Amber wasn't sure how long they'd been talking. The group was sitting on some benches in the Pokémon Center, discussing the events of the past week while Amber and Cheren's Pokémon were getting healed. She was doing her best to explain exactly what happened to her and Leo, with Sarah and Gloria filling in where she couldn't. She half-expected Cheren to outright call her a liar at any moment, given the way he kept on looking between the group.
When they finished, Cheren finally spoke up. "So, let me get this straight: you two managed to get mixed up with this Silicon Movement. They tried to kill you multiple times, and they seem to be after that Absol. It looks like even the cops are having trouble with them. And you want the League to help?" Cheren adjusted his glasses and fell quiet for several long moments. "Frankly, I don't know what we can do. These people aren't as public as Team Plasma was. Getting any cooperation out of the Elite Four might be difficult without concrete proof."
Amber sighed, feeling crestfallen. "I guess you can't help, huh..."
"I didn't say that." Cheren replied. "I just said it'll be difficult to get cooperation from the League. As for me, if Silicon is behind those kidnappings, then I can't ignore them."
Again about kidnappings! Amber bit her lip. "Were there other kidnappings besides me?"
Cheren nodded. "Seven in as many weeks. Now that I know where that base you talked about is, I can have it cleaned out. Normally, that would fall to me, but I don't think I can do it alone. I need some backup, especially if they're as ruthless as you say." He looked between them looking especially at Amber. "I want to ask you if you'll do it, Amber. I know they put you through a lot, but you are the one who knows the most about the base's layout."
Amber lowered her head. Just the idea of going back there terrified her and she had to shake off the urge to shout "NO!" and refuse. Cheren had a good point, though. Going alone was certain suicide. She desperately wanted to avoid returning to that place, but she didn't just want to outright decline...
Leo must have seen her reaction. "She almost got killed in there, Cheren. I don't blame her for not wanting to do it. Hell, I don't wanna do it either!"
"Then leave it to us!" A new voice said. Amber looked up. Nearby were two people wearing Team Night uniforms. The blonde-haired boy seemed cheerful and his hazel eyes were rather round for a boy. He wore a dark blue hat, skewed rakishly backwards and had a good-natured smile on his face. The other man was decidedly unusual. His scruffy, tawny hair was pulled into a rough ponytail and his dark blue eyes seemed somewhat spacey. But that this guy was wearing a huge pair of Eevee ears and a long, bushy Eevee tail gave him away. This had to be the guy Sarah called Eeveen. She said he liked to cosplay as an Eevee, but seeing it for herself was still really weird.
"Sorry we're so late, guys." The blonde kid said, shooting a look at his companion, "Eeveen wouldn't follow the map!"
"I can't read maps. You know that!" Eeveen frowned at the kid. "Besides, you should just learn to my Eevee sense of direction!"
The boy groaned. "Sure, your 'Eevee sense'. The same sense of direction that led us past the same tree five times!"
Shawn growled, "You two sure took your time! We really could've used you two when we stormed that base! We almost got killed in there! If we had more backup, things would've been a lot easier!" He glared at the two. Eeveen barely blinked, but the kid seemed annoyed. "Next time, save the bickering and focus!"
"Shawn, stop it." Sarah cut in. "I'm just glad AJ and Eeveen made it. Considering how aggressive Silicon's been, they're lucky."
"I take it they're the two Team Night backups you sent for earlier." Leo said.
Amber decided to greet them. "Nice to meet you two. I guess you've heard from Sarah, Gloria, and Shawn what's happened."
AJ shook his head. "I wish I hadn't. These Silicon punks are the worst."
"You said it!" Gloria replied. "Cheren wants to clean up that base we found. Chances are they're either long-gone, or they're prepared for intruders. I doubt getting in there again will be easy."
"Regardless, they might have left evidence as to their goal inside." Cheren said.
Amber nodded. He had a good point, but she was very concerned about it being a trap. "What if they're expecting us? Whether they're gone or not, they probably know somebody's coming back."
"That's why someone should act soon." Sarah replied. "If we ignore it, they'll destroy any remaining evidence."
"Then what are you saying?" Amber was starting to get confused. Just where was she going with this?
"What I'm saying is we need to split up from here. If we all come at once, it'll be too obvious."
Gloria folded her arms. "I hope you're joking! This is hardly the time to think of thinning the ranks, Sarah!"
"Enough." Eeveen cut in, shooting a look at Sarah, "AJ and I'll go."
"We will?!" AJ stared at Eeveen like he'd just sprouted horns. "Have you gone nuts!?"
"Don't forget who we are, AJ. We're cops. This is part of the bargain. You know that by now!"
AJ sighed. "Yeah, but I'm not stupid. These guys are gonna be a handful for just the two of us."
Cheren interrupted him. "If none of you will help, that's fine. I don't expect you to play hero here. Whatever the case, I need an answer. Will any of you help me?" There was an awkward silence for a while.
Sarah was the first to speak. "Come on, you two. I think you're perfect for this."
AJ sighed. "I get it. Silicon doesn't know about us three yet. That means me, Eeveen, and Cheren will be the least expected. Even if they do notice us somehow, they aren't likely to connect us to Amber's situation."
Sarah smiled a little. "Exactly."
Eeveen nodded. "That's our Mysterious Mew for you. Always planning ahead. I'm sure that's why she picked us in the first place!"
Amber wasn't sure she liked how this conversation was going. "You guys are really going back there?"
Cheren nodded. "If I don't evict any remaining Silicon members, they'll just come back stronger. Besides, there's a chance those other trainers are still there." At that, Cheren stood up and collected his Pokémon from the nurse. He turned around and headed for the door. "Now, let's go. There's no time to lose." AJ and Eeveen followed quickly behind him as they left the Pokémon Center.
Amber couldn't help but be worried. "Are they gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. I'm sure they'll be just fine." Sarah's words were convincing, but the expression on her face was uncertain. What followed was another long, awkward silence.
They had to have traveled for at least a couple of hours. After Amber healed her Pokémon, everyone decided to head north and follow Victini. The trip was pretty uneventful, and nobody made much conversation. If they did, Amber didn't notice; her thoughts were elsewhere. She was pondering what Victini meant when it spelled out "war help us". Was something happening here? Did Silicon have anything to do with it? Amber was so distracted with her thoughts that she only barely avoided walking straight off a ledge. Surprising herself, she toppled over backwards and fell on her butt.
Gloria chuckled a little. "Are you okay?"
Amber shook herself off and stood back up. "Yeah."
"You gotta watch where you're going. You almost walked right into that lake." Gloria said.
Amber paused to look around. They had come out of the fields and into a stony canyon. The smell of sulfur was in the air, and it was a little humid here. There was a light fog here too, and it stretched for some ways down the canyon. She looked down at the lake in front of her. The ledge was a very short drop, but it was hanging directly over the water. She would have fallen right in if she hadn't fallen over instead.
"I don't think that's really a lake." Leo commented as he came up beside her.
"I bet this is a hot spring." Sarah said.
Amber crouched down and put a hand into the water. It was very warm, but not painfully so. It was definitely a hot spring. Amber stood up with a grin. She had a sudden idea. A swim was sounding like a great idea. She liked the thought of relaxing in a nice hot spring like this after all the chaos lately. "How about we all take a dip?"
Leo didn't seem amused. "You gotta be kidding me. How can you think about swimming at a time like this?"
Shawn had a big grin on his face. "Yeah! Swim time! I'm gonna change now!" Without warning, Shawn bolted off down the path, darting behind a large pile of rocks.
Sarah's grin quickly fell. "I forgot to bring a swimsuit."
Gloria suddenly pulled three bathing suits out of her bag with a grin. "Ta-da! Good thing I have extras!" Gloria held out a choice swimsuit. "How about this cute, blue one-piece, Sarah?"
"What the-? How much stuff do you have in that thing?" Leo asked.
Gloria gave him a mischievous look. "Don't you know better than to ask what's in a girl's purse?" She turned to Amber. "What a great idea! Good thinking, Amber!" Gloria held out a red bikini. "Try this one on. You'd look good in red."
Amber smiled and accepted the swimsuit. "Thanks, Gloria. I'm gonna find somewhere to change." Amber found a small niche by a large boulder which looked perfect. As she walked off to the rock, she heard Leo sigh behind her and plod off somewhere. Amber changed quickly, deciding to leave her other clothes and supplies by the rock.
She grinned and ran back to the spring. She hadn't been this excited in a while. She couldn't even remember the last time she visited a hot spring. She saw that Leo had already changed into a pair of red swim trunks and was lowering himself into the water. Just as Amber made to step down from the ledge, she heard a loud whoop from behind. Confused, Amber spun around just in time to see a boxer-clad Shawn catapult himself off a big rock pile.
"Wooo! Cannonbaaaall!" Shawn blared as he made a cannonball-dive into the hot spring, landing right in front of Leo with a huge splash. Amber couldn't help laughing at Shawn's antics.
"Agh, Shawn!" Leo protested, wiping his face off.
"Yeeeeow!" Shawn leaped up, scrambling back up the ledge, "That's hot!"
"What did you expect for a volcanic hot spring, silly?" a laughing Gloria replied from her perch on a ledge across from Leo. Everyone wound up cracking up as Shawn clung to the ledge, looking like a wet Skitty.
"Yeesh! What's with you guys?!" Shawn whined.
Between giggles, Amber suggested, "Try going slower!" She in turn stepped slowly down into the water. It was even nicer than she expected, and she shivered in pleasure at the warmth. Just then, she noticed that Gloria hadn't even budged from her spot. She was still in her usual clothes, dangling her sandals in the water.
"How come you're not joining us?" Amber walked over to Gloria.
"Um..." Gloria fidgeted, "I...can't swim?"
Amber was puzzled. The water there only came up to her armpits, and Gloria had a good three inches on her!
"Sure you can!" She grabbed Gloria by the leg and impishly yanked her in. Gloria landed square on her butt, making a big splash as she fell. Amber laughed as she stood back up, soaked from head to toe.
"Haha. Very funny." Gloria said, putting a hand on her hip. She smiled slightly. "You're lucky this spring's too small for me to transform." A big grin spread on her face and she chuckled darkly, "I'll get you back for that!"
Amber couldn't help but see that Gloria's skirt had drifted up a bit, revealing...a tail? Definitely a tail, complete with those skirt-like, blue feathers she had as an Illicuno. Gloria looked behind her, following Amber's stare. "Well, now you know the real reason, huh. I can't wear most swimsuits thanks to this tail..." Gloria seemed bit embarrassed and pulled her dress down, trying vainly to cover the tail. "That's the only part of me I can't get rid of when I transform." Gloria shrugged. "I guess there's no point in hiding it now. Let me change. I'll figure out something..." Gloria pulled herself out of the water, looking like a lot like a wet dog.
Several minutes later,she came back, wearing a modest, purple bikini. The bottom had been modified with a gold ring where her tail poked out. She looked surprisingly natural, but rather sheepish at the same time. "S-stop staring!" She shyly wrapped the tail around one leg, blushing a little. "It's a bit embarrassing..."
Amber smiled and sat down on a rock, folding her arms behind her head and stretching out against the wall. It had been a long time since she could just relax like this. She noticed Leo come up and sit beside her, trying a little too hard to be casual. He tried to stretch out as well, but his feet slipped and he fell over. Amber couldn't help laughing at him, but her mirth quickly changed to confusion, then concern when he didn't surface. Amber felt a new current down where Leo was and looked. She could see a tunnel of some sort leading off into the depths.
But the Pokémon swimming below was what really had her worried.
It was a rather big, blue turtle with a white-furred tail and wing-like ears. It was swimming in circles, picking up speed and creating a whirlpool. Amber shouted and tried to swim away, but the undertow quickly overcame her, drawing her into the depths. She briefly saw the turtle glare at her, then darkness as she was sucked down the tunnel. Instinct took over, and she curled up to avoid hitting the walls. It was only somewhat successful, and Amber still bounced back and forth helplessly. She was quite terrified, and disoriented to boot. Just as she was sure she was going to drown, she saw surface light. Lunging out for one last push, she surged for the surface. By now, her lungs hurt, and she wasn't sure she could make it. Amber saw Leo reach down from above and grab her under the arms. He yanked her out, and Amber gasped, falling into him. For several moments, she jut sat there, catching her breath and trying to regain her bearings. That was when she realized that Leo still hadn't let go. He realized this at about the same time and gently pushed away, blushing.
"Er...you're okay now, right?"
Amber smiled awkwardly and nodded. Now that she had settled down, she could see where they were. Steam from the hot spring filled the narrow cave they were in, causing condensation to drip off the stalactite-covered ceiling. The floor was cool and slick, and Amber stood slowly to avoid slipping on the wet stone. "Where the heck are we?"
Leo's puzzled expression said it all.
They were lost.