Here's chapter twelve!
…CHAPTER TWELVE: The Top of the Tree
The first few minutes of climbing were quiet and awkward. Solay led the way, and Treecko followed close behind. He made the mistake of looking down once and nearly toppled over the edge. She'd held out a paw without a word, steadying him. Once he'd stepped back from the edge, she turned away from him again. Before she could start moving, Treecko spoke up.
"Why so quiet?" he asked. "Do you…not like me?"
She didn't turn around. "No, that's not it," she stated quietly. "It's just…now this place is giving me a rather…queer feeling. I didn't trust this tree from the moment I stepped in, and now I'm getting the oddest sensation of danger. I suggest we proceed with caution."
"I wish Mudkip and Shadow were still here," Treecko muttered, following her again.
"I'm sure they're fine," she assured him, but Treecko wished she was as confident as she was trying to sound.
With another few minutes of climbing, a light shone out ahead. Rather than speed up, Solay slowed down, whispering to Treecko to keep quiet. She strained her ears, creeping forward, trying to hear if anyone was there.
She'd been right. "…sure they'll be here?" drawled a bored voice.
"Yes, Grumpig," snapped another voice impatiently. "They'll be here any minute, now shut your mouth and wait like you actually have some patience."
"Sorry," Grumpig muttered in reply. "Didn't mean to annoy you, Cacturn. By the way, where's Ninjask? He said he'd be here."
"Right here, fool," said a rather snide voice somewhere to Grumpig's left. "Now stop talking. They could be listening."
There was a pause, in which neither Solay nor Treecko breathed.
"In fact, I believe they are," Cacturn said smoothly. "You two, in the shadows there, come out. There's no use in hiding, we know you're there."
Solay muttered something that sounded like "Stay close to me" but Treecko wasn't sure. She went out first, placing her paws carefully, but never taking her eyes off her opponents. Cacturn was weak to her fire attacks, and so was Ninjask, if she could hit him. Grumpig would take a bit more, but they could take him down. Treecko stayed close behind her, nervous, but determined.
To their surprise, Cacturn nodded to them. "So you're the ones Gallade told us about. He spoke highly of your ability to bend under pressure, Treecko."
"Um, thanks, I think."
"Come on, Cacturn, stop talking," Grumpig whined. "Let's just get this over with. The boss knew we were gonna get creamed, so let's just get creamed and go back."
"Quiet, Grumpig," Ninjask hissed in his strangely nasally voice. He looked Solay over. "You're missing someone. The Riolu, Shadow, was it? Where's he gone?"
"Nowhere."
"You lie!" he spat. "He's somewhere in the tree, isn't he?"
"No," Solay replied evenly. "Only Treecko and I came here. There is no one else within the Mighty Oak." She spoke calmly and slowly, and if Treecko hadn't known better, he might have believed her. However, Cacturn did know better, and narrowed his eyes.
"I was courteous because the boss requested it," he said through ground teeth, "but not anymore. If you're going to lie, make sure your enemies don't already know the truth."
Solay stuck her muzzle out, frowning. "Fine. They're here, but I'm not telling you where."
"I guess that's good enough," Ninjask said heavily. "We just need two more questions answered from you, then you will be disposed."
"And if I refuse?" she asked stiffly.
Faster than either of them could react, Ninjask appeared behind Treecko and clamped onto him, dragging him back around to stand by Grumpig and Cacturn. Treecko flailed. "Hey, let me go!"
Ninjask cackled. "Sorry. You're our bargaining chip." He looked to Solay. "And what were you saying about not answering?"
She gnashed her teeth together in a snarl. "Fine," she spat. "Toss all the questions you want. I just want you to answer something for me after we're done, and release Treecko."
Cacturn considered this. "Well, I guess that sounds fair. Okay, after you answer our questions, we'll answer yours. If you comply, the boy stays alive."
Treecko felt guilty. Here he was, a useless hostage. Solay was being forced to do their bidding because he had been captured. Treecko was mentally kicking himself.
"Question one," Cacturn said. "What is your place of origin?" His eyes glinted. He wanted to know about the future.
Solay hesitated. She knew she couldn't answer that, but Treecko… An idea went off in her head. "My place of origin?" she repeated coolly. "The beach."
She'd infuriated him. She saw it in his eyes. There was anger and hatred in those eyes, but he knew that she'd answered the question fairly. He scowled for a moment, then calmed himself.
"Okay, then…let's try something else." He thought for a moment on how best to word his final question. "What would you say if I offered to return all of your memories?"
Solay stared at him, open-mouthed. She tried several times to speak, but all that came out were indistinct noises. Treecko looked between Cacturn and Solay, astonished. So he had known about Solay's history all along.
"Wha…what? What did you say?"
"Exactly what I said," Cacturn replied. "The boss was the one who thought of offering your memories back. We know a guy who can help if you're willing to comply."
Solay was tempted, extremely tempted. Treecko could see it in her face. She shut her eyes and thought hard. When she did open them, they were filled with fire.
"No."
Cacturn looked to Grumpig and Ninjask, then back to Solay. "No?" he repeated incredulously. "How can you say no? We just offered you all of your memories!"
"I don't trust any of you," she said. "Even if you were to give me my memories back, you might corrupt them, or worse, erase my memories of Shadow, and Treecko, and the others, so I would work for you. I'm not going to take the chance. I answered your questions, now let Treecko go and answer mine."
At a very reluctant signal for Cacturn, Ninjask let go of Treecko. He quickly scurried behind Solay, muttering, "Sorry."
"It's okay," she murmured. Raising her voice, she said, "Okay, here's my question. Who, exactly, is your boss and what is he like?"
Grumpig stamped his foot on the ground. "I knew she was going to ask that! You should've listened to me, Cacturn!"
Cacturn was considering his options carefully. "Well…the boss is very straight with people. He's also rather considerate, which I find really odd. He has us all in ranks. Gallade and I are of the Admin rank, technically, and these two are Majors, below me. He has a few higher up that we call Elite Strike Force, and then there's the grunts like Alakazam." Cacturn smirked. "One more thing, the boss told us not to tell you who he was. He knew you would ask. He wants to meet you before we tell you."
"There you are, Solay!" called a voice.
Shadow and Mudkip had arrived. Treecko waved them over, grateful for the backup.
"It's about time!" he called. They quickly joined him, taking in the scene.
"So who are these guys?" Mudkip asked, looking quizzical. "They look mean."
"They're the bad guys," Treecko replied simply.
"Are you sure about our offer?" Cacturn asked, looking quite sly now.
"What offer?" Shadow looked between Solay, Cacturn, and Treecko. "What offer? What's he talking about?"
Treecko opened his mouth to answer, but Solay covered his mouth her with paw, never taking her eyes off Cacturn. "My answer is still no," she said evenly.
"That's too bad," he sighed. "Boys, let's take them out."
"Hey, slow down!" Mudkip cried, but it was too late. The battle was starting.
…
:D And that's that.