Chapter Five: Crossroads
Kaminko simply nodded at Hilda, being apparently the only scientist in the bunch not mortally afraid and on the verge of soiling themselves.
"Took your sweet time," he said gruffly. "What happened to the first team you sent? We saw them on the surveillance cameras briefly, but they never seemed to make it here."
"As instructed, their priority was the Griseous Orb," Hilda said formally.
Kaminko nodded again, grunting to himself. "Obviously," he said. "All of the lives here, including mine, are secondary to finding it. Have you already located it?"
"Not yet, sir, but one half of our team is looking for it and we received some help from Professor Krane."
Amarillo arrived into the lobby, hands and clothes stained with blood. Hilda and Hilbert immediately walked over to her, but Amarillo responded wordlessly by looking up at them sadly, shaking her head slightly.
Hilbert sighed and took off his cap, while Hilda just bit her lip.
Hilda tried to comprehend the situation - one of her own had died. Not Wes or someone expendable. One of her own people, the ones she spent day and night training with, bonding with and assuring them that as long as they did everything what she told, they'd stay alive.
Hilda didn't feel like crying – she had barely known Buck. But that only made her hate herself more. For months, she and Buck had slept in the same building, eaten together, sparred together, went out for drinks together, but how much had they actually talked about their personal lives? Their hopes for the future, their childhoods, their political opinions, their favorite movies?
Not jack sh*t.
Hilda took off her own cap, squeezing it in her fist as if it was responsible for Buck's death. Not saying a word to Hilbert or Amarillo, Hilda walked away from them, past the frightened scientists and a stoically observing Kaminko. She grabbed one of the wooden chairs in the lobby, and without warning, threw it as hard as she could through the glass walls of a nearby office, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.
That made it feel slightly better, but it wasn't enough. Hilda grabbed another one, but before she could throw it, something stronger than her pulled it away.
It was her Emboar. It took the chair from her and patted her on the shoulder, smiling reassuringly. Hilbert, who was hesitant to approach Hilda once she got on the mood to hurl stuff around, also approached her carefully and, unsure of exactly how to comfort her, patted her on the back awkwardly. Hilda responded by grabbing Hilbert's hand and squeezing it.
"It wasn't your fault," Hilbert said softly.
"Spare me the clichés," Hilda groaned. "I'm in command – everything that happens to you guys is my fault."
"You had no way of knowing what could happen."
"Tell that to Buck," Hilda muttered. "Except that you can't, since he's gone. What are we gonna do with his Pokémon? Who's gonna tell his family? D-does he even have a family? I..."
"Yeah, he's gone," Hilbert said, "but that means we have to keep moving on. We can't get anywhere without you. And wherever Buck is now, he's not blaming you for this. I'd bet my life on it. Uh, crap, bad phrasing... I meant-"
"Shut up," Hilda said, thought with a slight smile. "You never knew how to cheer me up, did you?"
"Well, you're always in such a sunny mood that I don't have to."
"Dumbass."
"Yeah, I suppose," Hilbert said with a shrug. "But you're stuck with me now."
Hilda smiled even wider, nodded at Hilbert and put her cap back on. She took a deep breath and marched back to Kaminko and the other hostages, ready to jump back into action.
"Okay, people, barricade yourselves into one of the offices," Hilda told them. "Preferably not the one which I threw a chair through. Sorry about that, one of my troops just got killed saving your sorry asses is all. Make it count."
"We're all going to die," wailed one of the scientists.
"No you're not," Hilda said coolly. "Though the chances of that increase by every second you just stand there not following my instructions. There might be some Rockets left-"
"Not the Rockets," the panicked scientist said. "You don't know!"
"Okay, we ran into some escaped Pokémon," Hilbert said, "but they scampered off already, and you guys should have some ways of subduing them, right?"
"No, not them either!" the scientist yelled. "It's the... the... oh, no, they're back!"
Hilda, Hilbert and Amarillo turned to look towards the direction of the elevators again. At first they didn't notice anything, but they soon heard strange whooshing sounds, as if air was rushing into the room somehow.
Then, from the other end of the lobby, shadowy, purple clouds of smoke suddenly started pouring in from every possible corner: both corridors, air vents, cracks in the wall. They somehow distorted the air around them as if they moved like oily shadows, initially just flying around before beginning to approach the group.
Her mouth open with shock, Hilda raised her weapon while her Emboar growled at the new arrivals, but as the smoke creatures approached further, Amarillo pushed Hilda out of the way and simply raised her hand, the palm of her hand facing the creatures.
Somehow, this created an invisible wall which enveloped her, Hilda, Hilbert, Kaminko, Emboar and all the hostages. Hilda and Hilbert just stood there in shock, staring at Amarillo who gritted her teeth as she held her hand in the air, repelling the creatures away.
"I'll explain later!" Amarillo shouted at them. "Just get these people out of here!"
"I... right!" Hilda shouted, completely failing to understand what was going on, but reacting anyway. "Uh, where do we-"
"There's an emergency staircase which we can use to get to the upper floor," Kaminko said and pointed in the right direction. "We can lock it from both ends and hide there until your friends find the Griseous Orb."
"Hilbert, you heard him, take Kaminko there!" Hilda ordered, and Hilbert instantly grabbed the scientist and dragged him there. "Emboar, stay and help Amarillo in case any of them get through! Everyone else, follow me!"
"Better hurry," Amarillo said, sounding surprisingly blasé despite all that was happening.
~o~O~o~
In B2 of the inner, mountainside facility, the elevator doors opened with a loud ping, and Sandshrew, Cyndaquil, Pachirisu and the little Bagon made to carry the Griseous Orb ran into the corridors.
Shrew noticed the door of the floor's security room was locked, but ignored it as he focused his attention on the sign pointing to the tramways. Signaling the other Pokémon to stay still, Shrew sneaked forward and took a peek behind the corner.
Shrew gave the others the all-clear, and the four Pokémon started running towards the trams as fast as they could, Pachirisu outrunning everyone else while Bagon lagged behind – Shrew couldn't possibly understand why, as the orb she carried was incredibly light considering its size.
Dashing through the double doors, the group arrived to the tram tunnel. They all took a moment to look at the tunnel in wonder. It was incredibly wide and almost unnecessarily deep, the floor extending to fifteen feet below the trams. The tracks themselves were elevated, with lots of cables running above them. The tunnel was absolutely empty and quiet, two of the six trams sitting at this end of the tunnel. The other end was much further down, as the tunnel was a downhill from their point of view. Shrew believed that this part of the facility was approaching to the very top of the mountain.
Shrew, Quill, Pachirisu and Bagon ran into one of the two trams, closing the door behind them, only to be stumped with the controls. Deciding to throw caution in the wind, Shrew pushed the green button on the simple dashboard, but nothing happened.
"Oh, what now?" Shrew groaned. "Quill, you've used these before, right? Did I push the right button?"
"Yes, that's what the humans always do," Quill said anxiously. "I'm not s-sure how..."
"Oh, great!" Bagon whined. "I told you already! We are going to die here! I don't care what happens anymore! Any humans get in my way, I'm not going to show any mercy!"
"Calm down, Bagon," Pachirisu reprimanded the little dragon. "What are you going to do, anyway? Try to nibble at their toes?"
"Yeah, so in other words, shut up!" Shrew snapped, then noted the orb Bagon was carrying. "Also, you can stop holding on to that now. In fact, it would be better if you did. Just place it somewhere on the floor, as far away from us as you can."
Bagon complied, visibly grateful at not having to carry it anymore. Shrew looked at Pachirisu, who seemed to be pondering something.
"Ideas?" Shrew asked.
"I was going to talk about this before, actually," Pachirisu said. "They used me as a maintenance Pokémon around here, whenever the humans were too lazy to do anything themselves. I know quite a bit about the machinery here. I haven't worked the trams before, but if this works like everything else around here..."
Pachirisu touched the control unit of the tram, first inspecting the dashboard, then clawing the hatch open to see the machinery and wires inside. After inspecting the thing for a few seconds, Pachirisu released a burst of electricity, causing the tram to move forward with a nudge.
The tram then started moving down the tunnel, moving only slightly faster than Shrew and company could run. Shrew looked down, catching a small speck of light at what he presumed to be the very end of the tunnel... or he had sand in his eyes. The tunnel seemed to go on forever.
"So, Quill," Shrew said as he stared at whatever was at the end of the tunnel. "Where do we go when we get to the other side. Quill?"
But Quill had doubled over, weakly holding on to the side of the tram with one paw. Shrew, Pachirisu and Bagon crowded her.
"Quill!" Shrew yelled. "What's wrong?"
Chills went down Shrew's spine when he heard Quill answer in a weak voice: "I'll be fine."
"You really need help," Shrew insisted. "We need to find a scientist. Figure out what's plaguing you, and how to fix it."
Quill just nodded and sat down. Shrew was unable to tell if its eyes were closed or open, or how badly the experiments had affected her. He then turned his attention to the Griseous Orb, now looking harmless and inert as it was placed on the tram's floor.
Memories were starting to flood back one by one as Shrew just gazed at the ancient relic. He hadn't realized it before he heard the administrator's log, but he had indeed been drugged for several hours, right before he was placed back into the cages. After every test they performed on Shrew, the scientists administered toxins that erased any trace of the tests from the subject's immediate memory – that's what Shrew had heard Krane himself say once. But the events still happened and remained deep in the subject's subconscious, feeling like a hazy dream.
As Shrew stared into the center of the orb, Shrew suddenly saw a centipede-like creature emerging from it – initially it was small, but it grew enormous quickly, covering the entire tunnel with a dark aura-
Shrew blinked. The Griseous Orb was completely inert and there was no sight of this mysterious creature anywhere. Moreover, no one else had reacted in any way. Quill was still breathing weakly, Bagon seemed to have fallen asleep and Pachirisu was inspecting the tram's control.
"D-did you see that?" Shrew asked Pachirisu quietly, pointing at the orb.
Pachirisu turned around. "What?"
"I... uh, forget it. I'm just really tired. This whole day has been one horror show after another."
Pachirisu nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. Seeing what Zangoose and her flunkies did to the other-"
Shrew raised his paw to silence Pachirisu, his ears jerked up. Bagon flinched and got up as well, her attention focused at the end of the tunnel.
"What is it?" Pachirisu wondered.
"I hear something," Shrew said quietly.
Suddenly, the Griseous Orb started glowing.
~o~O~o~
"Zebstrika, Discharge!"
"Meowstic, Psychic!"
"Aegislash, Shadow Ball!"
The combined efforts of Wes, Rosa and Cal's attacks did little against the Kabutops skeleton but slow it down. The group had gotten through the door, and Jasmine was now frantically trying to close it down again, the Kabutops skeleton slowly striding towards them, the walls and floor distorting around it.
"Jasmine!" Rosa said pointedly. "No pressure or anything..."
Bianca was by Jasmine's side, using a brow mop on her and occasionally checking her pulse as Jasmine fiddled with the door controls.
"Just a thought," Cal grunted in frustration as his Meowstic's efforts didn't seem to do anything against the creature approaching them, now only a few yards away. The corridor getting too narrow for it, the skeletal Kabutops had to use its scythes to clear a path. "Even if we close the door, I'm pretty sure that thing can just tear right through it."
"Probably," Wes remarked. "So why are you standing around here, then? Zebstrika, Thunderbolt!"
Cal returned his Meowstic and made a dash for the tram control unit. There were four trams at their end of the long, uphill tunnel – one leading to the top of the mountain, or at least close to it, by Wes' estimates.
"Got it," Jasmine said barely audibly as the double doors closed quickly.
Wes and Rosa returned Zebstrika and Aegislash, a strange, floating sword-like Pokémon unlike Wes had ever seen, but decided the time for questions was later. Wes, Rosa, Bianca, Jasmine and Krane then dashed to the tram where Cal was working on the controls, and soon he grunted in satisfaction as the train started to slowly move forward, Bianca closing the door hastily as the tram started moving with a nudge.
The entire group collapsed on the tram's floor as they were unfortunately lacking in seats. They all took a moment to catch their breath and sit in silence, watching the tram slowly head up the rails, waiting for someone to voice the obvious question.
"Professor," Wes panted, glaring at Krane. "I mean this with great respect and all, but what in Buddha's name was that thing?"
Krane clutched his chest, staring in the distance with wide eyes, barely registering what Wes had said.
"Professor Krane!" Rosa said loudly. "I'd like an answer to that question as well!"
"I don't know," Krane muttered, still staring at nothing in particular. "I honestly don't know! But I have a pretty good idea where it came from!"
"Well?" Wes said.
Krane wiped his sweaty face on his sleeve. "You have to understand, this is just a theory. I didn't work in the teleportation department, and only the administrator knows the specifics of-"
"Get on with it!" Wes, Rosa, Cal and Bianca yelled at the same time.
"I'm interested as well," Jasmine whispered from the corner, but went ignored.
"A glitch," Krane said. "Something not meant to be. An error."
"Still not getting it," Wes said harshly, leaned closer to Krane and grabbed him by the collar. "Your people got us into this mess, so you will-"
"Just listen!" Krane yelled, prompting Wes to sigh and back down. "Thank you," Krane said in relief. "According to Kaminko, there are dimensions that run parallel to this one that we cannot see or influence in any normal way. It is unknown how much they differ from ours, but at least one dimension with Pokémon has been located. It is the dimension where Pokémon #201, Unown, is from."
"Those little floating eye-things?" Bianca wondered.
"Yes. They seem to be able to travel between dimensions as easily as if was just their daily commute. Kaminko thinks that in order to do so, there exists a space between dimensions that draws material from all of the others running parallel to it, the Distortion World."
"You mean that thing that appears in myths and fairy tales that traumatize children," Cal asked skeptically. "The one where a ridiculously powerful Pokémon was exiled five thousand years ago."
"It's just a theory," Krane said quickly. "I've heard rumors that our teleportation department was recently assigned to do research on some highly clandestine project – and I believe that project was to open a gateway to this dimension."
"Which is where that thing came from," Rosa reasoned.
"So why does it look sort of like a Kabutops?" Wes asked.
"A what?" wondered Bianca.
"Prehistoric Pokémon, extinct now, primarily living in the oceans," Krane lectured. "Yes, you see, I called the thing a 'glitch' because beings aren't supposed to exist in dimensions they don't belong to. If the legend of Giratina is true, then the Distortion World was probably a vastly different place before it was banished there, and it molded the place to suit its needs over time, assuming control of it and its inhabitants. I have no idea why a Kabutops specifically, but the otherworldly Pokémon do cause disturbances in the dimensions they slip in, and are forced to assume different forms than in their natural habitat. Is the Kabutops thing a joke, an intimidation tactic or something else entirely, I wonder..."
Everyone fell silent again, Wes rubbing his chin thoughtfully. He felt a stubble starting to grow, wondering just how long it was since he last shaved. And also the things he just heard, which Wes could honestly say he didn't get.
All he knew was that at least one, most likely several, nigh-indestructible things were in the building, the same one he tried to get out of with as much loot as possible. Taking and selling the Griseous Orb didn't feel like an option anymore, not since the conversation with that pencil-pusher. But how exactly did that guy expect Wes to somehow be able to – and Wes cringed just thinking about it – silence everyone, get the artifact and deliver it to the right people all the while keeping his organs inside his body.
He did not want to end up like that Rocket Grunt.
The whole team just sat in silence as the tram moved forward at a frustratingly slow place – Wes mentally prayed that the skeleton thing didn't know how to operate the trams. Wes looked at the rest of the team, who mostly kept their eyes to themselves. Bianca was quietly humming to herself and fiddling with her medical equipment, making Wes happy that the medic was at least stable. Rosa just sat still, not making a peep, no doubt thinking not only about Nate, but about what Kaminko had just said. She seemed to have gone noticeably paler, at least. Cal seemed cool on the outside, but Wes couldn't help but to wonder what his take on the whole thing was. Wes had grown to like him, but he didn't seem to interact much with anyone else, and Rosa's distrust of him was still on Wes' mind – his friendship with the mysterious 'Amarillo' making the issue even murkier.
And then there was Jasmine. Even she could do her job under pressure, and seemed remarkably cool-headed at the moment, just sitting still, knees against her chest, being completely still. She also seemed to notice Wes was looking, prompting Wes to quickly smile and make conversation:
"How are you doing?" he asked.
Jasmine shrugged and turned back to look at the tram's floor.
"Thanks for saving us, by the way," Wes continued politely. "That was some quick thinking back there."
Rosa sighed and rolled her eyes while Krane frowned disapprovingly, but Wes ignored it.
"T-thanks?" Jasmine muttered uncertainly. "Uh..."
Wes waited patiently for Jasmine to complete the sentence, smiling encouragingly. But she didn't seem to get the words out of her mouth.
"You don't have to make small-talk," Wes said. "Honestly, I know I never shut up, but I don't really like conversation for the sake of it, either. You guys are just the first people I've spent this much time with in a while."
Cal stood up and lit another cigarette, looking up restlessly to see what was at the end of the tunnel. Wes looked at him, tensing up when he saw Cal stare at something and open his mouth in shock, his cigarette dropping and prompting everyone to stare at him.
"Something's coming," he said and raised his stun blaster.
"You should have gone before we left," Bianca snapped.
"No, I mean there's another tram coming!"
Wes stood up too, staring in the direction the tram was slowly taking them in. Indeed, Wes could see something move towards them, and that something emitted a bright, golden glow.
"Anyone have binoculars?" Wes asked the group quickly.
Rosa handed him a pair, and as Wes looked ahead, he confirmed Cal's suspicions.
"Yeah, it's another tram alright," Wes muttered. "But it looks like it's empty, except for – are those Pokémon?"
Krane quickly snatched the binoculars from Wes, standing up and rudely shoving Wes out of the way, though Wes backed down anyway once he saw the professor's frenzied expression.
"Regular Pokémon?" Krane said, staring at the oncoming tram through the binoculars. "Yes, they are! So some survived after all. But what's that glowing thing, it kinda looks like... oh, dear."
Rosa stood up as well, while Bianca got on her knees and peeked over the tram's edge. Jasmine stayed perfectly still in the same position as before. Wes stared at Krane impatiently when the professor's speech devolved to terrified sputtering.
"Prof?" Wes said, tugging Krane's sleeve. "Hey, Krane! What is that thing?"
"That's it!" Krane shouted. "The Griseous Orb! They have it!"
Even Jasmine finally snapped out of it, but couldn't see what was going on as the others had crowded the edge of the tram, trying to see into the oncoming tram.
"Stop the tram!" Rosa ordered tensely.
"Hey, don't you remember who you put in command?" Wes snapped.
"Wes," Cal warned.
"Oh, yeah, right. Do what she said!"
Cal headed for the tram's control unit and pressed a big red button labeled 'emergency stop'. The tram came to an abrupt halt, again with a slight jerk that almost made Wes lose his balance. Even without the binoculars, Wes could now see what Pokémon were on board as the tram approached them. They were all pint-sized runts who just reached his kneecaps – a Pachirisu, a Cyndaquil, a Sandshrew, and a Bagon that hopped on the tram's edge. Next, Wes saw it open its mouth.
"Crap!" Wes grunted. "Everybody d-"
But Bagon had already launched a beach ball -sized blast of blue energy towards the tram. As it collided, the tram jerked violently towards the left, tossing Wes, Rosa and Krane out as they had stood up carelessly. The three fell fifteen feet before they hit the cold stone floor. Wes and Rosa didn't seem to land too badly, but Krane hit his elbow on the rock, prompting an anguished scream from him.
The others in the tram reacted quickly. Bianca jumped gracefully to help the fallen teammates while Cal sent out his Meowstic, a feline psychic-type with white fur, ordering it to use Charge Beam on the tram's controls. The beam of electricity didn't hit any of the Pokémon inside the tram, instead stopping the tram completely. The Pokémon inside jumped out, the Sandshrew holding on to the Griseous Orb, but Rosa had already gotten back on her feet and sent out her Gurdurr.
"Knock these pests out!" Rosa ordered. "And get that artifact from the Sandshrew!"
"No!" Krane cried as Bianca was tending to his arm, having already patched Wes up with a quick injection. "Don't hurt them! Let me talk to them instead!"
"I thought you said their powers have been suppressed," Wes said.
"Probably subjects from the control group... or maybe their bodies reacted differently..."
Rosa and Gurdurr hesitated while the Sandshrew stopped on its tracks, ears pointing up, as it heard Krane talk. The other Pokémon made terrified squeals as they saw something above the group, hiding behind rocks.
The confrontation came to a halt when the group saw a third tram appear from the direction Wes' group had come from – it moved almost twice as fast as the normal trams, apparently powered by two Voltorb hooked into the control unit. Three Rocket Grunts and a short, dark-haired male scientist were on board, the latter apparently voluntarily.
"Oh, come on!" Wes groaned. "How did those guys get past that skeleton thing!"
The Rocket tram stopped almost directly next to the tilted tram Cal and Jasmine were still in. The scientist pushed the much taller and brawnier Rockets away to speak directly to the group.
"You there, Sandshrew!" he yelled at the Pokémon with the artifact. "Hand that thing you're carrying over and we'll leave with no fuss!"
"Yeah, no," Wes grunted. "Sandshrew!" Wes shouted. "Give the orb to us! We come in peace, these guys will just kill you if you obey them."
"I'm sorry, but I wasn't talking to you," the scientist said. "You people have caused enough trouble as it is – we lost contact with a squad near the teleport chambers because of you. The committee sent you, no doubt – just as quick to the trigger as the team who came before."
"And where are they?" Wes asked.
"Probably where we left them," the scientist gloated. "A little hard to flee when your limbs have all been scattered ten yards away from your body. If you're anything like them, you'll just want to lay down and die and this'll all be much easier."
Rosa clenched her fists, her entire body starting to shake as she pushed Wes aside and pointed at the Rockets.
"Gurdurr!" she screamed. "Use Stone Edge and squish these s**ts!"
With its heavy steel beam in one hand, Gurdurr crossed its arms, forming orbs of glowing white energy around it that turned into sharp, pointy rocks that it launched at the Rocket tram, panicking the grunts and tossing one of them on the ground, the grunt hitting his head on the rock as he dropped. The others quickly sent out their Pokémon.
"Weezing, go!"
"Muk, go!"
Two purple poison-types soon appeared, one a large pile of sludge and the other a trio of conjoined, floating balls spewing out toxic gas. Wes helped Bianca drag Krane out of harm's way while Rosa ordered another Stone Edge, but Weezing dodged it with ease while Muk countered it with a Focus Punch. Both poison-types then launched Sludge Bombs at the Gurdurr, knocking it out.
"Jas, this would be a good time for support," Wes yelled as Rosa returned Gurdurr, took cover and sent out her Aegislash next.
"Rusty, go!" Jasmine yelled.
Rosa and Bianca reacted simultaneously: "Oh, crap!"
'Rusty' turned out to be a Steelix, a huge, gray snake Pokémon made out of solid iron, being over thirty feet tall and filling most of the tunnel. Wes, Bianca, Rosa and Krane had to run up the tunnel to avoid being crushed by the Iron Snake Pokémon - Wes understood why Jasmine hadn't used it earlier. Looking up at the tram, Jasmine had transformed into a whole different person, hopping off the tram and on Rusty's head, glaring determinedly at the Rockets.
"Slam!" she ordered.
The Weezing and Muk barely evaded the attack, but Rusty's swinging tail hit the tram instead, sending the remaining Rockets flying out as well, though they landed much more carefully than their comrade, who they seemed to ignore.
"Weezing, Flamethrower!"
Rusty had to back down now, swerving out of the way of the deadly flames. With the Muk left uncovered, Rosa ordered Aegislash to use Shadow Claw on it. Muk didn't go down, but its Poison-type attacks and punches were utterly useless against the steel- and ghost-type, causing Aegislash to win the battle quickly and forcing the Muk's trainer to recall it.
"Time's wasting!" the scientist yelled from the tram, holding a Poké Ball himself. "I'll deal with this – you go and get the orb."
Weezing was now battling Aegislash while the scientist sent out a Porygon-Z, a corrupted version of Porygon2, which immediately struck Rusty with an Ice Beam. The two Rockets dashed towards the little group of Pokémon still hiding behind rocks. The Pachirisu tried to bite one of them, but the Rocket quickly responded with a kick that sent the electric-type flying.
And then the Sandshrew did something unpredictable: it tossed the Griseous Orb into the air as high as it could and dashed towards the wounded Pachirisu. The Rocket Grunts ignored the Pokémon and focused on the orb instead while Wes reached for his holster... only to find his revolver missing.
With no time left, Wes charged at the nearest Rocket, tackling him into the ground, but the second one managed to catch the orb. The little Pokémon ignored the events, charging past the rest of the group, Sandshrew carrying the Cyndaquil while the Bagon and the wounded but still kicking Pachirisu followed.
"Now throw it here!" the scientist yelled.
The Rocket did as ordered, but Jasmine's reflexes were quick, and she ordered Rusty to block with its tail, sending the orb flying back at the sender – this gave Porygon-Z the opening to hit it with another Ice Beam that drained Rusty's energy. Wes elbowed the grunt he had tackled in the face, knocking him out, while Rosa fired her blaster at the other grunt. Aegislash had also finally beaten Koffing, giving it the finishing blow.
The orb was now safely in Wes' hands and the scientist found himself outmatched. Cal and Rosa had their blasters aimed at him, while Rosa's Aegislash floated towards him menacingly. Wasting no time, the scientist returned Porygon-Z, started the tram and ducked. The tram was then launched backwards, heading back to where Wes' group had come from. No one made an effort to stop it, as they crowded around Wes to focus on the Griseous Orb instead. Cal hopped off the tilted tram while Jasmine returned the fainted Steelix to its Poké Ball.
"So that's what we risked our lives for," Rosa remarked as she recalled Aegislash without even looking at it. "What does it, you know, do?"
"Beats me," Wes muttered as he weighed it on his hand. "But its really light – it looks like its made from gold or something, but it feels more like plastic."
"I don't think they had plastic like, what, five thousand years ago?" Cal said. "So, what now, boss? We can use that tram those Pokémon left behind to get back up. Mission accomplished."
Wes stared at the artifact he was holding. It wasn't glowing as brightly anymore and looked and felt mostly unspectacular, and yet... there was something entrancing about it, some sense of mystery, of ancient times. It was almost as if it spoke directly to-
"WES!"
Wes, Rosa and Cal turned to stare at Jasmine, who had shrieked to get Wes' attention. With all eyes on her, Jasmine stared at the ground and blushed uncontrollably.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I just assumed we were in a hurry and I was worried..."
Wes shook his head. "Thanks," he said. "And thanks for being there for us with that Steelix of yours. It was a good thing you saved it for now."
"So what do you say?" Cal asked again.
Wes weighed the question on his mind for a moment before answering. "Not yet," he said. "And we shouldn't contact Hilda yet, either. First, I want a full answer on what this thing does. Second, there's probably something still down where we came from – if not that Kabutops thing, then the Rockets, who might be fortifying their positions as we speak. I think we should try and find if anyone from the Beta team are still alive."
Rosa sighed in relief. "Thank you, Wes," she said. "I don't know if Hilda would have done the same."
Wes waved it off with a smile. "Now, let's find out what this sucker does. Where's Krane?"
Cal looked around. "Probably still with Bianca – hey, Blanc, are you okay?"
"Her last name," Rosa explained to Wes.
The group was surprised to see Bianca emerge from behind some rocks, holding her head and muttering dizzily. They then rushed over to her.
"I'm fine, just fine," Bianca mumbled as Rosa helped her stand up straight. "Just... gonna need a few minutes to get it together... think I hit my head there and I feel kinda sick."
Wes looked around, but there was still no trace of the professor. "Say, Bianca, where's the prof?"
Bianca sighed and shrugged. "Sorry," she muttered. "I saw it all – those Pokémon running away just rushed me and knocked me down. Before I passed out, I saw the Bagon and Pachirisu grab Krane and take him away."
Rosa looked wildly around the tunnel, seeing no trace of either the Pokémon or the professor. "But – we have to find him!" she said. "How else are we gonna-"
"Forget it," Wes said. "He wasn't really that useful anyway and we can ask that administrator guy more."
"Wes!" Rosa admonished. "We were in charge of his well-being!"
"Do you want to go find him?" Wes snapped. "Then feel free, scour this entire island if you have to. I guess your boyfriend will find someone else to save him."
Rosa glared at Wes, but followed with a sigh of resignation. Cal just shrugged, Jasmine was quiet and Bianca kept babbling nervously:
"Oh, I hope he's okay. I mean, you're in charge, Wes, I respect that, and I agree with you that we have to save the others. But still, what will those Pokémon do to him? And he had hurt his arm real badly, too."
"Hey, could be he's doing just fine," Wes countered. "They dragged him off for a reason, they could have hurt you much more but they chose to knock you out instead, they're not evil. They say Pokémon in general aren't – I don't agree entirely, but I think it applies to these ones."
"Unless they want revenge for spending their lives as lab rats," Cal reminded grimly.
Cal's suggestion was heard, but no one responded to it. Instead, Jasmine cured Rusty with a Revive supplied by Bianca that restored half its energy, and then had Rusty serve as stairs so she and the others could climb into the tram. Cal and Rosa managed to get the tram head back to the way the Pokémon had come from, and the journey continued in silence again, only this time they were one person short.
~o~O~o~
Hilda found an empty lab that hadn't been ransacked by the Rockets, the last along the corridor leading to the hangars and the teleportation chambers. Hilda made sure to mark the location in her mind, wondering if an escape was possible at all. She then looked at the civilians that had settled into the lab, some sitting down and catching their breaths, other making casual conversation to keep their minds off their predicament. One female scientist was even reading a newspaper. Along with her friend, she seemed particularly calm about the situation. As she walked around the lab making sure it was sealed properly, Hilda overheard the conversation between them:
"So what are you doing to do once your tenure here is over?"
"Never coming back to Kanto, that's for sure. I think I'll move to Hoenn, but I kinda need to save money, so I'm thinking of finding a roommate to split the rent with. But how the hell am I gonna find someone good?"
"Leave an ad in the company newspaper!"
"Are you kidding? You have any idea what kind of people write here? I already got fed up reading the personal ads. Listen to this: 'Single female w/ 90-60-60 body wanted for permanent, non-monogamous relationship. Pref. non-smoker. Send urine samples to Dr. Wilkins.'"
"Ew. Isn't Wilkins that scumbag with the fedora from the biology department?"
Having made her rounds, Hilda stepped into the doorway and cleared throat loudly, capturing everyone's attention and ending the chatter in the room.
"You will be safe here," Hilda assured. "Another group of scientists also survived and they're hiding out in the medical wing. Once this is all dealt with, a group will be sent to pick them up, and then we'll come back for you and head for the hangar to wait for our ride. We can't use the escape capsules, though, I'm afraid. According to my CO, Team Rocket launched most of them empty, and there are still some around the perimeter waiting to destroy any stragglers. Just stay clear from the door and you'll be fine."
The scientists made noises of agreement and nodded nervously at Hilda, who, unable to offer any more words of encouragement, nodded back, closed the door and left the room, preparing to lock the door. The light on the panel was currently green, meaning the door would open anyone who pressed a button.
Hilda remembered her orders – and how they had to be obeyed at any costs. She was the first one to admit to herself that she didn't quite get the finer details of what happened there, nor did she have any particular interest in it, but even she smelled a conspiracy when it was right in front of her.
But why would she question it? She had been taught to follow orders, to trust her superiors and to believe in that even when society faltered, her commanders never did. They wanted to keep the incident hidden, because that would lead to panic, riots, violence, distrust, everything Kanto didn't need right now that it was recovering from Team Rocket's earlier shenanigans. It was for the greater good – the unit would be the only witnesses.
But how could she do it? The mission was to save these people. The door panel remained green. Why was Kaminko more important than everyone else? How many of these people had families, friends, lovers and a life waiting outside?
Just like Buck.
Hilda sighed, and turned to leave, heading to the staircase Hilbert had brought Kaminko to. The door panel was still green.
Resisting the urge to go see how 'Amarillo' was doing with the creatures, Hilda knocked on the emergency staircase door. The lights in the stairway were all turned off except for the glowing sign signifying the emergency exit – but soon Hilbert's surprised face was seen through the door's glass pane. Hilbert unlocked the door for Hilda, then quickly locked it behind her.
"You got them to safety, then?" Hilbert asked immediately.
"What makes you think I couldn't do that?" Hilda asked in return, not looking at Hilbert. "Where's Kaminko?"
"Right here," the administrator replied gruffly. "Exactly what kind of training did you get?"
Hilda resisted the urge to kick him in the face, finally seeing him sitting against a wall, fiddling with his cell phone like a man with no cares in the world. Seeing him in contrast with the rest of the scientist made Hilda cringe. Instead, she turned to look at Hilbert, who clearly forced on a cheerful face.
"Don't worry, I locked the other entrance," he said. "This place is completely safe. Still best if we talk quietly, though."
"Agreed," Kaminko said before Hilda could get a word out. "You already lost one of your team, along with those goons who came before us, and who knows how that runt back there is going to hold out against those monsters!"
"How did Amarillo pull that off, anyway?" Hilbert asked Hilda, clearly wanting to avoid talking to Kaminko.
But the scientist responded anyway: "Oh, please. Haven't you ever seen them before?"
"Seen what, sir?" Hilda asked through gritted teeth.
"Psychic powers," Kaminko said casually. "They have been a subject of intensive research in some fringe groups, but no real funding has been provided – people don't tend to take it seriously."
"I know psychics like Sabrina can pull off stunts like bending spoons and levitating Poké Balls," Hilbert muttered, "but that was from a whole 'nother world! That could have even saved... well, I mean..."
"You can't just yell 'Go-Go-Gadget Psychic Powers', you fool," Kaminko lectured, "using powers like that takes intense concentration and drains your energy quickly, which is why people who use these kind of powers have very high metabolisms and have a high risk of passing out if they don't replenish their stores quickly. What I'm more concerned about is why your teammate didn't bother telling you about this before. This 'Amarillo' might be a spy."
"Rosa said the same," Hilda muttered, "but nothing points that way. Amarillo saved our lives, for heaven's sake! All for some stupid old piece of junk artifact..."
"Ah, yes, your ignorance would lead you to believe that about the Griseous Orb," Kaminko grunted as he got up and dusted his lab coat, "but only I know its true power. You see, thanks to a Pokémon trainer with a hero complex causing headaches to the Pokémon Association and the Pokémon League after becoming a local hero here in Kanto, a very overzealous archeological survey group handed it over to us. Our tests have shown that it is an artifact from another dimension and immensely dangerous in the wrong hands."
"But what exactly is it?" Hilbert wondered. "Doctor Kaminko, with all due respect, as Hilda, uh, Lieutenant White said, people have already died for it, don't you think we deserve to know?"
"If you superiors didn't tell you, then I will not either," Kaminko stated with finality. "They ordered you to find it and get it safely back to them, end of story."
"But-"
"No, Hilbert, he's right," Hilda muttered, having pulled her cap down so Hilbert couldn't see her eyes. "Orders must be followed."
"We should worry more about actually getting it," Kaminko said. "If your friend fails, those creatures could come at us any minute now."
"Hey, doctor, what did I just say?" Hilbert said confidently. "I locked the door upstairs along with this one, no one can get in unless I let them."
All of the sudden, barely visible in the limited lighting of the staircase, a familiar small, blonde-haired person suddenly appeared in the room, sweating and breathing heavily but looking completely unharmed otherwise. This prompted a high-pitched shriek from Hilbert.
"There you are!" Hilda told Amarillo. "Are you all right?"
"Yes," Amarillo panted and sat down, looking dangerously pale. "They eventually retreated when they realized they couldn't break through."
"I would thank you from the bottom of my cold lump of a heart for saving us," Hilda said as she folded her arms, "but can you first explain us how the crap did you just do that thing? ! You mean you can teleport?"
"Only locally, and not more than about thirty yards at a time," Amarillo said quickly. "And I know I haven't told you guys everything. First things first – don't call me Amarillo anymore. Just call me Yellow from now on."
Hilbert had finally recovered from the shock, though he, too, was breathing heavily. "You – you mean to tell us that you're not Spanish?"
"Well, not quite, no," the mysterious person before them, 'Yellow', remarked. "I was born in the Viridian Forest. People born in that area are often gifted with abilities like the ones I demonstrated, though many do not realize this and stop using their gift. Furthermore, I am the last human being to be born there before large parts of it were demolished. Since both my parents were born there as well, or so I have been told, my powers are even more potent than normal."
"And you didn't tell us this – because?" Hilda asked.
Kaminko frowned at her. "Humans with psychic abilities are carefully tracked by the Pokémon Association. Someone with your talent should appear on the records. What exactly are you?"
"I need you to listen," Yellow said calmly, though still out of breath. "Whatever you think you're doing here, it's not what you should be doing. The Griseous Orb can't be given back to these people."
"I beg your pardon?" Kaminko huffed.
Yellow, however, just kept going: "I probably should have told you sooner, but I wanted to make sure we got the orb before Team Rocket did first. I heard about this facility beforehand, so-"
"Um, sorry, question," Hilbert said. "Do you mean to say that... you can see the future!"
"Uh, no," Yellow said with a slight smile. "Clairvoyance didn't come with the package, even though a great deal of other powers did. But I have made sure to use them to their full extent only when necessary – that is, to protect others or myself from harm. I heard about this facility through my contacts, as well as the fact that the Griseous Orb was held there. First, I had to join the E4 Task Force, because I needed to get in, hoping they'd assign them as security. Then, a month later, this incident occurs and I hear that you guys were sent here, so I had Bianca switched to the Beta team and made sure their medic would be unavailable-"
"Hold on a second!" Hilda snapped, staring at Yellow in shock. "You lied to us, then! You took advantage of all of us just so you could steal the Griseous Orb yourself? Is that what you're saying?"
"No," Yellow said, staring right back at Hilda. "All I care about is getting the orb to a place no one can ever get their hands on it. The risk is too big. I-"
"Did you do something to the other medic?" Hilda pressed. "Actually – I'm not even sure I want to know. You've been lying to us about your motives and your powers – you didn't think to use them to save Buck?"
"If I could have, I would have," Yellow said. "But-"
"No!" Hilda shouted, pointing at Yellow accusingly. "I knew something was up when they sent an outsider here, but to think one had sneaked into our own unit? I don't trust a word you've been saying – you need to leave right now."
"I agree, and you made the right decision," Kaminko said. "There is no room for weak links in this operation."
Hilbert didn't offer his opinion, just nervously looked between Yellow and Hilda, opening and closing his mouth pathetically.
Yellow looked at everyone in the room on last time before sighing sadly. "As you wish, Hilda. But I will continue to help you, whether you want me to or not. I wish you good luck."
In a snap, Yellow vanished. Gulping nervously, Hilbert looked at Hilda.
"Do you think that was wise?" he asked. "Yellow's powers sure could have come in handy."
"I know it was wise," Hilda simply said. "Contact Wes – I have something to tell him."
Hilbert didn't protest, but assumed his role as the communications expert, establishing a link between Wes' Xtransceiver and Hilda's, using his own as a relay, fiddling with the controls for a while to clear out static, until he finally gave Hilda the thumbs up. After some seconds of calling, Wes picked the receiver up.
"Whatup?"
"Hilda here," Hilda said professionally. "Have you located the Griseous Orb yet?"
"Hm? Oh, sure, yeah. It's just... we know where it is, just not how to get it. Team Rocket has some grunts guarding it in a well-sealed room. Just one entrance and no dead angles, blind spots or anything – so anyone going in will be seen for sure. This might take a while."
Hilda raised her eyebrows at Hilbert while Kaminko inched himself closer.
"So, can you get it?" Hilda asked.
"Hey, we're the best team you could ask for. It'll take, like, twenty minutes, max. It's jut that... well, we kinda lost Professor Krane to some wild Pokémon."
Hilda bit her lip while Hilbert uttered a frustrated 'Damn it' on the background.
"I'm sorry," was all Hilda could say. "We, uh... we lost Buck too, for the same reason. We managed to find Kaminko and secure some other hostages, but he..."
"...sorry to hear that, Hilda. I'm sure you did what you could. He was a good guy."
"Yeah," Hilda said. "Listen, call me back the moment you're done, because Buck wasn't the only loss. I have reason to believe Amarillo is a traitor."
"What? You serious? Amarillo, the quiet little medic? She's a traitor?"
Hilda flinched. "She? Oh, uh, yes. Amarillo, or Yellow, apparently, managed to conjure up some seriously messed up psychic powers which, uh, she hadn't told us about. And apparently she joined our unit just so she could get to the Griseous Orb!"
"She say anything about Cal?"
"Cal? The bomb guy? No, why?"
"Never mind, then. I'll call you when this is done. Wish me luck."
"Break a leg," Hilda said. "Or an arm – or a neck, what with Team Rocket being involved. Just make sure those guys get hurt. Over and out."
Hilda nodded at Hilbert, who closed the link. Kaminko rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Quite odd, that even with their manpower, they haven't moved the orb out yet," he mused. "Your unit must be better than I gave them credit for. A pity about Krane, but I suppose losses are acceptable, even if they happen to be actually useful people."
I will strangle you, you arrogant little sh-
"Yes," Hilda said tensely. "Now, since we got you to safety, doctor, I guess all we can do is wait for Wes' team to finish. Once they get the Griseous Orb, we'll organize a rendezvous somehow."
~o~O~o~
"You lied," Rosa said.
"Yeah," Wes said bluntly as he put his Xtransceiver away.
"But... why did you lie?"
"Listen, I think Hilda is all-around awesome and a great leader," Wes started with his hands raised defensively, "but I know that if we told her the truth, she'd want us to drop whatever we're doing and bring the Griseous Orb to her right away. If the rest of the team are still alive, they need our help now – not after the hours it could take us to get to where they are and come back."
Rosa nodded tensely. "Okay, but I don't like this."
"Who does?" Cal remarked. "Just ask Buck or Professor Krane what their opinions about this are."
Once again, no one responded to Cal's comment.
Wes' group had entered floor B2 of the mountainside facility, located inside the mountain but very close to the summit, there apparently being an emergency exit tunnel and some satellite dishes at the very top of the mountain, according to Jasmine's map.
"I can't believe Amarillo could have done that," Bianca said. "I mean, I only ever saw her once, but she still gave off a positive vibe, you know?"
"I don't know what her deal was," Cal muttered. "Whatever angle she had, she never told me. I just wonder who she's working for..."
Wes wondered it too, but as the group moved slowly forward, checking behind every counter, he also had bigger things on his mind – like the offer the Committee had made him. Was he really ready to do this? He needed the money, and even Lance's offer was just a small percentage of the amount he needed to put together. But even with all the immoral things he had done, he had never been forced to kill an innocent. Hurt, sometimes, but kill? Out of the question.
Also, Wes' story had not been complete balderdash, as there was a sealed room in the floor they were in – a security room, though one useless now that Jasmine had hacked into the surveillance system and was the only able to use it. But what interested the group were the sounds coming inside, as if they were muffled shouts.
The security room had only one door, but several windows in it, allowing the guards full view of the tram station. Wes motioned the others to hold still as he sneaked down the corridor and crouched underneath the window, wishing his hair wasn't so thick and that no one in the room could see it hovering around. Slowly but surely, Wes raised his head just enough so he could peek into the room.
There were four Rockets in the room, along with someone else Wes couldn't identify. The fifth person was tied to a chair facing the wall, the Rockets gathered around him. Wes identified two female and two male Rockets, the other female dressed differently than the others, perhaps an executive.
Wes quickly pulled his head away from view and motioned Rosa to get to his location. Rosa crawled to Wes at an incredible speed and took cover next to him, barely keeping her hair out of view. Wes gestured at the window, and Rosa thankfully got the hint and took a quick peek herself – the expression that appeared on her face soon revealing what Wes had suspected. All color drained from Rosa's face and her eyes widened, but fortunately she had the common sense to pull her head away from the window quickly.
Wes mouthed the word 'Nate', and Rosa nodded furiously. Feverishinly thinking of a plan, Wes welcomed the distraction when he saw Cal waving wildly at him, hiding with Jasmine and Bianca in another room. Wes and Rosa quickly crawled there and closed the door behind them, relieved to be able to talk again.
"That was him," Rosa whispered in panic. "They were torturing Nate. I don't care what any one of you thinks, we have to get him out of there. I swear, I'll do it myself if I have to-"
"Rosa," Bianca interrupted, smiling kindly. "We know. We think we have to save him too. Uh, right, guys?"
"Of course," Wes said.
"But before you do that," Cal said, "take a look at this."
Cal pointed at the wall on the opposite end of the room, seeing four hastily covered people laying on the floor, some covered in puddles of blood. The group walked over to them, Bianca instantly crouching next to all of them, feeling their pulses. Wes looked at their attire – one of them was a male scientist, while the other three were two men and a woman wearing dark blue uniforms of some kind. Cal was wearing a similar one.
Wes turned to look at Cal. "Are they...?"
Cal nodded. "And that just leaves their leader, Nate, who at least is still alive for the time being."
"These two are definitely dead," Bianca said calmly, referring to two strike team members. "But I think... hey, the scientist is alive."
Bianca injected the scientist with a syringe that slowly brought the groggy man up. Wes joined Bianca, crouching over the two strike team members she had pronounced dead – one of which sported a rather expensive watch on his wrist.
"Oh, sweet, loot at last," Wes remarked. "I'll take this."
"Wes!" Rosa reprimanded.
"You think he'll miss it?"
"Thank you so much," the scientist told Bianca. His face was smeared with blood all over, as was his coat. "I... I am not quite sure what happened. I was going to get help, but the Rockets attacked me – they must have thought I was dead. I was out of it until now – oh, goodness, my colleagues! They were a couple of them holed up in a lab in this floor."
"We'll check it out," Bianca said, "can you walk?"
"I... don't think so," the scientist groaned, clutching on a still-bleeding wound near his stomach. With his bloodied hands, he grabbed Bianca by her collar weakly. "Please, just leave me behind and go get my colleagues. You have to... get us out of here... please. Some of the staff lost hope when we heard the rumors, saying that instead of a rescue crew, someone would come and... silence us all..."
The scientist caught Wes staring at him, and to Wes' surprise, he mustered a weak smile.
"Good to see we're not considered... expendable," the scientist grunted. "Now get going."
"In a minute," Wes said as he pocketed the watch he had stolen. "We're getting them out, and as long as you're still alive, we're doing the same to you. Bianca, can you-"
"I'll carry him," Jasmine said, once again surprising everyone that she was still there.
And just like that, Jasmine walked over to the wounded scientist and slugged his arm over her shoulder, lifting him with surprising ease considering Jasmine's thin frame. Bianca just shrugged and went to work on the third strike team member, who surprised her when he suddenly started moving.
"Wow, that was quick – didn't even heal him yet," Bianca said casually. "Hey, calm down, you're all right, um... Cal," she whispered. "What's his name again?"
Cal glanced at him. "Matthews, I think," he said nonchalantly.
The strike team member was in much better shape than the scientist, though still covered with wounds and bruises, barely regaining consciousness.
"Hi, it's me!" Bianca chirped and gave Matthews a similar injection. "You're gonna be okay, and Nate survived as well."
"Yeah, speaking of," Rosa said impatiently.
"Yeah, okay, I got it," Wes said. "Everyone gather round... I think I have a plan."
~o~O~o~
"Miss Domino, he won't take much more of this-"
"Oh, is that right? He better hurry up and give us what we want, then."
Wes was watching the female Rocket Executive with blonde hair, Domino, apparently do something to the brown-haired and brown-eyed Nate, who wore a blue uniform like the other strike team members. Whatever it was, it was painful, causing Nate to scream and his face to contort horrifically. Nate was in a terrible shape just like the Matthews and the scientist had been, and covered with burn marks on top of all that.
Nate could only mutter in protest, his eyes rolled to the back of his head: "Go... go to... yourself..."
Domino just smiled. "Well, if you didn't know where it is, we could have spared our breath." She raised the black tulip she was carrying and brought it close to his face. "Now we can finally move to doing this for my amusement..."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I thought I'd finally found the restrooms."
All four Rockets and even their Golbat and two Machoke turned to look at Wes, who had forced the door open with a device Jasmine had given him. He leaned on the doorway with one hand, holding the other out of sight.
"No!" Domino yelled when one of the Rockets was about to charge at Wes. "It's a trick! But I suppose you could help us, you see, he wasn't quite co-operative," she nodded in Nate's direction. "We were having a bit of a disagreement, and I just can't seem to control my temper sometimes."
"Happens to the best of us," Wes said. "And you, too, apparently. But hey, I'm just visiting the place. You happened to attack on 'Bring Your Daughter To Work' – day."
Domino smiled smugly and put her gloved hands on her hips, focusing fully on Wes. "Very nice," she said. "You see, we're looking for the filthy, odious Sandshrew who happened to steal something of mine. You may have seen it – golden, fairly large, octagon-shaped. Just imagine what an ancient artifact with untold power looks like, assuming you have the ability."
Wes pretended to ponder it. "Hmm... well, there was something. I was going to use it as a doorstop, but hey, if you want it so much..."
He showed his other hand to the Rockets, casually balancing the Griseous Orb on top of it. The three Rocket Grunts tensed up while Domino stepped away from Nate and pointed Wes with her tulip.
"Very good," she said, though not smiling anymore. "Now, you got two options here: hand it over to us, or have my associates rip it from your sizzling dead hands."
"Ah-ah!" Wes said, raising a finger while pretending to almost drop the orb. "Any sudden movements and I might break this precious artifact of y-"
"Oh, piss off," Domino interrupted. "This is an ancient relic made five thousand years ago by forces beyond our understanding – it's not a goddamn Tupperware bowl. Just get it from him."
The three Rockets and their Pokémon rushed Wes, who quickly ran past the corridor, the Griseous Orb tucked under his arm. Domino glared Nate one last time and grabbed his right hand. Suddenly, she twisted his index finger upwards, breaking it with a satisfying snap that made Domino smile again, while Nate screamed even louder.
"Well, at least you were of some use," Domino said. "Try not to die before I get back."
Domino ruffled Nate's hair condescendingly before slowly walking away, leaving Nate tied to the hair, panting and occasionally letting out an anguished groan due to his finger. When he heard steps approaching a minute later, he desperately tried to get rid of the ropes.
But he almost fainted in shock when he saw that instead of Domino, he was approached by Rosa, followed by Cal, who stayed by the door with his blaster ready.
"Shh!" Rosa hissed quickly when Nate was about to mumble something "We're here to rescue you, but that won't work if you're dead. Just stay still – I'll untie you and Bianca can patch you up."
"Rosa, I..." Nate grunted. "I have something to tell you..."
"Tell it when we're tanning on a beach in Slateport City after all this," Rosa said quickly as she hastily untied the rope keeping Nate in the chair. "Remember? I promised you, didn't I?"
Meanwhile, Wes was still running from the Rockets, irritating them with taunts and making 'woop, woop' noises, dodging the electrical attacks they fired, presumably with stolen stun blasters. When there was enough distance between him and his enemies, Wes dug out Espeon's Poké Ball and sent the Sun Pokémon out.
With two Psybeam attacks, Wes managed to knock out a Rocket and their Machoke, but the others were merely slowed down.
"Espeon, Morning Sun!"
Espeon's next attacked filled the whole corridor with a white, penetrating light that caused the remaining Rockets and their Pokémon to stumble and fall. With that opening, Wes returned Espeon and sent out his Zebstrika instead, ordering a Thunderbolt. The shock knocked out Golbat, the other Machoke and both remaining Rocket Grunts, who were still temporarily blinded and had nowhere to run.
With that, Wes returned Zebstrika as well, stepping over to the unconscious Rockets, grinning triumphantly.
"Hah! How did you guys ever take out this facility," he gloated. "But yeah, I'm just gonna go back over there and keep being awes-"
Wes's sentence was cut off by a sudden punch in the face by Domino, who had managed to sneak up on him during the carnage. Wes tried to go for his Poké Balls, but Domino stabbed him square in the chest with her tulip, electrocuting him. As Wes' entire body felt like it was being burned from the inside, Wes let out a scream and collapsed on his knees, conscious and alive, but only barely. Domino kicked Wes in the back, letting him fall flat on his face, the Griseous Orb dropping and rolling a few feet away.
Domino took notice of it, but couldn't help but to plant her foot on Wes' neck and press down slightly, causing another pained grunt from Wes.
"No, don't get up, please, I insist," Domino taunted. "You know, my last plaything only lasted for a measly ten minutes before he was already one foot in the grave – I didn't even get a chance to use my tulip. With all the effort you went through to fetch the Griseous Orb for me, I really wanted to give you something back – so how about a hundred volts worth for starters?"
Domino used her tulip from afar, blasting Wes with an electric shock that caused him to scream again, his body jerking involuntarily.
"Bravo," Domino said. "Not many would still be conscious after that – of course, had I hit you with it directly, your days of being conscious would have been over for good. Now, do you have any other cute remarks for me?"
Wes just groaned, attempting to get up from the floor only to be pushed back again by Domino.
"Oh, no, this isn't good at all," she fake-lamented. "Really, now, I expected you to give me a little more fun than the Wonder Boy back there. It seemed like you had seen your share of pain before, but I guess I was mistaken. Oh well, I've still got the other one waiting for me – goodbye."
Domino aimed her tulip at Wes, who lay helplessly on the ground, the fired an even more powerful blast of electricity – which was immediately sucked away by another Pokémon.
Domino was suddenly facing a Magneton that floated from behind the hallway's corner and straight at her, followed by its trainer, Jasmine. Domino tried to use the tulip on her, only for Magneton to easily drain the attack on itself. Jasmine was soon followed by Cal, who pointed his blaster at Domino.
With no other alternatives, Domino pocketed her tulip and glibly raised her hands up, still smiling even when Jasmine helped the burnt and barely conscious Wes up on his feet.
Suddenly, Domino's radio crackled: "Miss Domino, did you find what you were looking for. Do you need reinforcements?"
For a moment, everyone just stood still, Cal and Jasmine's Magneton ready to shock Domino if she made a move – but Magneton was weakened and Cal's hands were shaking, while Domino kept on smiling.
"Miss Domino, I repeat, do you require assistance?"
Domino threw herself on the floor and easily rolled away from Cal's shot, while Magneton fainted from exhaustion. Pressing a button on the radio, Domino spoke rapidly while pulling something else from her pocket:
"I found some intruders at Level B2 of the mountainside facility – send backup immediately!"
Before Cal could fire again, Domino threw a pellet on the floor that filled the corridor with thick smoke. As it cleared, Domino had predictably disappeared, no doubt ready to receive the reinforcements. Wasting no time, Jasmine returned Magneton and Cal helped her escort Wes to the safety of another lab.
~o~O~o~
Making their way through the tunnel, Shrew and company had sneaked into an empty office via an emergency hatch, dragging the unconscious Professor Krane with them. The four Pokémon seated him in a chair and waited for him to wake up, wondering about what in the name of the divine Dialga just happened back there.
"...and somehow I just snapped, I wasn't even thinking about anything," Bagon ranted passionately. "I just opened my mouth and boom – Dragon Rage, right at 'em! I couldn't use any of my special moves back when Zangoose attacked us!"
"I could use my fire-type moves, too," Quill said, having mostly recovered from whatever had ailed her in the tram tunnel. "It sort of comes and goes..."
"Well, he will answer our questions," Shrew said, gesturing at Krane, who was groaning and moving about, ready to come to. "I can't believe we were so lucky... not only did we find a scientist, but it's Professor Krane himself. If anyone can and will help us, it's him!"
"Yeah, no offense, Shrew," Pachirisu said carefully, "but how exactly are we going to ask him? He's human."
"The human responsible for all the tests, no less," Bagon growled.
"He's not like the other humans here," Shrew insisted. "He's-"
"What, he treated you like a pet?" Bagon asked. "That's great, I'm real happy for you! Had I known that, it would have been a real comfort while we got the brunt of the experiments."
"Hey, you have no idea what they did to me!" Shrew argued – even with the Griseous Orb gone, his patience was dwindling. "Surgical procedures, implants, days spent without food, regular beatings whenever I was out of line-"
"He's waking up," Quill said softly.
The argument broken up, the four Pokémon quietly watched professor Krane wake up. Rubbing his face and adjusting his glasses, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room in a daze. Looking down, he finally saw the four Pokémon staring at him and almost jumped off the chair.
"No!" he yelled. "I swear, I didn't want to hurt you! Please, I'll go quietly, whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you, just don't kill me, please-"
"Professor Krane," Shrew told him despite knowing that to the professor, it just sounded like Shrew was making random squeaks and squeals. "Calm down, we want to you to help us out."
"A S-sandshrew?" Krane stuttered as he focused on the Mouse Pokémon and relaxed a little. "The Sandshrew? Shrew? What's going on out here – oh, wait this is pointless."
"This is pointless," Pachirisu told Shrew. "He can't understand us. But I still think bringing him along was a good idea, Shrew."
"In what way?" Shrew wondered.
"Well... we can use him as a human shield when trying to escape," Pachirisu suggested, to which Bagon nodded furiously.
"Um, I don't know what you're, err, talking about," Krane said, slowly about to get up from his chair. "B-but, I promise, I will soon – this looks like Amanita's office. She had the prototype here somewhere, so just let me grab it from her drawers – I promise I'm not going for a weapon. Um, I hope you can at least understand me."
Slowly and keeping his hands in the air, Krane got up from the chair and inched towards the drawers. The Pokémon eyed him suspiciously, but let him do it.
"He's fooling us," Bagon insisted. "He's going to kill us all."
"He won't!" Shrew said. "Pachirisu, if it looks like he does, shock him. But only if you're sure."
"All right," Pachirisu muttered, his cheeks sparkling with electricity. "But I'm not in the condition to permanently disable, just hurt him a little."
"If it comes to that, Quill can do it," Shrew said, though Quill didn't answer.
"Why not me?" Bagon wondered.
"Why don't you think about that for a while," Shrew grumbled.
They watched Krane open the drawer. Just to make sure his comrades wouldn't do anything, Shrew climbed on the table to see what Krane was pulling out. It didn't look like a weapon, but more like a large headset microphone, the microphone part sticking forward instead of towards the wearer's mouth. Krane slowly put it on his head, then looked at Shrew in anticipation.
"All right," he said calmly, switching the device on and putting his hands in the air again. "Try saying something to me again."
"Uh... hello, professor," Shrew said.
Krane went pale and collapsed on the floor, eyes wide and locked at Shrew, who tilted his head curiously. Then, as the Pokémon just wondered what was wrong with him, Krane suddenly responded:
"H-hello to yourself, Shrew."