Another filler. The second of four. Thanks to mestwendyfan for reviewing the previous chapter.

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Chapter Sixteen: A Lucky Escape

Instead of heading straight to Olivine City, Lyra had decided to hang around in Ecruteak for awhile. She was beginning to feel mentally and physically exhausted from the non-stop travelling she had done. Now was a good time to sit back and relax for awhile. But it wasn't just her mind and body that needed a rest; her Pokemon too deserved to relax. Ecruteak might not be at the top of list for popular holiday destinations, but it certainly was the perfect place to relax. She had grown to love the place.

But she knew she couldn't stay here forever – she had four more badges to obtain. Morty had suggested battling the gym leader of Cianwood City first, but to get there she had to bypass Olivine City. Reaching Olivine from Ecruteak would take a month – Morty had advised not leaving for the city until cyclone season was over because there was always a chance of a storm surge happening and flooding the city. So she had waited at least another week for the season to end.

"The season has passed, Lyra. You can choose to leave now if you wish," Morty said, walking Lyra towards the city gate. "It's a long road to Olivine but it's a straight path. There are quite a number of trainers on the road but they shouldn't be a problem for you."

"Anything else?"

He nodded. "The water between Olivine and Cianwood can be a little rough. I would suggest not crossing it until it looks absolutely safe. All the best of luck to you Lyra, we will meet again." He waved her goodbye. She headed out onto Route 38, her loyal team of six tagging along behind her. And so the life of a travelling Pokemon trainer started again. She wondered what problems she would face this time.

She didn't even manage to step one foot out of Ecruteak City when she felt her Xtransceiver vibrate. "Hello, this is Lyra speaking."

"Lyra? Where are you now? Something terrible has happened!" Ethan blurted out, distraught.

She frowned, troubled. "I'm still in Ecruteak."

"Still there? All right, I'm arriving now. Meet me at the gate on Route 37." Ethan hung up. Lyra put her Xtransceiver away, hurrying over towards the southern gate. Ethan stood under the arch way, frantically searching left and right. He sighed with relief when Lyra approached him. "I was worried you might have been in Olivine City now… but I'm glad you are here."

Lyra looked at him, concerned. "What happened?"

Ethan took a deep breath then spoke. "I participated in one of the Bug Catching Contests in Goldenrod one morning and when I returned back to the day care centre… I discovered the place had been robbed. The computer in the room had been destroyed and the Pokemon pen ruined. My grandfather said some grunts in black uniform came in and took all the Pokemon they could." He closed his eyes, mouth pressed into a thin line. "They've gone to Mt. Mortar. These Pokemon belong to trainers. If the trainers find out their Pokemon have been stolen…"

Then the day care centre could be shut down officially. The authorities would believe the owners were not capable of being responsible caretakers. Ethan's grandparents would be out of a job. "How many were taken?"

"Three. A Sentret, a Pidgey and a Rattata."

"We'll get those Pokemon back."

Ethan shook his head. "I can't go. I need to look after my grandparents. They're still in shock. You'll have to do this alone, Lyra."

She expected that response but it was still disappointing to hear. She had hoped to spend some quality time with her friend as it had been months since they had last spoke, but that would have to wait. "How do I get to Mt. Mortar?"

"You'll need to get onto Route 42. That's just to the east of Ecruteak. Please be careful, Lyra. Mount Mortar is a dangerous place." Lyra had always thought she'd end up entering Mount Mortar, but she hadn't expected the moment to come so soon. Was she strong enough to face the horrors of the mountain?

"I'll get those Pokemon back."

"I know you will. We're counting on you, Lyra. Give me a call when you've gotten them back. Stay safe."

Lyra nodded. She took in a deep breath and headed towards Route 42.

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Mount Mortar was much bigger than she had assumed. Although the mountain was reasonably close to Ecruteak City, it still seemed quite far away. But here was she now, standing at the foot of the mountain, ready to face her most dangerous journey yet. There was something off about the place – something that didn't quite feel right. The closer she came to the mountain, the more unsettled she felt. Even her Pokemon felt nervous. They were huddling around her legs, leaving barely any room for her to move.

"I know your scared… and so am I… but we need to save those Pokemon," Lyra said aloud, addressing her six Pokemon that were standing around her. "There are three trainers relying on us to bring back their Pokemon safely. If we don't find them in time, Ethan's grandparents could be in serious trouble."

Caves. Although it had been quite some time ago since she last entered one, the experience was still fresh in her mind. It was as if she had entered the Dark Cave yesterday to catch her third Pokemon. Zubat were obviously going to be in abundance here, but what other Pokemon called Mouny Mortar their home?

She put a foot inside, wincing as a hot humid air touched her skin. She took another step forwards when she was pushed back outside by a rather large man. Lyra stumbled backwards, flailing wildly as she landed on her backside. Ouch, she thought. Glancing up, a man dressed in hiking gear looked down at her, a shocked expression on his face.

"I'm sorry lass, I didn't see you there. Here, take this technical move potion, Strength as my apology," he said, handing her a golden brown potion.

What was it with people giving her gifts all the time? Not that she was complaining though, it just seemed a little strange. She accepted the potion and placed it in her bag. "What does it do?" He assisted her to her feet. Lyra was sure one of the previous gym leaders had mentioned it, but that been quite some time ago.

"Teach it to one of your Pokemon and you'll be able to push those annoying boulders out of your way with ease. It gives your Pokemon double the power you see." He looked at the cave entrance. "If you are serious about going in there, you should know – wild Pokemon are the least of your worries. Good luck, trainer." He hurried past Lyra before she could ask another question. Wild Pokemon were the least of her concerns? That didn't sound promising.

She stepped back inside and was immediately overwhelmed by the high humidity levels. Having gotten accustomed to the pleasant cool weather of Ecruteak, this was a rather unpleasant change. Sweat beads were already beginning to form on her head. Every breath felt like a heavy weight on her chest. She had thought Cherrygrove had been bad, but this was twice as worse. Fortunately, there were torch brackets inside the cave making it easier to see.

Obviously, people lived here… or had lived here at one stage. No one would bother to put that much effort into placing torch brackets around the cave if they had no intention of living here. She delved further into Mt. Mortar, taking cautious steps. Every time she reached a corner she made sure to pause and peek around the side. Team Rocket grunts were hiding in here somewhere. She just had to find out where exactly.

"Nidoking, Double Kick!"

A monstrous roar filled the cave halls sending a shiver racing down Lyra's spine. She had encountered a few Nidoran's on her journey but never their final evolutions. She didn't want to either judging by his roar. Pressing her back against the cave walls, Lyra did her best to stick to the shadows, to avoid the eyes of the trainer. The last thing she wanted to do right now was have a battle with some trainer.

She had to save her strength for Team Rocket. Who knew how many grunts were waiting for her in here? One? Two? Perhaps even more? "Hey trainer, come here and battle me!" Damn. The Nidoking owner had spotted her. That's when she realized she had accidentally stepped out from the shadows and into the light.

Looking towards the trainer, she was surprised to see a male dressed in green dinosaur costume. Lifting her brows, she moved towards him. Wasn't he hot on in that costume? "I'm not to battle. I'm looking for a group of thieves. Have you seen them?"

The boy stretched his 'claws' towards her and growled. "I don't know what you are talking about, trainer! But our eyes have locked and now we must battle!" He roared, swinging his 'tail' then stomped his feet. Lyra rolled her eyes. Just what she needed - a battle with some pre-teen try hard. Or at least she assumed he was some pre-teen – besides, how many people past the age of ten dressed up in costumes unless they were clowns?

"You're making the wrong decision…" She paused, searching for a name tag. She couldn't find one.

"I'm Harrison! And I will defeat you with the two Pokemon my parents have given me!"

Lyra had noticed an alarming trend – all the trainers she had battled on various routes were very confident… and also quite rude. It seemed like a fair majority of trainers, aside from gym leaders and other important people, seemed to think trash talking would help them win. In her experience, trash talkers were the ones who quickly fell.

"Say hello to my Nidoking!"

A large, bipedal, purple creature with reptilian features appeared from its pokeball. The beast was huge, reaching a height of at least two metres. He looked down at her now, beady little eyes staring at her as if she was something to eat. Lyra gulped. Out of all the Pokemon she had battled against, none were as intimidating as this. "Go for it, Gabite!" Gabite was the only Pokemon she had that could almost match the Nidoking in height.

"Use Double Kick, Nidoking!"

"Use Dragon Rage!" Best to get this battle over and done with as quick as possible, she thought. Gabite moved first, shooting a burst of draconic rage at the Nidoking. The attack struck the Pokemon in its grey belly plated chest, howling with pain. He struck back, throwing his massive body towards the Gabite, legs outstretched. Lyra never would've thought something so big could jump like that.

Two powerful kicks struck her Gabite hard, knocking him back a couple of metres. Fortunately, Gabite had endured a lot of big hits before and recovered rather quickly. The Nidoking might have been big, but it didn't seem as strong as it could be. "Nidoking, use Peck!" Lowering his head, the Nidoking charged, ramming its sharp horn into Gabite's side.

Gabite roared, and fought back, swinging his tail at the Nidoking. "Use Dual Chop, Gabite!" Gabite took a running leap, jumping into the air, only to come back down fast with two quick slashes. The Nidoking fainted, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Needless to say, Harrison was quite surprised.

"Oh no, my father's Nidoking!" he wailed. He retrieved his Pokemon and pulled out the next one. "Nidoqueen!" Nidoqueen looked very similar to Nidoking – the only main differences were that her scales were blue and her horn was much smaller. "Nidoqueen, use Double Kick!" The female Pokemon jumped, kicking out her thick legs as Gabite. Gabite fell backwards upon getting struck in the chest.

"Dragon Rage!"

And the battle was over as quickly as it had begun. "Why? Why did I lose?" Harrison moaned, dropping to his knees. "My Pokemon are much bigger than yours… they should've won!"

"Size doesn't determine victory," Lyra said gently, walking over to the boy. "It's about strategy. Your Pokemon might be large, but if you don't have the right moves, how do you expect to defeat your opponents?" She reached out a hand for the boy to take. He grabbed it, and she helped him to his feet.

His eyes locked on Lyra's Gabite. "How did you get so powerful?"

"Practice. Determination. Faith. You have to believe in yourself and in your Pokemon. Are you sure you didn't see anyone wandering around here acting suspicious-like?" Now that she had defeated him, perhaps he would speak the truth.

"A man with aqua hair arrived here a couple of days ago. He was dressed in some fancy white suit. He was accompanied by three guys with black clothes," Harrison explained. "Are they your friends?"

She shook her head. Fancy white suit and a couple of grunts dressed in black? Definitely Team Rocket. "No, those people are very bad. I have to find them – they've stolen a few Pokemon and I'm going to get them back. Do you know where they went?"

The boy nodded, pointing towards a ladder reaching upwards in the far eastern corner. "They went up there." Lyra thanked him then headed towards the ladder, but stopped when she felt fingers wrapping around her wrist. "You can't go up there! It's too dangerous! There are a lot of scary Pokemon on that level."

She freed herself from his grip. "I'll be fine. I have my Pokemon with me."

His eyes filled with wonder. "What's your name?"

"Lyra."

"You're a great trainer, Lyra!"

That caught her by surprise. She had only just met the boy and already she had an admirer. Was this how the gym leaders and members of the league felt? Did they often experience random fan encounters like this? She smiled at Harrison. "Keep practicing, okay?"

He nodded. "I will! I'll return once I come back from the Pokemon Centre." He walked off as best as he could in his clumsy costume, leaving Lyra alone to face the horrors on the level above. She recalled her Pokemon back to their balls and started climbing up the ladder. She reached the top of the ladder then hoisted herself up onto the next level. It was much darker up here, but fortunately, she could still reasonably well. It was also hotter. Disgusting.

"We raided the Pokemon Day Care Centre near Goldenrod," said a male. His voice sounded rather familiar…

"It was easy to raid. The elderly couple couldn't do anything," said another male. Again, she recognized the voice. Did these voices belong to the grunts she defeated at the Slowpoke Well? Were they always going to show up wherever she went?

"Am I supposed to be pleased with this news? You failed to do anything at the Slowpoke Well. You were beaten by someone much younger than you!" a man snapped, his voice deep and hoarse. She didn't recognize that one. "I am demoting you both. You will be on guard duty from now on until you prove yourself worthy of carrying out simple tasks."

"Please… don't demote us… we tried!" the first male begged.

"I will not tolerate weaklings in my organization. Head to Mahogany Town. You will act under the orders of Ariana. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Archer, we understand."

"Good. Now get out of my sight!"

Lyra heard a scurrying of feet and a few sobs. Whoever this Archer was he certainly commanded a lot of power. She moved closer towards the source of the voice, hiding behind a couple of large rocks. Leaning forward cautiously, she peered around the corner. There he was. Archer, the man with the fancy white suit and aqua hair. He was now talking into his Xtransceiver, pacing back and forth. It was on speaker so she could hear the conversations of both parties.

"Archer! What a surprise! I did not expect to hear from you so soon! Is there trouble?"

Archer shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "Just a few problems with some incompetent grunts, but nothing I can't handle. How is it looking down at the Mahogany base?"

"Everything is in position. The grunts are just having a few problems attaching the Electrode to the power source though. The Electrodes do not like being touched."

Archer sighed. "Tell the grunts to wear rubber gloves when handling the Electrode. I want the waves transmitted as soon as possible. We've been stalling for months now and we can't afford to continually have delays. I wouldn't be surprised if the rats from the league have become aware of our activities. I do not want a repeat of the Slowpoke Well disaster," he said heatedly.

"I do have a couple of men stationed at the Olivine City Lighthouse. They could try and capture the Ampharos… Ampharos would provide far more power than the Electrode."

"Do it." He paused then spoke again. "Have you ensured the doors are protected by the passwords?"

"Yes. Both doors are sealed and unbreakable. Not even the Champion himself would dare to risk trying to break the door down – if he tries to, the entire place will explode." She laughed.

Archer smiled. "Excellent."

"Is there anything else, Archer?"

"No, that is all. I will talk to you at a later date." He hung up and put his Xtransceiver away, then stretched his arms behind his back, yawning loudly. "Team Rocket will not fail this time… I will make Giovanni's plans a living reality. Now… what to do with these three stolen Pokemon? Shall I send you three to the Lake of Rage to be experimented on first? Hmmm, decisions, decisions," he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, as he gazed down upon three pokeballs lying on the floor. There was also a fourth ball there. It was pink.

Lyra edged close to get a better view. Unfortunately, in doing so, she accidentally grazed her leg against a rough surfaced stone. She covered her mouth to stop from making a noise, but it was too late. Archer turned his head in her direction, a frown on his face. Reaching down to his belt, he pulled out a pokeball and threw it onto the ground. A powerful and mean looking black canine appeared, its small red eyes scanning its surroundings. Its whip-like tail moved back and forth, as the canine sniffed the air. Lyra closed her eyes and hoped the dog would not detect her.

"What do you smell, Houndoom? Have we been followed by a nosy trainer? Sniff that person out." Houndoom nodded. The canine brought its nose to the ground and sniffed, following an invisible trail that led right to Lyra. She gulped, as red eyes fixed down on her. The canine barked. "Ah, what do we have here? A willing servant?" Archer's eyes narrowed. "Or a foolish trainer? Stand up, girl. Tell me your name."

Lyra stood up. She timidly looked up at Archer. "It's… Lyra."

Archer's smirk widened, as he stepped closer towards her, his faithful Houndoom at his side. "What are you doing here?"

"Just… exploring, that's all," she replied weakly. Why did her confidence have to leave her now? "I didn't hear anything important. Honest," she blurted.

Teal eyes bore into her orbs. "Wait… you are the girl that was involved in the Slowpoke Well situation, are you not? My grunts described a trainer that looked exactly like you…" His eyes travelled down her body, studying her clothes. "By the description they gave me, I was expecting you to look like a farmer."

"I am not a farmer," she replied tersely.

Archer just laughed. "Indeed, you are not. You managed to defeat my grunts at the Slowpoke Well." He circled her, as if he were a predator hunting its prey. "But you did not accomplish much anyway. We retrieved all the tails we needed before you arrived. So really, you did not actually achieve anything of significance. You have managed to frighten some of my grunts though."

Lyra decided to play it safe. Besides, there wasn't much else she could do anyway. Her Pokemon were reasonably strong, but this was the leader of Team Rocket. He was bound to have countless powerful mean Pokemon in his possession. "What did you want with the Slowpoke Tails?"

"That is none of your concern, girl. All you need to know is the Slowpoke will no longer be harmed."

Lyra tried another question. "What do you want from me?"

He advanced towards her, his cold teal blue eyes never leaving her face. He pressed his palms together and pointed in her direction. "You are a promising trainer… you defeated my grunts at the well, you defeated one of my executives and you defeated a grunt in Ecruteak." He stopped moving and looked down at her again. "I could crush you. I could destroy your precious team of Pokemon with one single attack. Your journey would then end. But," he started moving around again, his gaze unflinching, "I am interested in seeing how far you will go. There's something special about you so I would like to extend the offer for you to join Team Rocket."

A sudden wave of anger gripped her mind. "I would never side with evil," she hissed.

He pretended to be disappointed. "Such a shame, such potential wasted." He barked a laugh.

"What are you going to do with me?"

He rubbed his chin. "Yes… what shall I do with a trainer who knows too much? Not that it matters anyway – your knowledge of what has transpired here will not change anything. I am willing to let you go just this once. You are not ready to face me yet."

Her jaw dropped. "You're willing to let me go?"

He shrugged. "Why not? You are just a child in my eyes. Inferior. Weak. It would not be worth the effort in even fighting you. But perhaps one day you will be ready and then we can determine who is the stronger of us." Houndoom growled, as Lyra slowly backed away. It was weird how the most powerful person in Team Rocket was willing to let her escape, but she was grateful for it. Perhaps he believed she was going to fail.

"I will defeat you."

He grinned. "I am not weak like the other grunts you have faced. I admire your confidence, but only skill will help you. Now go, before I decide to change my mind. Oh, you may take these useless Pokemon with you as well. I have no need for them," he said, giving Lyra the three stolen pokeballs. She was a little surprised, but she accepted them and placed the balls in her bag. She didn't ask what the fourth ball was, but it did look important since the ball was pink.

Walking away from this seemed like a foolish idea – it was the perfect opportunity to shut their operations down, but she currently didn't have the power to do that. So she climbed back down the ladder and made her way back to the entrance, unable to shake off the feeling she had made a terrible decision.