Forest Grotto, Sinnoh
Meanwhile, a familiar Pikachu was trailing the group of Pokémon that attacked him earlier through the forest. He didn't know why an alarm rang throughout the place, but he knew that it wasn't good.
The Scorbunny knew that they were being followed by him, but he didn't really care. "Leah, do you see the treehouse up there?"
"Yeah!" The familiar Aipom shouted from above. "It's only a few trees away!" She lightly tugged on the bandages around her paws, falling back down
"Great." The Scorbunny smiled toothily, leading the group to their destination.
When Jacob arrived at the treehouse they were talking about, the Pikachu walked up to the front door, getting ready to knock on it. But before he could, he was suddenly swept up by a rope, leaving him dangling from it by his legs.
"Gah!" He screamed, flailing his arms.
"Oh hello." The Scorbunny jumped out from a window in the treehouse, jumping down. "I thought you would never catch up." He used a small flame from his paw to light the rope on fire and burn through it, releasing Jacob.
"Okay, now I'm- Woah!" He suddenly fell to the ground before quickly standing back up. "Now I'm confused. Why aren't you trying to kill me?"
"I knew that you weren't with him, I just wanted a good fight." The Scorbunny chuckled.
"You call five on one a good fight?" Jacob asked, a bit agitated, "Wait, with who?"
"Just get in the treehouse." The Scorbunny began to pull him inside. "We can talk about it there where it's safe."
"Sure..."
"Okay." The Scorbunny sat him down on the opposite side of the room in the treehouse. "I think we should get introductions out of the way. My name's Logan."
"I'm Simon." An Abra levitated over to him, shaking his paw.
"I'm Frost." The female Sneasel greeted Jacob before pointing to the Carnivine. "That's Chomps. He doesn't talk much, but he likes to bite."
"Bite?" Chomps' eyes lit up.
"No bite, sorry." Frost lightly patted his back.
"Aw..."
"What about you?" Jacob asked, looking over to the Aipom.
"I'm Leah." She told the Pikachu. "And you?"
"My name's Jacob." He smiled, "It's nice meeting you all, and thanks for not killing me."
"No problem." Logan grinned.
"So, now will you answer my question?" The Pikachu asked, thinking back to before he came inside. "Who would I be with if I hadn't been alone?"
"Nidoking." Leah answered, seeming a bit uncomfortable. "That's who."
"A Nidoking?" Jacob's eyebrows lowered, a bit confused. "What about it?"
"The simplified version of it is that after a Nidoking's wife and daughter died in an accident, he went berserk with monstrous strength." Leah spoke quickly. "Ever since then, the Grotto hasn't been the same."
Jacob took a second look at the Aipom, a bit confused. She seemed as if she knew about all of this for a while, and that she felt uncomfortable speaking on the subject.
"That's why everyone's been on edge, right?" The Pikachu looked back at Logan.
"Pretty much, yeah." The Scorbunny nodded with a sigh.
"Well, thanks for letting me know." Jacob stood up, adjusting his backpack on his shoulders. "But I have to go now."
"What?" Logan stood up in confusion. "Why?"
"Well, two of my friends are in the Grotto as well." Jacob answered, "We split up for a bit before this all started."
"Well you should probably do it tomorrow." Frost interjected, "Going out during the lockdown, especially when it's going to be night time soon, is suicide."
"What if I just slip by Nidoking?" The Pikachu suggested, "He's only one Pokémon."
"That wouldn't work since he has an army of his own." Leah told him, "A bunch of male Nidoran and Nidorino flocked to Nidoking out of respect for his strength. I guess that's just how the species' evolutionary line works..."
"Dang it..." Jacob looked down at the floor. He knew that charging in wildly wouldn't help his situation. "I guess I'll just stay here and help however I can."
Suddenly a large shake in the treehouse sent everyone to the wooden floor.
"Ow! What the heck was that?" The Pikachu asked, rubbing his head.
"We've got company." Simon spoke, looking out of a window. "It's a bunch of Nidorino trying to break down the treehouse..."
"Jacob, let's go." Logan told him as he made a dash for the window. "We're taking them on."
"Right." Jacob shakily stood up, following behind.
Both Chomps and Frost hopped out of the window, followed by Logan. Jacob stopped at the window before looking back to Leah and Simon.
"Aren't you coming?" The Pikachu asked confusedly.
"There always has to be two who stay back at the treehouse to guard it." Leah answered. "I kinda prefer it being me, so I can relax until there's a real threat."
"Right, right." He nodded, "See you guys later!" He jumped out of the window as well, only to see Nidorino getting knocked out left, right and center.
"Jacob, glad you could drop in!" Logan smiled while firing off a Flamethrower from his paw at a group of Nidorino. "Here's the way we do it. Knock them out and don't let any escape."
"Gotcha." His cheeks sparked electricity. "Let's do this!" He ran forward, charging a Thunderbolt.
With Oliver
Oliver and Sophie were preparing to sleep on the couches downstairs. The Oshawott planned to sleep on the couch on the right side of the room, while the Snivy took the couch on the left. Sophie seemed a bit agitated, however, and Oliver noticed this.
Ever since they were locked into the store, the Oshawott could tell she was acting a bit off. She seemed more on edge, and more sarcastic than uninterested. Oliver wanted to speak up, but didn't want to pry into her either, it wouldn't be nice.
Sophie let out an irritated sigh, "When are we going to be able to get out of here?" She complained, "I'm getting tired of this place."
"Hey Sophie?" Oliver interjected, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"No, really..." The Oshawott sat up. "You've been acting strange for the past few hours... Like you're more angry... What's wrong?"
After a few moments, Sophie let out a sigh. She knew that there was no avoiding the conversation, now that Oliver had brought it up. She sat up before looking over to the Oshawott.
"I guess I just feel a bit guilty about what happened back in Casteel..." Sophie looked down.
"But... What does that have to do with anything?" Oliver raised an eyebrow.
She let out a small sigh. She knew that Oliver was a smart Pokémon, but he just wouldn't understand where she was coming from.
"I felt bad for being one of the ones to imprison you, and it's been eating at me since we got away." She explained, "I wanted to help you have a better journey from then on out, but we only ended up in another shitty situation..."
Sophie looked away, a bit ashamed of herself.
"Sophie..." Oliver hopped off of his couch before walking over to sit next to her. "I don't blame you for what's happening now. I don't even blame you for what happened in Casteel City. You were only doing what you were supposed to. You never seemed... Bad, if you know what I mean."
The Snivy, a bit surprised, nodded.
"Even so, nothing would ever change the fact that you're the only reason why me and Jacob are still out and about." The Oshawott told her.
"I guess you have a good point there..." Sophie leaned back in her seat. "Thanks."
"No problem." He smiled, leaning back as well. "So where do you think Jacob is?" He asked, only to get no answer.
Suddenly, he felt something hit his shoulder. It was Sophie, who was sleeping silently on the Oshawott's shoulder. He was initially a bit surprised, but soon developed a smile as he closed his eyes, dozing off as well.
With Jacob
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jacob, Logan, Chomps, and Frost all arrived back to the treehouse, walking inside.
"Man, that was awesome!" Logan exclaimed, pumping his paws into the air. "Jacob, what was that?"
"You mean the glowing yellow eyes?"
"Yeah, they flickered for a bit, then faded out."
"Well, I've been having trouble activating it for a bit now..." The Pikachu explained. "It's a bit of a blessing I guess, since I'm not spraining or breaking my arm."
"Yeah... Chomps, Frost?" He looked over to them. "You guys okay?"
"Just fine." She answered before looking at the Carnivine, "Chomps over there looks fine, too."
"That's a relief..." Jacob yawned, "...I could really go for some sleep, though... We've been battling for most of the night.."
He walked out of the main room and into a random room. He accidentally walked into Leah's room, seeing something he had never expected.
The Aipom was sitting on her bed, her paws seemingly battered and bruised. But how? She didn't go out to fight with him, Logan and the others. He looked to see bandages sprawled out of the bed next to her, and put two and two together.
These wounds were inflicted in the past.
Leah noticed the Pikachu looking at her with shock, and nearly screamed at the sight, hiding her paws behind her back.
"Your paws..." Jacob spoke, nearly at a loss for words.
"Why are you here?" The Aipom asked, using her tail to grab the bandages beside her.
"I thought this was an empty room!" He exclaimed "I didn't know you were in here."
"Well now you do, so get out." Leah told the Pikachu defensively, "Oh, and don't go running your mouth about my paws to the rest of my friends."
"Wait, they don't know?" Jacob's eyebrows raised.
"Don't even think about it." The Aipom glared at him.
The Pikachu noticed something shining in her closet. He looked a bit closer, walking over. "Hey, Leah? The heck is that?"
Her eyes widened before using Swift to cut off his path. "That's enough from you." She walked over to block his view of her closet. "Tell me, what do you want?"
"I..." Jacob looked down. "...I want to know as much as I can, in order to get back to my friends without getting hurt."
"And why does that involve me?" Leah raised an eyebrow.
"Because... Everyone in the Grotto seems to be on edge, that means you must know something too." The Pikachu explained, "Right now... I just feel really stuck."
The Aipom remained silent for a moment before deciding to speak. "I know the feeling."
"Really?" His ears perked up. "But you live in this really cool treehouse, with a bunch of friends, doing whatever you want everyday. You're moving forward if anything."
"Just because I'm moving forward, doesn't mean I'm facing that direction."
Jacob went silent, looking away. She had a good point.
"Now please get out." Leah told the Pikachu.
"Right, Right..." He shuffled out, unwilling to pursue the conversation any more. He walked out, occasionally glancing back at Leah. "Oh, and Leah?"
"Hm?" The Aipom looked at him confusedly.
"Your secret's safe with me." He smiled.
"Thanks..." She closed her door, leaving the Pikachu alone to his thoughts.
Jacob walked out to one of the many balconies around the treehouse, looking out at the area. He was still tired, but his conversation with Leah left him with a bit to think about concerning what's going on in the grotto.
This had been going on for a long time. Back when Jacob and Oliver were enjoying their time around Kanet Village as kids, Leah, Logan and the others were dealing with countless situations where their lives were put on the line.
Jacob knew that he had no right to interfere with the endeavors of others, but for some reason, he still felt obligated to try and help. But he didn't know whether Oliver and Sophie would share that same sentiment or not.
Meanwhile, a familiar Buneary was relaxing in a tree. She was well aware of all of the male Nidoran and Nidorino roaming the area. She didn't know why, though.
"Hm..." She thought, looking down. "How the hell do I get out of this place? Kicking that Pikachu's ass can wait..."
She looked around the area before jumping to another tree. For some reason, she felt a lingering feeling in her stomach. Once landing on another tree, she decided to take a little break to sit down.
After a moment's thought, she realized what she was feeling. She felt guilty.
But why? Her parents were so obviously in the wrong for not raising her right. It's not like they would ever care about her current location. So why should she feel obligated to care about how they're doing?
"Did you hear?" A voice asked from below, making Dawn's eyes shift in that direction.
"About what?" A male Nidoran asked another.
"A few of our forces got fainted by those kids at the treehouse." The first Nidoran rold the other, "I thought you knew this. You're so forgetful, Ness."
"I thought we devised a strategy to take them out for good." Ness' eyes widened. "What happened?"
Nix, the first Nidoran, let out a sigh, "There's supposedly a Pikachu with them as well, so that shook things up."
"Dang it!" Ness exclaimed, "Right when we had them... The King won't be happy. I feel bad for who has to tell him this time. Well... It's not like he's gonna vocalize that disappointment. He doesn't speak anyways..."
The two Nidoran walked in silence for a moment, Dawn silently following them from the trees above them. Nix raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ness.
"You know it's your turn, right?" Nix asked, to which Ness gasped.
"What!? No!" Ness put his paws on his head. "You gotta help me, Nix!"
"Nah, I'm good." He shrugged.
"I wasn't asking!" He shouted as the two walked into what seemed like a den.
Dawn knew that she wouldn't be able to follow. Wherever they were going, she knew that it was probably leading down somewhere she wouldn't be able to escape from.
"The King, huh?" She thought, her eyebrows furrowing. "Whoever the hell that is, it's probably not anyone good..."