Chapter 66: Inside Altru Tower: Part 7
The doors opened quickly and we all entered the elevator, upon checking the buttons, I noticed that it went up to the fifty fifth floor. I went ahead and pressed it, with the elevator doors closing a few seconds later as we ascended upwards.
"Kellyn, I know we spoke with Marcus briefly and everything seemed fine at the Ranger Union, but…I'm wondering how Sven, Wendy, Keith and everyone else are doing." Luana said as Eevee and Pachirisu hopped up on my shoulders.
"I understand completely, it's really troublesome to even think of what they're going through right now while we're in this building. Let me give Sven or Wendy a call, hopefully they pick up and give us a thorough rundown of what's happening." I said as I called Sven, who answered after a few rings.
"Hi Kellyn and Luana! Do you guys need something?" Sven asked.
"Hi Sven, we wanted to make sure everyone was doing okay. We were on one of the floors where we battled Ice and saw the damage to the Ranger Union. Marcus told us that everything's okay for the most part, but he couldn't go into detail as he's pretty busy." I said.
"Not a problem Kellyn, thanks for taking the time to check up on us! We're fine, all of us managed to capture the Pokémon that were endangering the Ranger Union, we even rounded up all of the grunts and admins. What's the status report on the tower though?" Sven asked.
"Oh that's a relief, I knew you guys would be able to protect the Ranger Union without any trouble! Luana and I just finished with defeating Leilani and a Ranger took her away before she could escape or cause anymore harm to others. But…while we were battling Leilani, the tower's operating system announced that the Shadow Crystal's strength level is already at level two…I don't like the sound of that." I said.
"Wow, good work on getting that crazy woman captured! However…I can understand your concern, level two? Sounds like something bad is going on up there. You two do the best that you can, because you know that all of us will stick by your side the entire way." Sven said.
"Thanks Sven, we're actually on the elevator which will take us to the fifty fifth floor in no time!" I said.
"Great, when you two reach the fifty eight floor, let us know so that Wendy, Keith and I will get to the tower's top. I know you still have the Blue Gem, which is perfect, that's exactly what we need to make sure things run smoothly. Keith will be up in the air as backup while Wendy and I will circle around the Shadow Crystal. Be careful you two!" Sven said.
"We'll be fine, thanks Sven!" I said as I hanged up.
"Glad to know they're doing okay, we only have five more floors to go, let's do this!" Luana said.
"You bet! We already took down two of the Sinis Trio, so it'll only be a matter of time before we take down Heath, Kincaid and the big boss himself!" I said as the elevator reached the fifty first floor and continued upwards, only for us to hear a loud thud as the elevator slowed to a stop.
"Is that sound what I think it is?" Luana asked as a grunt came bursting through the emergency exit.
"Hahah, you heard right! You two aren't heading to the fifty fifth floor and I'll make sure of it! It's a good thing I'm here to crash the party you two were having!" The grunt said as he took out a Miniremo.
After hearing a bit more rumbling, we saw a group of Bidoof making their way through the emergency exit and plopping down on the ground beside us. While there were about ten of them, which certainly did make the small elevator feel cramped, it also was rather surprising that this grunt decided to take us on with some tame Bidoof.
"You're…you're taking us on with Bidoof?" I asked.
"Er…that probably wasn't the smartest choice for me to use, was it?" The grunt asked.
I made a full loop around the cluster of Bidoof and captured all of them in one go as they hopped into the air and left through the emergency exit.
"No, it certainly wasn't." I said as the grunt panicked and scrambled through the emergency exit.
"I still can't believe he thought taking us on with Bidoof was a good idea." Luana said as the elevator began to move upwards once more.
"Yeah, you're telling me, I don't know what that grunt was thinking. Now that that's over with, we'll hopefully continue without any other interruptions." I said.
A few minutes after that, the elevator reached the fifty fifth floor and the doors opened, with Luana and I stepping out and viewing the long stretch of a hallway. There weren't any doors on either wall, which caught both of us off guard as we weren't expecting this floor to be so plain. Luana and I walked down the long hallway, finally reaching the end of it after five minutes of walking and coming to a solid steel door.
"Kellyn, what do you think is through this door?" Luana asked.
"I…I don't know, I've got a bad feeling about this, but we've come a long way, so we can't stop now." I said as I opened the door.
I felt a cold chill up my spine as I entered the room, which was pristine and clean with white tiles, while the walls were a dull gray. Inside the room were two giant capsules containing a Glaceon and an Espeon, both of which were lying down inside of their holding area, which had a massive glass dome over the Pokémon. Nearby were a few metal tables and several surgical tools as well. Our Partner Pokémon, along with Eevee, subsequently came into the room and noticed the two Pokémon trapped in their prisons. As we stepped forward, Eevee rushed ahead of us and got on her hind legs, desperately pawing at the glass prison containing Espeon before going over to the one holding Glaceon. Luana and I raced up to Eevee and I pet her head gently, calming her down as our Partner Pokémon caught up to us.
"Okay…let's see… how about we have Buneary smash open those glass cages? We'll have the two Eeveelutions cover their heads as the glass gets shattered." Luana said.
"That's a good idea, we need to get these two out quickly! Espeon, Glaceon, we're going to get you two free right now, cover yourselves from the shards!" I said as both Pokémon shielded their faces.
"Okay Buneary, use Hi Jump Kick on that glass!" Luana said.
Buneary launched into the air and smashed the glass prison holding Espeon, before quickly going to Glaceon and destroying that one as well. Both Pokémon were soon freed and looked around at the shattered glass before hopping down and cuddling with Eevee. Glaceon was prepared to take Eevee, but Espeon stopped the Eeveelution. Espeon looked at me for a short while and then Luana before glancing at our Partner Pokémon.
'Kellyn…Luana…thank you for rescuing us in our time of need.' Espeon said.
'T-telepathy…I've never experienced something so fascinating…' I relayed to the Espeon as I received a smile in response.
'The two of you are very smart, yet humble. Something like that is to be admired. I entrust the two of you to take good care of our little Eevee. It's about time she goes out into the world and see what it has to offer. With the both of you fighting your way up this dastardly building so valiantly, I already know that you two will be doing great work in protecting this region. We're already aware of everything occurring outside, thanks to some Psychic types lending your Ranger friends a hand at the Ranger Union when it was under attack. I'll teleport my husband and myself to the Ranger Union in case any more mind controlled Pokémon decide to head over there. Take care of my daughter.' Espeon said.
'Yes ma'am, she's already helped us out so much, the least we could do is have her as a Partner Pokémon! We won't let you down!' I said to the Espeon.
'I know, the two of you have done a lot as well. Eevee, your father and I are so proud of you, go forth and save Almia alongside these two Rangers!' Espeon said as Eevee nodded.
Happy with Eevee's response, Espeon bowed her head before teleporting herself and Glaceon away in an instant.
"That was so touching, I'm glad Eevee's a part of our team now!" Luana said as Eevee hugged her.
"I'm happy too, especially since we saved her parents from such an awful fate. Now that we have three awesome Partner Pokémon to help us out with anything that's thrown at us, we can head out of this terrifying room. But…where's the exit?" I asked.
Looking around and discovering nothing but the bare walls was…eerie to say the least. The only way was going back down instead of up. Our worry and fear subsided a little once we saw the same grunt from earlier crawling out from underneath a table at the back of the room as he ran up to us.
"Hahah, good thing I knew where you two were going and raced up here! Now the two of you are trapped in here with me!" The grunt said as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Well…you're right about that, but we're certain that you know where the exit for this room is, right?" Luana asked.
"Er…somewhat, but I'm not telling either of you that! Now you guys can't reach the boss and you'll be stuck here!" The grunt said as I scoffed.
"Really? Haven't you seen what Team Dim Sun is doing to Almia? Even if you didn't care about that, the Espeon and Glaceon that were in this room definitely weren't happy to know about the destruction taking place. They might even come back and take their anger out on a poor grunt." I said.
"T-t-those two are gone?! Some of the researchers were going to experiment on them, the boss wanted to use those two for profit, along with that shiny Eevee following you two!" The grunt exclaimed.
"They certainly are, I think we can all agree that they wouldn't be happy to know about what the researchers have tried doing to their daughter. If they can't find those researchers, the Eeveelutions are most likely coming after you. So what's it going to be, are you going to help us with the door problem we're having?" I asked as the grunt trembled.
"W-w-well…I'll help…follow me, the staircase is hidden at the end of this room." The grunt said as he walked towards the back wall.
"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Luana said.
"So do I, we'll follow him from a distance in case he tries pulling a fast one on us." I said as we continued to follow the grunt.
After a bit of walking, we reached the end of the room, where Luana and I spotted a tile that was a dark gray, standing out a considerable amount compared to the white tiles adorning the room. The grunt stopped just before the tile and stepped on it, causing the entire room to shake, as if we were experiencing an Earthquake.
"W-w-what did you do?!" Luana asked.
"Just helping, that's all." The grunt said in a malicious tone as Luana and I got on the ground to avoid falling over.
After some time, the rumbling stopped and Luana and I stood up. Structurally speaking, the room was intact, though there were a few ceiling tiles coming loose and falling near us.
"What was that about?! I figured that something was up with you…" I said as the grunt grinned.
"Acting dumb was part of my plan you fools! While this room does have an exit, you two are never going to find it! Just take a look up and you'll see that this is the end for you!" The grunt said.
Neither of us did as the grunt said for the fear that he would try attacking us and instead, we looked straight at him, which surprised the grunt.
"Hmph, I would have thought the two of you would've actually looked up. No matter…come out everyone!" The grunt yelled.
"Everyone?" Luana and I said.
To our utter surprise, a grunt dropped down from the ceiling to our left, followed by a grunt on our right. In less than a minute, we were outnumbered as grunts continued to drop from the ceiling, with a total of ten grunts in front of us, including the one that led us to the back of the room.
"Not so brave now, huh? Don't worry, you two are going to meet your match. C'mon guys, let's show these Rangers who's in charge here!" The grunt said.
Luana and I ran all the way to the front of the room so we could create distance between the large group and us. The grunt's cohorts let out a yell before all of them took out a small Miniremo, identical to the one that Alfred had. Each of them began typing away and we immediately saw a group of Pokémon come down from the ceiling. The Pokémon were a Scizor, two Marshtomp and a Hariyama, all of which immediately rushed towards us. The Hariyama, while not a fast Pokémon by any means, was definitely the worst threat to deal with as its punches could easily mean broken bones or death for Luana or myself. It didn't take too long for me to think of what to do in such a terrifying situation.
"Okay, Pachirisu, Thunderbolt on those Pokémon!" I said.
Pachirisu charged up energy for a few short seconds before unleashing a powerful Thunderbolt, shocking all of the Pokémon and sending the Scizor and Hariyama towards the back of the room. The Marshtomp, as expected, wasn't fazed by the move and the two of them both began to charge up a Hydro Pump.
"Eevee, use Headbutt on those Marshtomp!" Luana said as Eevee sprinted forward and hit one of the Marshtomp hard on its head, sending it far back.
The other Marshtomp cancelled its attack and tried hitting Eevee with a Mud Shot, sending a wave of mud on the ground as Eevee hopped out of the way. Eevee then went over to the grunts as the Scizor and Hariyama struggled to get back up. Luana on the other hand made loops around the Hariyama that was lying down on the ground, while I did the same around the Scizor. The other Marshtomp that was hit by Eevee raced over to her, only for the first Marshtomp to hit its buddy with a Mud Shot, making it go flying towards the grunts, with the Marshtomp and two grunts colliding with each other.
"Good work Eevee! Keep it up!" I said as Eevee headed back towards us.
At this point, the Scizor and Hariyama managed to recover and came over to us, though they immediately stopped in their tracks upon spotting Pachirisu, who was at the ready for them.
"Gah! What are you Pokémon doing?! You're afraid of that little thing? Attack them all, now!" The grunt said as his cohorts typed in some commands.
"Pachirisu, Eevee, send those Pokémon back to those grunts!" Luana said as Eevee tackled both Marshtomp, while Pachirisu used Thunderbolt on the Scizor and Hariyama.
Luana and I took advantage of the grunts scrambling to get their mind controlled Pokémon back up to attack us and we made loops around them, slowly bringing up each of their Friendship Meters. At this point, the Hariyama's Friendship Meter was only five percent filled, Scizor's was twenty percent and the Marshtomps were both around ten percent. Luana and I knew we had to act fast, especially as the Pokémon all eventually got up considering that they were in pain from the attacks they endured thus far.
"Okay Luana, you know what to do, first thing's first, we capture that Hariyama, then the Scizor followed by the Marshtomp. How's that sound?" I asked.
"Sounds like a plan to me, let's do it!" Luana said as the Hariyama rushed forward.
The Hariyama's right fist briefly glowed a dark red as it remained stationary. I knew that it was charging up for a Focus Punch so I had Pachirisu paralyze it as the other three Pokémon came at us. Luana and I dodged the two Marshtomp's Water Pulse, which hit the wall behind us as we concurrently made loops around the two Pokémon. Scizor's claw glowed a metallic silver as it tried swiping us with Metal Claw, which narrowly avoided my head. Luana ordered Buneary to attack the Scizor with a Hi Jump Kick, which caught the Pokémon off guard as it got sent back a few feet.
Hariyama eventually broke free from paralysis, though I had Pachirisu stun it once more as we focused on the two Marshtomp. Luana and I switched between doing loops around the Hariyama and the Marshtomp while Buneary was fighting with the Scizor. Eevee on the other hand decided to take on the Marshtomp directly, who were trying to attack her with Mud Shot. This continued for a few minutes and thankfully, Luana and I captured one of the Marshtomp, who went off to the side and waited. I checked the Hariyama's Friendship Meter on my Styler and saw that it was already sixty percent full, thanks to Luana charging my Capture Line up to stage two and making it much more easier for us. At this point, the Scizor and Marshtomp rushed forward, with the Scizor flapping its wings as it launched Silver Wind, sending bright silver triangular shards in our direction. Barely managing to dodge the dangerous move meant that Luana and I had to dive to the floor, which gave the Marshtomp the chance to move forward as it managed to hit me with a Water Pulse, knocking me back a few feet as Luana caught me before I fell.
"Phew…thanks Luana, let's catch this Hariyama!" I said as the Hariyama broke free from paralysis.
"Yeah, let's capture these Pokémon!" Luana said as Hariyama's fist continued to glow red.
The Hariyama released the Focus Punch it was containing and it reeled back to strike me. The grunts were cheering in the background as the Hariyama aimed right for me, though their cheers turned to enraged shouting as Pachirisu and Eevee did a combined Headbutt to knock the powerful Pokémon off of its feet. Luana made loops around the Scizor as Buneary kept it busy, while I focused on the Hariyama, which was getting up to its feet to prepare another attack. Eevee hurried on over to the Marshtomp, which was charging up a Hydro Pump, though it was prevented from doing so by Eevee, who tackled it hard and sent it flying near the Scizor.
At this point, the Hariyama got back up and ran forward, which made the Marshtomp retreat. Luana and I quickly got out of the way as it used Brick Break directly where I was standing moments before. The Hariyama moved quickly and tried swinging around for another attack and it loomed over me as I laid on the ground attempting to scramble away. Hariyama slammed its fists down and I rolled out of the way before it managed to crush me, which made the Pokémon cause a massive dent in the floor as the grunts continued to shout in anger.
"This is a tough battle, Pachirisu, help us out!" I said as Pachirisu used Thunder Wave on all three Pokémon, which managed to impact all of them.
I made loops around the Hariyama while Luana made loops around the Marshtomp and Scizor. It only took two dozen more loops for the Hariyama to be captured before it walked over to the side, so we continued with focusing on the last two Pokémon. I assisted Luana and helped her with doing loops around the Scizor, while the Marshtomp managed to break free from paralysis, only for Buneary and Eevee to attack it. I made sure to keep an eye on the grunts and the Marshtomp, making sure that neither tried to hurt Luana while I continued to increase the Scizor's Friendship Meter. A dozen loops later, the Scizor was captured as it went off to the side with the Hariyama and the first Marshtomp. Now that we had just one Pokémon to focus on, it wasn't so bad for Luana or myself.
"Alright, Pachirisu, stun that Marshtomp!" Luana said as Pachirisu used Thunder Wave on the Marshtomp, rendering it unable to move.
After that, I made loops around the Marshtomp which was eventually captured after twenty or so loops. With all four Pokémon captured after a grueling battle, they went their way back down the staircase, free from their trances. The grunts Miniremos fizzled and let out plumes of smoke, which made all of the grunts livid, especially the same grunt we encountered before, as all of them ran right at us. One of them was a bit faster than the rest of the grunts and tried punching me in the face, though I dodged him and Luana retaliated by giving him a powerful uppercut, sending him sprawling back. Another grunt rushed forward and tried to hit Luana, though I intercepted him and punched him quickly in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The other grunts backed away, aside from the first grunt who lured us to the back of the room and he bravely charged forward in an attempt to take Eevee from us. Annoyed by his persistence, I tackled him to the ground before he could even think of escaping with Eevee, while Pachirisu and Buneary stood in front of us in case the remaining grunts tried to hurt us. After a brief struggle, I managed to take him down while Pachirisu and Buneary tag teamed and took out the rest of the grunts, with Luana and myself keeping a close eye on them.
"Those grunts weren't going down without a fight, good work everyone!" I said as the back wall opened up to reveal a staircase to the next floor.
"Well it's a good thing we managed to take them down with great teamwork. It'd be great to call the Ranger Union and ask them for some help, do you think things are all cleared up now?" Luana asked.
"I'm not sure if things have died down since Espeon and Glaceon went to the Union…that's what worries me the most. Let's go ahead and see how they're doing." I said as I was prepared to call the Ranger Union, only for the entire room to tremble slightly.
After a brief moment, I called Marcus in the hopes that he would pick up, which he did a few rings later.
"Hi Kellyn, hi Luana! How are things looking on your end?" Marcus asked.
"Very hectic, these grunts and admins are getting more and more violent. We just held down quite a number of them before they could escape. However, Luana and I almost got grounded to a pulp by a Hariyama no more than five minutes ago in the ensuing battle, that's how bad it's getting. What about you guys? An Espeon and Glaceon should be there to assist all of you, right?" I asked.
"Woah…I'm glad you guys made it out safely, that's what matters the most! As for us at the Ranger Union, we've got yet another swarm of Pokémon at the Ranger Union. These ones are just as aggressive as the last, and if we didn't have such great Rangers and Pokémon helping us out, then I'd really be worried about them breaking through and getting in the building. Espeon informed us of everything going on and how you guys rescued her and Glaceon. From now on, the Espeon's going to use her powers to help us out with the mind controlled Pokémon and to also send the grunts and admins you round up straight to the Ranger Union's holding room." Marcus said.