Chapter 30: Where Mo makes a crucial decision.
Mo still stood there, looking at Ziggy and clenching the key in his shacking fist.
On one side, he hated Ziggy. For him, he almost was the embodiment of all the characteristics Mo disliked in Pokémon. Wealth, pride, ... Pikachu. He also came this far already. Who knew when he would ever get a chance to properly get revenge on someone like him. He knew too much already as well and was most likely using him. It will just go on as always. Ziggy would win.
On the other side, and that was something Mo hated to admit, Ziggy was right. He was controlled by Pokémon he last saw a long time ago and Pokémon he will first meet in many, many years. And one can't simply antagonise the whole world.
Mo began to nervously walk up and down in front of Ziggy, still holding the key. He had no idea what to do next.
"Do it.", a demonic voice suddenly told him. A male voice, standing behind him, but not the one of Ziggy. It was rough and still sounded familiar to him.
Mo quickly turned around in surprise. He was not in Ziggy's large cell anymore. Only darkness around him, as black as could be. And in the darkness stood another Mimikyu. His cloth were turn and filthy, he wore a scarf similar to Mo's, but almost as black as the surroundings.
"He deserves it. Make him suffer like he made you.", he told Mo.
The other Mimikyu walked closer to Mo, an arm which claw tips were bright red reach out for the key and tried to take it away from Mo.
"Get away from me!", Mo shouted and tried to attack him with his shadow claw.
His attack was easily blocked by the other Mimikyu and Mo was pushed to the ground, still holding Ziggy's key.
"I don't want to hurt you.", the other Mimikyu said. "Give me the key and I promise you happiness. I will be by your side and help you."
He reached out with his claw and waited to receive it.
Mo felt the temptation to give in. But as he stood back up, he saw something shimmering in the distance. Small, but still there.
Mo ran towards the light with the other Mimikyu chasing after him. Mo ran as fast as he could, but the other Mimikyu was still a little bit faster and was soon catching up to him. Mo was forced to the ground again, while still being fixed to this light. Somehow, it came closer to him.
Finally, Mo saw what this small light was.
"An egg?"
A small, white egg, shining in the darkness.
"What is that?!", the other Mimikyu shouted. The presents of this egg and the light it spread seemed to hurt him.
Mo managed to get back up again and sprinted the last few feet to the eggs. It was not only bright, but also warm.
Mo felt like he forgot something important. As if he was told to do something. Whatever it was, this one egg felt important to Mo. Very important. Like, Mo would give his live for this orb made out of lime.
Mo remembered Aaron in their hotel room, shortly after Charlotte's confession. He told them something about Mo's parents, and ... and ...?
"Give! Me! The! Key!", the other Mimikyu demanded and rushed toward both Mo and the egg.
"Leave me alone!", Mo shouted and clenched to both the key and the egg.
"Mo?", someone asked him confused. It was Ziggy's voice.
To Mo's surprise he still stood in front of Ziggy, holding the key.
"You ... spaced out for a minute.", Ziggy told him. And looked confused.
Mo choke his head. He suddenly felt very calm. He had now idea why and what just happened with him.
Mo looked at the key again, and back to Ziggy.
"Under one condition.", Mo said. "You will not talk about what happened in this room. You will not talk about what I told you, and what you told me. Yes?"
"Yes.", Ziggy answered. And with this answer, Mo stepped forward and unlocked both of the locks that held Ziggy.
Ziggy sighted in relief.
"That still doesn't mean I forgive you. Next time I will think harder about this.", Mo told him.
Ziggy snickered. He stood up and had to support himself in Mo's fake had to not fall down again. Mo didn't liked that.
"I guess it would be stupid if I asked you; Can you walk?", Mo commented.
They moved slowly but steady out of this cell. Every single step Ziggy took hurt him, but he tried to not show it.
"How did you managed to get to us anyway?", Ziggy asked as they walked past the two knocked out Oddish.
"Axel had a bad dream, then told me about an ally of his, which turned out to be the night itself, then we met Arceus' secretary and for some reason this base is mostly empty.", Mo quickly explained. Ziggy did not understood a word.
They reached the ladder to get back up. Mo began to think how he should to this, and quickly.
Mo turned to Ziggy.
"Question; Which body part you yours hurt the less?"
"The part that's hurts the most is my eye.", Ziggy said and was also wondering how Mo managed to get him up. "If you ask me, my tail."
Mo told Ziggy to turn around and to not look up. As he did what he was told, Mo grabbed Ziggy's tail and started climbing up the long ladder step by step while dragging Ziggy along, holding him with one claw. I was uncomfortable to Ziggy, but Mo did not care.
Almost reaching then end of the ladder, Mo noticed something he needed Ziggy to remind.
"You know.", he said. "I saved your life. That means you own me."
Silence from Ziggy.
"Whatever ...", he finally said.
Before taking teh final few steps up, Mo pulled Ziggy, still holding him by his tail, up and carefully laid him down on the solid ground.
"Alright.", Mo said as he himself now reached the main floor of the base. "The worst is done. We only-"
Mo noticed Ziggy laying there, on his belly, with his healthy eye wide open like he was in a state of shock.
"Something wrong?", he asked the Pikachu and turned around.
At the door the room where the hole was stood five visible Pokémon. One Koffing, one Bellossom, three Oddish and one Spearow, looking at both of them in surprise.
"That him! That's the one who knocked me out twice!", shouted the Koffing.
Oh, ship!", Mo though. Busted!
"Get 'em!", the Bellossom commanded the troops.
Mo had to act fast now. He charged himself and fired an thunder bolt blindly into the group at the door. It hit the Bellossom which went down. Instead of following her orders she gave a second ago, her troops looked if their "boss" was alright.
While they still had time, Mo had to think about a way to escape. He turned back around and only saw a wall. Mo once read a book about a group of adventurers being in a similar situation and hoped what they did would work now as well for them.
Mo took his fake tail, filled it with as much dark energy as he could, a dark aura appeared not only around his tail, but also around himself, his eyes began to glow and then he swung his tail as hard as he could against the wall.
With a loud shattering he managed to smash a big hole into it. Mo was amazed that it actually worked.
"Another good example of how violence sometimes does solve thing.", he said to himself. He grabbed the still laying Ziggy with both his clutches and made his escape, while carrying the Pikachu above his fake head.
"I said; Get 'em!", the Bellossom shouted again and flapped her arms around, hitting the ones next to her. This time heir troop did what they were told.
"Where is the exit?!", Mo asked himself and looked around in a state of stress. Every corner looked the same to him.
"Enemies behind you!", Ziggy told Mo. Approaching him were two Trapinch and one Spearow.
"I know!", Mo shouted and rushed in the opposite direction to get away.
Mo was running next to a long wall. Surely, if he ran along side this wall long enough, he would reach the exit sooner or later.
As he passed a corner, Mo suddenly found himself in a cloud of smoke. It surprised him and he and Ziggy had to cough. A Koffing approached him. Mo saw it smile through the smoke.
That moment, he felt a stinging pain. One of the Trapinch from before bit Mo and holding him tight.
"You lost.", the Trapinch told Mo in a muffled tone.
Mo, still holding up Ziggy, used one of his free arms to reach for his fake tail, and then proceeded to beat Trapinch with it let go.
"Mo, look out!", Ziggy screamed. The Koffing was just preparing a sludge attack and inflated itself. Mo and Ziggy barely dodged the attack, it hit the wall instead.
Mo further rushed down the corridor until he reached another wall. Looking to his right, he saw the big and still open door he and the others got inside.
"Bingo!"
As quickly as he could, Mo rushed to the door. From the corner of another room, near the exit, the Bellossom and a few other Pokémon from before appeared and positioned themselves at the door. Turning around more Pokémon blocked Mo's way back around.
"Take the Chosen one back to his cell.", the Bellossom told her minions. "And about this other adventurer, I will take care of him myself." She smiled sinister as she said it.
Mo did not know how to get out off this situation. He could try smashing in that wall again. Directly attacking would not work well. Most of these Pokémon, Poison, could not be harmed so well by the attacks Mo got.
"Mo.", Ziggy whispered to him. "I have an idea, but you need to trust me and do exactly what I tell you."
"What?", Mo asked back. He did not liked how Ziggy said these words, but he was out of options right now. The Pokémon behind him were slowly coming closer to arrest them.
"Put me down and then aim directly at the ceiling above these guys. No matter what happens then, rush to the exit."
Mo did not quiet understood, but it was worth to try.
As he was told, Mo put down the Pikachu.
"And don't you dare leave me behind.", Ziggy added.
Mo began to charge his energy. The Bellossom knew he was up to something, but did not knew what.
"Do it on the count of three.", Ziggy further told Mo, stood up and leaned onto Mo as he did.
Mo focused on the spot Ziggy meant.
"One."
"Two."
"Three!"
Mo shot his thunder bolt at the spot at the ceiling just as he was told. His electric power was much stronger than usually. Ziggy, staying by his side and despite his injuries, unleashed his own thunder bolt as well. Mixing with lightings into one and creating a field of electricity around them that keep the other Pokémon from daring to come closer.
The power of this one, great thunder bolt was strong enough to shatter the ceiling, even stronger then how Mo smashed that wall before.
Rubble began to fall down and the ceiling fell apart. Bellossom and the other Pokémon took cover and ran off to save themselves.
Ziggy sunk and fell to the ground in exhaustion next to Mo. He quickly grabbed him by his scarf and rushed to the exit, despite it being buried under rubble as he did.
Jumping over pieces of bricks that already were blocking the exit and dodging falling rocks, making this blockade worse, Mo finally left the base as he felt the soft grass underneath him.
Behind him, parts of the enemy base around the entrance area fell apart, making a terrible noise at it happened and even more dust.
There they stood, in front of what used to be an entrance. Still hearing pieces of rubble crashing down on the inside and covered in dust.
Mo looked at Ziggy. He was just getting back up again and laughed quietly.
"That'll teach them.", he said and coughed.
Mo nodded.
"Now need to look for your team and mine."
"Mo! Over here!", Mo heard a voice.
Looking behind them, to the bush he and the others hid when they met Fystiki the last time, he saw two white and pink ribbons waving at them.
"There they are!", Mo happily told Ziggy.
He carried the Pikachu the bush. Behind it they were first greeted by Aaron.
"Good job, buddy!", Aaron congratulated him.
Behind Aaron stood Charlotte, Nya and Richard. The last two stood there, speechless over seeing Ziggy again.
Mo carefully put down Ziggy on his feet.
"Mission accomplished.", Mo told Team Blue.
"Ziggy!", Nya call out in joy.
Ziggy walked the last few steps to her and hugged her.
"I was so worried about you when they took you away!", Nya actually began to cry. Tears of joy rolling down her face and on Ziggy.
Ziggy stroke over her head.
"It's okay. I'm here now. Everything is going to be fine."
"Great Scott!", Richard announced and jumped up and down, changing is leg every time he did. "Your. Not. Dead."
All of Team Blue shared a big hug together as Team Purple watched them.
Aaron put his paw on Mo's fake head.
"You know, Nya doubted if you would actually risk your life to save his."
Mo looked up to his Sylveon friend.
"But I always knew you can be counted on.", Aaron further said. "You have your moments, but inside of you lies a big heart."
Mo blushed under his disguise. He then remembered the egg and still wondered what it meant.
"Aaron? Back at the hotel in-", he wanted to has Aaron.
"What happened to you?!", Nya suddenly shouted. She just realised Ziggy's overall condition. She was mostly fixed on his eye and then noticed the claw marks on his cheek.
"That wasn't me. He already looked like that when I arrived.", Mo defended himself.
Richard noticed the oran berry juice on Ziggy, and licked it.
"It's just a flesh wound. A bath, some band-aid and a fist full of painkillers and I'll be good as new.", Ziggy calmer her down. "The most important thing is we can get away from this awful place."
"Yeah!", Nya realised and looked over to Team Purple. "You never told us how you actually got here. How do we get back to the guild?"
Mo looked up in the sky. It was cloudy and according to the sun in the later afternoon. It was still day, not night.
Both Mo and Aaron were getting nervous.
Mo took a sharp breath.
"Well ...", Mo tried to explain. He hoped Aaron would say something. Or Charlotte.
Ziggy looked very disappointed at Team Purple.
"Don't tell me you don't have a plan.", he said and his tone reminded Mo of his older brother.
"We DO have a plan. We got a ride.", Mo explained. "We just don't know when or even IF the ride will come back for us."
Team Blue looked at Team Purple in silence, confusion and disappointment.
"Theoretically we can still walk back to the guild. We have an idea were we are right now exactly. But it's a little far away.", Mo tried to save the situation.
"A rescuing mission ...", Ziggy said and sat down.
"I don't ... I don't believe it! I really don't!", Richard cursed and rubbed his eyes with one of his wings.
"What kind of 'ride' did you took that will not come back for us?!", Nya argued.
"Do we have lunch at 9:30 at school?", Richard added.
Everyone turned to him, because no one knew what kind of question that just was.
"No.", Richard answered his question. "We have lunch at 12:15."
That moment, Mo heard something sizzling behind them.
He, as well as Aaron and Charlotte turned around to see the bush they were hiding behind literally disintegrating into a purple puddle of goo. Behind it stood the Bellossom from before as well as three Oddish next to her.
"You should have kept running when you still got the time.", she told them, smiled and crossed her tiny arms.
That's when both Team Purple and Blue noticed they were already surrounded. Oddish, Koffing and Trapinch circled them, Spearow and Noibat in the sky above.
Team Purple and Team Blue immediately formed their own circle to defend themselves.
"Ferhat will be very pleased when he returns.", the Bellossom announced and smiled grimly. "This truly is the day the Adventurer Guild falls."
One Oddish gave her a little push.
"Boss? Won't he be mad about ... you know?", it said and hinted at the partly destructed Forces of Evil base.
The Bellossom frowned.