Chapter 40 - Infiltration (Khrista's POV)

I ended up Teleporting into the storage room that I had been in before. Oddly enough, Gangrene was waiting for me, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest and a knowing smirk on her face.

"About time you got back," the Gengar remarked, stepping away from the wall.

I blinked in confusion. "Wait. You knew I was coming back? How?"

"Long story." Gangrene grabbed my arm. "Come on - shift to Ghost and let's head over to Joshua's."

She tugged me towards a wall that looked like it had been recently put up, and I quickly went from gold to gray-purple so that I and my stuff would make it through without getting squished or something.

I almost lost a couple atoms because - and keep this in mind, guys - sliding between solid objects as some sort of gas tickles horrendously. I had to bite my proverbial lower lip until I managed to get out on the other side...in a dark gray hallway that didn't look anything like what I'd remembered of the other areas.

Plus, there wasn't anybody else there which unnerved me. A lot. Especially after considering that Gangrene, Alak, and I had been spending time in that storeroom before - you'd think that the Galactics would have put up some people to stand guard or something.

"Come on," Gangrene stated, continuing to tug me along. I followed after her and we continued to shift through the walls.

She told me (after going through more walls and terrifying a couple Plasma grunts) that we were in the basement of the tower, where everything was stored.

"The food's going so fast that everything's being rationed," Gangrene added when we had arrived in yet another empty storeroom. "Everything else is in a blocked off where only the Commanders and some sneaky Pokemon can get to."

"Which happens to be you," I guessed.

"Oh! you flatter me!" Gangrene chuckled. "But I'm not the only sneaky one here. The Nightmare King is having a fine time going around and messing with Charon's head and his food stores."

My ears prickled. "You mean Darkrai. Have you seen him?"

"Eh." The Gengar made "so-so" motions. "He hangs out at the top of the tower, in the Head Goon's office."

"Can you take me to him?"

"Take you to him?" Gangrene became surprised. "Are you nuts? Doing that could reveal yourself to Cyrus!"

"Not if Darkrai has him in the insane state that I've heard so much about," I shot back. "If I can talk to the Dark-Type, then I want to talk to him."

Gangrene looked really nervous at the idea, but then she gave me a nod. A moment later, she grabbed my arm and we went straight up in complete intangible mode.

As we went up, it occurred to me that this stuff might end up getting involved in a game that the Nintendo Company could make in the future. Meaning that where I was now is the final level...with a final boss waiting somewhere when I'd made enough progress.

The thought gave me the chills, but I shook it out pretty quickly. It'll come when it'll come - there really wasn't a point in getting eaten by worry now.

Gangrene moved so quickly through the floors that she didn't give me much time to get a good look at the layout. Of what I did see, it looked a lot like the usual team base scenario - a lot of warp panels, and each floor had its own theme: storage in the basement, cells, training floors...Gangrene stayed in the wall on the way up for what seemed to be the center of the building, but she didn't me why other than, "It's blocked up to everybody. Even Pokemon can't get in."

Above that are the labs that the pesky scientists mess around in, and it's probably where they keep the Pokemon, too. When I was done talking with Darkrai about his obsession and got into contact with Joshua, I'm probably going to head there next.

And then, of course, at the top floor was Cyrus' "cozy" little office.

I'm pretty sure that "cozy" isn't the best word to describe it. It certainly wasn't as messy as what I had expected, though - it looked like someone had tossed a bomb in there. The desk, the filing cabinets - everything was torn apart and scattered every which way. I started to wonder what exactly Darkrai was doing to Cyrus' head...

Gangrene suddenly stiffened next to me as I was looking around at the papers scattered like some bad form of confetti. When I gave her a confused look, she pulled me upward.

"Someone's coming!" the Gengar hissed.

Instinctively, I went for being more invisible than being intangible, and turned my attention to the floor below us while my back hit the ceiling. I felt like I was some sort of party balloon waiting to drop a cargo of sorts on some unsuspecting person.

My head turned sharply as a figure entered the room from a warp panel. It took me a moment to realize that the figure was Cyrus, only really, really haggard-looking. Darkrai was definitely doing a number on him, because it showed - a lot. Man, I wouldn't want to get on that Pokemon's bad side.

Speaking of which...as soon as that thought entered my head, I felt as though there was a pair of eyes watching me - and it wasn't Cyrus, that's for sure!

I caught sight of Cyrus' shadow shifting of its own accord, and the man collapsed. A moment later, the shadow rose up, red and white blossoming as it started to form into a figure. And there stood Darkrai.

"Greetings," the Dark-Type stated. "What brings you here?"

I had no idea that the Nightmare King's voice would have less rasp than it did in the movie - it almost sounded like rough silk with a bit of danger added in.

"Uh...the attack on the tower's going to start soon," I stated quickly, trying to get my thoughts in order. "The...the Lake Spirits wanted you to work on everybody else's heads - not just Cyrus'."

The Legendary frowned. "My actions in Cyrus' dreams have been more than enough in causing havoc. Many of those under his command have already begun to doubt what their leader tells them. The entire Aqua squadron had broken away from his control, and I've been wearing away at his control of Magma, as well."

I became surprised at this. Aqua's loose? Well - those guys might be able to help.

"Cyrus is much more integral to the balance of his empire than it seems," I noted, blinking. Gangrene gave a vicious nod in agreement.

"Indeed. If he falls, they all fall." Darkrai gave me a curious look - or, what might have passed as a curious look, considering I didn't see his face. "What are you doing here, anyway? I would have thought that you would not have stayed away from seeing your cousin for so long."

"That's next on my list for things to do," I replied quickly. "I'm planning on doing what I can to help him out as much as hinder these guys." I motioned to the collapsed man on the floor.

Darkrai gave a nod of approval. "Good. That boy needs to know you're here so he can prepare himself."

"Prepare himself?" I repeated, blinking. What did that mean?

"You were not the only ones who have been planning what to do to this place." Darkrai sounded really amused for some reason. "Now go to your friend; I will take care of things here in my own way."

Seconds later, Gangrene grabbed my arm and dragged me back down again.

"How is it that you weren't trembling in fear?" Gangrene demanded as we went.

"How is it that you were?" I retorted. "I mean, he's just another Pokemon...that happens to be really powerful."

"If that's how all of you Avatars see Legendaries, then I'm amazed you're still alive," Gangrene replied. "Believe me, I'd rather tremble in fear than have them underestimated."

"All the same, you have no idea how many people own Legendaries where I come from," I muttered. If Gangrene heard me, she didn't say anything else.

We reached the hall where the kids were pretty quickly, meaning that I wasn't going to have to make the choice of yanking out Green's little communicator.

Oh, yeah...Green. They're probably expecting me to report in by now...

Eh. It can wait until later. I've got a cousin to talk to.

Gangrene looked around for a moment, then locked her gaze on one steel door in particular and started to pull me towards it.

"Let's give him a little surprise," she muttered, smirking.

I had to go fully intangible and invisible in order to follow the Gengar's movements. I think I'm going to have to take a power nap later in order to get all my energy back.

We slipped through the steel door without too much difficulty, but as soon as we did I nearly went visible out of shock.

There was a Magma grunt standing in the center of the room and glaring up at Joshua, who was sitting cross-legged on the right-side upper bunk with his arms crossed.

"Well, isn't this just great," I muttered under my breath.

Line Break - Joshua 1st POV

MY annoyance with the new sentry had pretty much reached the tipping point. The Magma grunt wouldn't speak, didn't move from his spot, and didn't even blink, making it hard for me to actually get anything done concerning my plans. All I could do was sit on my bunk and think on what upgrades I had to make to the tech that was hidden under the mattress in the other upper bunk.

Suddenly, there as a slight tickling sensation at the back of my head. It wasn't strong enough to be an annoyance, but it didn't fade away as quickly as it had come, either.

*We've got a couple visitors* Blitzen noted.

I almost turned my head in order to look at the usual arrival spot, but I realized a second before I did that that the Magma grunt was still staring at me. I shifted and made as though I was going to lie down, doing my best to ignore the man I had just broken a staring contest with.

If they're going to be able to do anything, they're going to have to take down him, I made it a point of saying.

A moment later, the dark corner seemed to almost ripple, and I made out the form of what seemed to be a human floating. The figure positioned itself behind the Magma grunt, raised something, and slammed it into the sentry's neck.

A second later, the Magma grunt collapsed and began to twitch.

"Gangrene suggested I use Hypnosis on him," came a girl's voice seconds later. "Then she used Nightmare, I guess."

There was another ripple, and the one person I had been expecting appeared, my Gengar next to her. Curious blue eyes, brown hair looking a bit staticky, purple-gray shirt...

...yup, that's my cousin.

"When did you get the sentry?" Khrista asked, looking down at the Magma below her hovering self.

"When the cameras went out," I replied. "When did you get here?"

"An hour, maybe hour and a half ago. Had a quick chat with Darkrai before I came down here..." Khrista shook her head. "Cyrus' office looks like a pig sty. The Legendary's been doing his job well."

Gangrene looked a little nervous, then gave a nod in agreement.

I blinked. "Well, I should hope he's doing his job," I remarked. "Or else I probably wouldn't have gotten him." I motioned to the Magma grunt on the floor. I decided to cut to the chase, then. "Are there others coming?"

Khrista gave me a look of surprise. "Wha - how did you know anyone was coming?" She shook her head. "Never mind." Looking back at me, she explained, "When they told me I had to come back up here and take care of a few things, they were still ironing out a lot of the details, as far as I know."

This was certainly news. "They sent you up here without knowing what they were fully going to do yet?" I shook the thought out of my head. "Nevermind. They would have wanted to be able to know what it is they have to prepare for up here." I looked directly at my cousin again, locking my hazel, green-specked eyes with her blue ones. "Did you bring anyone with you?"

I could feel the PokeBall in my pocket move in response to the question, but I ignored it.

Khrista gave a nod and motioned to the three PokeBalls that I now saw were on a belt around her waist. A moment later, though, it sounded like something started to shift in the red backpack on my cousin's back, and she turned to glare at it as the zipper for the largest pocket opened on its own. A pair of yellow ears with black tips came out the top, followed by a Pikachu wearing a red scarf.

"What are you doing here?" Khrista asked in surprise.

"Guildmasters can tell when there's something wrong," the Pikachu replied, straightening his scarf and adjusting the winged PokeBall that was pinned there. "Something big is going to go down here, and I wanted to see it through. You're going to need my help."

Guildmaster...? He's one of those Pokemon? Then why would he help a human?

*Remember, we have ears...*

Oh, right. I'm going to have to let Khrista know that, too.

"Team Aqua has been listening in," I spoke up right then.

That got their attention.

Khrista and the Pikachu looked at me in surprise.

"What?" the Pikachu repeated. He looked between me and my cousin.

"That reminds me of something the Nightmare King said," Khrista noted, blinking. She frowned slightly. "He said they'd managed to break loose..."

"Then you know about as much about them as I do."

I could feel the PokeBall moving about more violently in my pocket, and I placed a hand there in order to still the Pokemon that was inside.

Khrista looked at me in surprise, then looked over at Gangrene, who had been watching all this with her usual, knowing smirk that clearly said she knew less about what was going on than she was letting on.

"Are you saying that you..." Khrista looked around before losing her voice. "...that you met Team Aqua?"

"I might have," I replied coolly. "But that doesn't matter at this point. What you came up here to do does, though." I pulled the red and white sphere out of my pocket and held it out to my cousin. "Here. You'll be able to use him better than I will at this point."

Khrista's eyes widened. "How-"

"Butch snuck him to me. You do recognize the Pokemon inside, right?"

Khrista moved over to my outstretched hand, took the PokeBall, and maximized its size so that she could have a better look at its contents. Upon seeing the Pokemon that was inside, her eyes widened even further. "No way."

"Way. You have now been reintroduced to my top Unova Pokemon - known as Zorro." Upon seeing the look of shock my cousin was giving me, I added, "He can guide you through this building better than I can. He's been working in his illusions for some time, as well."

"I thought..." Khrista glanced down at the Magma grunt, then continued in a whisper, "I thought he was a Zorua."

"Was being the key word. Z got separated from his mom, and he wants to hunt down the guy who kept his mom from watching him grow up."

The Pikachu's eyes widened. "Zorua are known to bear great grudges against the person who took them away from their mothers before their time."

Slowly, the Magma grunt began to stir below Khrista's and Gangrene's feet. As soon as I saw that, I pointed for the steel door with a hard look on my face.

"Get out of here!" I hissed. "Start to hunt down those things you need to destroy. I'll take care of what I have to."

Khrista nodded. "I'll come back later to let you know of my progress." With that, she clipped Zorro's PokeBall to her belt and vanished, the air around the door rippling a moment later.

I turned to look at Gangrene. "You know what to do."

The Gengar gave me a mock salute and a Joker grin before disappearing, as well.

The Magma grunt let out a groan as he stood up slowly. "Uh... What happened?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, keeping a straight face. All part of the act - if I could make it look like I was sitting there the whole time, then if it was a trap the Galactics had set up as a result of the Nightmare act, then I would be ready to keep up appearances.

"Something attacked me," the grunt muttered. "I remember a flash of light..." He looked around in confusion. "What am I doing here, anyway?"

My eyes widened upon seeing the Magma member's actions.

*Do you think he's -*

I don't know. It sounds like he is. Quickly tapping my left ear, I muttered, "Nick, get over here - now. Something's up with the new sentry the goons sent."

There was the sound of static on the other end, then the Aqua member's voice came over the communicator. ::What happened?::

"The kid who escaped is back, and she's got a few new moves. For instance, the Hypnosis/Nightmare combo she and my Gengar used on the Magma grunt."

::And now there's something up with him?::

"He's acting like he's lost some of his memory." I eyed the Magma grunt, who was looking at me curiously. "Almost like the spell's been broken."

::...I'm coming right over::

"Who were you just talking to?" the Magma grunt asked cautiously. He was looking at me like I might be part of the enemy...which, depending on how you look at it, I had been, in another place and another time.

"Probably an old rival of yours," I responded. "So, you don't remember anything from the past few days?"

The man frowned, then shook his head. "It's pretty much a blur."

"But you know who you are?"

The grunt nodded. "Yeah...I do. Where are we?"

I let out a sigh and leaned back. "Sinnoh. At least, it used to be, before Team Galactic's leader actually managed to take over."

The steel door banged open, revealing Nick and his Azumaril. Upon seeing him, the Magma grunt's eyes flew wide, and he backed up into the wall.

"N-Nick?" the Magma grunt stammered. "What are you-"

Nick strode forward and grabbed the Magma member by the arm. "This isn't a good place to talk, Terrus," he growled. "Come on." With that, he took the Magma grunt out of the cell, closing the door behind him.

As soon as the door was shut, I slipped off the upper bunk and crossed to the other side and lifted up the mattress to check on my mechanical projects - what used to be the physical cameras that had been part of the citadel's original design. After making sure that everything was in order, I dropped the mattress again and tapped my left ear.

"Mist, she's back."

There was a crackle of static. ::She is? That was later than I thought she'd be back. What took her so long?::

"Training, probably. Be ready - the rebellion's going to happen in a few day's time. Aqua's been loose for a while, and my cousin will be able to contact us whenever she feels the need to, now." I looked up at the ceiling, considering what I had seen in my dreams...sounds corny, I know. "It won't be long before everything will be set to rights."

::You got that right. We might not even need my sister for this::

I blinked in confusion. "Your sister?"

::...never mind. Mist out::

Hah! Khrista's back in the building and Joshua's putting his own finishing touches on his master plan. What will happen next? Stay tuned!