Chapter 7:
Trouble in Paradise
Two of the armed men moved down the stairs. For a moment, Sarah considered fighting back, but more men showed in the doorway. There were way too many guns, so she sat tight.
"You performed quite admirably, Ms. Adams," the scared man continued. He had a heavy accent she remembered. It was the same as the man in the vest that tried to capture her.
"What are you talking about? And how did you get here? I thought only Mäytonians could enter the city."
"That is partially correct. The blood of a Mäyto is only required to open the doorway. After that, anyone can come and go as they please."
"You…you set me up!"
A smile formed across his mouth. "Bravo for you. Helpful and smart."
The men came to her sides and pulled her hands back to be cuffed. "And just what do you plan on doing here?"
The man's gaze rose up to the crystal floating in the room. "That will be revealed soon enough."
The cuffs clicked shut behind her. She pulled on them as a test, but no luck. They were tight.
"Put her with the Professor."
The Professor? They had Oak?!
The men pulled her arms forward and she followed along, giving the scared man a glare as she passed. She was taken back through a part of the city. Whoever these people were, they came prepared. Hundreds of men and women in black suits were setting up equipment in buildings. Some carried computers, others boxes of food. Someone had taken a lot of time to get this all ready, she realized.
She was pushed into a building about half a mile from the shrine. Several rows of cages had already been erected. Only one was filled and by a man hunched over and wearing a white robe.
"Oak!"
He turned at her voice. "Sarah! Oh, this is not good."
She was shoved into the cage next to him and the guards left. She came up close to the bars. "What's going on? Who are these people?"
Oak shook his head. "They have no name. But I know too well what their plan is. I'm sure you saw the crystal in the shrine already?"
She nodded. "It almost made me want to take over the world."
"The crystal is called the Mäylong. It has the ability to influence the heart and mind of any Mäyto within its range."
"That explains why I felt so angry when I first got here."
"Yes. This group of people hopes to use it to re-awaken the blood of every Mäyto on earth and use them to conquer the world."
"That's awful!"
"Yes. If they are able to succeed in removing the Mäylong from this place, it will mean the end of modern civilization."
"We have to stop him!"
"I agree. But just how do you suggest we do that?"
"I might be able to help with that." Something fell from the ceiling and landed in front of the cages.
Sarah gasped in astonishment. This was the last thing she expected. "Ivysaur?! What are you doing here?"
"Luke thought that you could use some help. We've been following you ever since you left the house." He let out a vine and started to fidget with the lock.
"Luke's here too?"
The cage clicked open. "Yeah. He should be here any second with a key."
A guard suddenly stepped through the door and spotted the Pokemon. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
A hand reached around the man's neck and clamped down. "They're with me." He slumped to the ground and Luke released his grip.
"Luke!"
He quickly moved into the cage and unlocked Sarah's cuffs. "When will you learn that when I offer my help I'll give it?"
She turned and threw her arms around him. "Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't let you come. I didn't know what I'd do if you weren't here."
"You'd be sitting in a cage waiting for the end of the world, that's what." He held the hug for a second before pulling her away from him. "Now you have to stop Millar! I can create a distraction for you, but you're going to have to take care of him yourself."
"The guy with the scar?" He nodded. "Right. You get me alone with him and I'll take him out."
"Good. Sorry, Professor, but you're going to have to stay in there a little longer."
"Oh, don't worry about me," he replied with a forced smile. "You just do what you have to."
"Give me five minutes." Sarah leaned in and gave Luke a deep kiss.
He returned it warmly. It had been too long since he'd been in her arms. When they finally separated, he said, "You be ready."
She gave him only last kiss before morphing into a Gengar and vanishing from the room.