Just by looking at this chapter's title, most of you can already tell that something bad's gonna happen.

Chapter 36: Kidnapping

The duo walked slowly through the meadow, feeling the gentle breeze on their skin and absorbing the picturesque scenery. It was hard to believe that they were out on a desperate mission to save the world from being taken over by Deoxys. From a distance, it looked like two friends playing in a pretty meadow.

But if you were to look into their minds, it would be an entirely different story. Cindy was concerned about the well-being of Saber. Phoenix was worried about the whereabouts of Team Chompy, who hadn't shown their heads since Medicine Forest. And they were both worried about the inevitable battle that would determine the fate of their friends and the world.

Despite their mixed-up thoughts, both Pokémon couldn't help but enjoy the scenery. It was beautiful, flowing, and vibrant, much unlike Mineral Underpass, which was drab and dull, save for the tiny gems in the walls. Cindy felt relaxed, at peace, as she ventured through the green grass.

An hour passed, and there was still no change in the endless landscape. The sky was tinged with a light rosy color, indicating twilight. The meadow stretched out for what seemed like miles. Cindy's legs ached with fatigue, and Phoenix was soon complaining about being hungry.

However, whenever a complaint left his mouth, Phoenix quickly responded with "I'm sorry…" and clamped his wings over his beak. It was like he was catching himself as he complained.

She smiled. It looks like he's little more mature now, she noted. And that's great. It proves he's really grown up since we first met.

About thirty more minutes passed with no sign of any Pokémon. The sky was tinged with red and pink, and the sun slowly sank down below the meadow. It was beautiful.

Cindy heaved a contented sigh. She felt at peace now, and if she could, she would freeze this moment in time and live in it forever with Phoenix. But she knew she couldn't. She had a job to do. Team Chompy wouldn't be waiting forever.

"Hey… What's that over there?" Phoenix said suddenly, breaking the calm silence.

He pointed his teal wing to something in the distance. At first, it looked like there was nothing out of the ordinary there, but as Cindy concentrated, she could see that the ground seemed to be rippling like a mirage. It was tinged a slight blue color.

"It looks like a lake…" Phoenix observed.

"But it's not just any lake, is it? It's probably Carvanha Lake. Our next destination!" Cindy said.

Phoenix grinned, and the duo shared a high five and let out a triumphant whoop. "Sweet! We're one step closer to Deoxys!

"So shall we get going? We'll rest there for the night and explore it in the morning," Cindy said.

"Of course! Finally, we're almost there! I'm exhau—" Phoenix clamped his wing over his beak again and shook his head. "Sorry for complaining so much…"

"It's okay. I'm feeling tired too." As if on cue, Cindy let loose a huge yawn.

Phoenix trudged forward, his wings still clasped over his beak. He looked kind of goofy, but Cindy didn't point that out.

Carvanha Lake looked quiet and unassuming in the dying sunlight. A few trees and tall reeds lined the banks of the lake. As the moon rose up into the sky, a beautiful silver reflection shimmered in the lapping waves.

"Wonderful. We can sleep under a tree or in some reeds so we won't be seen. It should be comfortable enough," Cindy said as she surveyed the land. "Then, tomorrow, we'll start exploring."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Cindy realized that there was a flaw in their plan. She wished she had thought this over more, but now it was too late, and the question still stood: how would she get across the lake?

Phoenix was okay. He could just swim across and try to fend off any attacking Pokémon. But how would Cindy get across? She didn't fancy taking a swim; it probably wasn't good for a Fire type to submerge in water. But there seemed to be no other choice.

There wasn't a boat rental place, there wasn't a ferry, there wasn't anything that could possibly take her across the lake.

I'll worry about that in the morning, Cindy thought as she trudged down to the lakeside. I shouldn't stress myself out over it now.

She reached the banks of Carvanha Lake just as the first star appeared in the sky. Phoenix followed close behind her, a relieved grin on his face. "I'm so glad we made it here before nightfall." He collapsed under a tall willow tree, pushing past the long flowing vines.

Cindy joined him under the willow. She grabbed a few vines and made makeshift beds for the both of them. She was grateful for the long vines, which provided some concealment from any beasties that roamed around at night.

"Ahhhh," Phoenix exhaled as he flopped down on his bed of vines. "So relaxing…"

Cindy sat down on her bed and found that it was strangely comfortable, but still not as cozy as her bed back in Center City. But now wasn't the time to be picky about her sleeping conditions.

"This is just what I love most. Being able to lie down in bed at the end of a long, tiring day…" Phoenix said.

Cindy thought he was being a little melodramatic, but she could only agree with him. It had been a long day, with the cave-in and Saber. Weariness washed over her and she curled up on her bed and closed her eyes, ready for a long sleep.

"Good night, Phoenix. Let's get ready for a long day tomorrow," she said as she slowly began to drift into the world of dreams.

"Good night." Phoenix began to say something else, but she had already drifted off.

Neither of the exhausted explorers were aware of what was about to happen.

XxX

"Well, well, well! Look who we've found here!"

The cheerful yet sinister voice jolted Cindy from her slumber. Before she knew what was going on, she had backed up against the tree, her back sputtering alive.

It was still quite dark out. She figured it was about midnight. The full moon hung in the sky, and the silver moonlight cast shadows on Carvanha Lake. Hundreds of stars sparkled like tiny pinpricks of light at the end of a tunnel. The lake looked almost peaceful… except for the three Pokémon that had just arrived.

Team Chompy was standing just outside their willow tree hideout, looking extremely gleeful. They didn't appear to be infected with Pokérus, but their leering smiles were as terrifying as any disease.

"You!" she shrieked.

"Yes, it's us. Team Chompy, at your service!" Mawile sneered.

"Team Chompy?! What?!"

Phoenix had awoken, and although he looked weary as well, there was no mistaking the panic in his eyes. He tried not to show it, and he replaced the frightened look on his face with a bold look of determination.

Cindy stepped forward. "Listen, Mawile. We don't wanna fight you. But we will if you don't stop bugging us. So get out of the way now, or I'm gonna barbecue you!" she threatened.

"I see you're down a few team members!" Mawile continued, acting as if she hadn't heard her.

"Yeah! First, Emily and his pathetic girlfriend ran off—" Magmortar began.

"Just because his name is spelled like Emily doesn't give you the right to call him that," Cindy growled.

"—and then that stupid doctor chickened out—" Electivire continued.

"DR. Z IS NOT STUPID!" Phoenix roared.

"—and that Treecko! He's sleeping under the rocks now!"

Mawile's sneering remark had really hit a nerve for both of them. Nobody insulted their wonderful team members like that. Saber wasn't stupid or anything. He was brave and strong and ready to risk his life exploring. No one made fun of him.

But still…

How had they known he had nearly died in the Mineral Underpass cave-in? Surely they hadn't heard it from a Pokémon. There was no sign of life for miles around. So that meant…

"Was it you who did it?" Cindy asked quietly.

"Well… not necessarily. We have an… ally, if you may. He's stronger than all of us combined, even though that isn't possible. He was the one that caused that cave-in," Mawile said.

"If he wasn't slacking on the job, like he always was, then maybe he could've taken you out then," Magmortar griped.

"Let me guess: even though he didn't kill us then, you're gonna try and kill us now," Cindy guessed.

"Oh no! Not you, my dear. You're special. You won't be dying," Electivire said.

"What do you mean by that?" Cindy asked, though she had a vague feeling that it was because of her being a human.

"Master Deoxys still thinks you can be a valuable ally to us. You're strong, you're brave, and you're immune to Pokérus, which means that you can stay in our master's presence for a long time with no ill side effects. Just being near him can give you the virus…" Mawile drawled

The thought of being Deoxys's right-hand servant terrified her. She would have to spend all her time in the company in the foulest Pokémon around, and she'd have to do Deoxys's bidding without complaint. That meant spreading the disease around the world. Spreading terror, spreading death, until nobody survived.

But she shook the fear away and stood up straighter, determination flooding her. She wouldn't let that happen. She would never allow herself to give in to Deoxys. She'd fight by Phoenix's side until her dying day.

Her back blazed to life, a brilliant inferno scorching the tree behind her. "Do you think I'm stupid? I'd never do that. I'd never go to that idiot's side. I'm not as stupid as you," she growled.

Phoenix smiled and silently clapped. He mouthed the words "You tell them!" to Cindy, who's face was aglow in the fire.

"Oh dear, it looks like we have a stubborn one!" Mawile said, mock impression on her face. Magmortar and Electivire sarcastically grumbled "So scary!" under their breaths.

"Look, no matter what you say to try and convince me to come to the losing side, I'm not coming!" Cindy said boldly.

Mawile grinned leeringly and approached the duo, who were still underneath the willow. "Well! You're really stubborn, you know? And do you know what we do to the stubborn ones?"

"What?" Cindy said. Even though her voice was firm and bold, her stomach was fluttering with nervous anticipation.

"This!" Mawile pointed at Cindy, who backed up to the trunk of the tree. "Go get her, boys!"

What happened next was too fast for her to comprehend. Magmortar and Electivire charged at them, pushing past the vines with their massive arms. Phoenix let loose a blast of bubbles at Magmortar, but it was quickly blocked by Electivire.

Unfazed by the attack, Electivire lunged at Cindy, who tried to back out of the way, but to no avail. The brute tackled her down to the ground and rolled over her, pinning her down. She tried to worm her way out of his grasp, but Electivire grabbed her hands and prevented her from moving.

"No… no no no no no…! Get away from me! I'm a Water type! I can beat you!"

Phoenix's terrified voice came from somewhere to her right. Cindy wrenched her head over and just caught a glimpse of her partner, trembling in fear before Magmortar. Magmortar's hands were ablaze with flame, and as he brought his hands down on Phoenix's head, Cindy squeezed her eyes tight.

A loud wail escaped Phoenix's lips, but it was quickly cut short by a loud thump. She opened her eyes just a crack as Magmortar stepped out of the way. What she saw made her tempted to scream herself

Cindy could just barely see her partner lying on the ground. His head had been slightly charred by Magmortar's attack, and a slight bump rose up off his burned head. He had been knocked out.

"PHOENIX!" she shrieked. She once again tried to wiggle out of Electivire's grasp, but the monster just tightened his grip as his mouth curled into a smile.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as Electivire's grip tightened. The air sparked with a familiar electric current that flowed into her limbs and body, effectively paralyzing her.

"Thunder Wave," Electivire breathed, his hot breath making Cindy shudder. "It's a very useful move for petrifying our victims…"

"But… I thought…" Cindy sputtered, struggling just to speak.

"Oh no, we're not killing you."

The electricity that was coursing through Cindy's body seemed to intensify, making everything go numb. Her mind began to slowly shut down from the strain of the electricity.

"No, we're not killing you. We're taking you to our master. He'll be pleased to see you. Very pleased indeed…" Electivire said softly.

She moaned in protest and tried feebly to move, to cry out, to do anything… but it was too late… she was slowly fading away… Electivire's grinning face turned black… all she could focus on was how numb her body felt…

The last thing she heard was Mawile's singsong voice: "Sweet dreams, honey!"

Then the world went black.

XxX

Urgh, my head…

A throbbing headache woke Phoenix from his stupor. He felt as if his skull had been cooked in a pressure cooker. It both hurt and burned at the same time.

He sat up and tried not to focus on the burning feeling in his head. It was still late at night, and he was still at the banks of Carvanha Lake. However, Cindy was nowhere to be seen.

Panic shot into him. He struggled to remember what happened before he passed out, but the effort made his head hurt more. Then he remembered: Team Chompy had attacked, and Magmortar charged at him, and…

After that, it was all fuzzy.

But then Electivire pounced on Cindy, and he appeared to have used Thunder Wave on her, and then…

"Cindy! Cindy! Where are you?!" he called, his thoughts scattered and frantic.

His words echoed off the lake water, bouncing across the rippling waves, but there was no reply.

"Cindy!" he repeated, running up to the edge of the water. "Cindy, can you hear me?! Where are you?!"

The words echoed far… but nothing happened.

Then he noticed something in the lake that had definitely not been there before. It looked like a rock at first, but Phoenix squinted at the object and found that it was moving. He also noticed a few lumps on top of it, two tall and one small.

"No way…"

"Phoenix!"

Even though he had gotten used to Reuniclus's surprise appearances, it still made him jump when her green body faded into the air in front of him.

He sighed, feeling somewhat relieved to have a trustworthy friend. "Oh! Reuniclus! Hi!"

"Hello, my dear," Reuniclus said.

"Do you know where Cindy is? Oh, and do you know if Saber is okay? And what happened to Team Chompy? Is that them, on the lake? And what about—" A million questions came tumbling out of Phoenix's mouth at once, jumbling his speech and making his words slur together. It came as a shock when Reuniclus nodded, apparently having taken in his ramble.

"One question at a time. Do not worry about Saber, he is fine. He has safely tunneled himself out of the rubble, and though his injuries are grave, he should pull through. I gave him an Oran Berry and a blessing, and when I left, he looked just fine," she said.

Phoenix nodded, feeling relief shine inside. At least one of his friends was okay.

"But what about Team Chompy? And Cindy?" he continued.

"Yes." Reuniclus's face darkened. "I'm so sorry to have to be the one to tell you this."

His heart nearly stopped. "No… Don't tell me she's dead…"

"No, not dead, but…" Reuniclus stared out into the vast ocean, her eyes fixing upon the shadow in the ocean, "she will be dead if she stays with Team Chompy long enough."

Everything came crashing down at once. He felt like he was back in Mineral Underpass during the cave-in. There was no way to outrun the destruction, and in the end, it would consume him, burying him under piles and piles of rock with no way out.

Now he felt the same way, with everything crushing him, killing him from the inside out. Except instead of rocks tumbling down on him, a much more powerful force was crushing him: words.

"She will be dead if she stays with Team Chompy long enough."

The only way she would ever go to Team Chompy was if she didn't have a choice. That meant…

Cindy had been kidnapped.

XxX

CUE DRAMATIC MUSIC!

Oh dear. Things aren't looking up for our heroes... Will Cindy get away from Team Chompy? Will Phoenix survive a trip through Carvanha Lake? Will they defeat Deoxys and restore peace to the world? Find out... when I post the next chapter.

I hope you enjoyed this episode of Team Blaze's adventures. Don't forget to review.