Author's Note: Hey guys. I am extremely sorry about my absence lately and know you might want to know what happens next, but I was busy. A lot has been going on lately. Plus, I haven't had any good ideas. Again, sorry about my absence. Now that school's out, expect more chapters.

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo/Game Freak/whoever else. But my characters and stuff are all mine. 8)

Three

"Do you know why they're keeping us here?"

Marcus was in his cell, exhausted after a long day of training. He was lying face-up on his creaky old cot, staring at the bare ceiling. Zack was throwing a rubber ball against the wall and catching it.

"How should I know? I'm not even ten years old yet," Zack responded. "Why do you wanna know anyway?"

"…Just wondering," Marcus responded. He sighed and rolled over onto his stomach.

"Hey Zack, can you keep a secret?"

The Growlithe boy's pointed ears twitched. He turned to Marcus, a sly smile on his face. "That depends on the secret, bro."

"Seriously, Zack. I'll only tell you if you promise not to tell anybody."

"Okay, okay. Spill." Zack scooted over to Marcus' bed, brushing black hair away from his bright cobalt eyes.

Marcus lowered his voice to a whisper that was barely audible. He had to be quiet – what if Barron was outside and overheard?

"After training in the Fire Class today, I was resting in the Break Hall," Marcus began. His leaf green eyes flickered nervously. "I saw a group of people talking and asked them what was going on. They looked kind of freaked and paranoid. Like they were discussing something secret."

"Uh-huh," Zack said with a nod.

"I talked to Harrow. You know him, right? About twenty-five? Mightyena morph?"

"Yeah, I know the guy," Zack grunted.

"He asked me about Eclipse Labs. Why are we here? What is our purpose? What is the world like outside these walls? Do you remember what it was like outside, Zack?"

"I was only three when I was caught," Zack said, looking down at the ground as if searching for an answer. "I don't remember anything, except that my dad's eyes were blue and he used to sing a song to me to put me to sleep."

Marcus was silent for a moment. Zack didn't have any memories of his parents. Even Marcus had a few, but even those were slipping away gradually. Short scenes were all he could remember, tiny flashes. Except for that one dream of his about the day he was captured. He was still trying to figure out what it meant.

"Anyway. Harrow said he's leading a party to find out why we're here," Marcus said. "Do you think we should get involved? I mean, if we get caught, the consequences could be…bad…"

Zack looked at him. "Of course, Marcus. Don't you see? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You wanna leave, right?"

The Charmeleon morph nodded.

"Then ask Harrow for more info! He's a smart guy. He always does scary-good on the intelligence tests. If anybody can bust us outta here, it's Harrow."

"I guess you're right, Zack. I'll ask him tomorrow after training when I see him."

---

The next day began as usual. Barron yelled at Zack for being lazy, as he always did. But Marcus couldn't help noticing that Barron sounded a little less mean today. …Worried?

When they entered the breakfast hall, it was crowded and noisy, like every morning. Marcus scanned the area, searching for the Mightyena morph that was the key to leaving. But it was hard to find Harrow in a sea of black uniforms.

Then, he saw the pointy gray ears sticking up from the short brown hair. Marcus was about to walk over when…

"Hey, Marcus."

A familiar voice caught his attention. Marcus turned to see Ren behind him. She was holding a lunch tray containing a plate of fruit. He backed away a little bit, grinning nervously.

"Uh…hi, Ren." He laughed nervously.

Ren smiled, her warm brown eyes sparkling. "You wanna sit with me today for breakfast?"

Marcus looked at Zack, who raised an eyebrow. The girl of his dreams was finally asking him to sit with her! But he had finally located Harrow, and wanted to find out more about the project.

"Sure, Ren," Marcus answered. Zack slapped his own forehead.

Ren smiled. "Let's sit over here. Those eggs look good, don't you think?" Her nine tails waved in a nonchalant manner as she raised a piece of apple into her mouth.

Zack crouched next to Marcus and put his mouth next to his ear. "I'll deal with Harrow, okay? But next time, don't let a girl distract you." He grinned and patted Marcus on the shoulder before wandering off to Harrow's table.

Marcus watched Zack, who plopped down next to an extremely amused Harrow and started chatting animatedly. Marcus chuckled to himself and focused on Ren.

"Uh…been practicing lately?" Marcus asked her. He tucked a strand of dirty blond hair behind and ear.

"Yeah. I still need some work, though," Ren replied. She gave a sigh and bit into a strawberry.

Marcus once again looked toward Harrow and Zack. Zack was whispering something in Harrow's ear, and the Mightyena morph was nodding and smiling.

Good ol' Zack.

---

"Speed and Accuracy Class!" a voice boomed.

Barron stood before the class of Pokemorphs, sneering down upon them.

"Today we will be running an exercise that is classic, yet effective. You will be running on this course." The Scyther morph opened a door.

Inside the spacious room was a track with many obstacles in the way, such as pits, boulders, and ponds. There was a flag that marked a starting point and another that marked a finish line.

"You will make your way to the exit as fast as you can," Barron said, pacing back and forth as he spoke to the morphs. "While you are doing that, you must destroy each target and avoid the projectiles fired at you. If you are hit even once, you have to start over. Clear?"

The class nodded.

"Good. On your mark…get set…go!"

First up was Zack. Marcus watched as the Growlithe boy skillfully dashed along the track, destroying the targets with ease. Zack may not have been strong, but he was quick and accurate for sure.

Marcus grinned with amusement as Zack tried to push a boulder out of his way, having no luck. He panted, then climbed up the side of it, using the jagged ends as footholds. A pebble, one of the projectiles, narrowly missed his ear.

When he finished, Barron looked somewhat pleased. "Excellent time, grub. Perhaps you're not as useless as I thought you were. But you're still pretty useless."

Zack growled and stuck his tongue out at Barron as soon as the Scyther morph turned his back.

"What does he know? You kicked butt," Marcus said, high-fiving Zack.

"Thanks. Hey, I'll talk to you about what Harrow said when we get back to the cell," Zack said, a mischievous gleam in his bright blue eyes.

Marcus nodded and smiled.

"You! You're up!" Barron glared at Marcus and pointed at him with a clawed finger, then jerked his thumb toward the course.

---

"So, tell me. I'm dying to know," Marcus told Zack.

The two were back in their cell, preparing for the night. Zack removed his uniform and got into his cot while an eager Marcus waited.

"It's not done yet," Zack said. "That's what Harrow said. But he said that if we enlist the help of one person, the escape will be as easy as pie."

"What?" Marcus asked.

"Have you ever heard of Project Legend?"

To be continued…