Chapter 27
She could see that I was watching her, but she showed no sign of stopping. Blood was now mixing with real, sorrowful tears as they dripped to her feet. Her teeth were now masked by her lips which she had sucked in, pondering. Her expression was guarded once we met gazes.
The Earth started quivering. The marble stone we stood on started to sink deeper and deeper into the earth. The ceiling began to crumble and dust on us, filling the room with dust and dirt. It was only a matter of time before the ceiling gave out and this floor, just like the others, would be sealed off for good. Lugia and Ein had the same expression on their face: fear of being buried alive.
"Finish them!" The scientist's shout with left ignored. The giant shadow pokemon glared at the two of us before turning her back, carelessly swiping her tail near us. She took Ein by the collar, lifting him into the air like a pup. "Kill them first, you worthless pokemon! Do it while we still have the chance." Showing no reaction to his words, Lugia continued to carry him. There was a larger door on the other side of the stadium from where we entered that opened large enough for her to open her wings in. She took to the sky, glared with her one good eye for the last time, then took off, leaving the two of us behind.
Wes took my hand and started to pull me to the exit she had taken. That exit was briefly shut off when a stack of boulders fell from the ceiling and blocked the way. Wes would've been crushed if I hadn't pulled him back in time. He swore and looked to the other exit. Too late for that, too. It had been destroyed with the first sickening jerk of the quake.
Right when all hope seemed lost, the Earth stilled. A few more boulders fell and dust dripped into the room, but besides the settling, it was quiet. The two of us were covering our mouths with what was left of our sleeves, hesitant to inhale any dirt. The room was more thickly filled with dirt than it had once been with Haze. Our eyes burned as we forced to keep them open.
"I'm telling you, all of these rooms have been sealed off!"
Wes and I looked towards the ceiling. A stream of dirt fell in front of us. We waited for the voice to come again, but after waiting what seemed like a lifetime, the voice did not come again. I heard the rocks above the dome shifting from the quake. It was beginning to dawn on the two of us that we were indeed trapped and that if there was another shake we would be buried. Realizing this, Wes grabbed me by the waist with one arm and pulled me close, prearing for the heavy rocks above to start tumbling. The shifting came again, this time louder. It was followed by a loud crash that splintered the top of the dome like a spiderweb.
"Stop it, you imbecile!" The female voice was familiar but muffled from behind the ceiling. "Your blasted pokemon already did enough damage! Stop smashing through walls like an oaf!"
"Fateen?" Wes called. The movements of the rocks stilled. "Fateen is that you?"
"They're alive?" muttered a different voice in disbelief.
"Did you have no faith in our friends?" a bulkier one asked. "Wes, thank Arceus you're alive my boy! Is Rui with you?"
"Yes!" His hand moved from my waist to my side, where he tapped it gently. "We're both down here! Can you break through without bringing the whole place down on us?"
"Can he break through the wall without bringing the whole place down," Fateen laughed. "Duking's drilbur already collapsed half of the building! I'd rather like Groudon to come barrelling through here rather than see him try and get down there!"
"Bur…" a defeated pokemon sighed.
"He's exhausted anyway," Silva pointed out. "I think Duking will have to get down there somehow." His voice increased in volume. "If you guys can tell where we are, try and step back! We're going to try and get down without burying you two alive! I'll count to three then-"
The ceiling gave way further towards the entrance dropping with it several stray rocks and a truckload of dust. Wes and I stepped backwards as it washed over us in a dusty wave. I heard feet drop to the floor, stumbling before coming to a stop. It was too thick to open my eyes, but from the sound of the fall it had to be Duking. A muscular arm secured me by the waist and hefted me over his shoulder. Wes released me so I could only assume the same was happening to him.
Duking carried us under the hole from where he had emerged. I couldn't see but I could hear Silva and Fateen shift rocks around as the bodybuilder lifted us into the air. Fateens warm, wrinkled hands secured around my wrists. I grabbed onto hers as she pulled me up into the air. Silva struggled to get Wes up until Duking lifted him the rest of the way, climbing onto a fallen rock.
The cave they had created was not dug straight down, which was to be expected. It sloped steeply upwards and curved around itself, as if the group were confused where to go. A single drilbur was standing furthest from us, pointing his claw up the tunnel. From the look on his face we needed to get going. Thinking I was still weak, Duking hefted me back over his shoulder and started up the tunnel, powerful legs working to up the slope towards the surface. Wes and the others followed closely behind, too focused on panting to bring up conversation.
The cave creaked and shuddered with us in it but not once did we find the path blocked. Often we had to step around large boulders or crawl through areas that had collapsed, but there was no immediate threats nearby. Whatever obstacles we came across were easily shoved to the side or dug through. It was almost too easy to get to the surface. When we reached it, the cave behind us shuddered again. When we turned back to see what became of it, the sand gave way and began to fill it in. The Cipher Lab, once a tall and proud building, had been destroyed in the earthquake. I can only assume that was drilburs doing. I wasn't going to complain, that quake had scared off Ein and Shadow Lugia, saving our lives. But it was still a waste that we hadn't been able to save Serenity.
"Rui!" Silva ran forward and wrapped his arms around me. "You're alive! We thought you were dead!" He managed to hug pretty hard for a guy his age.
"He thought you were dead," Duking explained, pulling him off and clapping me on the back. "The rest of us didn't think you would give up that easily." I smiled nervously. No need to tell him that I had broke down in tears before they arrived. I had made it through. That's all that mattered.
Fateen's cane whacked me on the back of the head. "Fool! Surrendering yourself is never an option! Do it again and I won't go so easy on you!" She put the butt of her cane on my sternum, tapping it thrice. "When we return to base, you will tell us of everything they did and you will not leave out a single detail!" She pulled a pokeball from her waist and released the pokemon from inside. The pidgeot that had flown them here emerged, ruffling her feathers.
"How did you guys know where I was?" I asked. As she boarded the oversized bird, adjusting her dress, she rolled her eyes.
"Some fellow that has nothing better to do than walk around a desert with two zigzagoons."
"Willie found me?"
"No," Fateen corrected. "He found the lab in the middle of nowhere and thought it would be noteworthy to tell a the people he knew, namely all those out Outskirt Sand and Wes when we went searching around that area. Now get on, Wes and you shall travel with me. The boys shall follow us on foot."
"What?!" Silva complained. "How far are we from Phenac City?"
"Far enough that you'll keep your mouth shut!" Fateen shouted, waving her cane at him. Silva stepped back instinctively. "These two have been harmed in battle and I am the only one that Pidgeot will obey! You two have done nothing but digging, I am plenty sure you are capable of walking! Am I wrong?"
"No," Duking said before Silva could. "We'll walk. Just don't leave us in the dust."
"I should hope you keep up!" Fateen gestured with her chin to where Wes and I would sit. When we were comfortable on the back of her pokemon, we took to the sky. Wes was able to hold himself up against the winds and constant movement of the bird, but I had to lean into him and hold on tightly to avoid falling off. I was exhausted. So exhausted. I fell asleep the whole ride and woke up after we had landed in Phenac.
Shadow Lugia And Cipher Admin Ein Fled!
Drilbur Used Dig!
The Team Cipher Lab Was Destroyed!
Saving Game…
Game Saved!