This chapter's a little longer than the previous ones, at least. And it ties back to something that happened previously to one of my characters, too!

Chapter 34 - A Vision Comes True

Joshua's eyes snapped open to the sound of pounding on the steel door of his cell.

"Get up, kid!" a voice called. "One of our Commanders wants ta see ya!"

Joshua slid off the upper bunk, not bothering to try and land lightly and hide his footsteps. The grunt, Galactic or otherwise, would have needed to know that he was up.

The steel door opened, revealing a young man in a black-and-white shirt and a bandanna with the Team Aqua insignia wrapped around his blond-haired head. Beside him stood a rather bored-looking Azumaril. Obviously, this was one of the higher-up grunts of one of the environmentalist Hoenn teams.

*Oh. Guess you were right about that vision* came Blitzen's voice.

"Come on," the Aqua member stated roughly. "Yer comin' with me." Despite the low growl in his voice, there was a sly grin on his face and a twinkle in his blue eyes.

Joshua shrugged, then stepped out of the room, the door slamming with a bang behind him.

"Start walking," the grunt growled, pointing down the hall and at the red and blue warp panels at the end.

Joshua gave him an odd look. "No black box?"

"Why would I need one of those? You can walk."

The hazel-eyed teen smirked. "Charon doesn't seem to think so."

The man allotted himself a small smile in return, then began to walk down the hall, Joshua directly behind him and the Water Rabbit Pokemon bringing up the rear.

"How long has he been using that thing, anyway?" the grunt asked.

"Every time I left my room," Joshua answered calmly, his eyes scanning the hall. This type of information was the kind that the teen could speak of readily, since Charon had been doing it in public.

The Azumaril let out a snort. "Like he needed to. There isn't much to see around here. Everything's the same."

The Aqua grunt glanced back for a moment, then returned his gaze to the hallway, saying nothing to add to his Pokemon's statement.

As Joshua looked around, he noticed that what the Water-Type had said was correct - the entire hallway was a blank canvas, except for the steel doors, which retained their gray color. It was obvious that Cyrus did not let Smeargle run rampant in his building, causing the teen to wonder if Cyrus' favorite color happened to be white.

The grunt seemed to know what Joshua was thinking, because he said, "I always wondered how Cyrus would react if we painted this entire hallway blue. Just this one."

"Especially the way he is now," the Azumaril added. The sound of a mischievous smile coming into his voice.

Joshua frowned. "The way he is now?" he repeated.

The Aqua member glanced back at him. "There's this rumor going around that...the Boss is having a little problem with dreams," he muttered.

"Everybody's been avoiding him because of his temper," Azumaril added. "We think he's starting to lose it."

Joshua thought back to what Butch had said a few days back. "One of my room's guards mentioned something about that."

"I thought as much," the grunt remarked. "The rumor's in everybody's ears."

"Do you believe it?"

"Nah. I haven't run into him yet. I have been feelin' like there's a change that's coming, though." The grunt stopped and pointed to the blue warp panel. "Get going, kid."

Joshua frowned. "Why?"

"That's where the Commander's waitin' for ya," the Aqua member answered with a grin. He then pushed Joshua onto the warp panel.

A stinging sensation came across Joshua's body as he stumbled onto the warp panel, and a moment later, he stumbled off onto dark gray stone. It felt like his head had turned 360 degrees and had left him feeling dizzy.

"You all right, kid?" the grunt asked, coming through the warp panel with the Azumaril.

"I think I'll be fine," Joshua replied, shaking his head and rubbing his left temple as his vision cleared. "Just give me a minute - I'm not used to this kind of thing."

There was a chuckle from someone in front of him. "Not someone for warp panels, are you?" The voice was distinctly female.

"Not really," Joshua responded. "I didn't really use it all that much in the games, so that may be why."

After a moment, the dizziness vanished, and Joshua was able to get a better look at where he was.

The room itself was about three times the size of his cell, with about eight bunkbeds in the room - two sets against each wall. There was a door in between two of the bunk beds marked with a toilet, obviously signifying the restroom. As for the rest of the space, there were two small, round tables set up with a few chairs around each. In the center of the room was a more ornately-carved chair, in which sat Archie, the leader of Team Aqua. Beside him stood a young woman with a shock of red hair and wearing the Aqua uniform - the Admin Shelly, Archie's right hand.

Shelly's already present grin became wider when she noticed the spark of recognition in Joshua's eyes. "Perfect! We can skip the introductions. I wasn't planning on asking you for your name, anyway."

Archie gave Shelly a look, then shook his head, a small, almost unnoticeable smile appearing on his face for a moment.

"So, you're probably wondering why we pulled you out of your cozy little cell and brought you to ours," the Aqua member continued, ignoring her commander's look. "Archie, if you would?"

Joshua turned his gaze to Archie, who looked tired, and, at the same time, determined.

"We've been watching you and Cyrus for some time now," the Aqua Commander stated. "And we've been thinking about what to do its your...friends."

*Uh oh. We'd better-*

Blitzen, wait.

"You should know that we have decided not to do anything against you," Archie continued, noticing the hazel-eyed teen's slight stiffening.

Joshua frowned. This statement seemed contradictory to anything Cyrus' followers had been told to do: arrest/stop rebels first, ask questions later. "What?"

Archie leaned forward in his chair. "You remind me of a particular kid, one that I haven't been able to get out of my head since our last encounter."

Joshua became intrigued. "Me? Remind you of somebody?"

"You kids don't exactly go by unnoticed, you know," Shelly remarked. "The one that sticks out for both you and that other kid is your attitudes. You and that girl always seemed to be planning something."

Well, then she and I are alike in one way, Joshua noted. I'd better take advantage of this. "Is there a specific reason you had me brought here?"

"The rebellion plan," Azumaril stated from behind Joshua. "We want in."

The teen almost jumped when the Azumaril suddenly spoke. "What?"

"You're not the only one who has ears, boy," Shelly stated.

Joshua remembered what she was referring to, as did Blitzen.

*The communicators!*

This is why I didn't want you to isolate our signal in the first place, you know.

Noticing the constrained look of shock passing over Joshua's face, Shelly made a careless waving motion. "Don't think on it, kid. We're the only ones who use that system, anyway. The Galactics like their cameras."

Joshua relaxed - but only slightly. "So, how do you want to do this? Can I trust you, even?"

"Kid, if we even listened to Spiky, would I be talking to you?" Archie pointed out.

Joshua nodded. "I see your point. However, I still don't trust you fully."

The grunt who had brought Joshua chuckled. "Look at it this way: we broke loose the day you got here. A couple others said something about a "psychic interference" or something like that. When Spiky started having his sleep problem, out resistance got stronger, too, so we broke away pretty early on. Cyrus would've gotten rid of us except that we're good with Water-Types." He rubbed Azumaril's head between the ears.

"And those from my world aren't?"

"If they're not yelled at," the grunt responded. "If I speak anything short of an angry yell, it's like they're deaf."

"They may as well be, after your screams, Nick," Shelly muttered. She turned her gaze to Joshua. "Here's where you come in. There's a large amount of kids out there you probably recognize."

"If Charon lets me get close," Joshua replied. "You guys are the first real conversationalists I've had for some time." Since Khrista left and Mist hasn't really talked much recently...

"And your friend?" Azumaril asked. "The girl who escaped?"

Joshua smirked. "She's with friends of ours elsewhere. She'll be coming back."

Archie and Shelly exchanged glances.

When will she be coming back?" Nick inquired.

Joshua shrugged. "That was something we never discussed."

The Water Pokemon committed a facepalm. "You really should have."

"Your friend has been gone for about three days," Shelly growled. "You'd better be hoping that she's coming back."

"She will," Joshua answered. "I know it."

Archie gave him a curious look, but decided not to delve into the teen's thoughts any further. Instead, he asked, "Now do you trust us?"

Joshua frowned. They certainly act like their normal selves, but how can I be sure that they actually are telling the truth? I'll have to test them. "Not quite. I just want to make sure that you're actually free of his powers of persuasion, if you know what I mean."

Archie smirked. "You're getting to be more like that other kid than I thought," he remarked. "All right, then." He motioned to the corners of the room. "Galactics like to hide their cameras in corners. We put sound sensors in your new wall; those Galactics haven't been able to insert the cameras because of the storm stirring up outside."

Joshua's eyebrows went up a little. "And that affects the cameras how?"

"Every fifteen minutes or so, electricity overloads the circuits of the cameras and burns out one or two of them," Shelly explained. "They've been replacing the ones in the hallways with newer cameras, and ignoring than the ones in your cells."

"And the sensors are different because..."

"We've got them running on a private circuit - one that those bumbling idiots can't mess up by overloading." Shelly gave a Cheshire-Cat grin. "Besides, we've dealt with thunderstorms like this before. Insulating stuff is no problem for us."

"Thus the reason why we confronted you, and not Charon," Nick added.

Joshua became interested at this notion, but he suppressed the urge to ask about the technological enhancements behind the idea. "And your Pokemon?"

"We were allowed to keep only one with us," Archie answered, his face darkening in anger. "Measly, weak Poocheyna." He showed Joshua the PokeBall the Dark-Type was held in.

"They wouldn't let you keep you keep your Mighteyna? Or your Sharpedo?"

"Not even my Carvanha," Shelly stated, miserable. "Cyrus claimed he'd done that to everybody equal, but I think it's because he doesn't want us to overpower him." She snorted. "I think I could overpower him just by wringing that neck of his!"

Joshua smirked. He had been waiting for one of the Aqua members to say Cyrus' name without any trouble, suddenly shutting up or otherwise. Nick's earlier statement had hinted at such a possibility, but Shelly's outburst definitely sealed the deal.

Archie caught sight of the teen's slight smile and smiled, as well. "How do you want to work us into this plan of yours?"

"For now, I want you guys to keep an eye on the other teens. If any of them manage to break away and don't fall back under, keep an eye on them. When - not if - the rebellion starts, you'll know." Joshua nodded to Shelly. "When the ruckus starts, I want you to release the Water-Types. All the ones you can get your hands on."

Azumaril grinned hugely. "All right! Now we're talking. My brothers and I will have a grand ol' time demolishing this place from top to bottom!"

"Just make sure that you save parts of it for the other types," Joshua reminded the Pokemon. "You're not the only one who wants this place destroyed."

"Yeah, yeah."

"And your friends?" Archie asked.

"They've got her own agendas."

"I meant the Pokemon."

Joshua grinned sheepishly. "They wants those guys gone as much as the next Pokemon, but for different reasons." He placed his left hand on his left front pocket and fingered the PokeBall. "You wouldn't like it if you'd been separated from your mother by the Galactic goons, for instance."

Nick's eyes went down to Joshua's pocket momentarily, going back to the teen's face afterwards. "And how attached to his mother is this Pokemon?"

"Don't you still love your mother?"

The Aqua grunt frowned. "Well, sure. Who doesn't?"

"This Pokemon was still in his base form when he was separated," Joshua stated. "During the time afterwards, he evolved without her care. He wants to find his mother, and maybe find the guy who separated them in the first place."

"A large amount of Pokemon were separated," Shelly recalled. "Could you be more specific?"

"His name starts with a Z." Joshua glanced at Azumaril, taking note that the Water Rabbit's eyes had widened in recognition.

"If he's with you," the Pokemon stated, "then he's going to get to his tormenter a whole lot faster with that plan." He looked at Nick. "I bet the signal's that kid going loose."

Joshua nodded. "Keep your eyes and ears open," he stated. "I don't suppose you know Maxie's perspective on this?" He turned to look at Archie.

"Dead loyal," Archie replied flatly. "That brother of mine always agreed to disagree with me."

Joshua blinked in surprise, storing that knowledge away for another time. "And his followers?"

"The same."

"And yet there are some Rocket members who seem ready to break out in war cries at any moment," Khrista's cousin murmured. Raising his voice, he stated, "Steer clear of them if you're not doing so already."

Nick smirked. "Done and done, bud. Is that all you've got?"

"For now, yes," Joshua stated, fingering the PokeBall in his pocket.

" 'K, then, I'll take you back, kid. If you need any of us, we'll know."

Joshua knew that was supposed to be a comforting statement, yet he couldn't help but shudder a little at the thought of someone spying on him. He was definitely choosing his words more carefully the next time he wanted to speak.

"Right," the teen stated. "Better not let Charon get any ideas about where I am right now." He and Nick then left through the warp panel.

Looks like Joshua has more allies than just Khrista, his Pokemon, and the strange Mist character, now - and that's going to be helpful, considering that the Aqua team is more capable of walking about than the Avatar is.

Did you catch Shelley's statement about how Joshua reminded her of a strange girl? Do you guys know who she's referring to? ;) There are scattering of hints all over the place of this particular, as-of-yet-unseen character. I know one of you is picking up on the hints - how about the rest of you guys? Let me know in the reviews!