Chapter Five

It was a difficult thing to wrap my head around: that I was really the last one left in the entire world. Perhaps there were others somewhere out there trying to build a resistance against Team Xana, but no matter who tried to fight them, everyone ended up losing. Will, Silver, all of the Elite Fours, all of the Champions… no one could beat them. No one could win.

My defeat was imminent, then. Or perhaps I had already been defeated. The coldness and darkness of my cell made me feel ill, but maybe that was just disgust at myself for being taken so easily. Clay got me, and without giving me any information, I had nowhere to start. Silver wasn't any more useful than Clay was. So, I was done.

When Silver came into my cell the next day (maybe it was the next day, maybe it was a few hours, maybes it was a week—I didn't know anymore), I didn't want to move. My Pokémon were gone, stolen away from me when I couldn't even defend myself, my friends were all psychotic members of Team Xana now, and everyone else I cared about was dead. So, what was the point in even trying anymore?

"You have to," Silver told me, and I was beginning to get annoyed with his stupid telepathy. "You're Champion Lyra. You can't just give up. When did you ever give up? Did you give up when Team Rocket took over the radio tower? Did you give up when you battled the Elite Four for the first time? Did you give up with me? No. The answer is no. Lyra, you don't just give up. You keep going."

All these changes in personality continued to throw me off, as well. One moment it seemed as if Silver was back to normal (or even more reassuring than usual), but the next he would slam me into a wall and demand an apology. I didn't know which side of him to believe. I didn't know which one of him Clay controlled.

Silver grimaced at me, the light from his lantern flickering against his face. "I'd tell you if I could." He just shrugged, reaching a hand out at me. I shook my head, crossing my arms and scooting against the wall. "Hey, come on. You're not serious, are you? You're not just going to give up. What about me?"

"Clearly it doesn't matter that I didn't give up on you because you're further back than where you even started. And I'm not going to put effort into something that can't be fixed." I sighed, pulling my legs closer to me. I didn't want to talk about that anymore. I couldn't fix something that wasn't worth fixing at all. "Why are you asking me to keep trying, anyway? You want me to destroy you, too? Will?"

Silver narrowed his eyes at me, dropping the lantern to the floor, and I felt a shiver crawl up my spine. He had switched personalities again. "I just want you to do what I couldn't," he barked, and I crossed my arms. I had decided that I wouldn't listen to him whenever he entered what I had dubbed "Rage Mode". But I still couldn't trust either half of him.

"Now, come on. You need to get started on your first day of work." He yanked me to my feet, tugging my wrist. I tried to pull myself away, peeling his fingers away. I was not going to "work". Whatever they called it, I knew it meant the same thing. I would become just as far gone as Will and Silver were. And I was not going to let that happen.

"Oh, no way!" I yelled as Silver bent down to pick up the lantern he had dropped. "I am not turning into one of you! You can keep me in this dungeon, but I am not going to get brainwashed like you guys! Come on, Silver! Would you do this to your best friend? Think back, Silver, think back! Don't let me forget! Didn't you say you wanted me to do what you couldn't? I can't if I don't have the power to stop Clay!"

Silver looked at me, eyes flashing again. "You'll get the power…"

I stopped struggling, staring at Silver with disbelief. Had he just let something incredibly important slip? "What? What do you mean I'll get it? Won't I not be able to stop Clay once I start working for you? I mean, you can't stop him anymore. You can't even tell me anything about his plan. How will I get the power to stop him, Silver?"

Silver didn't respond. Instead, he teleported, dragging me through a black abyss until we landed in the PCC. I glanced around, seeing the same people walking around as before. Everyone looked so tired, so worn-out. No one was smiling, and if I didn't know better, I would have said they were the living dead. I was never one to believe in zombies, but these people kind of looked like them. Why did they look so dead compared to the scientists?

"It's this place," Silver responded, though I hadn't asked the question aloud. I felt as if my privacy was being invaded whenever Silver read my thoughts, and I wished he would stop (yes, I hoped he heard that!). But a little piece of me liked the convenience of it. I didn't have to say anything to communicate with him. "The PCC."

I recalled Allison telling me that everyone wanted to work in the Science Labs, and now I knew why. Whatever they were doing to the people here in the PCC… it wasn't good. It was sucking the life right out of everyone. And this was where Clay wanted me to go? He really was trying to kill me. Not quickly, but a slow, drawn-out death.

How could I give up so easily? No, I needed to fight back. I needed to resist this. Because here were all these people working where they didn't belong, destroying themselves and leading Clay to world domination. This wasn't right. I had to continue with my revenge. And if Silver was going to get me to work for Clay, I would fight back. I wouldn't lose track of myself like Silver and Will. This victory would be mine.

I yanked my wrist away Silver, taking a run for it. I knew exactly where I was heading, and I figured that meant Silver knew, too. But I couldn't see him coming after me if he knew where I was going: the Science Labs. Allison didn't seem like someone I could trust, exactly, but she did seem like someone I could trust more than anyone in the PCC. Maybe she would give me more information on what the PCC was doing since Silver "couldn't".

So, I sprinted out the door and down the hall. No one was following me, but I didn't want to risk anything. Who knew where Clay was, and I had a feeling he wouldn't want me going around asking for information from his Admins. I didn't even know if Allison would tell me anything, but it was worth a shot.

I entered the Science Labs feeling a sort of determination, heading straight out into the lab areas. There were little cubicles with computers lined up in one section of the labs, and in another there were isolated rooms with huge machines and motors and computers. In the way back, behind the shuttle, there was what appeared to be a giant library filled with walls upon walls of books. All stolen, of course.

Then again, if you ruled the world, was it really stealing?

"Excuse me, ma'am, I do believe you are in the wrong area. The PCC is just down the hallway," a man said, and I turned around, facing a middle-aged man with blonde hair and big muscles. I swallowed, slightly intimidated by his build, but he just grinned at me. His white lab coat looked too small for him, and underneath I could see khaki pants and a bright green shirt; suddenly, I wasn't that scared.

"Oh, you're the last Champion," he said, realizing who I was. He continued to grin at me, holding out his hand for me to shake. I eyed his hand wearily, and he laughed huskily. "Hmm, right. I'm Henry, an Admin of the Science Labs. It is an absolute honor to meet the heroine of our day. I was quite impressed to hear that you had beaten Champion Lance—and then Champion Red—all those years ago. You must be some Trainer, huh?" He moved his hand a little, directing my attention back to it.

I hesitantly put my tiny hand in his big one, and he shook it enthusiastically. "I had a daughter who absolutely adored you," Henry continued, and I furrowed my eyebrows. Had? "She heard about you saving the Goldenrod Radio Tower, and she knew you would be Champion. She would be a little bit older than you now…"

"I'd like to meet her," I responded sadly, knowing where I was heading with this conversation. What kind of horrible organization was this? How could they take away a child from a father? What did they think they were doing? How could Henry just stand here and play along with this when he seemed like such a good guy?

Henry's smile disappeared, and he shoved his hands in the pockets of his lab coat. "Unfortunately, you can't. She was killed a few years ago." He shrugged, smiling once again. "But, you know, those things happen. It's no use looking at the past. You just have to keep looking towards the future, and that's exactly what we do in the Science Labs. Were you just here to check the area out, or were you looking for something? I believe Clay told me that you are supposed to work in the PCC. Which, you know, doesn't make much sense. All the great Trainers come here."

How could he so nonchalantly push off his own daughter's death? What the hell had Clay done to these people? Why didn't they want to get revenge? Why didn't they want to get back at the man who had defeated them? I didn't quite understand, and I wasn't sure I ever would. Unless they got me to turn into one of them.

"I'm actually looking for Allison. I wanted to talk to her about, er, transferring to the Science Labs. I really don't want to work in the PCC." I figured I might as well tell him something. And, quite honestly, I didn't want to work in the PCC. If I had the option, I would definitely pick the Science Labs. I could tell this was the better place to be, and I had a feeling I would have a better chance at retaining my own mind if I worked at the Science Labs. And I could destroy this headquarters a bit more skillfully.

I was grateful that Henry seemed to have no idea what I was thinking. Unlike Silver, he didn't appear to have any telepathic insight as to what I thought, and thank goodness for that. I couldn't imagine Henry would be very pleased if he knew I was planning to destroy the headquarters with the machines in the Science Labs.

"Somebody say they were looking for me?" Allison walked over, standing next to Henry and smiling at me. "Someone is always looking for me. But that's the life of an Admin. You know." She winked at me, throwing her blonde hair over her shoulder. "How are you, Lyra? Why didn't you tell me that you're the famous Champion yesterday? I feel like such a fool." She bowed at me, and I held up my hands, shaking my head. "I apologize."

"Oh, please, don't do that," I said, but I had to admit, this was nice. Seeing an Admin bow to me… I felt like I definitely had more control over myself here with Henry and Allison. It was strange that I wanted so much to get away from Silver… but this seemed like a more suitable place for me to think of a plan.

Allison stood back up, and I dropped my hands. "Now, Lyra, what is it that you want? Clay told us that you were supposed to be working in the PCC from now on." She crossed her arms, looking slightly annoyed. "That doesn't make much sense to me. I tried to argue with him to get you into the Science Labs, but Clay wouldn't have any of that. And I tried to convince him to give you a room instead of those stupid dungeons, too, but… I'm sorry, Lyra, I tried."

I couldn't help but be touched by Allison's thought. She had tried to get me out of the dungeons! She had argued with Clay to get me into the Science Labs! How could someone so thoughtful be a part of Team Xana? How could she be so nice to me here but do such evil things? Team Xana was far more complex than I thought.

"That's all right," I said, and Henry gave me a weak smile. "Thank you for trying. Though, you know, I do have one more question. Since I have to work in the PCC, could you tell me what it is? What does the PCC do? Why do they want me there?"

"I can't tell you all the details, unfortunately. Some of the information is quite secret. Clay has the strictest orders not to tell you. Anyone that divulges gets eliminated." Allison looked at Henry, uncrossing her arms and placing her hands on her hips instead. "But I can tell you what the PCC is: Pokémon Conversion Center."

I scratched my head. "Well, I know that."

"No, think about the name: Pokémon Conversion Center. It converts the powers of Pokémon into obtainable energy." I raised an eyebrow, and Allison leaned a little closer to me, her voice softer now. "In other words, they extract the abilities, powers, and skills from Pokémon and give them to humans. Then they kill the Pokémon."

Author's Note: Dun, dun, dun. So, that answers one question! I'm quite impressed that many of you guessed this. Like VERY impressed. Nice job for guessing that!

I actually like this update schedule. It gives me time to write lots of chapters without being stressed about updating right when I finish. So, theoretically, I can get very far ahead in this. Once I get a nice collection of chapters, I can probably increase the schedule to twice a week updates! That would be nice.

Enjoy! I'll have another chapter up on the 18th!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.