{Approx. 8 years ago}
Under Sensei's wing, my life turned for the better. Granted, the flying Pokémon were still active enough to keep us contained in the forest, and mess up our sleeping habits. But I'd always get the chance to train with Sensei at least every other day.
Our training would begin with standard exercises. On my first new training day he had me do 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10km run throughout the forest. But when I passed out, he cut the number to 10 of each exercise, and just a 1km run thereon out. Blindswipe had no problem showing off his endurance runs, with Knave keeping up with him most of the time.
While the three of us did our more solo exercises, Sensei had Nightraider, Astra, and Crest dodge his attacks. Given my training with him prior, Nightraider had no problem keeping up with Sensei. Astra was slower, but had lots of near-misses thanks to her Teleport. On the other hand, Crest eagerly took every attack head on…literally. Sensei tried to explain the importance of dodging, but Crest refused almost every suggestion. Only if Sensei or someone else used a super-effective move on him, did he try to dodge the attack.
The next part of training put a lot of focus on my abilities. Sensei knew about my telepathy and Z-Move use, but was additionally intrigued by what we coined 'persuasion power'. The latter was our focus during the first couple training sessions.
He brandished his fan. [I'm curious…why don't you 'persuade' me?]
I gave him an uneasy look. "Um, really? Like…what?"
He moved to a striking pose. [Stop my attack. Don't move; use just your words.]
"Okay…" As he didn't immediately move, I grew nervous. "What attack will he use? It better not be Focus Blast. Or Feint Attack. Or Extrasensory. Dang it, if I can't move…"
Without warning, Sensei's eyes glowed, and I felt like my brain was suffering a huge headache.
"Nrgh! Stop!" I clutched my head.
The attack didn't stop.
"Stop!"
Still nothing changed.
I dropped to one knee. "Stop!"
Gradually, the attack lessened. Sensei seemed both puzzled and surprised. [Interesting. The tone of that voice…it feels like…] He waved his glowing fan.
I felt compelled to speak. "Stop!"
He had a look of slight disappointment. [That felt weaker.] He lowered his fan. [Thought it would be consistent…]
I got to my feet. [What are you talking about?]
[Your 'persuasion power'. The way it feels from the perspective of the target. It feels a lot like my move Instruct.]
"Really?!" I thought for a moment. [Now that I think about it, no wonder it reminded me of my dad's 'persuasion' when you used Instruct on me.]
[Though, unlike Instruct, the effectiveness of your 'persuasion' varies more than just 'it works or it doesn't'.] He stroked his chin. [That being the case, there isn't much I can teach you on how to use that unique power. You'll have to practice that on your own. However…] He raised his fan again.
"Ugh, stop that!" I growled under my breath.
[…it seems you have resistance to Instruct-like powers in a way. That I can train you.]
My telepathy and Z-Move training had my friends more involved. For the former, Sensei and I sat face-to-face in a meditative pose. From there, the Sage Pokémon conversed with and guided me exclusively through our minds.
[Clear out all outside distractions. Close your eyes if it helps. Feel your own mind.]
[What am I supposed to 'feel'?]
[What can only be described as 'yourself'. Your inner, true psyche if you will. No one can describe yourself to you, and some can't even see themselves. But with practice and patience…]
I took a deep breath. My first day of this kind of training took nearly all of my waking hours of that day to complete. But the results were clear. I could feel an indescribable 'hum' of sorts in my head. Sensei insisted to continue these meditations for a few more sessions. I thought I had the required result, so I was confused about not continuing. But I quickly found my thoughts to easily wander. Whether by exhaustion, fears of my future survival, or scars of my past memories, I would lose the humming feeling multiple times.
Although I had not fully grasped clarity of my mind, Sensei suddenly moved on to the next step. He asked me to 'see' him. But with my mind.
[You can 'see' and 'feel' where I am by reaching out to me. It is true that we are in a telepathic connection. You have reached out to me, but can you 'feel' myself, as you have yourself?]
I shut my eyes. I imagined a hand reaching straight out to Sensei, who sat across from me. To my surprise, I could sense a hum. Like mine, but different. [Sensei! This is you?]
[Yes, Will, it is I.]
Although my eyes were closed, I could feel a sense of happiness from Sensei, as well as imagine a small smile on his face. [Woah…]
[Congratulations. You have but sampled what it is like for proficient psychic users to interact telepathically. Now, could you take it one step further?]
I gave a slight nod. [Sure.]
[Reach out to one of your friends.]
I peeked my eyes and turned my head to see where they were.
[Ah, ah. No peeking. Only your mind.]
I noticed Sensei hadn't opened his eyes when mine were. [How did you…? Nevermind…] I closed my eyes again. "Hm, Nightraider. Where would he be?" I felt no connection to him for a while. Sensei and I recommended to those I could telepathically communicate with that they'd keep their minds open to me, in case I needed to talk to them that way.
[Think of him,] Sensei offered. [Not just what he looks like, but what he is. You know him so well, you should surely find him, as I have already.]
I concentrated harder. [Nightraider…Rowlet…my friend…] Sure enough, I felt his presence. He was many yards away in the southeastern direction of me. [Woah! I found you!]
[Cool!] He replied in a less excited tone than I was. [So, where are you? I don't see you.]
[I'm…over 100 meters northwest of you?]
Now Nightraider was as shocked as I was at my calculation. [Woah! Your telepathy reaches that far and can pinpoint where I am to you? That's…a little creepy.] I can feel slight shivers from the Grass Quill Pokémon.
[Not just with him.] Sensei interrupted. [If your telepathy is like mine, you could reach out to the brain of any human and Pokémon close enough to you.]
I opened my eyes and excitedly exclaimed, [Really?]
[Well, maybe not be able to communicate with most. You definitely have limits to speech with Pokémon. And your range…is it, or can it, be greater than mine? That I can train you.]
Nightraider still followed our conversation. [Ooh, ooh! Will, let me track you down this time!]
I shrugged, [Sure. Not sure if our telepathic pinpoint works both ways, but take your time and…] I suddenly feel a strong pat on my back. "Ack!"
Nightraider hooted happily. [Now I found you!] He turned to Sensei. [How was that?]
He nodded. [As good as before. Your stealth has considerately improved.] He turned to me. [Will, on the other hand, must practice more on honing his senses to oncoming threats.]
Of all the training lessons, Z-Moves turned out to be the most tedious. Unlike last time, I earnestly tried to follow Sensei's instructions. There were multiple poses I had to follow in order to do each unique Z-Move. We knew I was on the right track when my Proteanium-Z glowed with each correct pose.
I practiced Z-Moves with Nightraider, Astra, Crest, Knave, Blindswipe, Zemblance, Bounsweet, and Sensei himself. With them, I learned Bloom Doom, Shattered Psyche, Breakneck Blitz, Twinkle Tackle, Devastating Drake, Subzero Slammer, Black Hole Eclipse, Never-Ending Nightmare, Supersonic Skystrike, Savage Spin-Out, and All-Out Pummeling. To avoid damage to the forest, we delivered the attacks either out into the ocean, or in the wide open of the rocky terrain.
Many errors occurred during my Z-training sessions. It took me many attempts to complete the poses correctly, as well as the sequence of poses. Even when that was done right, it still didn't work at times. Sensei was bemused when I proved to him that it wasn't because I messed up somewhere. After days of repetitious practice, he finally determined my pattern of success. While doing the poses according to each unique Z-Move, it only succeeded if I was in-sync with the Pokémon I was doing the Z-Move with. When our minds and body were rhythmically together, regardless of how off my original poses were, the Z-Move could succeed. That also explained how Nightraider and I achieved the unique Z-Move, Revolver Dart Raid, without some sort of choreographed poses.
Another weird quirk with my Z-Moves was who I could do them with. This came up when I tried to do a Z-Move with Bounsweet. I still had not established a mental connection with her by this point, but she was participatory enough in Sensei's training that we thought to give it a try. Absolutely nothing happened. I was just flapping my arms like an idiot, while Bounsweet bounced like she was induced by a sugar rush. But nothing seemed to activate a Z-Move. Sensei was stumped by this, too. He hypothesized that I, for some strange reason, could not use Z-Moves with anyone unless I established a mental connection with them.
So he brought over Warwulf to test that theory out. In short: Warwulf was still too cross with me to cooperate on a satisfactory level. So Wooper was brought over instead. When I failed to use Z-Moves with her, too, that clinched the theory.
My Z-training never lasted long. Once a Z-Move was executed well enough, that tend to drain me from using another move for the day. On top of that, I got headaches hours after using a Z-Move whenever I tried to do long-distant telepathy. Thus, another day of training came to an end and I rested the remainder of my waking time.
Although all this training and acquired skills of mine were too numerous and extensive for my 9-year-old self to comprehend, it did hit me just how much I'd grown on my time on the island so far. Another reminder of my age was my appearance. I grew a few inches taller. My muscles had some toned definition in my arms and abdomen, but I maintained a scrawny body frame. I lost all of my shirt by this point, exposing my bare chest and stomach. But thank Arceus my pants and underpants were still intact. My light-brown hair grew slightly beyond my shoulders, most of it settling down my back, while my bangs framed my face. When I looked in a watery reflection, I could hardly recognize myself anymore.
One day, Sensei and I decided to take a day-off from training while the weather was so nice. We went to the forest border of the beach with Nightraider, Astra, Crest, Knave, Bounsweet, Zemblance, and Warwulf. Blindswipe wanted to continue training by himself near the rocky terrain border. The two of us sat together in the shade, watching and listening to the light waves lapping the shore. The others played a few meters away from us.
The wind, the ocean, and the sun rays soothed me, washing away all my stress and memories, if only for moments at a time. Out of habit, I sat in a meditative pose, like Sensei. [Is…this actually supposed to be training?] I questioned him as the thought crossed my mind.
[It can if you want it to be.] He kept is eyes closed as his body remained absolutely calm.
[Mmm, no thanks.] We remained silent again. Just for a few minutes. [Are you sure this isn't a training exercise?]
[What makes you say that?]
[Well…you never actually said we'd call today a "day-off". That was me. You went along with that idea.]
[It's not a bad idea. You worked extra hard these past few months. Can't overtax yourself. You and I know that much is true for you.]
I pouted slightly. [Okay, okay. My stamina is crap.]
[That's partly true. But you also have limitations.]
[What's the difference?] I replied in a defeated demeanor.
[Your…unique talents all have a limit. Your telepathy is short-ranged and spotty compared to mine. Your Z-Moves are…unconventional to say the least. I cannot tell if that is because of you, or your Proteanium-Z. But you're still young. These and your physical limits will likely change. But that growth will depend on you.]
I stretched out of my sitting position. [Maybe. My persuasion, my telepathy, and the Z-Moves I can do without the Z-Crystal are quite different from what you've likely experienced. These abilities make me feel…alien in a way. Are they what define who I am? How can I figure out my true potential with these abilities? My whole potential?]
Sensei opened his eyes and turned his head slightly toward me. [You are Will. You are what you only allow yourself to be. And have patience. In time, we'll see just how capable you are with each ability. But these three things appear to be quite taxing for you. So balance is the key.]
[What do you mean?]
He faced forwards and closed his eyes. [Think of it like this: there are three components that make up all of us. The soul, the heart, and the mind. Each one has their own strengths and follies. But when made clear and united, you will be made whole, and will find your true self.]
There's a pause. Then I half-smirk, half-laugh. [This is a training lesson!]
Sensei smiled. [Every day is a lesson. Every day is a trial. We are confronted with them every day, but it is our choice to learn something out of it…even if that choice is to learn nothing at all.]
[Such a fortune cookie!] I rolled my eyes.
Just then, we heard some Wingull and Pelliper flying by. Thankfully, our shade was enough cover to avoid their keen eyes. But then we heard the screeches of two Skarmory and the chirps of some Fletchinder join the Wingull and Pelliper. I couldn't understand the chatter, but it gave me a tense feeling. I got the same vibe from Sensei and the other seven Pokémon, who stopped playing. "Something's up. Should we move away…?"
Suddenly, Sensei got to his feet. He stared intently out into the ocean. His eyes were so focused, it was like he was trying to shoot lasers from them. Finally, he said to the rest of us, [Slowpoke found more survivors. Pokémon survivors.]
I flinched. [Survivors? As in, more than one?]
He nodded slowly. [Five. They're adrift in a capsule of sorts, floating out there.] He pointed straight ahead at the ocean. But he frowned, [Slowpoke is trying to nudge them to shore as best he can. But I'm afraid…they've already been spotted.]
Nightraider, Zemblance, and the others came up next to Sensei and I, ready for the judgement call. I stood up as well. [How soon until they make it to shore?]
[About half an hour if up to the waves bring them ashore. Five minutes if Slowpoke gives them a push. Not soon enough, I fear.]
At that moment, the Skarmory, Wingull, Pelliper, and Fletchinder flew out to sea. I squinted in the direction they were flying. I could just barely make out what looked like a spherical cage or capsule floating in the ocean. The flying Pokémon made a bee line for that capsule.
[Are they going to make it?] Nightraider asked worriedly. [Maybe I can distract some of them to us?]
[Dunno,] I replied. Then I turned to Zemblance. [Can you fly with Nightraider as a Rowlet?]
Zemblance nodded, but gave me a slightly uneasy look. [I can. Just not at the risk of taking damage. Because…you know.]
Sensei nodded in agreement. [Go. Get as many right to us. Then the rest of us will take it from there.]
Without another word, Zemblance changed into a black and red Rowlet. He and Nightraider flew together after the flying Pokémon. The rest of us stepped onto the beach, waiting for the inevitable fight.
Nightraider and Zemblance got the attention of one of the Skarmory. He diverted most of the Fletchinder and a few Wingull to chase after the duo instead. Zemblance immediately high-tailed back to shore, while Nightraider delayed his return to make sure he was followed.
[What are you so worried about?] The Grass Quill Pokémon said behind Zemblance. [Don't you have Detect to help avoid them?]
[Sure,] replied the Tricky Fox Pokémon sarcastically. [Let me test how well that works over the open ocean!]
By this point, I noticed the capsule bob closer and closer to shore at a faster rate than I expected. It got close enough that I could see who these survivors were. Sitting in the capsule were a Treecko, a Chimchar, and a Fennekin. Behind the capsule was Slowpoke, joined by a Squirtle and an Oshawott. Those three Water-type Pokémon pushed the capsule as fast as they could to our island.
Unfortunately, that also meant that the survivors were getting closer to the oncoming flying Pokémon. The second Skarmory screeched, then dove toward the capsule. The Wingull, Pelliper, and couple of Fletchinder dove in kind.
The Treecko and Chimchar seemed ready to fight, while the Fennekin flinched in fear. The second Skarmory reached the capsule first, and ripped off the top-half of it with his talons. Two Wingull and two Fletchinder made the next move, using Water Gun and Ember respectively at their vulnerable targets. The Chimchar used his own Ember to counter the Fire-type attacks. The Treecko used some sort of Razor Leaf attack, but it seemed to be much more effective at honing on his targets. Three of the four circled away, while one Fletchinder tried to use Wing Attack on the Chimchar. The Chimp Pokémon jumped over the Feltchinder, laughing at his opponent. The Fennekin leaned over the back of the capsule, yipping in a panicky voice to the three pushing them.
Meanwhile, the first Skarmory was closing in on Nightraider and Zorua-Rowlet. Fortunately, the Grass Quill Pokemon used Razor Leaf to keep the following flying Pokémon at a distance long enough to make it to the beach.
From there, Sensei took charge. He wound up a ball of energy between his hands. [Zoru…Zemblance! Confront the Skarmory with your Illusion.]
[Yes, Sensei!] Zemblance barked. He flew out of the Skarmory's line of vision first. That wasn't too hard, as the Skarmory was chasing after Nightraider with a Drill Peck. Then, Zemblance morphed out of his Rowlet appearance into a black and red Skarmory. In this form, he flew up to the original Skarmory and bark-screeched for his attention. The Armor Bird Pokémon stopped mid-air, caught off-guard by his opponent's appearance.
At that moment, Sensei grunted as he shot a Focus Blast at the Skarmory. It was a direct hit, and the Skarmory plummeted to the ground. The instant the Armor Bird hit the sand, the fight broke out.
"Nightraider, use…!" I began.
[Remember, Will,] Sensei interrupted as he ran straight toward the Skarmory. [When in a fight like this, best to keep as much between you and your peers as confidential as possible.]
[Oh, right.] I reached out to Nightraider with my mind, as Sensei taught me. The Wingull and Fletchinder already began their attacks against the rest of us, making it hard to pinpoint everyone. Took me a couple seconds to connect with him. [Nightraider, single out as many Wingull as possible, then counter with Razor Leaf. Dodge and vanish, like you usually do.]
[Alright,] he replied.
I took another few seconds to reach out to my other friends. [Astra and Crest, you're in charge of any Fletchinder. Astra, use Teleport to throw them off. Crest…you do you.]
[Sweet!] grinned Crest. He picked a spot on the beach to hold his ground. Then he yelled at the Fletchinder, [Hey! Gale Wings sucks! No wonder you can't hit me!] That got most of their attention, and they used Wing Attack at him.
[Shall I interfere with him?] Astra asked me, looking at me unamused.
[Not directly,] I replied flatly. [Just in a way that Crest can easily counterattack.]
[Okay.] She vanished, instantly appearing on top of a Fletchinder mid-flight. The Fletchinder responded by igniting fire over his body, forcing Ralts to Teleport on another Fletchinder. She repeated the process and made half the oncoming Ember Pokémon halt their descent. The remaining half pelted Crest with Wing Attack, but he took the first couple of strikes with Protect, then the rest with Bide.
[That all you got?] Crest scoffed. Despite his boisterousness, he was weak-kneed and closed one eye. [Now I'll show you…!]
Before he unleashed his Bide, Warwulf intervened and used Rock Throw on the Fletchinder. Then he paused his attack to berate Crest.
[I'm still standing here!] Crest protested. [Now give me something to hit. I can't store this Bide forever.]
[No, no, no!] Knave's thoughts interrupted my attention.
[Shoot, right! The others…] I turned toward his voice. [Gotta work on keeping track of everyone.]
I saw Knave leap into the air at a Wingull. The Seagull Pokemon had Bounsweet in his beak, holding her by the stem on her head. She was completely freaking out and desperately wiggling about. To my relief, Knave swiped at the Wingull, forcing him to drop the Fruit Pokémon.
Knave caught Bounsweet in his arms on the way down. [Don't worry, I got you.]
But Bounsweet still looked distressed, and immediately jumped away from Knave the moment they touched the sand.
[Aw, come on!] Knave sighed. [You look like a berry. Who wouldn't momentarily give you that look?]
I shook my head. [Alright, Knave. Good save though. How about you lead Bounsweet over to me?]
[Fine. Come on, Bounsweet.]
Bounsweet grimaced at first, but when another Wingull came after her, she gladly stood by Knave.
[Alright, that's those two…] I glanced around the beach, which now became a battlefield. Astra, Crest, and Warwulf combined their efforts to take down the Fletchinder one by one. Zemblance joined with Nightraider in attacking the Wingull. And all this time, Sensei was pummeling the first Skarmory with Feint Attack. He dodged all of the Skarmory's attacks, while keeping him grounded. Every strike he made was deliberate and precise.
[Keep an eye out for Slowpoke.] Sensei telepathically told me without breaking his concentration. [And don't go in the water!]
[Okay, Sensei.] "Wow. Sensei is so focused." I gently slapped my hands against my cheeks. "Focus, Will!"
At that moment, Knave and Bounsweet caught up to me. The latter jumped at my chest, so I caught her in my arms. The former looked up to me. [What next?] he said.
I looked out to sea. The capsule was much closer to shore now, maybe ten of my height away. The Treecko, Fennekin, and Chimchar frantically kept the Wingull, Pelliper, and Fletchinder at bay. But the second Skarmory dove at them again. This time, he used Steel Wing to sharply cut the capsule. Treecko and Chimchar dodged the attack, but Fennekin was hit. She screamed as she went flying toward the shore.
"Shoot!" [Knave, by my side! We need to help the survivors.]
[Right!] Knave was faster than me and ran to the shoreline first. I carried Bounsweet against my chest, so as not to entice the flying Pokémon from diving at her. As I caught up, I saw a Pelliper snatch Fennekin. His huge beak snagged her tail. The Fox Pokémon cried for help, with tears and fear in her eyes.
"Shoot!" I glanced around. Sensei and the others were still busy with half the flying Pokémon, while the survivors had their hands full with the remaining opponents. [It has to be us!] I turned to Knave. [Get than Pelliper down with Icy Wind!]
[Will do!] He sprayed ice from his mouth at the Pelliper. While it got his attention and made him stop for a moment, the attack didn't reach him. Knave fell to his knees. [I…I failed…again…]
[Oh no we didn't!] I lifted Bounsweet to look at her face to face. "Alright. I know you won't like what I'm about to do with you. But you are our only hope of saving that Fennekin. Will you do it?"
She nodded, half-worriedly.
"Thanks…" I held Bounsweet in my right hand, then wound it back. As the Fruit Pokémon looked at me confused, I looked to the Pelliper and Fennekin. They were closer to the capsule than the shore, heading eastward. The Water Bird Pokémon was also gaining more altitude than getting away. The winds felt like they were heading southwest. "I only got one shot…one chance…" Just as Bounsweet realized what I was about to do, I threw her as hard as I could.
I aimed her trajectory to be a little ahead of the Pelliper's flight direction, considering her very light weight. She screamed as she flew through the air. The wind caused her to curve as expected, and to my luck, she was going to make a direct hit on the Pelliper. More out of self-defense than anything else, Bounsweet shut her eyes and used Rapid Spin. She hit the Water Bird Pokémon on the side of his face. He cried out in pain, dropping the Fennekin out of his mouth.
I momentarily gave myself a pat on the back, figuratively. But then it hit me. Now both were falling out of the sky. And Fennekin was a Fire-type, about to fall in deep open water. Without thinking further, I ran into the ocean. [Knave, freeze me a path. Now!]
He flinched, flabbergasted. [But…I don't think I'm strong enough…]
I was already ankle deep in water. [Just do it!]
That snapped him out, and he used Icy Wind next to me, blowing as hard as he could. A pathway of water about a meter wide extended from the shore just short of where Fennekin and Bounsweet were about to fall.
[Wait, Will!] Sensei called out. [Don't go out there…] But he was cut off, likely still busy with the first Skarmory.
I remained focused on the Fennekin and Bounsweet as I shifted to stepping onto the ice sheet. It felt solid enough at first, so I continued running. But it was very slippery, and started breaking apart as I go further away from shore. "Well, can't stop now. Just gotta go fast. If there's one thing I learned from my exercises with Sensei, is that while I can't run fast for long, I can run fast quick!"
I made to the end of the ice path as fast as my legs could lightly pat across the ice without breaking through. The Fennekin was closer to the end of the ice path, but Bounsweet was falling further off to the side. With my decision set, I jumped out. I caught Fennekin in my arms before we hit the water. It wasn't too cold, but regardless I broke to the surface and swam back to the ice.
I looked to Fennekin, held mostly out of the water with my left hand. She looked back at me, with wide eyes and an open mouth. She had this look of astonishment and amazement toward me. I smiled, panting from the adrenaline rush. "Don't worry. You'll be safe soon."
I helped her step onto the ice, and she was light enough not to break through it. Knave was half-running, half-skating along the ice toward us. I looked where Bounsweet splashed into the water. The good news was she floated. The bad news was another three Wingull were diving toward her.
"Not again," I groaned, slowly pushing myself onto the ice. "I'll get Knave to continue the ice path so we can…"
Suddenly, something metal wrapped around my legs. "Ack!" I gasped and tried to inhale as much air as possible. Fennekin screamed as well, as did Knave. Then I went into the drink. It happened so fast, I didn't get as much air as I wanted to. "What the…?" I looked down.
It was Dhelmise. It had its anchor chain wrapped around my legs, and was pulling me deeper and deeper.
"Shoot!" I frantically waved my arms and legs. But the steel chain dug into my skin. My lack of swimming skills showed with how clumsy my arms swayed through the water. I could feel my lungs scream for air…air I could not provide. I hardly had the strength to pull against Dhelmise. "Shoot! I…I'm the weak link…once again…" I tried to reach my thoughts out to anyone, but it wasn't working.I slowly closed my eyes, relinquishing my struggle.
Then a muffled noise snapped me awake. I turned my head upward and to the side. To my utter surprise, the Squirtle swam down toward me at a fairly quick pace. Dhelmise summoned a small whirlpool between us and Squirtle. But the Tiny Turtle Pokémon tucked his head and appendages into his shell. The whirlpool sucked him in, but if it did any damage, it wasn't apparent to me.
I was about to look away, expecting my rescue to be in vain. Then the whirlpool quickly dissipated. Squirtle spun his shell, and continued spinning straight toward us. "Woah! He had a move for that?" I thought stunned.
Dhelmise braced for the attack. But just before impact, Squirtle popped out of his shell. Then he sprayed it with a Bubble attack at close range.
At that moment, I felt the tug of the anchor slacken slightly. "I'm…free?" But by this point, I could hardly spas my legs. I felt oxygen-deprived, estimating only a few seconds before I passed out.
Squirtle turned to me, then swam furiously toward me. He pushed against my chest with such force that I slipped out of the chains. My legs stung, making me grimace. Dhelmise made a sharp cry of anger, reeling back his anchor for another swing. "Uh oh…"
Quick thinking, Squirtle tucked into his shell again. Thank Arceus I held onto the shell at that moment. A strong spray of water came out the other side of the shell, propelling us both away from Dhelmise. The Sea Creeper Pokémon cried out in vain as he missed his Anchor Shot.
Squirtle's Water Gun attack kept both of us heading upward. When we broke the surface, I dramatically gasped for that sweet, salty air. The force of the Tiny Turtle Pokemon's attack even made us airborne for a split second before landing on an ice sheet.
I choked some water that went into my nose. "I…I'm alive!" Squirtle was right next to me, as I let go of him when we landed. Fennekin was right in front of us, yipping worriedly at us. Just behind her, Knave was spraying downward on the ice sheet.
[R-right! The rescue's still happening!] My eyes grew wide. [Bounsweet! Where…?]
[Above us!] said Knave, keeping his focus and hints of frustration on maintaining the ice sheet.
I looked up. Bounsweet was screaming at the top of her lungs. One Wingull had her in his mouth. A second Wingull was next to him, but was getting beaten by the Treecko on his back. The Wood Gecko Pokémon looked like he already received damage, but that didn't stop him from pelting the second Wingull with shiny leaves. Once that Wingull sustained too much damage, Treecko leaned the Seagull Pokémon toward the first Wingull. The two collided, and the Wingull dropped Bounsweet out of his mouth.
Bounsweet wasw nearly in tears. Treecko lunged at the Fruit Pokemon, catching her. As they fell, he held her comfortingly. The two Wingull tried to dive after them, but the Wood Gecko Pokémon summoned his shiny leaves once again. The leaves flew around them, pelting the Wingull and keeping them away.
At this moment, Squirtle got to his feet. He looked up to his falling friend and sprayed a Water Gun attack. Treecko had expertly angled his fall to land on the ice sheet, allowing Squirtle to slow his descent with the water from where the Tiny Turtle Pokemon stood.
Bounsweet stopped crying and looked up to Treecko. He returned her gaze with a reassuring and confident smile, also saying something to her. With the water gushing beneath his feet, the leaves glimmering around him, and the sunlight reflecting toward him just right, it was quite a flashy sight to behold. Though Treecko didn't give the impression that he was showing off.
[How did that Treecko get up there?] I asked Knave, impressed by his rescue.
[Fennekin's pleas alerted the others on the capsule,] he replied, pausing his Icy Wind move. [Squirtle and Treecko decided to help us out. But when Bounsweet was snatched by the three Wingull, Squirtle gave Treecko a boost with Water Gun before diving after you.]
Treecko landed safely on the ice sheet. Bounsweet was put down, but still stared at him with a look of mesmerizing admiration. Fennekin put her front paws against my legs, yipping happily.
[She says thanks, if you're wondering,] Knave said, then pouted toward Bounsweet's praises to a humble Treecko. [Not like I've got the same treatment…]
I bent down and petted Fennekin on her head. "No problem. Well, I know now that was really risky of me. But it was worth it if it meant saving you."
The Fox Pokemon gave a murmured cooing sound, pleased by my petting. I put my hand down and looked to Squirtle and Treecko. I bowed my head, "Thank you two for saving us! I owe you my life…"
Suddenly, a loud screech pierced the sky. The six of us turned toward the east side of the island, where the noise came from. Another flock of flying Pokemon could be seen in the distance. They were led by a Fearow, and were heading toward us.
"Shoot! We're having company soon!" I turned to Knave. [Get us a path back to shore!]
[I got it, I got it!] Knave vented, spraying Icy Wind from our ice sheet to the shore.
While he worked on that, I glanced back to the capsule. It was very close to shore now, about just two of my height away. While most of the flying Pokemon with them had retreated, the second Skarmory was still attacking the capsule. Slowpoke was the only one pushing the capsule. The Oshawott joined the Chimchar in the fight, swinging her sword-like scalchop whenever Skarmory got too close.
Chimchar tried multiple times to hit Skarmory with Ember, but most of them failed. Then he gave a mischievous glare toward the Armor Bird Pokémon, like he was plotting some sneaky attack. When Skarmory dove back again, Chimchar unleashed a stronger Ember. But the attack was shot too soon, so Skarmory easily dodged the attack.
Oshawott berated Chimchar, who seemed to hesitantly shrug it off, like he was used to it. The Skarmory dove again. The Sea Otter Pokémon turned to Skarmory, taking deep breaths while she placed the scalchop back on her belly. When the Skarmory came close enough, she spat out flames. Competely shocked, the Skarmory took the hit directly. It seemed to be a critical hit, as the Skarmory retreated weakly after that hit.
"What?" I gaped. "How could Oshawott know a fire move?!"
[It's ready enough,] Knave said finally. [Come on!]
I snapped back into focus and ran after Knave. The ice felt nail-bitingly cold, which made me realize I lost my shoes to Dhelmise back there. But I sucked up the pain and pressed on as carefully as I could. Fennekin jumped onto my shoulder, Squirtle jumped into the water but swam beside us, Treecko kept pace with Knave, and Bounsweet rolled her body while following close behind Treecko. Knave used Icy Wind to keep the ice path solid enough, only stopping once we hit the shore.
[There…I did it…everyone happy…?] Knave collapsed on the sand, still muttering incoherently.
[Guys!] Astra cried out as she ran up to us.
I glanced around. Sensei just finished beating the tar out of the first Skarmory, meaning I missed most of his cool fight again. Zemblance and Warwulf were next to him, while Crest and Nightraider ran up to me as well. Oshawott, Chimchar, and Slowpoke just made it to shore as well. The two jumped onto the sand, and Chimchar kissed the ground. All the remaining initial bird Pokémon were either lying fainted on the ground, or fled.
[Everyone!] Sensei telepathically shouted. The newcomers all had astonished looks on their faces, presumably never being talked to that way before. [To the trees! The reinforcements won't chase us there.]
We could hear the cries of the Fearow-led flock getting closer. Without hesitation, we ran off the beach and into the forest. Slowpoke retreated back into the ocean. Crest and Astra helped carry Knave with us. We didn't stop running until the light from the edge of the forest faded. The flock flew over us, screeching like a quarreling frenzy. The forest canopy was still thick enough to block the view of them. But we held our breaths, worried of the chance they'd have the balls to come tearing after us. But to our relief, they flew away after a few seconds.
Squirtle fell into a sitting position, releasing the biggest sigh of relief out of all of us. Treecko crossed his arms in a serious stance, and gave himself a pleased smile. Bounsweet was next to him, but seemed to want to get even closer and within his line of sight. But she blushed and stepped back instead.
I cracked a smile. "We did it. Our emergency rescue operation succeeded."
[It did,] said Sensei, who walked up to me. He had a serious look on his face. [But there were plenty of moments when everything could have gone wrong. Crest needs to tone down his recklessness. Knave over-exerted himself. And you…] He pointed a stern finger at me. [Didn't I tell you not to go into the ocean? Dhelmise drags any humans that end up there and drowns them. You could have…] He stopped himself.
I hung my head in shame. [Sorry, Sensei. I just thought…] I reached for Fennekin, still hanging on my left shoulder. [She needed help, and I had to do somethingfast while everyone else was busy. I'll do better next time!]
He sighed, [Just think before you act. You must assess any situation to the fullest. No detail unturned. The less aware you are of what you're getting into, the more blind you'll be. But…that was a fair move on your part. You got lucky it panned out. I'll just have to discipline you more in our next few exercises.]
I groaned a little, but nodded. [Thank you, Sensei.]
Sensei turned around and walked up to Astra, Crest, Knave, Warwulf, and Zemblance. Astra did not seem happy to have Sensei peering over her like that. [I saw. Will and Knave did their best. They'll be stronger than you someday.]
[I bet they will.] He replied flatly. [In the meantime, rest up. Warwulf and Zemblance, fetch some berries for us to recover. And…]
Oshawott cleared her throat next to the Sage Pokémon. He turned to face her. [Ah, yes?]
She spoke in a serious tone, but with clear sincerity.
[Maybe you could. But I assure you, we would survive better together.]
She paused, scowling for a moment. Then she shrugged and continued talking.
[Hm? Okay? I see.] He glanced to me. [The two of us will have a private chat. Keep an eye on the others.] He walked off with Oshawott. Before she disappeared, I noticed how she had a second scalchop hanging on a string necklace she wore on her neck. Unlike the scalchop on her belly, this one was chipped, looking like a jagged, two-pronged shell.
"Huh. I wonder…" I must have still been frowning when Fennekin licked my cheek. She made some happy yips, like she was trying to cheer me up. I smiled, "Heh, thanks. I'm good." I scratched behind her ears, which she really liked. Then she cooed as she spoke to me again. "Uh, sorry. I can't quite understand what you're saying…"
[She was wondering if you are a trainer,] said Nightraider as he perched on my right shoulder.
Before I could even respond, Fennekin made a sort of gasping sound. She was completely flustered, lost her footing, and fell to the ground.
I made a face. "Yikes. You okay, Fennekin?"
Fennekin stroked her fur for a moment, hastily grooming herself. Then she angrily barked at Nightraider.
I raised my hands in front of me. "Woah, woah, woah! What's wrong?"
Nightraider seemed surprised being barked at, while also confused. In between her tirade, he tried to respond as calmly and direct as he could. [Okay, first of, he's not a trainer. I know he's a human, and many humans who take care of Pokémon are trainers, but this guy doesn't call himself one. He takes care of me and the Ralts and the Sneasel and all the others about as much as the Oranguru does. I met him first. That's why we're so close that he doesn't mind me perched on his shoulder. Why can't we share? I'm not hogging all of him, like you seem to want to do!]
That last part seemed to shut Fennekin right up. She made a blushing glance toward me, then tried to hide her face in her tail.
I, on the other hand, was completely bewildered. [Um, Nightraider, I lost you in your convo. I only understood your half. Anything I need to know what's wrong with her?]
Now Nightraider gave me a confused look. [You don't see it?]
[See what? She seems embarrassed about something? Is it 'cause of me, or you, or something else?]
Rowlet shrugged. [Eh, I don't think I could explain it. I think you and I are too young to understand what her deal is.]
I inched my head closer to his. [Now I'm really curious.]
He scrunched his face in. [Uh…I'm out!] He flew off my shoulder. [Here, Fennekin. He's available right now. Just please leave him the same way I left him?] He first flew over to Treecko and Bounsweet. But when he noticed how Bounsweet was sweating bullets while standing behind the unaware Treecko talking to Squirtle, he bailed to Astra, Crest, and Knave instead. [Geez, what is this?! It's an invasion…]
I scratched my head, then looked back to Fennekin. She looked up with a nervous and flustered glance. I sighed and crouched to her level. "Hey. I know all this is new. New places, new Pokémon, new threatening stuff. Must be scary thrust into so much new stuff." I gave her a gentle smile. "But you didn't come alone. You seem to have come with friends." I pointed out to Treecko, Squirtle, and Chimchar. "You have support. That's good. I don't know what your background is, or what circumstances brought you here. And this place isn't exactly hospitable. But…I hope I and my friends can be your support, too."
Fennekin beamed, jumping onto me. I rolled back on my back, holding Fennekin while she licked my face repeatedly. "Ha ha, okay, I get it! I'll take this as a yes!" She gave a happy yip and wagged her tail furiously. "Don't worry. I'll look out for you and your new buddies."
{Present day}
With the new information at hand, I continued my trail for the map. The Celeste grunt from the Mandi-Bar only gave me a general location, which wasn't as helpful as I would have liked. But at least it pleased me to hear he was jailed for assaulting an officer.
Black City. It started off as a relatively small city. But less than a year ago, its population growth accelerated. It became a happening place ever since Team Plasma fell to Black and his friends. But as the city expanded so fast, it became vulnerable to weak points where shady characters could shelter…including Team Celeste.
I dressed in nice casual clothes and strolled the streets, asking everyone of anything peculiar that happened in this city. At least half of the responses were trivial matters. Some talked about the expansion of the BW Agency. Some talked about a Pokémon trainer named Benga rising the ranks of popularity. A few seemed a bit too suspicious of me, but I quickly and nicely 'persuaded' them otherwise.
But there were a few people here or there that seemed to recall something odd happening by a lake just outside the city. But they were hard-pressed for any details, and couldn't quite put a finger on just what made them feel uneasy about it. That was my best guess for the secret complex's location to go on.
The lake was situated between Black City and White Forest. I cautiously paced the perimeter of the lake. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, though I was a little surprised that I didn't see any Pokemon along the surface of the lake. I dipped a hand in the water. The temperature seemed normal.
"Hm, is this yet another dead end? The grunt did speak of the complex being in Black City. Maybe I should look carefully there…" As I continued examining the area, I felt my eyes getting droopy. I shook my head. "Geez, I'm that tired already? I mean, my sleep patterns are always messed up, but…" I yawned. Then I remembered the last time I journeyed through Unova. "Dreams. Yeah, there was something mentioned about Black City and White Forest. Like, as if these two places didn't quite 'agree' with each other. And…distort…" I walked up to the edge of the lake again. "This lake is situated right between Black City and White Forest. With some part of the lake being the exact midpoint between them. I wonder…"
I used my Kineti-Pack to levitate a couple inches off the ground. I slowly propelled myself forward over the lake, maintaining the same height. I held a hand up to my chest, where the Proteanium-Z was beneath my shirt. "Distortion. Unsettling dreams. Sounds like something from the Distortion World. Or the Dream World. Or…" I felt a pulse from the Z-Crystal reverberate throughout my body. I grinned, "An Ultra Space distortion." I looked around, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. "Huh. Usually I feel something when a breach from Ultra Space is near. Be it a hole, or a shimmering illusion." Then I looked down. I could see some sort of shadowy mass coming from underwater. Possibly an underwater structure.
"That's it! Maybe. Seems this whole lake is somehow distorting the view from underwater. I know the Alchimian Society messes with the Distortion World a lot. But are they dabbling in Ultra Space now, too?" I grimaced. "I hope not! Regardless, if this is the base, I'll need a way to get down there…"
So the next afternoon, I got ready. I was dressed in a t-shirt and swim trunks. The Go-Goggles would help with my vision, strapped around my forehead for now. I nabbed the rebreather from my stash. It would help me breath regularly underwater for a few minutes at a time. But if that lake was too deep for a regular diving excursion, I would need extra swimming assistance. I needed Gardna.
I needed to pay him a visit anyway, so this was the perfect opportunity. I found him by the berry garden on my island. After we cleared the flying Pokemon away, we cut down a part of the forest to designate a fertile space to grow fresh, juicy berries. Although we each pitched a little bit of work into growing and harvesting the berries, it was primarily Gardna's job to maintain the garden.
The Turtle Pokemon was using a low-powered Hydro Pump to water the berry trees and bushes. I waited patiently for him to finish his session. When he noticed me, he arched one of his eyes. [You going for a swim?]
"Actually, yes."
He seemed excited. [Here, or…] Then he noticed the rebreather in my hand and my Kineti-Pack still fixed on my back. His excitement vanished. [Wait…is this a mission?]
I gave him a serious look. "Yes."
He looked nervous. [Will there be fighting?]
I thought for a moment. [Preferably not. I just want to get in and get out.]
Gardna gave a huge sigh of relief. [Oh, thank Arceus. I thought this was one of your more battle-heavy missions.]
"I know you don't like fighting; quite the opposite of Joules. So between you and her, you're the water-type I prefer for this job."
He gave a proud smile. [Alright! What's the new mission and my job?]
I used my Unbound Rings to bring the two of us to the lake. [I think there's a secret complex down there. Likely not that big, but I need to know. So for today, we're just gonna dive in the lake for a few minutes. If there is something worthwhile, we'll come back tomorrow for the real heist. All I need you for is a way around the lake and back. No combat necessary.]
Gardna jumped into the lake. [I think I can manage that. Grab on.]
I undid my hairband to let my hair down. Doesn't usually stay up when it gets too wet. I jumped after Gardna, stuck the rebreather into my mouth, and held onto his shell as we dove under. The water was clear and lukewarm, so I was very surprised that I could see a lot of the lake from underwater. The depth looked about thirty stories deep, and at least half that diameter. My Kineti-Pack under my t-shirt was waterproof, so I could use it to help Gardna swim faster if need be.
For a while, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There was some plant life scattered along the lakebed, rocks strewn about, and some small pieces of trash. The two of us didn't spot any Pokémon, which seemed odd from the start. Given the last time I was underwater, I kept glancing at my legs in case a Dhelmise could suddenly appear and attack me. Gardna didn't sense anything hazardous to his health in the water, so pollution didn't seem the reason for their absence. As our swim continued, Gardna also felt some sort of current within the water. There was no river that fed water into this lake, and the currents suggested to Gardna that something big was in the center of the lake. But we couldn't see anything.
The Turtle Pokémon grimaced. [This doesn't feel right. And if I can't see what should be there, I don't want to even go near it!]
I focused my breathing. [Okay. My few minutes with the rebreather are almost up. Let's surface for a minute, then look around again. If we still can't find anything else…we'll have to go to the center of the lake.]
He groaned, but obliged. We swam to the surface, catching our breath for a moment. In our second dive, we focused our attention on the lake bottom. We still found nothing.
[Let's check the center of the lake now.] I telepathically said to him. [I only got about a minute left on my rebreather.]
[Aw, fine. What about...]
Just then, my Z-Crystal reacted again. Faintly, but like some otherworldly disturbance was nearby. I hesitated, [Wait, we're not that close to the center yet. Is something about to…] That's when I noticed it. Some sort of large device sitting on the lakebed. It had a very reflective surface, which was probably why we didn't spot it the first time.
My Z-Crystal reacted again, slightly stronger. At that moment, a dark portal appeared from the device. My eyes widened. [A gateway to the Distortion World! Gardna, back up a bit. Something, or someone's coming.]
[Don't need to tell me twice!] Gardna back-stroked, spreading his body in front of me like he was my bodyguard.
A couple seconds later, an oval vehicle came out of the Distortion World. It looked like a cross between a jet ski and a mini-sub. Its size looked to fit about ten people in it, and two people could be seen through the cockpit area. There was no engine sound that came out of it. Instead, it sounded and felt like the quiet hum I get from my Kineti-Pack.
I scowled. "This kind of looks like a new Kineti-Jet model. I know the blueprints for the Kineti-Pack were destroyed when I first went to Kalos, and I'm certain I got all the Kineti-Jets and their blueprints destroyed in Kanto. The Alchimian Society must have started from scratch and took a new direction. Great, more work I'll need to do!" I grumbled on the last sentence.
The two of us stayed laser-focused as the Kineti-Jet coasted through the water. It made a beeline for the center of the lake. Then, a patch of water glowed. A door that wasn't seen before opened up, releasing light from within.
At that moment, I knew. [The complex is cloaked. This place must be the one that grunt referred to!]
The Kineti-Jet went through the door. Then it closed, shutting all light from within. The complex was invisible once again.
I furrowed my eyes. [Gardna, get closer.]
[What? Are you serious? What if they spot us?]
[I don't think they can. Team Celeste usually keeps all facilities they absolutely control tightly guarded. But we've been swimming around here for several minutes. Wouldn't their defenses have come up at some point? Furthermore, that must mean this complex doesn't have any windows.]
He sighed, [Oh. Well…then I'll take you a little closer.] He cautiously swam to the center of the lake. [You…need to touch the complex?]
[Nah. Figure I'll just use the same door when we come back tomorrow. But I want to know…] My Z-Crystal started faintly glowing again. [Ah. So there is some sort of Ultra Space presence here. Must be the cloaking equipment on this complex.] I paused to check my rebreather. [I think we're done for today. But tomorrow, I'll be ready.]
The next day, I dressed the same. But I set a pile of clothes to change with a few Sleep Powder pellets to the side of my bed. Gardna and I returned to the lake, dove in, and waited. I figured the Kineti-Jet would either come out or go back in. We surfaced every five minutes, but Gardna peeked below. Either way, the door took a full minute to open and close, so we could keep a fair distance away and still make it in time before it would close.
After our fifteenth surfacing, the door finally opened. The Kineti-Jet was leaving the complex. Fifteen seconds after the Kineti-Jet was a comfortable distance away from the complex, Gardna swam us toward the door as fast as he could. I helped him with my Kineti-Pack, allowing us to make it through the door a couple seconds before it closed shut. We made it into the invisible complex.
Somewhat expecting it, we ended up in a space about three times the size of the Kineti-Jet. It was filled with water, and had no windows. But there was one mechanical door, tightly sealed.
I led Gardna over to it. [Okay, we'll have to use a Z-Move to break through this.]
He looked really nervous. [Won't that get the attention of the Celeste members inside?]
[Most definitely. But when we break through, the proceeding flood will knock away anyone 'll likely be some sort of failsafe system to flush out that water. At that moment, I'll have to find a place to hide for a moment before the chaos tampers down. And I'll be sure to transport you back to the island as soon as we flood the place.]
[Alright…wait, aren't you dressed a bit 'light' for disguising yourself?]
[Oh, right!] I used my Unbound Rings to reach into my inventory. I pulled out a regular pair of shades, gripping them tight. [All set.]
Gardna gave me a confused look. [That's it? That barely changes your look!]
I smirked, [You'd be surprised how little effort it takes to disguise yourself. Now come on, it's not like I'm running out of air or anything. Let's bust this door!]
Gardna backed away a little from the door. I did the same, staying right behind him. We synced our swimming movements for a few seconds. Our focus narrowed on the door. While we did so, my Proteanium-Z beneath my shirt glowed white. I felt the power from the Z-Crystal surging through my body. [Now!] I swam forward in a dolphin stroke. Gardna did the same, but he swam much faster than me. The energy transfered from the Z-Crystal to Gardna. [Breakneck Blitz!]
Gardna's speed quadrupled. A white energy surrounded his body. He shouted as he slammed through the door. Water surged through the new hole, sucking me and all the water in the room through it. The alarms went off, but they sounded muffled to me due to being underwater. As I passed into the flooded hallway, I heard whirring sounds coming from the room I left. I guessed the water was getting drained, evident by the slowing surge of water. Two Celeste grunts in their standard robed uniforms got caught with me in the flooding. They didn't see me, both from tumbling about and focusing not to drown. I came up on a t-intersection of the hallway, and spotted a vent. I positioned myself so that as soon as I hit the wall I could grab onto the vent grate. Gardna grabbed onto me, while the flood pushed the two grunts further down the hall. It was less than a minute later when the flooding dissipated.
As soon as I could stand, I put on my shades and opened a portal. [Quick, in here!]
[Yes!] Gardna immediately jumped in as I soon as I activated my Unbound Rings. After I closed the portal, I could hear lots of footsteps heading from two directions. Not wasting any time, I opened the vent, slipped in, and shut it behind me. Just to be safe, I scooted further away from the vent entrance and waited at least another minute until I felt sure enough nobody knew I crawled in here…for now.
"The grunt I forced to squeal said this was a prison site. That being the case, this is a Celeste-owned building. So there will be heat-vision cameras like the ones on the Alchimian Airship. I only got a few minutes until they figure out an unauthorized body is in the complex."
I opened another portal, which spat out the pile of clothes and pellets. In these cramped spaces, it took me four minutes to change out of my swimming attire and into my dry clothes and shades. Prepared, I crawled back to the entrance I came from. Two Celeste grunts were already standing in the hallway. I froze, taking a few moments to listen to their conversation.
"What the fuck could have done that?" said the first grunt.
"Best guess from the heat cameras is it was some kid and his Pokémon," said the second grunt. "However, the cameras showed the shape of the Pokémon was of a Wartortle."
"A…Wartortle was that strong?! What kind of move could it use that breaks an industrial door?"
"Skull Bash? Regardless, this trainer and his Pokemon must be super powerful. Like, regional champion strong. So stay alert! He was last spotted here."
I smirked, "Champion strong, huh? Kind of a stretch. I'll have to remember to put that on my resume after I take down the Alchimian Society."
The first grunt seemed a little flustered. "What if it's one of the Pokedex holders?"
"Can't be. We know White is away looking for Black. And we got that rising team Syndicate that should be distracting but elusive enough to be trouble for most of our potential enemies."
"Team Syndicate? Only heard that name once or twice from the criminal underworld. Must be one of Team Celeste's new allies."
The second grunt continued, "Besides, how's a kid gonna jailbreak a bunch of prisoners from this underwater site? And we got the more sensitive stuff under heavy guard now. But I want to catch that kid myself, before any of those guys do!"
"I'll have to get to that room!" I adjusted my cloak. Then I concentrated on my Kineti-Pack, letting in charge up.
"…um, ourselves?" said the first grunt. "You mean we catch that kid before the others do?"
"Uh, yeah, of course. We can both get that promotion."
"Then, why just stand here?"
"This intersection's a perfect trap. One direction is the only way out and it's blocked, while another is a dead end." I spot him pointing out each hallway direction for the t-intersection through the grate. "Now, we got three possibilities. Either the kid got stuck in the former two directions and the grunt we sent for each will flush him out. Or he passed through here and the remaining grunts will catch him. Or, even if he gets through that, he'll be tired out and run back to us, when I…"
"We."
"…when we will take him down!"
"Brilliant!"
"Or there's the forth possibility!" I laughed. At the same time, I shot out the vent with the assist of my Kineti-Pack, like a spit wad blown from a straw. I skid across the floor, then ran back toward the grunts. "I was hiding in the vents and took you two clowns down first!"
Both the Celeste grunts screamed and charged at me. Either they didn't have Pokémon with them, or they thought their combined strength could take me down alone. When we got close enough, I broke open a Sleep Powder pellet and slid my cloak over my mouth. The two grunts thought I had a bomb and staggered a couple of steps away from me. Their bellowing, however, became an easy point of entry into their bodies for the Sleep Powder. While they coughed it up, I slipped the rebreather back on. Then I causally strolled by their drowsy-filled bodies. "Just can't make grunts like they used to." I smirked through my rebreather.
I walked down the hallway the second grunt pointed out would be the direction of the sensitive info storage. I kept one hand in my pants pocket, keeping a Sleep Powder pellet on standby. No grunts were spotted before I reached a cross intersection. To my left, sign pointed to a food court. To my right, a generator room and maintenance room were where it led. No other grunts so far. So I stuck with heading straight ahead.
That's when I ended up at another T-intersection. A sign pointed to prison cells to the right. I sighed, "I can't save them now. Besides how much of a dead weight they'll likely be in my escape, Gardna and I won't be able to drag all of them out through the water. And I refuse to let a single person know about my Unbound Rings. Taking down Team Celeste; that's the top priority." I saw the sign pointed to the left being a storage office, so I fast-walked that way. "I get the map and blueprints, I take down the Unova base, and that'll mean a major blow to Team Celeste. They'll be weaker and weaker until they finally fall…"
As I near the office entrance, at least ten Celeste grunts stood idle. They all quickly spotted me, standing in the middle of the hallway in my cloak and shades.
I spat out my rebreather. Then I made the most causal pose I could muster. "Hey, sorry to bother you guys. But is there a sign for the bathroom? Or does nobody…?"
"The intruder! Get him!" said one grunt, and they all gave chase to me.
"Well, I guess I gotta go!" I sprinted back. I knew I could outrun just about anyone for a short time thanks to my years of training and experience. But that meant nothing if I couldn't get around them. "Don't have time to duck into a vent…" I passed through the t-intersection, and I got an idea. A despicable idea. "The prisoners…"
I ran on toward the prison cells. Two more Celeste grunts were standing guard, and ran toward me. They readied their PokeBalls, but I had a pellet already prepared. "Not on my watch!" I had the rebreather back on my mouth when I broke a second Sleep Powder pellet. The two flinched and held their breath. But I swiftly jabbed their abdomens to knock the wind out of their chests. Once they were subdued by my precise hits and Sleep Powder, I turned to the cells.
There were two cells, with bars between me and the inside. Each cell had twenty prisoners. They had backed away from the bars when I released the Sleep Powder, but they slowly inched closer when it dissipated.
I gave them a serious look. "I'm getting you out of your cells. I could help you escape, but there's something I need to get, first. Can you distract the guards for me?" I fumbled through the fallen grunts' uniforms, finding the cell keys. The prisoners murmured among themselves, but it sounded like they were willing to break free. I tried the keys on the first cell. The remaining Celeste grunts were catching up, and I could hear Pokémon with them.
"Shit." I finally unlocked the cell door. At the same time, I flung a third Sleep Powder pellet down the hallway. That halted the Celeste grunts long enough for me to try unlocking the second cell.
"Hurry up, already!" growled a familiar voice from the other side of the bars.
"That voice…" I didn't want to look up. I didn't want it to be true. And I didn't want said person to see my face.
"Leave him alone, Orm," said another, timid voice. "Can't you see he's trying to help?"
I almost choked and dropped the keys. "That voice, too! And Orm's here?" I shook my head. "No, I got to stay focused. My mission. My mission…" I got this cell unlocked, too. I kept my head down as they filed out.
"Thank Arceus you've come to save us," said the timid guy again as he ran passed me.
I felt my heart twist up. "Two guys from my Unova school days…imprisoned here." But the commotion unfolding snapped me back to reality. A little over thirty prisoners, in ragged clothes, tried to body a force of Celeste grunts under half that amount. Some Woobat, Purrloin, and Staryu were among the chaos, attacking the prisoners back. Some of the prisoners chose to remain cowering in their cells. I couldn't blame them; they had every right to fear the sort of punishments the Alchimian Society could subject them to, especially if they were uncooperative.
With everyone busy in the chaos, I ran passed them and back toward the vacant storage office. "Maps, charts, blueprints. Those are in drawers." I spotted a desk and ripped through each drawer. About halfway through, I found topographical maps of Unova. Not wanting to waste more time, I hastily and discretely throw them through a portal to my inventory. A minute later, I found a drawer of blueprint sheets. I glanced through them, with one catching my eye as belonging to a particularly massive building structure. "This must be it! Now I can leave…"
"Hey!" I whirl around to see a grunt in the doorway. "Don't you dare touch a fucking thing…!"
But then a prisoner jumps onto the grunt. As they tussle on the floor, I slip the blueprints through a portal under my cloak, then rush out the room. "Shit! Don't have the privacy to sneak out of here through a portal. I'll have to try the way I came in…"
By now, the fight had spilled into the hallways. But while both sides were still locked in combat, the prisoners were clearly losing, outmatched by the Celeste grunts with Pokemon. I ran passed the crowd, as each prisoner fell.
One tried to run after me, a woman. "Please, wait up!" But I didn't acknowledge her. One of the grunts tackled her to the floor. She still pleaded, "You said you'd save us!"
The twist of guilt in my chest gets tighter. "Don't look back, Will. Just stay on mission. Taking down Team Celeste is worth any casualties they cause along the way."
I turn the corner toward the formerly flooded room. The hole in the doors was still there. But the two grunts I put to sleep first stood in my way. Worse, they had a Frillish holding two of the prisoners tightly. Even worse…it was the two I recognized.
"Not one more step!" Yelled the more dominant grunt. He had a Pawniard at his command, and he was pointing one of his blades at the one named Orm. "Or I have them gutted!"
"End of the line, kid!" said the other grunt commanding the Frillish. "Surrender, or all the prisoners will be granted a one-way ticket to the afterlife!"
Orm looked pissed more than anything, while the other one I knew as Grayward was stricken with paralyzing fear.
I grit my teeth. My hooded cloak and shades cover enough of my face that they can't see who I am. But I barely stone-faced the turmoil building inside me. "Could I save these guys? I saved Zoe, so why not these two? I do owe them…"
"Tic-toc!" the dominant grunt snapped. "Or I'll make the decision for you!"
"Yeah, I don't have time! The other grunts back there will finish rounding up the other prisoners. I…these aren't really my friends, but…I could save them…" I started to raise the fist with my Unbound Rings on them. But then I lowered it back down. "No. Nobody has ever seen me use these rings, and nobody but me knows they exist, and nobody will! But…"
"Argh! Fuck you all!" Orm knocked his head at the Frillish, loosening his grip on him and Grayward. He slipped away from the Frillish and punched his owner hard in the face. While the lesser grunt fell to the floor, the dominant grunt was nabbed by his coat by Orm. "You took my fucking Elekid! I've been in here for two, fucking, years! And between this and the rehab center after the school was destroyed, I am not wasting any more of my life…!" Then he howled. His eyes grew wider than I'd ever seen before.
I felt myself scream, if not internally. The Pawniard pierced his Poison Jab blade into Orm's chest. Orm looked down at his wound, then back at the grunt. The grunt made a mean grin and simply let Orm stagger to the floor. As he fell, Orm glanced at me. In that instance, he made a sort of face to me, like he just saw someone familiar. Then his eyes glazed back as he fell face down on the floor.
"Orm!" Grayward screamed. He was starting to get hysterical, but the Frillish held him in place.
The remaining grunt turned back to me, while his Pawnard positioned closer to Grayward. "I warned you, kid! Now, surrender, or this one's next!"
I glanced back to Orm. A pool of blood was slowly spreading around his body. My breathing grew rapid and erratic. "Again! Someone dies in front of me again!" I began to lose all composure. "Fine!" I growled. Although I was being overcome by rage and frustration, it was not enough to cloud my mind from scraping together a quick getaway plan. "But…I got something of yours I took." I slid my right hand with the rings under my cloak. As I pretended to search for something, I opened a portal the grunt could not see.
[Scarlet! Get out here, invisibly!]
When I felt his presence come through the portal, I closed it and took my hand out.
The grunt looked crossed. "Well?!"
I scowled, [Use Hex on Frillish!]
Suddenly, a shiny Duskull appeared before the Frillish. He blasted the Floating Pokemon with a ghostly aura before he could react. The Frillish fainted as a result, and Grayward jumped to the side as he yelped.
"What the fuck? Who?" gasped the grunt.
[Haze.] I told the red-colored Duskull, hardly changing my expression.
Scarlet sprayed a colored mist, quickly filling the hallway. The grunt and Pawniard were enveloped first, with the Pawniard swiping in the air wildly.
"You!" coughed the grunt. "When I get my hands on you…" I couldn't see him anymore, so I hardly cared to hear any more of his threats.
I rushed up to Grayward before I lost sight of him in the Haze. He gave me a befuddled look. "You seem…familiar…"
But the Haze covered my face even more than my clothing. "Not now. We need to get out of here," I said in a low enough voice he could hear me, but not too loud that the standing grunt could hear. I led Grayward over to the hole. Then I quickly pushed him through it. He shouted in pain as he hit the floor of the huge room.
[Geez, man, he might've broke a bone from that fall!] said Scarlet as he floated next to me. Then he yelped when he spotted Orm's body. [Shit, man! Again?! Just when I thought you were recovering from the scars of…]
[Grayward'll be fine!] I glowered, lifting my Unbound Rings again. [I came that way with Gardna. Speaking of whom, I need him now. So, switch!] I opened a portal.
[Just…you know who to talk to…] He slinked through portal.
A second later, Gardna jumped out. [Ack! What's all this smoke?]
I stowed away my cloak and shades before closing the portal. I could hear footsteps from upcoming grunts, and the knocked down grunt that owned the Frillish starting to come to. [Scarlet's doing. I need your help getting out!]
[You want out, say no more!] He and I jumped through the hole.
The wall was curved enough that I could tumble to the bottom of the huge room with just some bruises I'll feel the next morning. Grayward was groaning from his fall.
I helped him to his feet. "Come on. Hang on to me. This is going to be rough." I glanced toward the side of the room, where the lake water was against. Then I turned to Gardna. [Z-Move. Again.]
[Do you…have the energy for another Z-Move?]
[I've held off my 'persuasion' voice. And I didn't use my Kineti-Pack that much. So I should have enough in me to do one more Z-Move without blacking out.]
Gardna readied his stance. [Okay.]
For Breakneck Blitz this time, Gardna and I went through the traditional gestures. The Turtle Pokemon zoomed at the wall, puncturing it with his skull. Water gushed in through a hole just barely big enough for us to fit.
"We…we're going through…?" Grayward stammered.
I jammed my rebreather into his mouth. "Gray? Please, just say nothing and hang on to Gardna." I slipped on my Go-Goggles and grabbed the left side of Gardna's shell. Gray gripped the right side. For a few seconds, he gave me a look of astonishment. But before he could say anything else, the water submerged us.
Gardna swam as fast as he could to fight against the water rushing in. I kicked in my Kineti-Pack to help him out. After opening all those portals, using the Kineti-Pack multiple times, doing two Z-Moves almost consecutively, and holding my breath, I was getting incredibly light-headed. But I fought to stay conscious. After a whole, fear-chewing minute, the three of us broke the surface.
We swam to shore, lugging ourselves onto the beach. We laid on our backs and caught our breath.
"We made it…" murmured Gray.
"We made it," I exhaled with relief.
He bolted upright. "We made it!" He bent over to kiss the dirt. Then he stood, stretched, and took a deep breath as he gazed at the low-hanging sun. "I'm free! I…" He fell back to his knees. "Orm…"
I got to my feet. My chest still felt tightly wound.
"…we never got along in school…but he made a good cellmate…" Then he gasped. "Nate." He turned his body around. "Nate…?"
But before he could see me, I whacked him on the back of the head, knocking him out.
[Geez, Will!] gasped Gardna. [Was that really necessary?]
[Yes.] I bent over to hoist Gray up. As I did so, I whispered in his ear, "Good to see you again. You'll be safe soon." Once I had a good hold on him, I grunted, [We need to leave, right now. Team Celeste will find us if we linger here too long!]
[Oh, yeah…]
I opened another portal, though I almost dropped Gray from the strain. Then the three of us hobbled back to my island. We stood by my stash.
Nightraider had just returned the cloak and wet clothes to my stash. He gave me a shocked look when he saw me carrying a person. [Is he….does he know?]
[No,] I replied flatly. [And before you ask, he's not staying here for long.] I fumbled through my item pile and pulled out a pencil and paper. [Gardna, you're excused. Take care of that garden.]
[Thank you, Will.] He bowed before running off.
[So…what happened?]
I stopped writing for a moment. I rubbed my face, numbing up on what happened to Orm. "I went in. I got the blueprints I was looking for. I got out. Lucky fellow here was at the right place and timing for me to let him escape with me. So…" I continued writing. "I'll drop him off with this note at the ex-Rocket grunt's doorstep. I'll owe him longer protection, but whatever. Worth it."
He raised an eyebrow. [You don't sound like you had a worthy run. You…need to talk?]
I slammed one hand flat on the surface I was writing on. A tear streaked down my face, but I shook my head. "I'll be fine." I looked Nightraider in the eye. "I know there are hard pills to swallow on our mission to take down the Alchimian Society. But when that end goal finally comes…it will be worth it all…"
Author's Note: Hi readers! Hope you are enjoying the story so far. Please leave any comments to let me know what you think. Also, if you'd like to know more about the mysterious Team Syndicate, check out the story Pokemon Adventures: Soul by Soul-X-Link. This story takes place in the same universe as his, and it is really good!