Chapter 5
Consciousness came back to me slowly. My cheek was pressed against thick, coarse fabric and a pounding headache echoed through my skull. The air smelled musty and damp, a clear indication that I was still inside the mountain. I cracked open my eyes just to confirm and... yup, still as dark and unpleasant as I remembered.
I was lying in what appeared to be a jail cell. The walls were too smooth to be natural and ahead of me, metal bars blocked the entrance. Dim yellow light flickered beyond the bars. Ignoring how the pain in my head flared, I pushed myself upright.
My cell was decorated solely with the blanket I had been lying on. It seemed far too large to have been made for a person and the lack of decoration served to reinforce that. Even more depressing was the fact that I had been stripped of my possessions. My satchel, Luna's ball, I had even left my jacket behind when I sprinted after Crystal.
I made my way to the bars and peered out. My cell looked out into a man-made hallway lined with identical cells. At the end of the hall, I could just make out a heavy door that I assumed led to the rest of the cave complex. Lanterns had been placed at regular intervals down the hallway, providing the only light in the area.
"Hello?" I called out. No response. "Luna?" I tried again, "Eren, Crystal, anyone?" The echo of my voice in the empty hall taunted me.
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop the tears from welling in my eyes. I sulked back to my blanket and laid down again. With nothing else to do, I closed my eyes and willed my headache to go away.
Hours passed. Though, it could've been days for all I knew. The only indicator I had that time was passing at all was the slowly growing rumble of my stomach. Sometimes I thought I heard muffled voices outside the hallway but they were too faint for me to consider them anything else than figments of my imagination.
Finally, after who knows how long, the sound of a door creaking open encouraged me to sit up. Footsteps drew nearer until a young man with greasy hair came into view. He was dressed in purple, the letter E emblazoned boldly on the front of his outfit. He held a tray of food in his hands and refused to make eye contact with me as he slid it through the slot in the door.
"Hey," I started as he began to turn away. "Wait who are you?" He glanced nervously at me and then back to the exit. "Don't go! Tell me what's happening!" I got to my feet and rushed to the bars.
The man didn't wait around for me to get there, though, as he made for the exit again. "No!" I rattled the door of the cell. "Come back!" The door slammed behind him. I kicked the bars of my cell in frustration.
I considered the food on the tray. It looked... decent at least. I grabbed the tray and collapsed into an angry pile on the floor.
Three more meals passed in a similar way. The delivery boy wouldn't even look at me, much less speak to me. The thought of my companions out there somewhere filled me with anxious dread, so I did my best not to think about them. Escape attempts were hard to come up with when you were stuck in a minimalist prison, so I spent most of my time pacing or sleeping.
It was just after my fifth meal in captivity that something interesting happened at last. I was slumped against the wall, tapping a nonsense rhythm on my tray and listening to the echo. A familiar chirp brought me out of my thoughts. I looked to the hallway, certain I was starting to go crazy. To my surprise, Crystal trotted into view. She stuck her head through the bars and chirped again.
"Crystal?" I breathed, dumbfounded.
Crystal wriggled through the bars and scampered up to me, climbing into my lap with no hesitation. As she nestled closer to me, I felt a fraction of my worries ease. If Crystal was here and at peace, then surely the others were all right as well. Right? I relaxed against the wall, finding comfort in the simple motions of petting the Pokemon in my lap.
I don't know when I fell asleep but when I awoke Crystal was gone and a new tray of food was waiting for me. I sprang to my feet, all my worries flooding back to me. Where had Crystal gone? Did they find her and take her away? Did she leave on her own? Why? All these questions set me pacing again. I was so lost in my own mind that I didn't realize how much time had passed until I heard the door open.
The standard food dropoff happened. The man was as unresponsive as ever and gave no indication that anything had been found out of the ordinary when he had made the dropoff earlier. Once he was gone, I relaxed slightly. His demeanor led me to believe that Crystal hadn't been found and taken. It did, however, beg the question of where she had gone on her own and why.
I discovered the answer to these questions only a few short minutes after the delivery boy left. Crystal's tell-tale chirp resounded off the walls and sure enough, she appeared outside my cell. This time, she carried something metallic in her mouth.
I crouched down as she squeezed past the bars, and she bowled into me excitedly. The object she carried clattered to the ground and my eyes widened. I picked up the key, gaping.
"Where did you get this?" I marveled. Crystal tilted her head and simply chirped.
I jump back up, wasting no time. The key fits perfectly in the lock and the door swings open with minimal squeaking. The door at the end of the hallway proved challenging at first, and then I tried the handle and found it unlocked.
The cavern beyond was completely natural as far as I could tell. More lanterns littered the floor, creating pathways of light through the dark. Faced with the enormity of the space in front of me, a sliver of despair began to creep into my heart. There was no telling how extensive these caves were, how was I supposed to find Luna and Eren without getting caught a second time? I tightened my grip on the key in my hand.
Voices drifted from further in the cavern, setting my nerves on edge. I looked down at Crystal, waiting patiently at my feet.
"Do you know where Luna and Eren are?" I asked her. "Can you take me to them?"
Crystal set out immediately, winding her way along. For all I knew, she could have no idea where they are, but she led with such confidence I couldn't help but believe in her.
It took entirely too long for Crystal to find her destination, but eventually, a large tunnel came into view. This one was better lit than others we had passed and Crystal made a beeline toward it. I followed at a jog.
As we got closer, I caught the sound of voices emanating from the tunnel. I got a glimpse of purple fabric and, with a sudden bolt of horror, realized we were about to collide with a couple of goons. A surge of adrenaline took over my body and I lunged forward. I tackled Crystal and scrambled behind a rock, hoping it would be enough to hide us.
Two figures, clad in purple, appeared from the mouth of the tunnel. They seemed to be absorbed in their conversation, and I risked leaning out to get a better look, listening in as they passed.
The first figure, a woman with long blonde hair, lead the conversation. "...and this was the only option you could think of, was it?" Her voice was strained with irritation.
The figure beside her, an obnoxiously tall lanky man, replies sheepishly. "You did leave me in charge."
"A mistake I'll not repeat." She shakes her head, groaning. "I'm gone for two days and you idiots are putting children in cages."
The rest of their conversation fades with distance, but I heard all I needed to. I slowly release Crystal from the strangling hug I didn't realize I had put her in. I stand up, brushing dust and dirt from my clothes, and turn back to the tunnel. This time, I lead the way.
We crept down the path together, pausing at regular intervals to listen for voices and footsteps. I peered around every corner, searching for any sign of Eren or Luna. In the end, it was much easier than I was making it out to be. Crystal and I came upon a man-made cave directly off the tunnel. I looked into it as we passed and my heart leapt into my throat. Two purple grunts stood at the entrance. Luckily for us, they were facing into the room and didn't notice me standing right behind them. In the middle of the room, with hands unbound, was Eren. He sat on a crate, staring at his guards and looking incredibly bored.
When he saw me frozen In the doorway, his eyes flew wide in shock. He quickly fixed his expression again but made a subtle shooing motion with a hand. I moved to the side of the entrance, dragging Crystal with me, and waited.
I heard Eren clear his throat from inside the room. "Excuse me, gents, I need to use the restroom."
An unfamiliar voice responded, "Again? You went, like, half an hour ago." There was a long pause, and then a sigh. "Fine, but be quick. Claudia will want to leave as soon as she gets back."
A moment later, Eren strolled out of the room, unhindered by his guards. He made his way down the hall, beckoning me to follow.
I caught up to him. "What was that about?" I whispered. "Why didn't they come with you?"
Eren quickened his pace, as if walking faster would get him out of answering my questions. "I'll explain everything sometime, but right now all you need to know is that I'm important to them."
I scowled, now I only had more questions. "Who are they?"
"They call themselves, Team Elite. Hence the..." he trails off, stopping to trace the letter 'E' on his shirt.
"Oh, right."
As we get farther down the tunnel, a quiet roar becomes audible. It was one consistent sound, and it seemed to get louder with every step we took. Finally, Eren stopped in front of a door. The roar was so loud here Eren had to shout to be heard.
"This room is where they transport Pokemon down the mountain. You should find Luna inside and get out this way."
He moved to turn away from me but I caught his arm. "Why are you talking like you're not coming with me?"
"As I said," he began, gently removing my hand from his arm. "I'm important to them. If I go with me they'll just chase me down again." He casts a nervous glance at the tunnel behind us where muffled voices are just beginning to emerge. "I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire a second time."
"But-" I tried to protest.
"I don't have a lot of time." The voices down the tunnel were getting louder now. "Take Crystal, get her out of here." Eren fumbles at his belt, tearing off Crystal's ball and thrusting it into my hands. "Go."
Crystal returns without a fight. "Will we meet again?"
A warm smile graces his face as he looks at me one last time. "I hope so."
The first hint of purple appears from deeper in the tunnel and I stop wasting time. I turn and slam the door open. I force it closed behind me, floundering for a lock on the inside. There isn't one. I give up on the door and take in the room in front of me.
Three of the walls are stacked high with cages. By my rough estimate, about half of them were occupied by a Pokemon. The back wall of the room was not a wall of stone but a wall of water. It crashed down from an unknown source and met up with a river somewhere far below.
I looked frantically around the room for familiar white fur and red eyes. Funnily enough, Luna spotted me first. Her soft howl drew my attention to her cage in the far corner. I used my key on her cage, silently begging it to work. To my surprise, it did. The cage swung open and Luna happily bumped her head into my legs.
The voices in the tunnel had finally reached our location. I tried to ignore them for a moment. "What do say we cause some trouble for these jerks?" I spat, smirking.
I approached the next cage, it contained a cowering Nidorina. In no time, I had the door open and was moving on to the next one. I managed to open at least ten more cages before the door handle began to rattle. Now, surrounded by freed Pokemon, I started to panic.
Eren had said there was another exit to this room, one they used to transport the Pokemon. But the sudden busyness of the room and the adrenaline coursing through me made it impossible for me to slow down and look for it.
My eyes landed on the waterfall as the door slammed open. Impulse drowned out logic and I sprinted toward the edge. I shouted for Luna, thankful to find her already at my side. A voice at the door called out to me but it was too late. I grabbed handfuls of Luna's fur and pitched our bodies over into the thundering wall of water.