Kyisha frowned and looked back at the lot. The building was gone. "Did you just see that?" Kyisha asked.
"See what?" said Pete.
"The building! There was a building in that lot over there!"
Pete shrugged. "Nope. Didn't see anything."
"It was just there. It just sort of appeared out of thin air."
"Maybe it was Dr. Woof."
"Who?"
"Exactly. Dr. Woof. He's a Time Lord's pet from the planet Howlifrey. He travels time in a giant bone that can appear out of nowhere."
"Um...I'm not sure I was looking at a skyscraper sized time machine." She stared at the lot. "C'mon. Let's go check this out."
She walked up to the opening in the fence, stepping into the lot.
Pete followed, staring at the broken construction materials, old tires, and scrap metal. "Wow. This place is a dump!"
Cupcake sleepwalked in behind him. "Oh yes. Tea is wonderful. Lovely. Did you say you had crepes?"
Kyisha stepped around a board covered in ugly looking nails.
"Hey!" Pete called. "I think I see an old Commodore VIC 20 over there!"
She shrugged, stepping over a tire. She walked a couple yards and something hit her head. She fell over backwards, staring up at nothing.
With care, she slowly stood back up, feeling around in the air. She felt something like concrete under her hands, but saw nothing. "Guys!" she shouted. "Guys! Over here!"
She felt along the invisible concrete surface for a few feet, coming to a recess. She felt a metal frame, glass, then a handle. She pulled the handle.
An open doorway appeared in the air. Beyond she could see a red carpeted foyer with twin curving staircases, white pillars and elegantly trimmed gray walls.
"Wow! What is that?" Pete said behind her.
"I...I don't know. It looks like a hallway or an entrance to a building of some kind."
"Is there a control module in the center of the room?"
"Uh..." She stared at the carpet. In the center was a large white circle with the swirling ring logo on it. "I don't think so. Why?"
"Well, I thought we could stop the time rotor or something."
Kyisha shook her head. She leaned in the doorway. "Professor?" she called.
No answer.
"Professor Bubbles?"
Nothing.
She sighed, looked back at Pete, and said "C'mon."
Cupcake stood next to him, asleep. "I'll be out in the car," she mumbled.
Gathering her courage, Kyisha stepped into the foyer.
Cupcake and Pete walked in and the door slammed shut.
Kyisha looked around. A hallway led to the left, and another led right. Directly ahead of her, she saw a small doorway, and on either side of that were two curving staircases framed with Pokemon shaped gargoyles. "Hmmm..."
"That gargoyle looks loose," Cupcake mumbled in her sleep.
A shiver went up Kyisha's spine as she watched the loose gargoyle out of the corner of her eye. "Uh..." She grabbed a Pokeball from her pocket, throwing it, calling out her Ninetales' name. "L-let's go straight..." she stuttered.
Brale appeared, keeping close to her as she went ahead.
She approached the door beneath the stairs. It had no handles. She tried pushing on it, but nothing happened. "Oh well." She turned and walked up the staircase, with Brale and Pete tagging along beside her.
Cupcake followed behind, absently running her fingers along the railing as she sleepwalked.
She grabbed the corner of the gargoyle.
Something clicked loudly below them.
Pete leaned over the staircase. "Hey! The basement door is open!"
Cupcake walked up the stairs.
Click.
"Never mind," said Pete. "It's closed now."
"I suggest you leave now," said a voice from a doorway at the top of the stairs.
"And if you tell anyone about this place, you're dead!"
Kyisha jumped slightly, looking around.
"Cupcake?" she called out.
Brale shivered, too, as the Ninetales looked behind in sync with her owner, looking at the gargoyle and Cupcake.
"I'm right here," said a drowsy voice behind her. "Did you hear someone talking?"
"Yeah," said Kyisha, shuddering.
"But your friend is in there, right?" Pete asked.
Kyisha nodded.
"Then we've got to keep going, right?"
She shrugged.
"Where do you think those voices came from?"
Kyisha pointed to the marble archway a few feet ahead to the right. "Probably up there."
Pete crept up to the corner, peeking around a pillar. He jumped back quickly.
A pair of Asian men in goatees and Fu Manchu mustaches stepped out in front of them. They wore Mongol helmets and bear skins and leather clothes.
With a snarl, they each took out black boxes decorated with ornate gold leaf images of dragons, setting them on the floor. The lids popped open and a blast of light filled the area.
A cutesy blue creature with flowers on its head and a skirt of green leaves appeared. A red mushroom creature materialized next to it.
A Breloom and a Bellossum, Kyisha thought as she formulated strategies in her mind.
In front of the other Mongol she saw a liver spotted Nintetails appear, whipping around its bushy tail.
Uh-oh.
Flash. A small rooster with humanlike arms and legs stepped out into a martial arts fighting stance.
A Combusken. Great. This is going to be fun.
The Mongolian glared at Kyisha, making an angry sound through his nose. His Pokemon crept closer, the Combusken stomping up to her Ninetales, looking fierce.
"Uh-oh," said Pete. "I've seen one of those things kick a table in half!"
Kyisha bit her tongue. "Brale, use Psychic, quick!"
As the Combusken advanced, Kyisha's Ninetales was motionless. "Snap out of it, Brale!"
The Ninetales shook its head, then tensed its muscles, digging its claws at the marble flooring. All of a sudden, it let out a deafening roar, and the walls started shaking.
Kyisha looked up and saw the stone ceiling cracking.
The Combusken let out a menacing growl, clenching its fists.
The next minute, a chunk of the ceiling struck the avian creature on the head.
"Where did you get these Pokemon?" Pete exclaimed. "I've never seen a Nintetales do that before!"
The Mongolian yelled something in Chinese, and the Breloom hopped forward, raising its flower shaped tail. A shower of white powder sprayed out in a large cloud, settling on the Ninetales' coat. Some stray flakes landed on Kyisha's hands, and it felt like they'd been injected with Novocaine. She shook her hands, trying to get the sensation back into them.
Great. Stun spore, she thought.
Brale was motionless now. The Combusken rubbed its sore head with its feathers, then stomped over to him, clenching its fists.
The Combusken crowed at the paralyzed Ninetales, hopping up and down like it planned to do some kicking. The Mongolian gave the girl an evil grin.
Pete stared at Brale. "Um, Kyisha? These guys have stun spore. You got a plan B? Maybe another Pokemon that can do rock smash?"
She nodded, "I think I can manage that..."
Kyisha quickly grabbed a Paralyz Heal from the side pocket of her backpack, spraying Brale with a light yellow mist. "I think so..."
She drew Brale's Pokeball out, opening it. The Ninetales changed into a blob of light, flying back into the ball. She grabbed another Pokeball from her pocket, tossing it in the air.
There was a flash, then Rain appeared before them, growling fiercely as he shook his black and silver fur. His ears folded back into a fighting position.
"Alright, Rain, Rock Smash!"
The Mightyena looked confused. It wagged its tail, then shot a lightning bolt at the chicken creature, reducing it to a pile of ash.
The Mongol screamed, making stabbing motions at Kyisha's Pokemon.
The reptile-mushroom creature charged at Rain, slamming its body into the canine's chest. Rain yelped and hopped back.
The little Pokemon with the flower petals dug its tendrils into the floor, as if fortifying itself against possible attack.
"Have you trained your Pokemon?" said Pete. "It seems like they haven't been trained."
Kyisha frowned. "I haven't done anything but train them!"
"Could have fooled me."
"Look. I don't know what happened to them, but they haven't been the same after some monster got slime on them."
"Well at least they're attacking."
She stared at the Mongol's two remaining Pokemon.
"These guys don't look like much of a threat. I bet if you just bring out a couple Pokemon, you'll be able to make short work of them."
The Mongolian grunted loudly. The Breloom reared back, preparing for its next move.
She took another Pokeball off of her belt, tossing it lightly in the air. "Let's go, Eni!"
The Arcanine ruffled its fur and growled deeply, similar to that of an earthquake, just as the flash faded.
"Alright! Eni, Ember at the Breelom! Rain, use Bite on the Bellossum!"
Strangely enough, the Arcanine stood on its hind legs, raising a paw in a knife hand. It let out a cry, knocking out the Breloom with a mighty karate chop.
Kyisha stared at her pet in amazement.
"Cool!" said Pete.
At the same time, Mightyena dug its claws in, glowing with a green light. It attacked the Bellossum with a bite, actually following her order. Then it attacked again. The Bellossom fell over backwards, and the Mongol sucked the creatures back into his Pokemon container.
Pete shook his head, blinking several times. He rubbed his head, staring at the Mongols, then at Kyisha. "Where am I? What am I doing here?"
The Mongols let out a bloodcurdling scream, drawing their swords.
Kyisha frowned. "Pete, this isn't a good time to be getting amnesia."
"How do you know my name?"
The Mongols charged at them with their swords swinging.
"Who are those people?" he said, running back down the stairs. "Why are they attacking?"
Kyisha hurried down the stairs after him. "I'll explain later! We've got to get out of here!"
Eni leapt at one of the Mongols, chomping down on his leg. He screamed and fell on the staircase.
The Mightyena opened its mouth, belching out a flaming wheel. The second Mongol caught fire, screamed, and jumped off the balcony.
"Cobberdobber!" Kyisha heard a voice calling. "Help! Someone help Cobberdobber!"
This is all that my co-writer volunteered to write. Perhaps she bailed because she didn't like random Pokemon characteristics when her characters came to me at level 99 or something. Or maybe it was the idea of Pokemon not fighting other Pokemon all the time. Or maybe she didn't want the story to have a love interest. At any rate, if you like this story, let me know and I'll find a way to conclude it.