Chapter 18

The manor looked different at night. Ornate lanterns hung near the entrance, interspersed between the pillars. They suffused the area in a warm yellow glow.

The air around us, however, was anything but warm. I could faintly see my breath misting in the air as I crouched behind Eren, following him around to the side of the manor. I had given up my earlier disguise in favor of something more fitting for a mission such as this. Eren and I both wore black, and I had once again thrown my hood up to hide my hair.

The dark colors may have helped hide us from other people, but it also made it harder to see each other. The street lamps of the city were far behind us and the light from the porch couldn't reach us. I squinted at Eren's shape in front of me and almost crashed into him when he stopped suddenly.

He held up a hand, not that I could see more than a vague outline, and whispered, "We're here."

I craned my neck to look up at the imposing wall of the manor and raised an eyebrow. Then, remembering he couldn't see that, I whispered back, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, there's a window just up ahead that we should be able to crawl through." I made a disgruntled noise. "I know, it's not great," Eren sighed, "But it's the only entrance to the house that I know isn't locked."

I bit back any complaints I had as Eren stood up to test the window. It swung obligingly open and Eren held a hand out toward me.

"Ladies first." I didn't have to see him to hear the grin in his voice.

I let him boost me through the window. I landed silently in a small carpeted room. I quickly scanned the room to make sure nobody else was with me. I saw baskets overflowing with dirty clothes, and four laundry machines lined up against the wall; I did not see any other people. I turned around the help Eren climb up behind me.

Once we were both in, Eren shut the window behind us and bid me to follow him to the door. He dug the napkin out of his pocket and smoothed it out on the wall.

"Right now we're here." He clicked on a flashlight and pointed to the tip of the left wing of the slightly 'U' shaped building. "My father's research and experiments are done over here." He slid his finger to the right wing.

"Of course we have to get all the way across the manor," I mumbled. If Eren heard my comment, he didn't say anything about it.

He shoved the napkin back into his pocket and turned off the light. "There shouldn't be anyone up at this hour." He reached for the door handle but stopped. "You should stick close, just in case," he added.

I followed him out of the laundry room and into a pleasant sitting room. Plush furniture had been arranged to face a fireplace against the opposite wall. The fireplace was cold and no other lights were on, only the faint moonlight from the windows illuminated the room. My shoes sunk into the carpet and I had a brief urge to take them off so as not to track dirt into the house. A hallway to our right led to the rest of the house, so we made our way toward it.

The hall was too dark for me to make out any details, so I focused on staying quiet and following Eren. It was noticeably hard to walk silently in the hallway. The wood floor creaked under our feet. My heart beat frantically in the dark. I kept my eyes trained on Eren's back, fearing that at any moment one of the many doors we were passing would fly open and we'd be exposed.

But that didn't happen. We made it to the foyer where more stone pillars - like the ones outside – held up a mezzanine level above us. Two staircases, attached to either side of the mezzanine, curved gently to the floor, ending just in front of the door.

Eren slowed to a halt when the wood floor, and the hallway, ended. He ventured out onto the polished stone floor of the foyer and checked to make sure we were alone before urging me onward. I cast a longing glance at the thick double doors across the foyer. I itched to run and throw them open, escaping into the night. But as uncomfortable as I was sneaking around someone else's home, I knew I couldn't turn my back on this.

We crossed the foyer underneath the mezzanine and found that this wing of the manor was inaccessible. A large, heavy wooden door blocked our route forward.

"This is the door that leads into my father's research wing," Eren whispered, pulling a key out of his pocket. "He has a lot of interesting stuff in here, but what we need is in the basement."

No sooner had Eren slid the key into the lock than we heard a door open. Footsteps began to sound in the hallway we had just come from. They were getting nearer. I started to panic. Eren turned the key so aggressively that I was sure it would break. The lock clicked, the door opened, and Eren shoved me inside.

"This key should open the basement door too." He tossed the key to me and glanced over his shoulder at the approaching footsteps. "I'll distract them and make sure they don't come looking for you."

I hardly had time to nod before he was up and moving to intercept the other person. I didn't stay to find out who it was. I eased the door closed as quickly as I dared.

The room before me was a library, not dissimilar to the one in my own house. Bookshelves lined the walls and sliding ladders were positioned around the room. Unlike the rest of the manor, this wing lacked a second story. I could see the shape of some furniture in the middle of the room and I spotted a dark fireplace against the wall, similar to the one in the previous sitting room. On the left wall of the room, there was a door, most likely leading to some sort of office or research room. I didn't need to check, however, as directly to my left were the stairs to the basement.

I stepped down the first few stairs, pausing on the landing to peer down into the darkness of the basement. The warmth of the house disappeared as I descended. It was only once I was completely surrounded in the darkness that I remembered I hadn't brought a light source with me. Cursing my own stupidity, I felt along the wall until I found the door. Then, It was a matter of fumbling with the key as I tried my best to fit it in the lock.

I was shivering by the time the door finally swung open. I entered the basement unable to see anything, not even my own hands as I waved them in front of my face. I groped around for a light switch and found one on the wall behind me. When I flicked it, a low hum filled the air as the lights slowly sputtered to life.

The basement, as it turns out, was the polar opposite of the manor. It was devoid of any and all lavishness that was present in the home above. I stood in what could be considered a cement box. No carpet or rugs covered the cold floor and the walls were bare of any sort of decoration. It was clearly a space meant for storage, nothing more. And for storage, it was being used. The lights came on and I gasped as dozens of Pokemon, all caged, raised their heads to stare at me.

I walked slowly past the cages to the only part of the room that showed any signs of human inhabitation. A wooden desk had been set up facing the entrance, and a tall armchair sat behind it. A simple painting of a family hung on the wall above the chair.

As I walked, I noted that none of the cages were made out of the same material. A Charizard in a stone cage caught my eye and blew smoke at me. Stacked on top of it was a Pikachu trapped in some sort of rubber ball. I swallowed my disgust and continued to the desk.

On the desk, a paper had been left out. It looked to be an official report from someone named 'J. Bexley'. I picked it up, hoping it held useful information. It read:

Mr. Ellington,

The latest transport, containing 48 Pokemon, has been transferred to Entrance Level Storage. Their connection to their trainers has been severed, as requested. I would advise you to handle them with caution, they may be wild once more but due to their life with a trainer, they are stronger than most wild varieties. Moving on, I regret to inform you that the Dragonair you sent for has eluded our grasp, however, the Charizard was a rather lucky find. I think you'll agree that…

The report went on to detail how and when the Pokemon were stolen as well as assuring that another 'transport' was on its way. I replaced the report, feeling sick. I tried to shake the feeling as I gazed up at the painting.

Eren had said the switch was on the back wall. Nothing other than the painting was on display on the back wall, so I placed my hands on either side of the frame and lifted it. It was heavier than it looked and I nearly dropped it, but I managed to set it gently on the ground. As expected, there was an alcove in the wall. A lever with a red handle sat inside, waiting for me to pull it.

Without stopping to think, I grabbed the handle and yanked it. I could hear gears grinding below me, then, something clicked and all the cages opened. Everything was still for a moment as the Pokemon stepped out of confinement. As soon as they spotted the open door, though, the room dissolved into chaos. Many of the Pokemon threw grateful looks my way before joining the crowd at the door.

Surprisingly, a few Pokemon seemed content where they were. They lingered in the middle of the room. One of these few Pokemon was the Charizard I had noticed earlier. Apparently, he had noticed me as well. His piercing blue eyes never left me as he advanced. I backed up, my hand going instinctively to the Pokeballs on my belt. When he reached me, he didn't attack as I had expected him to. Instead, he lowered his head and rubbed against my arm, the same way Meowth or a Litten would. I was initially taken aback by this display of affection. I recovered quickly and placed a hand on his big orange head.

By this time, the room was all but empty and I was ready to get out and regroup with Eren. Before I could move for the exit, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. To my left, there was an area of concrete that was set back, almost like a door. Curious, I walked up to it, pressed my ear against it, and knocked. There was definitely a hollow space on the other side, but I had no way of getting through.

The Charizard, who had been watching me the whole time, followed me over and shoved me aside with a wing. I didn't even have time to protest before he threw himself against the door with a heavy boom. A small crater had appeared where the Charizard had made contact, but it didn't break. A second impact spread cracks over the surface but still, it held. The third and final impact sent shards of concrete flying into the room beyond. The Charizard, carried by his momentum, entered first, clearing a path through the debris. I followed, coughing and waving the dust out of my face.

This new room, while smaller than the one we'd just come from, held something much more interesting. In the middle of the room, taking up most of the space, was some sort of contraption. Four platforms were arranged in a diamond formation. Attached to each platform was a metal fork, pointing toward the center. A rough wooden table had been constructed in one corner of the room and more bookcases lined the back wall. An elevator was set into the right wall.

I walked all the way around the strange contraption, trying to work out what it was used for. The Charizard seemed uneasy in this room, shifting from foot to foot, nostrils flaring. I was too busy to notice this, however, and moved from the contraption to the bookcases. Many of the bookcases were at least partially empty. I reached for a book, curious about the information Lennox had been trying to hide in here. To my surprise, the book I picked up opened to reveal drawings. It was full of what looked like prototype sketches for the contraption in the room. Finding no value in the book, I replaced it and wandered to the elevator.

The doors opened with a pleasant ding and I stepped in. The only direction I could go in this elevator was down. Strange, as the rest of the house was above. I was about to step out again when the Charizard saw the open elevator. To his eyes, the open doors represented an escape from this uncomfortable room. He crammed himself inside the elevator, accidentally pressing the button as he did.

The doors closed and we began the descent. I had been pinned against the wall by the Charizard's tail. The flame on the tip of his tail was dangerously close to my face. I tried not to move as the elevator continued its downward climb. The ride lasted longer than I expected and when the doors finally opened once more, we were let out into the biggest room yet.

The elevator doors closed leaving us alone in the dark. The only light came from the ever-present flame on the Charizard's tail. Even without light, I could sense the sheer size of this room. Water dripped from a hidden source, and the sound of the drops hitting the ground echoed eerily. The air down here felt damp and rivaled the temperature of Pavo town. I stayed close to the Charizard who naturally emitted heat.

Together we began to explore the room. The first thing we came across was an unassuming crate. It was wooden, slightly warped due to the moisture in the air, and heavy. I grabbed the Charizard's tail and held it close. A label on the box read 'Abra (IN)'. A pit of dread formed in my stomach. I shoved my fingers underneath the lid of the crate and heaved. The lid popped off, revealing the Pokeballs beneath.

"No," I whispered, voice cracking.

I turned to the Charizard and saw my own horror reflected in his eyes. With a flap of his wings that sent my hood flying back, the Charizard lifted off. He soared around the room, spewing fire as he went. The fire flickered out before it could set anything alight, but it illuminated enough to send me to my knees.

In front of me, the front half of the warehouse-like room was split down the middle. Crates were organized in rows and some were stacked on top of each other. I couldn't see all the labels on the crates, but I knew enough to make an accurate guess. The other half of the warehouse, behind the crates, was a mystery. As the Charizard flew laps around the perimeter I caught a glimpse of something shiny, reflecting the firelight. I had no interest in finding out what it was, though. I was done with this place.

I struggled to my feet once more and made for the elevator with the Charizard at my heels. The ride back up felt even longer than the ride down. I stared blankly at the wall the whole time, my mind whirling.

"This is so much bigger than we thought it was."

We arrived back in the room with the contraption and I staggered out of the elevator. I clutched a bookshelf for support. My sudden weight dislodged a book and it tumbled off the shelf. I reached down to pick it up and when I did a folded piece of paper slipped from between the pages.

I caught the note and intended to simply slip it back in, but something inside stopped me. I replaced the book and opened the note slowly, hoping that I had been mistaken. I wasn't.

I was right about the fork, Lennox, securing it to the left side of the platform made it more stable. I believe this means you owe us dinner. By the way, I'm planning on leaving in a few days. I heard a rumor about a red Gyrados in lake Liala. It's a weak lead, I know, but it could pay off. No slacking while I'm gone, okay?

It wasn't the content of the letter that caught me, though, it was the handwriting. I traced the slanted letters. With the exaggerated capitals and sloppy loops, there was no mistaking it. I had seen this handwriting countless times back home, in my books and old birthday cards and notes that I couldn't bring myself to get rid of. This was my father's handwriting.

I didn't even realize that my hands were shaking until the note fell from my fingers. I balled my hands into fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms.

"They were – they were working with him. My parents were-" I cut myself off as the Charizard covered my shaking hands with his own claws.

He lowered his head to look into my eyes. No word was spoken, and no sound made, but somehow the simple gesture helped me calm down enough to get my emotions under control.

I took a deep breath. "We're leaving."

The doors in the foyer had been forced open. Claw marks covered the polished wood and the lock had very clearly been smashed. I walked calmly through them, not really seeing any of it.

I was supposed to meet Eren at the cafe we'd eaten at the day before. Instead, I headed to my hotel. This was too much for me. First, the realization that this whole situation was so much bigger than anyone knew, and then the truth about where my parents had gone. Well, I didn't want any part of it. Not anymore. I was going home.