Chapter 17

I spent a good twenty minutes the next morning finding the will to get up, knowing I had to say goodbye. I did it, though. I got up, showered and changed, packed my things, gathered my Pokemon, and made it all the way to the door before I let my tears fall.

I left the house with a fond farewell from Leandra and Terrance and from there I headed to the training center. Owen smothered me with a hug and gave me a piece of paper with written information on how to contact him if I needed to. I stopped at the Pokemon center one last time to make sure my Pokemon were in top shape.

Finally, I left town supplied with new clothes, including a winter coat and several blankets, food enough to last me to Filemot, and as many potions as Owen could shove in my bag.

I threw one of my blankets over Aura's back and climbed on. The road down to Filemot was less of a road and more of an open field that led in a vaguely southern direction. We ran into more than one wild Pokemon on our way south but thanks to all the training we'd had, they were hardly a challenge. Eventually, the field narrowed and led to a cave entrance which, according to my map, was the only route to Filemot.

I moved much slower inside the cave, due to the winding nature of the underground passageways and the fact that I was on foot. Once we were out, though, we picked up the pace and, thanks to Aura, we made it to Filemot before the sun had set.

Despite the lack of snow on the ground here, It was only marginally warmer than Pavo had been. I pulled the blanket I had thrown over me tighter around my shoulders, and we started down the hill towards the city gates. As we drew near, I could make out two guards, dressed in purple, stationed on either side of the gate. They seemed to be engaged in a conversation with each other and hadn't noticed us yet. I took this opportunity to throw myself off the road, hiding among the trees. I returned Aura and Luna to their respective Pokeballs.

The city was mostly surrounded by a tall brown wall. A quick glance at it from my hiding place told me it was too smooth to climb, so that idea was out. Team Elite was under orders to find and capture me so if I was going to sneak into the city, I was going to need a disguise.

I wouldn't have to worry about my clothes too much, It was my hair that was going to be a problem. I didn't have a hat to cover it up so I made do with the hood of my jacket. I pulled my hair back and tied it up before throwing up the hood. I made sure all my hair was tucked into the hood and out of sight. Just for good measure, I let Red out and placed him on top of my head. He latched on to the edge of the hood, all too happy with his new vantage point.

Once I was happy with my hasty disguise, I stepped back onto the road, trying to look as casual as possible. The guards' conversation stopped when they saw me coming. I tried to pull the hood as far down over my face as I could, hoping they wouldn't get too suspicious. To my relief, they hardly glanced at me as they waved me through.

My relief was short-lived, however. As I emerged into the city, I spotted at least four more members of Team Elite just going about their business. Owen had mentioned that this was the city where they based their operations but I hadn't put together what that entailed until now.

I kept my hood up and my head down as I tried to navigate the city. Keeping a low profile turned out to be quite difficult, as all I wanted to do was gape at everything around me. It was unlike anything I'd seen before. It was a large, bustling city, just like Loden had been. But unlike Loden, it lacked the towering buildings and smoothly paved streets.

Filemot was a city composed of modest stonework buildings. Trees had been planted around the city, although, due to the high altitude, they were rather small. However, the most impressive part of the city by far was the canals that ran through the city like veins. The canals weren't especially wide, usually no more than ten feet across, but they were deep. I peered into the clear water of the nearest canal and found I was unable to see the bottom.

The city was built on the edge of a mountaintop and half of it was backed by other mountains in the range. The southern border of the city was simply a cliff that held, without a doubt, the most impressive view of the entire region. The eastern edge was, similarly, a cliff, although this one was much less steep and led down into a canyon. This canyon ran southeast and was the only route from the rest of the region into the city.

A great river flowed down from the north and was broken up into the canals that ran throughout the city. Some of the canals ran off the southern edge, the water dissipating in the air long before it reached the ground. The rest converged near the eastern edge and dropped into the canyon, where the water ran uninterrupted until it came to rest in Lake Liala.

Brownstone bridges arched over the canals and connected the smooth cobblestone walkways of the city. As I walked, I came to realize that the whole city was powered by the water that ran in the canals. Waterwheels were an intimate part of Filemot, it seemed. I spotted small waterwheels hidden almost completely under the water against some of the houses. Other waterwheels were so large that they could cast the entire width of the walkways into shadow.

I took my time wandering through the city. I only began to hurry when a woman dressed in a Team Elite uniform saw me and gave me a funny look.

After a long search, I found a small hotel in one of the less populated areas of the city. I dumped my stuff on a chair and flopped on the bed, dislodging Red who yelped as he was thrown from his perch. I apologized to him and rolled over on my side so I could stare out the window. From my position on the second floor, I had a great view of the walkways below.

I hummed angrily. If there weren't so many Elite members out there I could be exploring the city. Instead, I was stuck in a hotel room. Begrudgingly, I admitted that It was a very nice hotel room.

I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours before I reasoned that if I was going to spend any amount of time in this city I was going to have to find a better disguise. I jumped out of the bed, happy to have found an excuse to leave. I pulled up my hood again and Red, sensing my excitement, chirped at me. I helped him climb up again and then we were off.

I took my time finding an apparel store. Once I found one, I picked out a hat and a pair of sunglasses and headed into a dressing room. I stood in front of the dressing room mirror, noting how tucking my hair into my new hat had made me look like a boy. Red scrambled onto my head, stretching out over the rim of my hat. I smiled and reached up to rub his head before heading out to pay.

When we left the store, I was alarmed to see that the sun was much closer to the horizon than I would've liked. I decided to save the sunglasses for another day. Red and I set out to explore the city for as long as we could. We managed to get most of the way around the perimeter of the city before the setting sun forced us to find our way back to the hotel.

On our way back, something up in the northernmost area of the city caught my attention. It was a house, but it was much larger than the other houses around the city. It was almost mansion-like with huge stone pillars lining the entrance. I could only just make out the shape of a waterfall behind it. It was easy, however, to spot the wide river that the waterfall led to, as it ran right under the house. I was both impressed and embarrassed that such an obvious structure had escaped my notice for so long. As I turned away to head back, I wondered if the mansion could be Team Elite's base.

At night, street lamps illuminated the walkways of the more public areas in the city. The residential areas, though, were more cramped. The canals here could be easily jumped, and the walkways were thinner as well. In areas like this, there was no room for streetlamps, so instead, rows upon rows of lights had been strung up between the buildings. The unique lighting gave these areas a strange fantastical atmosphere, and they were my favorite part of the city so far.

I was strolling through one of these areas when I noticed a boy about my age heading in the opposite direction. He was looking down as he walked but felt as though I recognized him and my heart skipped a beat. As we drew closer together, a Meowth darted out of a side street and leapt onto the boy's shoulder. My eyes widened, suspicions confirmed.

"Eren?" I called, my voice wavering in disbelief.

He looked up, giving me a quizzical look. "I'm sorry," he said, "Do I know you?"

Remembering my disguise, I glanced around. When I was sure nobody else was around, I removed Red and my hat from my head.

"Oh!" he gasped, "Alice!" He hopped over the canal and I grinned as he ran over to me.

"What are you doing here?" he asked quickly, "And why are you dressed like that?" I was about to reply but he held up a finger and shushed me. "Wait. Don't answer that." He glanced around, as I had done just moments prior. "I don't have time to talk," he whispered. "Meet me here at noon tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded, suddenly nervous. "It's good to see you again," I offered.

"You too." He flashed me a smile and then continued walking.

Baffled but excited, I tucked my hair back into my hat and replaced Red. Back at the hotel, I couldn't stop my mind from running through all the questions I couldn't wait to ask Eren tomorrow. It was hard to believe that I'd just run into him like that. Needless to say, it took me a long time to fall asleep.

I woke up late the next morning and scrambled to find out what time it was. I hadn't slept past noon, but it was close. I replaced my disguise, including Red, and hurried out of the hotel.

I had a bit of trouble trying to find my way back to the place I'd met Eren last night, but I managed. I came around a corner to find him casually leaning against a wall, waiting. He didn't seem to notice my approach.

He looked much the same as I remembered him. His hair was still a mess, but he had clearly been off the road for a while as there was not a speck of dirt on him. He had also forgone his traveling clothes. In place of the worn brown outfit I remembered, he now wore tight-fitting black pants and a loose white shirt that looked rather expensive.

I stopped next to him and without making eye contact, he said, "Follow me."

He began to walk away. Confused, I followed. We took a long and winding route around the city. I couldn't help but feel like he was stalling. My questions burned on my tongue, begging to be asked, but I held back. We ended up at a quaint cafe on the southern edge. Eren sat at an empty table that had a good view of the region below. He motioned for me to join him.

A warm wind blew from over the cliff edge, buffeting the apron of a waitress as she came to take our orders. Having not eaten anything yet today, I ordered a full meal. Eren then waved her away, ordering nothing for himself.

"How did you get here?" I blurted as soon as the waitress was out of earshot. Once the first question was out, the rest tumbled from my lips as fast as the running water in the canals. "How did you escape the mountain? Why haven't I seen you since then? Why come here?"

Eren gave me an apologetic look as he waved away my questions. "I'll answer all of those, I promise I will. But first, there's something I need to tell you." Feeling slighted but intrigued, I leaned in to listen to him. "You remember those guys we met under the mountain right? Team Elite?" He lowered his voice. "Well, they're bigger than I had originally thought. They've been stealing Pokemon all over the region, even attacking people on the roads." I nodded impatiently, having known all this already. "I know of a way to stop them though."

At this, my eyebrows shot up. "You're here to stop them too?" I whispered excitedly.

"Wait you knew all this?!"

"I think we have a lot to catch up on," I laughed.

"You don't say," Eren mumbled. He shook his head with a slight smile on his face. "Well, you first."

With a deep breath, I dove into the story of how I ended up here. I started with my recollection of washing up in a tiny town called Falune. Halfway through my story, the waitress returned with my food, I finished my retelling around mouthfuls of breakfast. Eren didn't seem to mind my lack of manners, though, and he listened intently, asking clarifying questions here and there.

I finished by telling him how I'd come to Filemot. Eren sat in silence, clearly sifting through everything I'd just told him. I gave him a moment to process everything.

"You're saying that you were carried across half the region by a legendary Pokemon?" Eren asked incredulously.

"Crazy right?" I shoved another bite of food into my mouth. "I couldn't believe it either." Eren just shook his head, bewildered.

At my insistence, Eren then launched into a story of his own. He told me how he had surrendered to Team Elite under the mountain, but broke away and snuck out when they weren't paying attention. From there he had fought his way north, taking a much shorter route than I had.

"I've been in Filemot for a week or so now," Eren finished, fiddling with his unused silverware. "I have a plan, but I was waiting for the perfect time to carry it out."

"I suppose now is that time?" I ventured. My empty plate had been taken from me at some point during Eren's story. My arms were crossed on the table as I leaned in, absorbed by the tale he had told.

"If you're willing to help me, then yes."

I nodded definitively. "We started this whole thing together," I grinned over the table at him, "It seems fitting that we end it that way." A huge smile graced Eren's face and I was taken aback by how much emotion that simple gesture could convey.

"Okay," Eren said, still grinning, "Here's the plan." He grabbed a napkin and began to doodle a rough sketch of a house. "I trust you've seen the Ellington Manor?" He looked up at me.

I took a moment to think back to what I had seen in the city. I remembered the mansion I had seen last night. That had to be what Eren was talking about. "Yes, I have."

"Good," Eren nodded, going back to his sketch. "You at least know where we'll be going then."

The next half hour was spent listening to Eren as he went over the details of his plan. This included where we would enter, what we would need to do once inside, and where to meet up after it was done. It all sounded so simple the way he said it.

"Okay, once more," Eren instructed me, "What's your job?"

"Get in, get to the basement, flip the switch on the far wall," I recited.

"Excellent."

"Although..." I hesitated. Something had been gnawing at me the whole time Eren was speaking. He glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. "How do you know so much about this place?" I asked. "There's no way you could know so much about the interior layout from just looking at it."

I was surprised to see a pained expression cross Eren's face. He stayed silent for so long that I began to fear he would simply ignore my question. He suddenly stood up from his seat and moved closer to the cliff's edge to gaze out at the region.

"I suppose it would be better to tell you now..." he finally said.

I stared at his back, thinking this was all a bit dramatic, but I moved to stand next to him all the same. "Tell me what?"

Eren sighed heavily. "Ellington Manor used to be my home." He turned to face me, "Lennox Ellington, the man behind Team Elite, is my father."