The Master Six

Chapter 10

"I don't see nothing," Shooter told me.

"Of course you don't see anything, we're only at the bottom of the stairs."

We went through the secret doorway, and that really turned out to be a staircase leading down.  So, we went down.  And now we had found ourselves on the floor below the famous Celadon City Game Corner.

"Well, there is another staircase down over there, but there is also a whole floor to inspect.  What do we do?" Shooter asked.

"I say that we go down another floor.  The others will be coming quickly enough, and I assume at least one group will stay here and look around.  We should keep apart for at least a little while.  Two people sneaking around is a lot easier than six people sneaking around together.  Let's go."

So we descended yet another flight of stairs, and we found ourselves at yet another basement level of the Game Corner.

"Let's look around here.  What we're looking for exactly, I don't know.  So...let's go."

We worked our way through the hallways and passageways.  We were playing it really spy-like, all sorts of sneaking in the shadows.  I mean, c'mon, we weren't real spies or anything.  I had no idea if I was really doing it right.  So far we hadn't seen any people.  But we were playing it safe anyway.

"Hey, Whistler," Shooter spoke up, "I don't mean to diss your flute or rip on your way of life or anything, but I want you to be protected in case we run into anybody who won't run if you beat their pokemon."

"What are you saying?"

"Here," he gave me a small gun, "it's a miniature of my dart pistol.  It doesn't have the power or anything of the original, but it will still shoot a tranquilizer dart that might be able to knock out a person.  I don't really use it for that reason, but you should do okay.  I mean, I've got my gun, and I know it will have the ability to knock out anybody.  I've got it armed with a dart that will take down a Dewgong.  Tranquilizers only, I don't want to kill any on Team Rocket."

I frowned at him.

"Not yet at least.  I want revenge and all Heather, but I don't know how ready I am to kill anybody."

"Yeah, I guess not, yet.  And it's Whistler while we're on a mission.  And thanks for the gun."

We proceeded to stalk through the halls in search of something, anything.  This was a really empty place.  Which is really suspicious.

We found the next set of stairs leading down, but I decided that we would stay here, on this floor.  I'm sure that we will find something soon.

And, in a sense, we did.

"Would you look at this," Shooter commented on the room we had just found.   Yet it wasn't like a room.  We didn't open any doors, the hallway just emptied out into this wide-open room.  There were walls all around, like in a maze.  They were just put up anywhere and at all sorts of angles.  In the corner where two walls met there was usually a little "pad" of some sort.  They glowed a kind of green, and had arrows that pointed in different directions.  If you followed the arrows, they would lead you down a path until you came to a "stopper pad" I guess.

It all looked kind of weird, and also kind of fun.

"Look at this stuff," I added.

"Be careful Whistler."

"Don't worry, I'm very careful," I said as I stepped over to the first glowing pad.  I decided to follow the arrows.  So I stepped on the first one.

"Whhhhhoooooaaaaaaa!!!!" I screamed as the pad launched me forward and spun me at the same time.  After about a foot and a half of spinning I hit another pad going my direction and my spinning was revitalized.

"Whistler!" Shooter screamed from the sidelines.  But I couldn't pay attention to him.  I was on a wild ride, and it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.  I hit another pad, and was launched forward again.  I could feel myself getting really dizzy.  I bet that as soon as I stop, I am going to throw up.

Then I stopped.

But I didn't throw up.

The stop pad had some kind of...thing to it that not only stopped me, but I wasn't dizzy anymore.

"Yahoo!" I shouted in joy, "Shooter!  That was amazing!  You should try it."

I turned around to see him, but he was gone.

I whipped out the gun he gave me, and I whipped my head around the room.

"Shooter!" I yelled, "Where are you!  Shooter!  This isn't time for games Shooter!"

Nothing, no response.  Shooter was gone.

"Dammit!" I said to no one.  Shooter was gone.  They must already be in here.  Team Rocket is here.  And they've already got shooter.

And now they are after me.

But I'm not going down without a fight.

"Max, I really need you now man," I said as I opened up Max's pokeball.

He flew out, and instantly perched himself down in front of me.  He was too big to perch on my shoulder anymore, I kind of missed it.

"Okay buddy, this is it.  Our biggest moment.  I need you to fly through this room here, and find me a way to get out of here.  An elevator a doorway.  Anything!  If you see anybody else screech.  If you see Gavin, stay with him.  Okay?  Good.  Go!"

Max took off.  He was a good Pidgeotto, he could handle that task.  So I just sat there and waited for him to return.  I kept my gun up, ready to fire at anything that wasn't friend.  I didn't have to wait very long.  Max was back quickly, and with a combination of me jumping and he carrying me, he brought me to an elevator.

"Good job Max, now back you go," I returned him to his pokeball.  He wasn't small anymore.  I couldn't have him around cluttering up things.

"Okay, let's see here," I said to the elevator," I suppose I need a, yep, I need a lift key.  Great."

"I suppose maybe I can be of some service," a voice said behind me.  I spun around in time to see just the big, red letter "R" on the shirt of the person behind me.

As fast as the eye can see I brought up my gun and shot the man with a dart designed to bring down big pokemon.  He barely had time to look surprised.

He fell, and I hurried over to him.  He looked about thirty or forty.  I don't know, I'm a poor judge of these things.  All that was important was that he was Team Rocket, and he might have a lift key.  I searched his pockets, and sure enough he had a lift key.

Gee, this was pretty easy.

Maybe too easy.

I stuck the key into the hole next to the elevator, and turned the sucker on.  An elevator would be perfect.  It would be easy.  The doors opened up.  It would be a cinch.

Three men in dark suits stood in the elevator.

"I..." I stuttered.

"Hello Heather," the middle one said.

Then the man on his left lifted up a club, and I went down hard.

Everything went black.

Uh oh.