After two days Akuma still hadn't returned from the power plant. Only Mr. Fuji knew where he had gone and even though he was worried, the old man never let on otherwise. Fortunately for his composure, Mr. Fuji and two of the hunters were currently focused on watching Kurishimi and monitoring the computer files whenever she entered the training rooms. It was becoming more draining for them since her graduation test since the simulators got very little rest these days.
In truth, Akuma had chosen special tests presented to those who wanted to join the Pokémon Hunters. The process was that when a trainee wanted to graduate to agent status and go out on the field they were put through tests based on some of the most trying times in history and even then the difficulty of the tests was raised by five more levels than the person should normally encounter. The person introducing them to the test would also shake them by claiming how impossible it would be. In all honesty, Akuma had taken five of the special tests before he was satisfied with his performance and had still beaten every one. When he was bored, Akuma used to design new simulations that others would come to practice under. Of course nobody could ever best the simulations, but Akuma seemed to enjoy making them that difficult in the first place.
Because neither Kurishimi nor Chad had expressed interest in joining the Pokémon Hunters group they couldn't think of her as one of them, and so they were doing all they could to watch her as if she might have been a spy. Despite her constant training however, they couldn't find any sign of the mysterious Pokémon. Mr. Fuji was beginning to think that it was just a hiccup in the system and the Pokémon wasn't even real, but the flash of light when the poké ball opened as well as Kurishimi picking it up when she left was a guarantee that it must have been both real and intentional. Akuma hadn't been particularly interested in the mystery after he saw the Pokémon silhouette either, so where would they go from here?
A direct confrontation would not work since the Pokémon might have been removed from Kurishimi's team immediately after the session and not returned since then. Even with the video footage they couldn't get her to admit anything either. Because she had a pokédex there wouldn't be anything unusual about her having a seventh Pokémon as well since only pokédex holders were allowed to carry more than six Pokémon on their person unless one had special privileges. With that in mind however, it was possible that Kurishimi and Akuma had something between them concerning a seventh team member. Perhaps they were meant to see the Pokémon as a type of message that Akuma recognized before he left which would explain why he refused to be interested. But if that was the case, why were their files accessed during the training session? There were so many dead ends and loops to this puzzle that Mr. Fuji knew he wouldn't be able to solve anything without Akuma's help.
Speaking of which, it would only take Akuma few hours to travel to the power plant and back. Even with heavy resistance there shouldn't have been any problems, especially for the strongest trainer in Kanto. Maybe it was time to put Akuma's emergency plan into action. Mr. Fuji called together Kurishimi, Chad, Susie, and a brand new hunter named Blake who was brought in the day Akuma left. They all gathered in a quiet room where Fuji told them the details.
"Two days ago our most elite hunter, Akuma, went on a rescue assignment. The request asked specifically for him. The location was at the power plant to the north, which is a very short trip when you are able to travel by air. Judging by his skill alone he should have been back before dark, but is obviously long overdue now. Any number of things could have happened, but it is most probable that there was an underestimated trap waiting for him or he had an accident on the way. I am sending the four of you on a search and rescue mission to determine what happened to him. Search the course of the mountain tops thoroughly then make your way down to the power plant. Keep your eyes open for anything out of place and before you make any moves contact the hunter headquarters. I'll loan each of you a temporary pokégear to call in if you find anything. If you spot Akuma do not rush in to assist him without calling us first. If there is a trap waiting we want to know about it before someone else walks into it. In case you have an accident we will have a second team standing by. Are there any questions?"
Blake raised his hand. "Sir, how strong is the individual you mentioned? What are our chances to succeed where he failed?"
"Ask anyone in this building and you'll hear many stories about him. Akuma's skill and talent is second to none and in this group his status as a legend rivals that of the existence of the Pokémon, Mew. In our known world there are only three forces which are able to defeat him at full power, including Arceus. In fact I think you nearly gave Susie there a heart attack from saying you've never heard of him. All you're doing is looking for him; you won't be completing his mission. Are there any other questions?"
"Yes sir, one more. Forgive my manners, but why are non-hunters being sent on this mission with us? Wouldn't they slow us down in tagging along?"
"Down Chad," Kurishimi said when she saw the boy tense up.
Mr. Fuji quickly cut in before something more could happen. "Miss Kurishimi is a long time direct student of Akuma. She passed a level 16 simulation on the day Akuma disappeared. Yours was a relatively bland level 10 at best and your Pokémon are trained more sharply than hers have been. Chad is also a newer student of Akuma's, but his progress and creativity are extremely impressive as well, as is his knowledge. You might all learn something new from each other as well as group teamwork, which is an essential skill for advanced hunters to learn."
Blake glanced at the 'non-hunters' with wide eyes. Kurishimi gave a silent nod while Chad had already turned back to Fuji, though he was apparently still annoyed by the other's previous comment. With no more questions the group left for the supply room where Mr. Fuji gave them temporary pokégears before heading out
Naturally Kurishimi chose to fly on Skarmory. Blake's flyer was a larger than average Golbat that allowed him to cling to its back. Susie brought out a huge green and brown long-necked dinosaur Pokémon with four equally large leaves growing out from its back named Tropius. On its neck, oddly enough, there was a cluster of bananas growing. Still being without a flying Pokémon, save for Pidgeotto who was still unable to carry passengers, Chad was allowed to ride with Susie.
Since they all knew to fly out to the power plant no conversation was made before the flight occurred. After they flew out of the city they quickly came to Rock Tunnel Mountain which they chose to fly over instead of around, knowing Akuma had done the same. The flight was slower as they scanned the area for any life or signs of battle until they reached the peak where they spent a moment looking in all directions before going down the side of the mountain. In approaching the power plant on foot they viewed signs of returning wildlife which they were unaware had been absent two days ago. They made sure to approach the building more cautiously than they would otherwise while Blake kept an eye behind and above them. Kurishimi went ahead of the group to the front doors while the rest stayed a few yards behind them. She went inside before quickly coming back out to motion the others in. Chad and Susie followed immediately while Blake took a few more minutes in case someone had been watching the first three enter.
After all four were inside they checked the office area just as Akuma had done before entering the generator room. Kurishimi chose to hide behind the reception desk as backup in case of a rear ambush, allowing Susie to take the lead again. Entering the generator room, Blake took the catwalks while Susie stayed on the floor and Chad brought up the rear, also from ground level. After checking every hiding place and corner across the room they began approaching the storage shed which had since been destroyed along with the surrounding area and a good portion of the generator. Blake was able to jump down from the catwalk in an earlier place from where Akuma had departed due to the destruction ripping the catwalk apart and leaving twisted metal that stopped partway to the ground.
Chad fell back further while Blake stayed at a distance and Susie began to climb into the wreckage. Fortunately only the front half of the shed had been ruined and even then it had imploded, or purposely been smashed in, so any intact evidence might have been inside. Because the wall and door had been warped, Susie used an evolved form of Scyther, known as Scizor, to tear off the door with the monstrous claws that had replaced the blades of its former body. Even then the door did not give way until it had been crushed into a lump and the walls were forcibly torn wider.
There were no enemies inside as Scizor discovered, only storage containers and other equipment were shown by the light. After Scizor returned to its poké ball Chad used the flame from Rapidash's mane to brighten the area. The three began investigating the room until they found a trap door underneath a cluster of barrels. Feeling uneasy, Blake stayed behind and outside the shed while Chad and Susie climbed down the ladder into an even smaller room. Fortunately this area had lights installed and turned on, but the sight which was awaiting them would have made the darkness more preferable.
Akuma was lying bound to a hospital cot, his skin now burned and scarred from battle. His vest and shirt were absent as well as his poké balls. He was unconscious and the only sign that he was still alive was the slow rise and fall of his chest. To the wall beyond him was a young girl, conscious and obviously suffering from dehydration while restrained with weak chains that were bolted to the wall. Though the chains were not particularly strong, it was apparent she would not be able to escape on her own even though there were also poké balls on her belt, though she could not reach them from the position she was bound in. Other than the duo, the room was empty. Leaving his teacher to Susie, Chad quickly rushed over to the girl and helped her drink from a bottle of water he had brought. Susie called up the ladder to Blake who quickly appeared and left to make an emergency call back to Fuji when he saw what had happened. Chad used his Rattata's hyper fang attack to break the chains the girl was bound with and immediately had to slow down how fast she drank the water he offered.
"She's too weak to talk at the moment, but after a healthy rest I think she'll be okay," he reported. "How is Akuma?"
"Not good in the slightest," Susie decided while still taking off his restraints. "He isn't suffering from malnutrition yet, but he needs treatment as soon as possible. I can treat him to a small degree before we leave fortunately. I'm not sure yet how we can transport him though."
As she finished removing the bindings Akuma slowly woke up. He was able to speak even though he was obviously in pain in doing so. "The… girl?" he asked weakly.
Susie was startled, but still answered him. "She'll be fine. You're in worse condition than she is to be honest."
Akuma nodded then quickly became worried. "My vest. Where is… the cherish ball?!"
"We don't know since we just got here. Take it easy for a moment and we'll search for it after we get you out of here."
"Not important… need to find it now!" Akuma said desperately. He weakly pushed Susie aside and fell off the bed. Susie began to help him up, but he pushed her away and stumbled toward the ladder. Chad expected him to fall off, but Akuma slowly managed to pull himself out of the hole anyway by some miraculous effort.
"When you two are ready, help her out of here. I'm going to try calming him down," Susie said to Chad before she left. After emerging from the hole she saw Akuma rooting through the wreckage for his vest. "We already searched the piles around here. We didn't find anything relevant until we came across you," she told him.
"Search again," Akuma said gruffly before moving out of the shed. Blake was startled when he saw what looked like a zombie emerging from the doorway, but Akuma naturally just ignored him while he surveyed the area. When he spotted the damage to the generator he moved over to look inside the hole and breathed a sigh of relief when he found his vest and poké ball straps. He checked the inside of his vest first and smiled when he found the secret poké ball was intact and hadn't been emptied. His poké balls were also full as well, but he wouldn't open them knowing how critical his Pokémon's conditions were. Then he realized only five poké balls were attached. One was missing! Hurriedly he checked those still on the straps. Metagross, Charizard, and Magmortar weren't missing thankfully. Gastly was also securely strapped on as was Scyther. He hadn't brought Infernape or Houndoom so it wasn't a primary battler. He thought over those he'd brought two days ago for a moment before he realized which one it was. The generator was still empty and it was unlikely Team Rocket had stolen it as well so it would have to be in the area somewhere.
Susie emerged from the shed to report, "I couldn't find anything. Oh you did find them. That's good then."
Akuma quickly came over to her. "Did you… find any poké balls… on the way here?"
"N-no sir, we searched the plant up to this point but couldn't find anything."
"Keep looking… one is missing," Akuma struggled to say through a cough before he began to check the area around him more closely.
"Blake, give us a hand," Susie instructed.
The three of them began carefully moving aside the debris. While Akuma was slower than the other two, he was clearly more desperate in his movements. Finally Blake called out that he'd found something behind the shed and Akuma scrambled up the wreckage immediately, but he quickly stopped when he saw what it was.
While Susie and Chad's discovery had been terrible, this one was beyond hopeless. Still in shock, Akuma knelt down beside the crushed and bloody form at his feet and gently touched its broken frame with one hand. Knowing better than to say anything, Blake quietly retreated down to tell Susie what he'd found.
"Are you alright… Ariados?" Akuma quietly asked the mangled creature in front of him, but there was no sound or movement in response. "You'll be alright. I'll find your poké ball… and take you to a Pokémon Center… you'll fight again… later, I promise. Come on… stand up and we'll go. Please, Ariados… let's just… go home. Please…"
Exhausted both physically and emotionally now, Akuma wrapped his arms around his dead Pokémon and began to quietly cry until the rescue team arrived.
I feel like this chapter comes really close to fan abuse, which I should point out I don't like by the way. My sister starts to tear up whenever Ariados comes up now and I feel like doing the same whenever I read that last part. This is probably the saddest thing I've ever written, but that makes me proud too in a way.