Martha stayed in the right path for a while, but then turned to the wrong way. Everyone inside the cage couldn't see what path they were taking; they could only count on Martha about the instructions
"Where are we going exactly?" Draco whispered.
"Remember that secret passage that we always used when we got in trouble when we were kids?" Melissa whispered back.
"Oh, the one that we always used until we found out it connected to the chambers?" Agathon asked, whispering.
"Yes, that one," Melissa answered.
"Why are we heading there again?" Draco asked, "Didn't we swear never to go there again after what we found there?"
"Martha knows more about this town than anyone I've met," Agathon answered, "It might be our only way in."
Augustus and his lucario could feel the young trainers's aura, trembling with fear from a seemingly unknown reason. Filled with curiosity, Lucario asked:
"What did you find there?" Lucario had a nervous expression.
The trainers hesitated.
"The leader isn't kind, everyone knows that," Agathon said, "But there are things that most of the townsfolk don't know. After seeing the leader's hidden chambers, we tried to challenge him."
"And what's inside those chambers?" Augustus asked.
"Every two months, there is a ceremony on the town," Melissa said, seemingly ignoring Augustus's question, "At least one person is chosen by the leader to have a chance to travel around the world with his pokémon, receiving supplies and a personal map to travel safely across the canyon."
"And what's so bad about that?" Lucario asked.
"it's a lie," Agathon answered.
Augustus lifted one eyebrow slightly.
"I think we are the only ones that ever escaped the town," Draco claimed.
"So, everyone that has been chosen is being kept inside the chambers?" Augustus asked.
"No," Agathon answered. "Only the 'useless' ones. The others are being brainwashed," he added.
"The men are tortured inside the chambers until they have no other purpose than to serve the leader, becoming his personal bodyguard," Melissa said, "The beautiful women have their tongues cut off, then put into the bodyguards's personal harem," Melissa added, "The ones the leader finds the most beautiful are reserved to him solely for his own pleasure."
"And how did they keep this secret for so long?" Augustus asked.
"Anyone who finds out about the chambers is held prisoner inside the chambers," Agathon answered, "They are forced to live while suffering the biggest amount of pain the bodyguards can do to them," he added. "Let's just say they are being tortured for fun."
"And how did you find out about all this?" Lucario asked.
"One of the prisoners told us," Melissa answered.
"He was one of the people that tried to tell everyone about the chambers," Draco said.
"The leader wasn't aware that we knew about the information," Agathon said, "That's why he didn't kill us on the spot."
Augustus closed his eyes, processing all the information. The danger about this battle increased drastically; losing was unacceptable.
Augustus opened his eyes and asked:
"Are you sure your father will turn to our side?"
"He's the only one the leader hasn't brainwashed," Melissa said, "They are practically brothers."
"Her father is an honored man," Draco claimed, "But the leader managed to convince him that his dictatorship is the only way these people will stay in order."
"So, showing him the leader's catacombs will prove to your father that the leader is a massive liar," Lucario claimed.
"Exactly," Agathon said.
"And how do we get to your father?" Augustus asked Melissa.
"The leader let my father live outside the leader's base," she answered, "Probably because he would find out about the catacombs if he lived inside the base."
"And why are we going towards the secret passage if we have to find your father?" asked Augustus.
"The passage connects to both the catacombs and my old house," Melissa explained.
"Then you lived with your father," Lucario noted. "But wait, wouldn't that mean you could have shown him earlier?" he asked.
"He wouldn't listen to me," she explained, "He'll definitely trust me this time, or you," Melissa said, pointing at Augustus.
"Why would he-" Augustus got interrupted by Martha's warning.
"We're here!" Martha said.
Everyone descended from the cart. Augustus noticed they were in an alley, with metal walls surrounding them except for behind and above. Augustus and Lucario were confused for a moment, and then Draco proceeded to touch a certain spot on the wall.
"This is something not even the leader knows about," Draco said, pushing his palm against the right wall.
A chunk of the wall in the shape of a rectangle fell over, revealing a tunnel large enough so that even Augustus could walk freely on it.
"Let us move," Melissa said, "I want to get this over with."
Everyone entered the tunnel, thinking of every argument possible to convince Melissa's father, until Melissa felt something was missing. She stopped and turned around; Martha was still hadn't entered the tunnel.
"I'm not going," Martha said, "I need to get the water refill, or else they'll suspect about me, and will eventually find out what we did."
Agathon nodded and said: "We understand."
Draco disagreed: "She's the kindest and most honest person around the town! Melissa's father will definitively agree to come with us if she's around!" Draco claimed.
"But she's right you know," Agathon said.
"Exactly," Melissa stated. "Let's just hurry up."
Draco hesitated for a moment, looking at Martha.
"I have to go," Martha said.
Draco closed his eyes and nodded, proceeding to walk inside the tunnel.
They walked across the tunnel casually. It was a very dark place without natural light and seemed to go always downwards; the only way they could see was because of charizard's fire, which lit a torch for them. Eventually, they came across two different paths; the three trainers entered the right path, with Augustus and Lucario following right after.
"The other path leads to the catacombs, am I right?" Lucario asked.
"Yes," Melissa responded.
The path (which was a straightly carved rock tunnel) let to an underground cave, big enough so that it had a small natural river and waterfall, with its own set of rock paths.
Augustus could feel trembling auras at around two hundred meters away from them, but he couldn't distinguish what they were feeling nor how many of them were the pulses were too weak. Lucario noted the auras, and since he was far more experienced on the matter than his master, he could at least distinguish how many of them were: only two.
"Can you feel them?" Lucario asked his master.
"Yes," Augustus responded. "How many of them?"
"Two," Lucario answered.
Charizard snarled with confusion. Melissa noted the two talking and asked:
"What are you talking about?"
"We can feel two auras at a moderate distance," Lucario answered Melissa.
"That means we're getting close!" Draco said.
"Does your father live alone?" Augustus asked.
"Yes," Melissa responded, "The only company he ever has is his tyranitar, who is always by his side."
Charizard snarled angrily, as if saying hurry up!
"Allrigh allright, we get it!" Draco said. "Let's just move; I don't like damp places."
Pidgeot also didn't like the atmosphere of that place.
They increased their pace; they also wanted to get to Melissa's father quickly.
After a while they reached another straight tunnel, which seemed to go to the exact location of the two auras that Lucario and Augustus felt.
"For the last time, are you sure you can convince him?" Agathon asked Melissa, worried.
"Yes, I'm sure," Melissa responded, confident about herself.
As they roamed further inside the tunnel, Lucario could distinguish the auras more clearly.
"I don't think we have to," Lucario stated, "He seems enraged about someone."
"What?" Melissa was confused.
"Are you sure he never found out about this place?" Augustus asked her.
Melissa hesitated. Besides everything she did to hide that path, there was still a possibility that her father had found it.
"Wouldn't that mean he might be enraged with us?" Agathon asked.
"I'm certain his rage is directed to something else," Augustus said. "He shares a certain worry about something too; probably you," Lucario said, pointing at Melissa.
"We're here," Agathon said, looking at the end of the tunnel.
A white wall rested at the end of the tunnel, which showed signs of being broken recently.
"He clearly passed through here," Draco stated.
Draco went first, pushing the white wall, opening a hole which led to Melissa's old bedroom.
Charizard ran over his trainer in order to exit the tunnel, stretching his arms and growling in relief for being out of the tunnel. Draco let out a cry in pain because the ninety kg charizard was standing on top of him.
Pidgeot stretched its wings happily as it got out of the tunnel. Melissa had a really nostalgic feeling running across her body. She missed this room so much.
Agathon was analyzing the room as soon as he got out. He was never invited to Melissa's house, much less her bedroom. His graveler was slightly wet because of the atmosphere of the previous tunnel, but it didn't care. Graveler was never really worried about anything.
Everything that Augustus and Lucario had in mind was the two auras getting closer to the bedroom, already at the door.
The doorknob twisted. Everyone switched attentions towards the door as it slowly opened, as if who was opening it was unsure about who waited inside the room.
The door was now fully open, revealing a five point nine foot man around his fifties, with a white stubble beard and white clothes, adorned with light strokes of green and black, and a tyranitar right behind him.
"Melissa?" the father asked. "What are you doing here?" The father walked towards his daughter.
"I've come here to convince you to help us! We need your hel-" Melissa stopped as she got surprised by her father's hug.
"I thought you had been captured," the father said while holding his arms around his daughter.
"You've let me worried so much!" The father tightened his hug. "I thought you were being tortured by him…"
At this point, everyone knew that he had seen the catacombs already.
"So…" Melissa took her father's arms off her. "…are you on my side?"
Her father's expression went from worried to a serious. He held her hands together then said:
"I'd do anything to watch him suffer." Her father looked directly into her eyes.
He turned his eyes, finally noticing the other people in the room. He recognized the two infant trainers together with their pokémon, but he was unfamiliar with the two meter tall man and his Lucario.
"And who is he?" the father asked Melissa.
"He's the one who can defeat the leader!" Melissa claimed proudly.
The father got confused. Defeat? He thought. Is that even possible?
"And how will he do that with only one lucario?" he asked.
"He's strong on his own," Agathon said.
"On his own?" The father was confused.
"Yes," Draco affirmed. "We're sure that, with his help, we can defeat the leader."
"Of course, we need your help," Melissa said.
The father got up and asked, without taking his eyes off Augustus: "And how are you sure we can trust him?"
"It's a long story…" Melissa said.
"I have plenty of time," her father responded.
"He never even knew about the village," Draco said. "After we lost to the leader, we escaped, and when we were running out of resources, we found him." Draco pointed at Augustus.
"I don't have anything against you, and I swear to do no harm to who is close to you," Augustus said, walking towards the father.
He stopped in front of the father, raising his hand, offering a handshake.
"I am here to help," Augustus said.
The father didn't respond for a moment, but then decided to say:
"I'll trust you for now." They shook hands, but the father pulled Augustus thorough his arm, following with a warning: "If you do anything to her, I'll pursue you to the ends of this god forsaken earth."
Augustus nodded calmly, and the father released his grip.
"Then tell me your name," the father demanded.
"Alexander Augustus," Augustus said.
"Acacius Clemon," The father said. "And I need you to prove me you're strong enough," Acacius continued, "I trust my daughter, but she has made mistakes in the past."
"As you wish." Augustus smiled.
