deafening, but he knew that wouldn't last. He kicked the door closed behind him, hoping it would jam again and buy him some more time.

Sweat dripped down his forehead from his previous exertion and the hot, sticky air. His entire body still felt numb, and Arceus willing, it would stay that way until he reached safety. Cenric took several steps forward into the dark warehouse as his eyes began to adjust. He spied a metal staircase to his left and ran for it. The commotion outside was getting louder. Soon, they'd be inside.

The second floor's metal pathways could hide him for a few moments, but they were exposed, and it wouldn't take the grunts long to see him. He heard the door bang open beneath him. Biting his lip and looking around, he saw a nondescript ladder attached to the wall, and with a deep breath his scaled it up into the warehouse's rafters. Just as he settled himself between the wall and a metal support, part of the outside wall exploded, shaking the building.

Cenric lurched for the support, holding it until his knuckled turned white. Beneath him, light streamed in through the hole, exposing the scene below. Reliance grunts streamed in—way more than just his four guards! To get here this quickly they must've been in the town already! Cenric whispered a curse. If this many Reliance grunts were here, that meant he couldn't go to the Pokémon Center or police for help. Reliance probably already had their agents nested there too.

A flash of blue caught his eye, leading him down the wall to a very narrow gap between the wall itself and large stacks of crates. Cenric almost shouted out, biting his tongue at the last minute. It was Hilton and Drifloon! They had come for him! That gallade had to be Noël somehow, but who was the brown-haired girl with them? Unbidden, the Commander's words rose to the top of his mind:

"He saved his little girlfriend, you know?"

Had that been the truth? Was that girl actually Claire? When had they saved her? She hadn't been in the Ice Path with them. Did that mean they went to save her instead of looking for him after Reliance recaptured him? His mouth tasted bitter, but as he tried to push off his mental demons, one of the Reliance grunts on the bottom floor noticed Hilton and his friends.

He wanted to shout out and warn them, but even if his voice did manage to carry over the bedlam he'd reveal his location in the process. The Reliance grunt ordered her pokémon to launch an attack at the wall of crates, causing them to explode behind Noël. His friends fell forward, scrambling up and pushing through the boxes into the center of the warehouse.

Cenric gasped, grunts were swarming in from every side. He was going to have to sit and watch his friends get captured. Horror twisted his stomach even as something dark whispered inside of him, 'isn't that exactly what they did to you?'

Below him, Hilton shouted something at Drifloon, and the pokémon responded by filling their immediate vicinity with black air and hurricane gusts of wind. Thankfully Drifloon's attack stayed low, and only a light wind tugged on Cenric's sweat-soaked bangs.

His arms, still numb, began to quake under the strain of keeping him glued to the support, but Cenric ignored them in favor of watching Noël scale the ladder onto the metal pathways. Grunts met him there, but he managed to dispatch the first two with ease. Despite Noël's efforts, more and more grunts climbed the ladders, surrounding the small group. Hilton's drifloon let out another powerful gust of wind, knocking several Reliance grunts off the platform and down to the first floor.

With a pulse of energy, Drifloon began to glow white. Cenric's breath caught in his throat.

The glowing pokémon inflated, bulbous head growing larger and tails growing shorter and fatter. Hilton, Noël, and Claire roared in triumph. The glow shattered, leaving a fully-formed Drifblim behind. The Reliance grunts growled, commanding their pokémon to push in on the trainers.

The loud bang of a door opening dragged Cenric's attention away from his friend's plight. His twisted his torso as far as he could manage to see behind him. On the back wall of the warehouse another door had opened, letting light stream inside and silhouetting four familiar black figures. His guards. They stared up upwards at the matrix of metal paths above, heads swiveling like predators.

On the other side of the warehouse, Noël's arms begin to glow purple as Drifblim let out an even stronger gust of wind. The brown hair girl with them cheered as Noël broke through the line of Reliance grunts, and Hilton ran after her while Drifblim took up the rear.

Cenric's guards climbed the nearest ladder to the second level, observing Claire, Noël and Hilton.'s battle from a distance but still searching the room for him.

"Drifblim, use Ominous Wind again!" came Hilton's echoing voice. The large pokémon expanded further, whipping up a storm with her tails. The area around them filled with opaque purple smoke. Cenric squinted, trying to see his friends through the fog. There! They ran for the ladder, scurrying up to his level on the rafters while the grunts below couldn't see.

He wanted to call to them. To show them he'd made it against all odds and was here like he said he'd be, but his guards were climbing up the other staircase. Cenric scooted further out onto the rafter, trying to move his body behind one of the supports, hiding from his guards, but also Hilton and Noël in the process.

Cenric wanted to scream. His friends were within five yards of him, but he couldn't reveal himself or call to them without getting caught himself. But he needed to warn them about his guards climbing the ladder behind him!

"Hilton," whispered Claire. Did she see his guards coming? Arceus their footsteps were deafening. Why couldn't they hear them‽

"We have to get out of here," Hilton finished for her, never taking his eyes of the scurrying Reliance grunts below.

"What about your friend. Didn't he say he'd be-?" Claire started, but he cut her off.

"I know!" Hilton whispered. "What choice do we have? I won't let any of us get recaptured for the off chance that Cenric got away from Reliance and is waiting for us here," he whispered. Their heads turned in Noël's direction as he communicated with them telepathically.

"No! I'm made it!" Cenric whispered as loud as he dared. "Guys, I'm here!" he said louder. "G—" Something sharp pinched the back of his shoulder. His vision began to swim as colors blurred together and rough hands grabbed hold of him.

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A/N: Six little Indian Boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five.