Silver narrowed his eyes, his red iris' ablaze. "Proton," he repeated. "What are you doing here?"
The teal haired man gave a shrug, "Oh you know, just passing though the neighborhood." Glancing between Silver and the brunette standing beside him he said, "so, why IS IT you and Lyra are on a team all on your lonesome?" Proton stood his ground as he waited for an answer. Everyone that surrounded him stood to the side awkwardly, not sure whether they should tell the man to leave. Lance, however, looked like her was seconds from strangling the intruding man.
"If you must know," Silver began poisonously. "There aren't enough people to fight-"
"I'll be your third man." Proton interjected, cutting off the redhead.
"Like hell you will." He snapped back with a snarl. "Get out of here or I will personally punish you." He gripped the pokeball to his feraligatr in his hand. Fang wobbled in his ball, itching to fight.
"That's enough!" Ariana said, stepping between the two men. "Silver, we need his help."
"What are you thinking?" Silver asked, incredulously. "We can't trust him-"
"Then trust me." She pleaded, her eyes begging. "He's different now. He's changed, just like I have."
Shaking his head, his red hair swayed side to side. "He hasn't changed like you have. You and I both paid for our crimes. He's been hiding from the law for the past three years." He jabbed a finger in the direction of the teal haired man to make his point.
"Then consider this my redemption." Proton shrugged with a charismatic grin. "Allow me to help you in this fight. I'll be under your careful watch the entire time. Besides, I was once an Executive to Giovanni. I have insight you don't." The two men stared each other down for several minutes.
"Fine." Silver said, breaking the silence. "You do as I say and nothing else, do you understand?"
"Loud and clear." Proton saluted sarcastically, grinning when Silver rolled his eyes.
Pulling him aside, Lyra spoke in hushed tones. "Silver, what are you thinking? We can't trust him! What if he's working for Giovanni?"
Silver shook his head in defeat. "We don't have much of a choice. Besides, I don't think he is working for Giovanni. And..." he paused, weighing his words. "If Ariana trusts him... then I will too. Until he screws up. I owe at least that to my sister." Lyra, unconvinced frowned with a pout. He couldn't help but chuckle at her expression. Placing a soft kiss on her forehead he added, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't betray us." Walking away he stepped over to Ethan and Crystal to discuss further information about the Plate they were assigned to.
"That's not what I am worried about..." Lyra trailed off, her words a mere whisper.
"What'cha worried about, then?" Proton whispered in her ear.
Jumping back, she grabbed her Ultra Ball out of reflex. Proton studied her hand carefully, fully aware of what creature slept within that particular capsule. "Easy," he said slowly, speaking as a rider would coax a frightened Tauros. "I just wanted to get to know each other better. That's all."
She scoffed at this. "You know I don't believe that. I also don't believe you, either. I know you're doing this for some ulterior motive." Stepping closer to him she jabbed a finger in his chest. "If you're planning on hurting Silver, I will hurt you more that you could ever imagine."
Proton grinned at this. "I wouldn't dream of it." Glaring at him once more for good measure, she walked away from him, towards the redhead to join him. "Well, this should be fun." He spoke to no one as he craned his neck to the side with a loud pop.
Flying above Route 21, Lyra, Silver, and Proton rode their perspective pokemon to arrive to the destination on their slip of paper. According to Seiryu, the Flame Plate had been hidden somewhere on Cinnabar Island. Jumping off of their pokemon, Silver turned to Proton. "You wait here." he instructed.
Proton leaned against his Golbat, a smile playing across his lips. "Silver, I'm hurt. It's like you don't want my help."
"I don't." He countered. "I only brought you along as a favor to my sister. We don't need you." He eyed the man for a second longer, just for good measure.
"We'll see about that." Proton mumbled as he watched pair search the rocky surface.
The sun had begun its descent, soon to be retreating beyond the horizon. Lyra walked, her eyes glued to her dowsing machine while her pokemon scoured the area. Wish and Bane took to the skies to try and locate the plate from a bird's eye view, Blaze and Pharos walked together to look on the ground, and Ruby swam beside the island with Fang. Belle, along with Cerebral, and Phantom used their other-worldly powers while Silver looked for clues with his best trackers, Shadow and Razor. Hours had passed, sunlight was waning, and still no sign of any plate. Growing frustrated Silver picked up a loose piece of lava rock and cast it into the sea with a soft, 'plop'. Lyra, not much further from Silver, looked like she was going to throw her device against the ground. Proton, sitting cross-legged on the ground, using his wheezing as back support began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Silver asked harshly.
"You, actually." Standing up, Proton brushed his jeans off and walked towards a large rock embedded in the ground. "After all this time, have you really learned nothing of Team Rocket?" He waited for a response but received none. Rolling his eyes he kicked the stone swiftly. "We're obsessed with trap doors." A loud click was heard before the scrapping and grinding of metal on rock. Hearing the sound of the trap door, Lyra returned her pokemon and came jogging over to Silver's side to peer in the dark underground hallway. "Welcome," he said, much like the announcer at a theme park, "to Team Rocket's Cinnabar Hideout."
Silver held the man in his eyes, studying him. "I didn't know Team Rocket had a hide out here."
"We save the best for last." Proton grinned
Stepping forward, Lyra shook her head. "How is this even possible?" She asked, her eyes calculating. "There is no way they could have built a hideout while everyone lived here." Dismissing the question she asked she turned to the teal haired man. "How many Rockets are down there?"
For the first time, his face took on a serious expression. "It's hard to say, actually. With everyone out looking for the missing Plates, Team Rocket is going to be spread thin. But, this is the main base of operations; this is Team Rockets home." he added, emphasizing exactly what he had just revealed to them. "So," he said with a grin. "Shall we go explore?" He was stopped from taking a step forward when Silver shot his arm across his chest, blocking him.
"I'll lead the way. For all I know, you could be setting us up for a trap." He said while recalling his pokemon.
Proton nodded and held his chin with his thumb and forefinger in thought. "Hmm, you're right. I could be. Alright, after you." He said, waving his arms forward. He grinned as he redhead glared at him. "After you, m'lady." He whispered sweetly in Lyra's ear. She eyed him before following after Silver.
The staircase leading to the hideout, resembled more of a mine shaft, than not. The walls had been cased with sheets tarnished metal, signaling it was aged, but not brand new. The deeper they traveled, the louder the voices down below became. Silver paused and pulled out a pokeball, pressing the center button, he summoned Phantom, the Gengar. Ordinarily a pokemon of his size would be crushed in such a narrow path, but the shade gave no heed to physical boundaries. "I need you help." Silver whispered to the ghost.
Phantom tilted his head, making his ever-present grin seem more sinister than usual. "All three of you?" He asked, uncertain. Silver nodded. Rolling his eyes, he agreed but only to the terms of his bargain. "Fine, but you get to convince Lyra to let me have a whole day with Belle."
"Fine, whatever." Silver whispered sharply. "Just hurry."
"If you break your promise," the Gengar threatened seriously. "I will haunt you."
Silver gave into a fake silent laugh, which amused the pokemon. "Alright, take my hand." He instructed Lyra behind him. "You too, Proton, hang onto us if you don't want to be caught." After Proton had placed his hand on Lyra's shoulder, Silver took her hand and touched Phantom with the other. Steadily, the four of them began to fade, just like the shade himself. Reaching the first level of the hideout, they slipped into a small corridor, away from the patrolling Rockets. Reaching the end of the corridor, they found themselves in front of a locked door. Just as Silver was about to turn in the other direction, he saw his hand beginning to materialize.
"Sorry, boss." Phantom said, exhausted, blinking in and out of visibility. "That's all I can do for now."
"It's okay, thank you." Silver offered a smile as he returned his partner. "Go ahead and rest, you deserve it." Returning the ball to his belt he sighed, his shoulders heavy; they were trapped.
"Now what?" Lyra whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder. The redhead shook his head, uncertain. Hearing a strange tapping noise, she turned around to see Proton kneeling in front of the door's padlock. Looking between the two men, she walked over to the teal haired man. "What are you doing?" She asked, more curious than skeptical.
"I," he said emphatically. "Am hacking this door." A few more moments passed and the padlock chimed, granting them access.
Lyra put her hands on her hips, impressed. "I didn't know you could hack."
Proton returned her smile with a smug look. "I guess there's a lot about me you don't know."
Sneaking into the Rocket infested Lavender Town was difficult, but finding a Plate was proving to be impossible. Morty had suggested to search the Pokemon House, where else would the Spooky Plate be? Trying to remain inconspicuous, the three gym leaders inspected every grave, read every epitaph, and spoke to every person visiting the grave of their lost ones. The cemetery proved to be more expansive than any of them had imagined. After two days, they had finally read and visited every grave, urn, and crypt.
"This is ridiculous" Lt. Surge complained in a forced whisper. "What do we do, now?" He narrowed his eyes at Morty, the originator behind the idea of searching the Pokemon House.
Sabrina tapped her pointer finger against her lips in thought. "Perhaps Morty is not far off. The Pokemon House replaced the Pokemon Tower that was once in Lavender."
Surge crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "Yeah, but it was torn down and replaced with the Kanto Radio Tower." He said, jabbing a thumb towards the lit up tower behind them.
"Maybe," Morty began, tugging on his scarf. "It's hidden beneath the Radio Tower." The two turned and stared at him for a moment, curiously. Morty shrugged as he continued. "Hundreds of years ago, archaeologists uncovered a crypt beneath a library that was once a Buddhist temple. Would it be so strange if there were a hidden basement below the Pokemon Tower?"
"I... suppose not." Surge admitted.
"Then we will search out the Radio Tower, tonight." Sabrina said, her decision made.
"Wait," Surge began. "You mean, we're going to try and find some dusty 'ol crypt in the middle of the night?"
Morty and Sabrina glanced at each other before Morty began, a smile tugging at his lips. "Lieutenant Surge, you're not afraid of ghosts are you?"
"What? No! Don't be ridiculous!" He shouted quickly.
"Then it's settled." Sabrina said, her words absolute. "We search for the tomb tonight."
Between the Lieutenants Raichu using a small electric pulse to trigger the locked door open and Morty's Gengar frightening off the guards, entering the Radio Tower proved nearly effortless. The three of them split up to search the lobby, looking for any clue to a hidden basement. Finding none, Sabrina focused her psychic power to find an answer. An hour passed as she continued to sit in a meditative state her, dark eyes glowing blue as she focused all her energies. Her male companions paced around the lobby, growing restless. Blinking, the blue glow dissipated and she rose to her feet. "Did you find it?" Morty asked, eagerly.
"Perhaps." Sabrina answered softly. She eyed a wall of the lobby. Painted on the wall was a large mural depicting pokemon from all over the world listening to the music from their region. She stroked the painted wall with her hand. "In my visions, I kept returning to this wall. Every time I focused my attention elsewhere, I would see this painting again. The artist added Shedinja in his painting."
"So?" Surge asked, not seeing the relevance.
"Isn't it odd, Morty, that the artist painted the Shedinja with his back to the viewer?" Sabrina continued, probbing his mind.
He narrowed his eyes and nodded his head in agreement. "It is believed that this Pokémon will steal the spirit of anyone peering into its hollow body from its back." Morty recited the pokedex entry to the ghost-type. "Of course." He said, understanding. Grabbing a pokeball, he released his Dusknoir. The Dusknoir clasped his hands together, creating an inky purplish glob of energy in his hands. Releasing it, he struck the wall, hitting the image of Shedinja. The wall cracked and gave way to the attack revealing a narrow crawlspace.
"The artist must have known about the crypt and left a clue in his painting." Sabrina explained to the flabbergasted electric gym leader.
"Yeah, sure. I got that." He replied.
Morty was the first to crawl through the tunnel. "You two wait here, there could be traps." As he crawled, his Dusknoir phased through the wall.
"Wait," Surge said, reaching an epiphany. "If ghost pokemon can go through walls... why didn't we just start with that?"
Sabrina stared at the lieutenant blankly for a moment. "I guess I didn't think about it." She shrugged, indifferent. Surge continued to stare at her incredulously while Sabrina crawled through the tunnel after hearing Morty give the 'okay'. Reaching the end of the dark tunnel she accepted Morty's hand and allowed him to help her out. Brushing her hands over her clothes she worked on removing the dust and cobweb from her attire.
There was a loud crash as Lt. Surge scrambled out of the tunnel, collapsing to the floor, frantically swatting at his head and shoulders. "Don't tell me you're afraid of spiders too." Morty teased.
"Don't be ridiculous!" Surge exclaimed for the third time that evening, standing to his feet, back straight. "I smash such pitiful insects under my combat boots for fun."
"Definitely arachnophobia." Morty whispered to Sabrina behind his hand. She nodded in agreement.
After their eyes had adjusted to the immense darkness, they could see the crypt was filled with tarnished and rusty urns, dusty sarcophagus', and worm infested wooden crates. The shelves were lined with various skulls while the walls were constructed from bones and mortar. With each step they took, there was a crunching noise; sometimes brittle bones, other times scattering bugs. Morty and Sabrina continued their search, seemingly unconcerned with their surroundings while Lt. Surge looked like he was on the verge of 'loosing it.' With every new sound, he would jump and search his surroundings frantically. He thought about offering to check the lobby again, but he was not about to venture back through the tomb on his own.
"Morty, look!" Sabrina said, her voice taking on an unusual tone of excitement. Stepping towards a small sarcophagus, she studied the outside. "This belongs to the Marowak that once haunted the Pokemon Tower, four years ago."
Standing beside his friend, Morty admired the craftsmanship of the coffin. The stone had been etched with a scene of a Marowak with her baby cubone. "Shall we try it?" He asked before lifting the heavy cover asideso Sabrina could kneel down to peer in. Filled, mostly with ashes, the coffin housed a single bone; a skull of a Marowak. Removing the skull, she found a large grayish-green plate.
"We found it." She smiled, wrapping her hands around the edges. Lifting the plate from its dusty home, a loud click echoed in the dark halls.
"What was that?" Surge asked, his voice panicked.
As if on command, dozens of sinister ghost type pokemon appeared; sentinels of the tomb, guardians of the dead. "I believe you are about to face your fears, Lieutenant Surge." Sabrina replied, readying her alakazams pokeball in her hand.
Plate hunting here we go! This is going to be a 4-parter. Enjoy!
Oh, for those of you who don't follow me, I started a new fanfic called, All In The Name of Beauty and Love. It takes place in Kalos and focuses on romance rather than action. The shipping pair I chose is Serena and... * cue drum roll* Lysandre! OMG you guys I love that pair so much. (don't judge me!)
R&R