Note: Writer's block+lazy summer heat x my anniversary last week=late update, and I severely apologize. This chapter was finished ages ago; it was Chapter 14 I was having issues with (which I needed to be done or at least be partially done for the next chapter quote). Oh well, what can you do when you write yourself into a corner? Anyhoo, enjoy.

Follow Me

A Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver Story

Chapter Thirteen

Metal Sound

"Are you heading out for the night, Mr. Baoba?"

The old man turned to the attendant, putting his brown hat on his gray head. "Yes," he said with a smile. "I'm afraid old men like me get tired earlier and earlier as the years go by; sad result of aging."

"You're not that old, Mr. Baoba," the attendant said with a laugh. "But you can go ahead and head on home; the zone shifting sequence is almost finished, and then we just have to make sure the automatic feeding system is activated before we leave. Shouldn't take more than a few more minutes."

Old man Baoba smiled, one of his gold-capped teeth showing. "I'll leave it to you then...good-night."

"Mr. Baoba sir!"

The young man dashed up to him from the hallway, panic-stricken.

"Good gracious, what is it?" Baoba asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

Panting, the attendant grabbed Baoba's arm. "You have to come quickly, sir; it's an emergency!"

Baoba followed the urgent man, slightly confused, and they headed back to the dark security room. On the wall were eight monitors: one for each of the six zones, one for outside at the main gate, and one for the underground warehouse where the inactive zones resided. On another wall was a larger screen, and it was on this screen, after a few button presses, that the attendant brought up the surveillance of the Forest zone.

Baoba watched the large screen. "What seems to be the emergency?"

"Give me a second to find them again..." the man said, typing furiously.

The old man furrowed his eyebrows as the screen flickered between the zone's many cameras. Folding his arms and sighing, he tapped his finger on his forearm. Nearly a minute passed, punctuated only by feverish keystrokes and Baoba occasionally clearing his throat.

"Ah, there they are!"

Baoba's eyes widened. "Good Lord...! Didn't you check to make sure the park was cleared before you gave them the okay to start the shuffle sequence?"

"I did, sir! Three times! They must have been in a blind spot!"

Baoba watched the three teenagers; they were arguing. Suddenly, there was a large boom from inside the park—a sound he was quite accustomed to hearing—and then he saw the zone the children were standing in start to sink.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Baoba barked. "Get to the control room and have them stop the shuffle immediately!"

"Yessir!"

The attendant fled the room, leaving Baoba staring desperately at the screen. "Hold on, you three, hold on..."

"It's no use!" Gold called up to them. "Meganium's vine can't reach that far!"

"We can't just leave you down there!" Soul said, distraught.

"Don't worry about it!" Gold called, cupping a hand around his mouth to increase his volume. "I'm sure this thing'll stop in a minute, and then we can figure out a way to get me out of here!"

The ground shook as the zone hit the bottom, Gold wobbling at bit. Steadying himself, he turned back to them and gave them a thumbs-up. "See? Nothing to worry about!"

There was yet another unhinging sound, and then the plate on the right started moving to cover the hole Gold's plate had made.

Gold's jaw slackened. "Oh shi—"

"Silver, we have to do something!" Soul screamed.

"Way ahead of you!" Silver said, digging in his pocket and retrieving a Pokéball. He was readying to throw it when the machines made a low droning sound, accompanied by a deep rumble as the plate slowed to a stop mid-process. Silence followed, leaving the teens marveling.

An old man's voice boomed over the PA. "Are you three all right?"

Confused, Soul and Silver looked around, bewildered, before Soul cupped her mouth and shouted, "Yes, sir!"

"I'm sending some attendants in to get you; just sit tight!"

"Sure thing!" Gold called up from below. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go or anything!"

"I must truly apologize," Baoba said, his head hanging in shame as he stood before the trio. "Had we known the three of you were still inside the park, we never would have started the shuffle."

"Eh, no worries," Gold said, shrugging.

They stood in the main hall of the Safari Zone, Soul and Silver draping towels over their wet shoulders, Chocobo preening mud out of his feathers at Soul's feet with much disgust.

"No, no, it truly is a discredit to our security, and I apologize," Baoba disagreed. He gave a slight chuckle. "I suppose when the shuffle started, it gave you all quite a shock, eh?" When they nodded, he laughed. "My Safari Zone is customizable, you see. Took me years to build it, after I had a dream about a safari experience that was different every time you visited it. There are twelve types of zones, each set on vast, thick metal panels. These panels can slide and sink—but I suppose you already surmised that much—and inactive plates go under the mountain to our warehouse, where the Pokémon are fed and kept comfortable until their return to the surface in a few day's time. Every night, after the park closes, we shuffle the zones, which is what you were all stuck in the middle of, you see."

"I'd heard about it being different every day," Gold said, "but I had no idea it was that intense; wow..."

"I have to ask, though..." Baoba said, troubled. "The three of you look like fairly capable trainers...did it never occur to you to Fly to safety?"

"Well, we did, but only after some panicking, " Soul admitted, embarrassed.

Gold clapped his forehead. "I completely forgot!" he gasped, digging in his pocket and retrieving an Ultra Ball. "I had my Skarmory with me; we could've flown me out with no trouble!" He looked at the ceiling in thought. "I wonder why I didn't do that in the first place, instead of using Meganium; would've been a lot smarter, huh?"

Soul was blinking in disbelief while Silver covered his eyes with his hands, shaking his head.

Baoba paused and then chortled merrily. "I suppose you can chock that one up to panic, my boy," he said, clapping Gold's shoulder. "At any rate, let me apologize to you all properly by having you as guests tonight at my home. Unless you have other sleeping arrangements..."

Soul shook her head. "We don't, but we couldn't impose—"

"Nonsense!" Baoba said with a dismissive wave. "It's the least I can do after all the trouble I've caused you. Now, come with me back to the city; I'm sure my chef has a fine meal waiting for us." And with a wave over his shoulder, he ushered all three of them out the door.

Selected quote from the next chapter:
"Real men don't talk to other men when they're naked, idiot."