Chapter VII

Leon led me down another tunnel that eventually led upward and back above ground. We both climbed up out of the hole and he leaned over to the hole and shut a trapdoor covered in foliage and sticks over it. "Cool," I said. Leon just nodded. As I looked around I realized we were close to the edge of the forest near the town. "So," I said quietly. "How are we going to do this?" Leon rubbed his fingers on his chin and walked to the very edge of the woods and said, "come see for yourself." I walked over and it was madness. Every Pokémon in town seemed to be packing up and leaving. Carts were loaded up and pulled away and everyone looked crazed and paranoid. I cringed. I had caused this, with one look at me I had caused an island long living in peace to be torn apart by chaos. It couldn't get any worse, I thought but, as with many times before I was wrong above me I heard a noise. At first it sounded kinda like a hard wind, then it began to sound like a chop chop chop. Oh, no. Above my head I saw a giant metal bird fly overhead. It wasn't a Skarmory.

A helicopter flew over head and began to lower down into the town. Out of the chopper dropped ropes and down the ropes came Pokémon… and people. Men and women in black jumpsuits slid down the ropes and with their Pokémon began attacking and catching the towns'mon. "No," I breathed. Then suddenly I yelled out, "no!" I broke through the trees and ran at the people, behind me Leon yelled out for me to stop but, I just kept running. Leon chased after me and had almost caught up to me when I ran up to one of the men and tackled him. I could hear the breath rush out of him as he hit the ground. I looked into his eye. They were brown and full of surprise. "What are you doing," I yelled. The man just sputtered and stared up at me. I leaned back and was horrified to see his outfit. Emblazoned on middle of his black uniform was a giant red "R". The man wore several pokéballs around his waist so I grabbed one and pulled.

I think I pulled to hard because I tumbled over backwards with his whole belt in my hands. The man seemed to shake off his surprise and began yelling for his crooked friends. I pulled one of the pokéballs off the belt and threw it. I heard a familiar noise as a beam of light shot out of the pokéball, then, where the ball struck the ground I saw a Pokémon standing. A Riolu. Welp, this is going to go badly, I thought. One of the other grunts ran up and threw a pokéball down and out shot a Pokémon, it was a Haunter. I was at a disadvantage, Fighting types are weak against ghost types. I looked back and saw Leon run up next to me. "Need some help," he said seriously. I nodded back at him. I shut my eyes and then opened them and just like the anime I stuck my finger straight out and yelled, "Leon, use flamethrower!" Leon grinned, "with pleasure." Leon leaned his head back and then threw it forward and opened his mouth, outwards shot a massive wave of fire that hit the Haunter straight in the face. The Haunter seemed to be blown into several particles which then reformed. I bit my lip, How was I going to do this. I looked around, the other grunts had set fire to the buildings, the whole town was burning and several new grunts in ATVs had shown up with cages, then, I heard a shout, "Felix!"

I looked past the grunt in front of me and being pulled away with a loop around his neck was Jack. A grunt had a pole identical to a dog catchers pole looped around Jack and was dragging him towards an ATV. "No," I said aloud. I looked down at the Riolu and then pointed at the grunt pulling Jack away, "Riolu, use double kick." The Riolu nodded and ran at the grunt. The one I had been battling saw this and ordered his Haunter to use lick, which would paralyze the Riolu. I yelled out to Leon, "Leon, use flamethrower again!" Leon let out another breath of flames, which again dissipated the Haunter, however, this time when it came back together parts of it were missing, one of its hands and part of its face was gone. The grunt seemed worried and called out, "Haunter use shadow claw!" The Haunter flew up to Leon and slashed at him. "Dodge," I yelled. Leon dodged it and returned a spinning smack with his tail against the Haunter, which sent it spinning back. The Riolu had reached the grunt who was now trying desperately to pull out a pokéball while holding the pole. Before the grunt could pull one off his belt however, the Riolu has already ran up an and then double kicked him in the chest. The grunt flew back and hit the ground unmoving. Jack pulled the loop off of his neck and looked at me thankfully, "go find your friends," I yelled. "Then meet me at the boat!" Jack nodded and ran off. The Riolu ran back over to my side as the grunt I was battling sent another shadow claw at Leon. Leon narrowly dodged again, but caught one of the claws in the side, across his side was a small cut, which was now bleeding. I looked down at the Riolu at my side and nodded, he nodded back and I called out, "Leon use flamethrower!" The grunt grinned as his Haunter dodged it, but, his grin disappeared when the Riolu struck his Haunter in the back and knocked it into the flames, where the Haunter finally dissipated. The grunt turned and ran.

I picked up the Riolu's pokéball, returned him, and strapped the pokéball belt around my waist. I checked and it seemed the rest were empty. The pokéballs were clear on the top and through the red I saw the only occupied one was Riolu's. "Come on," I said to Leon and we started running towards Oscars house. When we arrived I saw the house was in flames and in front of the house was Jack and an Archen, an Abra, and an Eevee, but, I didn't see Kell or Oscar. "Where are Oscar and Kell," I yelled at Jack. The other three Pokémon seemed horrified at the sight of me, but, I just looked at Jack who then said, "inside." I looked at the house and then at Leon. When Leon's eyes met mine they widened, "don't!"

"Get to the boat Jack!" I yelled

I threw off the belt of pokéballs and ran through the empty doorframe. My lungs were instantly filled with smoke and the heat was unbearable. I ran throughout the house yelling for Oscar and Kell. I found Kell in the kitchen she was pinned under a fallen beam. I put my hands under the beam and lifted. The beam groaned and lifted slightly as I pulled it up, then out of the flames came Leon carrying Oscar who was unconscious. He used one arm to lift while he held Oscar in the other. We lifted it up and then I put it on my shoulders. The beam knocked me to my knees and Leon pulled Kell out from under me. I then through it off behind me and stood holding my shoulders. "The basement" I gasped out. "There's a tunnel." Leon nodded and ran towards it with Oscar. I picked up Kell and was burned by the fire on the end of her tail. I gritted my teeth and just ran onwards toward the basement. I ran down the stairs and into the basement. Leon stood by the hole and nodded at me. I gave him Kell and looked down at my arm, which had been blistered from Kell's tail. I ran over to the crates in the corner and pulled out off them the tube and the first-aid kit from the boat. Leon crawled backwards into the hole until he reached the end an then held out his claws. I ran over. He had laid Oscar and Kell on the floor and had his claws out for them. I picked up Oscar and handed him over and then Kell. The ceiling of the basement began to creak as Leon slid down the hole. I threw the tube and first-aid kit down the hole and then climbed in and fell down right as the basement ceiling collapsed along with the rest of the building.