Chapter 52

I don't know how Kokoa managed to remember the directions so perfectly, but we were waiting outside Millennium's lair in about twenty minutes. We watched from afar as grunts walked in and out, holding weapons or bringing things back.

There was an air of fear and uncertainty. No one was sure if our plan would succeed or not and we didn't even know if Pine was okay or not. Sensing my emotions as usual, Akako took my hand, pretending he wasn't just as if not more nervous than I was. Takuya and Kokoa were holding hands too.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this," Miku suggested in a shaky voice.

"No!" I hissed, trying not to yell. "We have to save her. I won't let Millennium hurt her."

Akako nodded, agreeing with me. "I already decided I don't want to see anyone get hurt anymore. If there's something we can do to save her, we should do it."

Kohaku agreed as well. "Miku, we do sort of owe Prof. Pine. She helped us start our journeys and she came to Pico just to give us supplies. In a way, it is our fault that she got captured."

Miku still looked scared, but she gave in. "I guess you're right. I don't know what I'd do without my Blastoise."

Kohaku nodded. "And my Serperior."

(A/N: Yes. Kohaku and Miku's Pokémon evolved.)

Kokoa and Takuya stared out, looking for a good chance to go in. "Alright guys, we're going to cause a distraction. Once the grunts start chasing us, run in and find Pine. Got it?"

"Got it!" we all called back.

The two nodded, then screamed, running in towards the lair. I watched worriedly as grunts took notice of them, trying to capture them. Somehow, Kokoa and Takuya ran past them and into the lair.

"The coast is clear! Let's go!" Akako directed us.

The four of us then ran in, not getting trouble from any other grunts. I almost gagged as we walked through the entrance, the unmistakable metallic scent of blood infiltrating my nose, the scent burning.

Akako, Miku, and Kohaku smelled it too, but they knew we had to keep moving. I stopped, recognizing the spiral staircase that led down to the dungeons.

"Guys! Down here!" I directed.

Akako took the lead, stepping carefully down first. I came after him, followed by Miku, then Kohaku. I would've complained about how long the staircase was, but now was no time to complain like a little kid. We were on a mission. It was do or die.

Akako helped me down the rest of the way as we reached the bottom of the steps. Miku and Kohaku looked frightened as they saw the dungeon area. I just hissed, anger burning within me. I had a feeling that Pine was here somewhere.

Then, Kohaku mentioned something important. "We don't have any keys to unlock these doors."

"Not exactly," piped up Miku, holding a pokeball.

She tossed it up in the air, the ice-type, Vanilluxe, appearing out of it.

"Vanilluxe can use its ice beam to make ice keys for these doors."

"You're a genius!" praised Kohaku. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

Our happy looks disappeared as we passed the first cell. Inside, was an Officer Jenny that looked like she was all the way from Unova.

"Please let me go," she begged.

I looked at the others. "I know we're here to save Pine, but can we please release the others?"

"Of course," Akako answered immediately. "We can't just leave them like this."

Vanilluxe then made a key to fit the door. Miku twisted the key, unlocking the cell. Jenny's eyes lit up as she stumbled out.

"Thank you," she told us, running up the steps once she could walk properly again.

We did the same to various other cops and detectives that had been imprisoned by Millennium. I gasped as we came to the final jail cell. One reason I gasped was because there was no Pine. The second reason I gasped was because I saw Ishi behind bars.

"Hey babe," Ishi laughed, staring at me from within the cell.

"What are you doing in there?!" I questioned.

Ishi sighed. "When Angel escaped, the couldn't tie me to Team Millennium anymore, so the only way they thought they could keep me with them was if they caged me. They still use me to track Pokémon of course, but I'm always caged up and looked over now."

"Do you want us to unlock you?" I asked. "We could free you from Millennium once and for all..."

"NO!" he shouted immediately, surprising me. "I can't leave her. Not without Tsubaki."

"What's with you and my sister?" Kohaku questioned Ishi. "Why do you care about her?"

"Are you Kohaku?" Ishi suddenly asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"You're her blackmail," Ishi stated bluntly. "I'm not sure if you ever noticed, but Millennium has a tracker on you. If Tsubaki ever tries to escape, they'll find and hurt you."

"W-Why are you telling me this?" Kohaku asked.

"Not sure," Ishi answered. "But please. Keep me here. I'm here to help your sister. Anyway, what the hell are you people doing here?"

"We're here to find Prof. Pine," answered Akako, glaring at Ishi, clearly angry that he'd called me 'babe'.

"Oh. I know where she is," he responded.

"You do?! Tell us!" I demanded.

"Up the spiral staircase and down the hall to the right, he's put her in her own room. He's trying to get her to work for him, but she's resisting. I don't think he's feeding her. Might want to hurry and save her before Akuma goes to check on her."

"Alright," Akako responded. "Let's get moving!"

I stayed behind as everyone started running. I turned to face Ishi. "Please, stay safe."

"I will," he responded. "Now hurry up and find Pine."

I nodded and ran to meet my friends, my legs moving faster than I think they ever have. The staircase suddenly didn't seem as long as we sped up it. Soon, we were back on the main floor, faced with two different hallways. Left or right?

Remembering Ishi's directions, I ran down the right hallway, Akako and the others following closely behind. I skidded to a halt as I heard tears coming from a room. I turned, looking through a little window in the door. I couldn't see much, but I noticed a heap of blue hair.

"She's in here!" I called to the others who'd just caught up to me.

"Vanilluxe!" Miku called.

The ice cream Pokémon nodded, using it's ice to unlock the room door. Immediately, the Professor's head jerked over at us. She looked scared at first, but then she recognized us.

The Prof. Stood up, glomping all of us, forming one huge group hug.

"Thank you, kids," she said thankfully. Then, being the adult she was, she scolded us. "What are you doing in such a dangerous place? You could've gotten hurt!"

"Can't you just thank us and we can get out of here?" Akako chuckled. "Come on, we have to find Takuya and Kokoa!"

"Talking about us?"

We turned around, smiling when we saw Takuya and Kokoa. They looked a bit roughed up and sweaty from all their running, but it looked like they were just fine. The Prof. smiled, feeling relief.

"We need to get out of here!" Kokoa hissed. "We shook off the grunts, but probably not for long..."

We nodded, rushing forward. Pine stumbled on her broken high heels and Kohaku and Akako both helped her run forward, being her support. We ran quickly back into the main hall and out the door just as I heard some grunts screaming.

We sped up, knowing they must have heard us. I screamed as a knife flew past my head. Akako grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. We dived into the bushes as I heard more knives fly.

Once we were in the bushes, we slowed down, but still kept running. We couldn't risk getting caught by them. We all slowed to a walk as we got halfway to Pico. Pine sighed in exhaustion and relief.

"I guess I should hire a bodyguard," she noted. "I can't let Akuma catch me again."

I wasn't sure why, but Kokoa stared at the Prof. strangely, as if she were trying to remember something. I shrugged it off, just happy that we were almost back in town.

"Thank you, Arceus," I whispered as we arrived in Pico.

Everyone took off the Millennium outfits, stuffing them into their bags. We all kept walking until we were safely inside of the hotel. Miku and Kohaku followed us into our room. Akako closed the door, locking it. It was time for us all to have a little chat.